Black Kite Studios has appointed Phil Oldham and Jonathan Box as Creative Directors.

Phil Oldham joins the team from the now-closed Absolute Post “bringing extensive experience, strong client relationships, and his dynamic creative energy to the role.”

Jonathan Box’s promotion to Creative Director “reflects his long-standing contribution to Black Kite’s culture and creative output” and because his “expertise in AI and emerging technologies has also been instrumental in keeping the studio at the forefront of innovation.”

Amy Richardson Managing Director, said: “Phil and Jonathan are two exceptional talents who each bring something distinct and hugely valuable to our studio. They embody so much of what makes Black Kite special, and will work closely with Executive Creative Director Adam Crocker and the wider leadership team.

Phil brings his signature energy, experience and relationships to Black Kite, while Jonathan’s passion for AI and emerging tech continues to help push the studio forward creatively and technologically.”

Phil Oldham said: “To be joining Black Kite at such an exciting moment in the evolution of the studio is so exciting, as it is to be part of their building further partnerships with outstanding agencies and some of the most inventive and exciting directors in the industry.”

Jonathan Box, said: “Black Kite has always been the kind of studio to land projects and scripts that genuinely excite me, having that calibre of creative work coming through the door is a huge part of the appeal. VFX is evolving constantly, Black Kite provides me with the opportunity to explore new technologies and use them in the smartest and most creative way.

Black Kite have most recently worked on commercials including, Ford ‘Ready Set Ford’, Fanta ‘Wanta Fanta’, KFC ‘Believe Pt 3’, Apple ‘iPhone 17’, Telstra ‘Wherever We Go’ and McDonald’s ‘Heist’.

Awards take place at The Londoner, November 18th.

Awards take place at The Londoner, November 18th.

Awards take place at The Londoner, November 18th.

Director: Aoife McArdle
Developed by Rabbit Track Pictures and Elation Pictures with Film4 and the BFI.
Co-Produced by Komplizen Film and Trimafilm.
VFX & Colour: Black Kite Studios
VFX Supervisor: Adam Crocker
VFX Executive Producer: Amy Richardson
Colour: George K

Synopsis
The lives of Jude and Sam, a grieving couple clinging to routine and survival, are upended when William, a coldly devout government “foxfinder,” arrives at their struggling farm with a mission to root out the designated enemy – the fox. As paranoia festers and absurd regulations tighten their grip, suspicion replaces love, and truth itself begins to warp.

The experienced VFX producer joins the studio's senior team, reuniting with former colleagues and helping develop new opportunities.

Bringing experience in VFX production and established relationships with agencies, creative teams and directors, Allen will play a role in developing new opportunities for the studio, as well as supporting and mentoring emerging talent within the team.
Having worked alongside several Black Kite team members earlier in his career, Allen is also reuniting with a number of former colleagues.

“Black Kite feels a bit like returning home for me,” says Allen. “I grew up in the industry alongside so many Kites so coming here means being reunited with a lot of old friends.”

“Ultimately, it’s about winning and delivering outstanding creative work,” he adds. “And along the way, it’s about managing expectations and finding ways to squeeze as much creativity into a job as possible.”

Allen's recent credits include Coca-Cola x Premier League's Taste Every Second, M&S Rewards and Honda's Super N.

Julie Evans, Black Kite Studios Co-Founder, says: “We couldn’t be happier that Chris has joined us. There’s something special about welcoming an old friend back into the fold and Chris has been part of so many of our lives over the years. He brings an incredible amount of experience and knowledge, but just as importantly, he’s someone who genuinely cares about the work and the people around him. We’re delighted to have him.”

Congratulations to Sophie Langton for winning the Animation: 2D & CGI award at the Young Arrows 2026 for her work on Telstra, "Wherever We Go".

Agency: Bear Meets Eagle On Fire
Production Company: Riff Raff
Directors: Smith & Foulkes

From puppeteered spheres to smoke-filled bubbles, bringing Honda’s Your Dreams Engineered campaign to life demanded as much ingenuity behind the camera as it celebrates on screen. Director Ryan Chun and Black Kite Studios’ VFX Supervisor Jonathan Box explain how they manifested a beautiful film about manifesting dreams.

Can you share how you developed the concept with the creative team at Pablo London?

Ryan Chun: Pablo’s brief had already opened with such strong central questions: what if a human dream was something you could actually see and touch? How would it move? How would it behave? How would you test it? That idea felt almost limitless, so our job became finding the clearest, most emotionally resonant expression of it.

We started with this huge, exciting idea full of possibilities, then gradually shaped it through experimentation.
What was fun about the process was how closely it mirrored the film itself. We started with this huge, exciting idea full of possibilities, then gradually shaped it through experimentation. We’d dream up worlds, behaviours and ways to interact with these physical dreams. We’d pressure-test ideas, discover new ones, throw others away, and slowly refine the concept until everything clicked into place. We actually spent a lot of time simplifying rather than adding, always asking how we could keep the dream at the centre of the story and let everything else support it.

We wanted to portray engineering not as something cold or technical, but as an optimistic, deeply human act of bringing an idea to life.

Black Kite Studios delivered visual effects for McDonald’s World Menu Heist, a globe-trotting McDonald’s campaign created by Leo Burnett UK and directed by Academy’s Henry Scholfield.

Shot on location in Bangkok, the film follows a high-stakes mission to recover McDonald’s most iconic menu items from around the world, pairing blockbuster action with ambitious VFX to create cinematic scale and globe-spanning spectacle. And some ketchup on a tie…

The campaign takes audiences from snow-covered mountain peaks to the depths of the ocean, requiring an extensive mix of CG and invisible effects. Black Kite created expansive snowy environments, fully CG light aircraft and aerial landscapes, dynamic flying McDonald’s burger boxes and a range of integrated visual effects designed to sit naturally within the live-action photography.

Alongside CG asset creation, the team delivered environment work, animation, compositing and effects simulations, with each digital element supporting the scale and playful energy of the heist. The result combines practical filmmaking and visual effects to enhance the action.

Black Kite’s recent commercial work includes Ford “Ready Set Ford,” Fanta “Wanta Fanta,” KFC “Believe Pt 3,” Apple “iphone 17” and Telstra “Wherever We Go.” Founded in 2019, Black Kite is an independent visual effects and design studio working across advertising, music video, fashion, content and episodic entertainment projects.