The first Finnish direct deal with Netflix closed by a Tampere based company
Tampere-based VFX production house Troll Visual Effects is the first Finnish company to make a post-production contract directly with Netflix. Troll will create digital special effects in Tampere for a Netflix self-produced original content that will be viewed by millions of people around the world.
"The deal indicates clearly how high the quality of Finnish VFX expertise is. We closed the deal first of all because of the world-class quality we can produce", says Troll CEO Antti Kulmala.
Reasonable level of costs in the Tampere Region was also an asset for Troll when negotiating the deal. The combination of national and regional production incentives gives Troll a competitive edge and helps it to employ skilled professionals locally.
"From the Film Tampere point of view this deal is a remarkable milestone on our way to international openings that we are working for", says Ilkka Rahkonen, Media Business Development Director of Business Tampere.
VFX industry grows, artists needed
”VFX” refers to digital special effects and animations that are created for many uses, for example commercials, corporate videos, TV series and films. An increasing share of all video images is at least modified (by digitally adding, removing or enhansing elements) – if not fully created from scratch on a computer.
The industry is in a state of explosive growth, and the Netflix deal strengthens Troll’s growth path. VFX artists will be sought after in the Tampere Region in the near future, and the industry is expecting audiovisual education to respond to the demand.
"We are building VFX into a serious industry in Finland. All over the world, the largest VFX companies employ thousands of professionals, and in the Nordics the industry provides jobs for hundreds of people", says Kulmala.
Infobox
Finnish Cash Rebate
- 25% Cash rebate for production costs used in Finland
- The incentive is targeted for feature films, documentary films, scripted fiction series and animation productions
- The Cash rebate is administrated by Business Finland
- More information about the Finnish Cash rebate: filminginfinland.fi/cash-rebate/
Tampere Cash Rebate
- 10-15% Cash rebate for production costs used in Tampere region
- Tampere Cash rebate can be applied for professional entertainment, documentary, drama, movie and VR productions
- Tampere Cash Rebate is governed by Film Tampere
- Finnish Cash rebate combined to Tampere Cash rebate enable one to get up to 40% Cash rebate
Article by Business Tampere
Photo: The CEO of Troll VFX Antti Kulmala