Rising Sun Pictures (RSP) co-founder and managing director Tony Clark is the first Australian to be named a fellow of the Visual Effects Society.
Clark was recognised at the organisation’s Honours Celebration October 14 at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles.
The title ‘VES Fellow’ signifies that an individual has earned an outstanding reputation through sustained contributions to the art, science or business of visual effects, as well as through meritorious service to the society and the entertainment industry at large.
A 30-year industry veteran, Clark was honoured for his work in building RSP, as well as his role as an innovator. Among his accomplishments is co-developing remote collaboration software cineSync, for which he won a Academy Award for Scientific & Technical Achievement in 2011 alongside Rory McGregor, Neil Wilson and Alan Rogers.
“Our VES honourees represent a group of exceptional artists, innovators and professionals who have had a profound impact on the field of visual effects,” said VES board chair Lisa Cooke.
“We are proud to recognise those who helped shape our shared legacy and continue to inspire future generations of VFX practitioners.”
Clark said he was humbled and flattered by the honour.
“I have received other honours over the years, but this is especially meaningful as it comes from my peers. I feel great admiration for the distinguished professionals who’ve previously become VES Fellows and take great pride in joining their ranks,” he said.
Clark began his career as a cinematographer, and co-founded RSP in Adelaide in 1995 with Gail Fuller and Wayne Lewis.
The company worked on early local computer-generated animation before its first big Hollywood break on Warner Bros.’ Red Planet.
Today, RSP is one of Australia’s largest visual effects businesses, employing more than 280 crew. Recent credits include Elvis, Thor: Love & Thunder, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Cowboy Bebop, Hawkeye, Jungle Cruise, Black Widow, Candyman and Mortal Kombat. It was acquired by the Fuse Group last April.
Clark’s VFX supervisor credits include Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity.
In 2000, Clark also created Rising Sun Research (RSR) in order to commercialise tools created within RSP. Early products included cineSpace, a film colour management solution that was critical in matching visual effects with on-set photography, acquired by Cinetal Systems and subsequently THX in 2011. RSR released the Oscar-winning cineSync, which enabled the secure collaboration of synced footage, in 2005. RSR rebranded as Cospective in 2012 with McGregor at the helm.
Wanting to improve access to high-speed internet for Australian filmmakers, Clark established Cinenet in 2004. In 2015, Cinenet was acquired by Superloop and Clark was seconded into a non-executive director role in which he continues today.
Clark has also served on the boards of the South Australian Film Corporation, Ausfilm and the Royal Institute of Australia (RiAus). While on the Ausfilm board, Clark played a pivotal role in leading the lobbying for the Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) Offset.
Of RSP’s success, Clark said: “We’ve been successful because we’ve stuck to our values here in Australia, delivering quality effects and conducting business in a manner we think is right. I am extremely proud of the team we’ve built and the contributions they have made to the visual effects industry, both here at RSP and through their subsequent careers at other high-profile companies around the world.”