Eight began in January 2005 with a simple philosophy – let craftsmanship and artistry be your guide. As relentless champions of this core belief, founders Baptiste Andrieux and Jean-Marc Demmer have seen their company quickly grow into a leading force in the VFX industry.  Over six years of rigorous collaboration and experimentation on commercials, television and features, Eight has demonstrated again and again that original vision translates into outstanding business.  Which is remarkable for what is essentially a well-run artists’ collective.

“A true craftsman would rather make one beautiful chair than a thousand mediocre ones.” says Andrieux, the company’s Executive Producer.  He and Demmer seek out experienced, accomplished artists, who love what they do and thrive on pushing boundaries in a group environment. This supreme commitment to craft, to detail, to innovation has attracted directors such as Tom Kuntz, Rocky Morton, Brian Beletic, Mr Hide, Stacy Wall, Sam Bayer, Bryan Buckley, Olivier Gondry, David Lynch, James Mangold, Jospeph Kahn, Paul Hunter, Ruben Fleischer, Jonas Akerlund, and Francis Lawrence, among others.

Demmer, VFX Supervisor, thinks what sets them apart from other effects houses is an open and on-going creative process from pre-vis, through the shoot, and into the post.  “People like how accessible we are,“ he offers. “We encourage directors to engage with our team. We encourage dialogue – this human interaction is really what brings out the quality in the work.” A random visit to the Eight offices confirms this spirit of collaboration. There are no hunched drones staring silently at flickering screens. Instead, there is lively discussion, freehand sketching (with pencils!) and a palpable enthusiasm for creative discovery and problem solving in the air.

Recently, Eight has put its personal stamp on commercial for clients such as Prius, Carl’s Jr, Adidas, Hahn Beer, Converse, HP (the now iconic “hands” campaigns), BMW, T-Mobile, Spring, Bavaria Beer, LUX, Fidelity, Avon, among a slew of national and international brands. In features, they’ve just completed 50+ CG shots for Academy Award Nominated director James Mangold’s 2010 summer blockbuster Knight and Day.  “The spirit here is the same as when we first started, and we continue to be excited as the opportunities for us to do interesting work evolve.” says Demmer.  Reflecting on the company’s steady growth, Andrieux says, “Outstanding talent speaks for itself… Clients see what we do, they see our reel, they meet the team, and that’s it… OK, let’s go, let’s do this!”

Eight is co-owned by Andrieux and Demmer. Executive Producer Shira Boardman joined the team last year as Executive Producer.