Weta partnership for special effects guru

Oscar-winning  special effects guru Joe Letteri has been made a partner at Weta Digital.

Letteri, an American, joins Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor and Jamie Selkirk as an equal partner and shareholder in the internationally successful Wellington company.

He has been a senior visual effects supervisor for Weta Digital, which provides computer-generated effects, since 2001, and will continue in that role. Before that, he worked at George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic for 10 years, and he was a visual effects co-supervisor for the 1997 Star Wars Special Edition.

He has played a key role in attracting productions to New Zealand, including James Cameron's new film Avatar, for which Weta is providing the visual effects.

Letteri, who has started working on The Lovely Bones, Dambusters, and Tintin, said Weta was reaching a new stage in its growth.

"This has been a really nice outcome for all the work and everything that we've built and developed at Weta. It's an ongoing commitment on everyone's part to keep it going and growing and be able to handle more films. It's just great that Peter, Richard and Jamie have welcomed me into the family, so to speak."

Jackson, Weta Digital's co-founder, said he was delighted by the appointment, which recognised Letteri's leadership and was a milestone for the company.

"Over the years Joe has helped establish and grow Weta Digital's international reputation for leading-edge visual effects," he said.

Since joining Weta, Letteri has won Academy Awards for The Two Towers and The Return of the King. He also won a Bafta for King Kong.

- © Fairfax NZ News