What Rising Sun Pictures does

Rising Sun Pictures (RSP) is a visual effects production studio founded in 1995 in Adelaide, South Australia. The company delivers full-service VFX for feature films and television series, including CG environments, character animation, compositing, FX simulations, face and body replacement, and digital matte painting. With more than 400 staff across its Adelaide headquarters and Brisbane studio (opened in 2021), RSP serves major Hollywood studios and streaming platforms — Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Netflix, Amazon, MGM, Paramount, and Lucasfilm — as a direct B2B production partner on project-based contracts bid through studio executives, producers, and VFX supervisors.

RSP's central product is its VFX production service, underpinned by a custom, flexible in-house pipeline and proprietary ML-driven tooling. The studio's flagship technology is REVIZE, an in-house machine learning toolkit for face and body replacement, including twinning sequences and stunt substitution, which is nominated for the VES Emerging Technology Award in 2026 and is in active use across Sinners, Thunderbolts*, Mickey 17, and furiosa. RSP also developed cineSync, an industry-standard remote video review platform launched in 2005 that received an Academy Scientific and Technical Award in 2011 before being acquired by Cinetal Systems and later THX; cineSpace, a colour management solution, has a similar origin story. These tools reflect two decades of internal R&D output alongside the studio's primary production work.

Revenue is generated through project-based VFX production contracts; pricing is negotiated per shot and sequence and not publicly disclosed. The studio's competitive positioning rests on a stable workforce (employees with 25+ year tenures), an internal education pipeline (250+ careers launched via partnership with Adelaide University, transitioning from the University of South Australia effective January 2026), Australia's 30% Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) offset, and three decades of industry reputation including Academy, BAFTA, VES, and AACTA recognition. In 2021 RSP became part of Pitch Black Company (formerly The Fuse Group), a portfolio company of EagleTree Capital, placing it within a global house of VFX brands that also includes El Ranchito and FOLKS; headcount, facility footprint, and shot volume have all expanded materially since the transaction, and in 2024 the studio was named overall Australian Exporter of the Year.

Name

Rising Sun Pictures

Legal name

Rising Sun Pictures

Website

https://rsp.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Rising Sun Pictures is an Australian visual effects studio headquartered in Adelaide with a second studio in Brisbane, delivering project-based VFX production services to major Hollywood studios and streamers including Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Netflix, Amazon, MGM, Paramount, and Lucasfilm.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Visual Effects Production Services

NAICS

Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

VFX Production & Shot Work (CG Integration, Matte Painting, FX) (MPAHABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

VFX Production & Supervision (2D/3D, Compositing, FX, CG) (MPADAHAA), VFX Review, QC & Delivery (Client Review, Conform, Final Outputs) (MPAHABAL), Color Management & Imaging for VFX (ACES, HDR, Plates/DI Interop) (MPAHABAI), VFX Supervision & On-Set VFX Services (MPAHABAA)

Keywords

• Visual effects production
• Film post-production
• VFX studio services
• CGI compositing
• Motion picture effects

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Visual Effects Production Services: Project-based contracts delivering visual effects for film and television productions. Revenue generated through creative partnership with studios on specific productions, with scope ranging from individual sequences to full-film VFX deliverables. Notable clients include Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Netflix, Amazon, and MGM.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rising Sun Pictures provides end-to-end visual effects (VFX) production services for major feature films and television, covering CG environments, character animation, FX simulations, compositing, and ML-driven face and body replacement. In addition to production services, RSP runs accredited VFX education programs in partnership with Adelaide University.

Product overview

Rising Sun Pictures is an award-winning Australian VFX studio offering full-service visual effects production for film and television. The core offering is VFX production services spanning CG environments, character animation, compositing, face/body replacement via their proprietary REVIZE ML toolkit, and FX simulations. The studio complements its production work with accredited education programs delivered in partnership with Adelaide University, providing training in VFX disciplines. RSP's legacy includes developing cineSync, an industry-standard collaboration tool now owned by THX. The studio employs approximately 240+ crew across Adelaide and Brisbane locations, serving major studios including Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Netflix, Amazon, and MGM.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• REVIZE: Machine learning face and body replacement technology developed by RSP, nominated for VES Emerging Technology Award.

Products and services

• Visual Effects (VFX) Production Services End-to-end visual effects production for major feature films and television, covering CG environments, character animation, FX simulations, compositing, and ML-driven face and body replacement. Delivered to Hollywood studios and global streaming platforms including Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros., Netflix, Amazon, MGM, Paramount, and Lucasfilm.
• VFX Education and Training Programs Accredited tertiary VFX education delivered in partnership with Adelaide University, offering a Bachelor of Visual Effects and Graduate Certificate qualifications. Has launched over 250 careers and feeds a continuous talent pipeline into the studio's production teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nominated for Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Sinners (2026)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Adelaide UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership formed in 2015 (transitioning from University of South Australia to Adelaide University in 2026) to deliver accredited VFX courses. RSP instructors who are working professionals train students in technologies and techniques needed for the global film industry. The education arm was created in 2012 to bridge gap between aspiring artist and workforce-ready artists. Partnership has launched over 250 careers.
• University of South AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Original education partner for VFX training programs from 2015 to end of 2025. From January 2026, RSP courses will be delivered with Adelaide University as part of the amalgamation of UniSA and The University of Adelaide. Current enrolled students will transition to new Adelaide University.
• Rising Sun ResearchcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2012Commercialization arm established in 2000 by Tony Clark to commercialize in-house tools developed at RSP. Created cineSpace and cineSync before those products were licensed/acquired.
• CineTal Systems / THXminorOthers · 1 January 2005cineSpace colour management solution was acquired by Cinetal Systems and later THX in 2011. cineSync remote collaboration tool became industry standard before its acquisition.
• El RanchitominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister studio within the Pitch Black group. Collaborated with RSP on The Bluff, contributing 32 additional shots alongside RSP's 65+ shots.
• FOLKSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister studio within the Pitch Black group, with locations in Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Atlanta, Montréal, Toronto, and Bogotá.
• Industrial Light & MagicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Wicked: For Good - ILM responsible for intercut shots looking out towards sunset while RSP delivered desert sequences. Jason Billington brings experience from ILM among other leading studios.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Luma Pictures: Independent feature-film VFX studio with strong superhero/franchise credits (Marvel, Spider-Verse); comparable mid-sized premium VFX vendor competing for the same studios.
• Industrial Light & Magic (ILM): Lucasfilm-owned VFX studio and global incumbent; delivers the same full-service feature-film VFX work RSP competes for. RSP explicitly collaborated with ILM on Wicked: For Good and the studio's Creative Director Jason Billington was hired from ILM in 2026.
• Weta FX: New Zealand-based feature-film VFX studio (Avatar, Lord of the Rings), a tier-1 competitor for the same Hollywood tentpole work RSP targets. Billington also came from Weta FX, illustrating the talent and project overlap.
• Moving Picture Company (MPC): Global VFX house operating across feature, episodic and streaming content; directly competes with RSP on Hollywood and streaming bids (House of the Dragon, Marvel, etc.). Also a Billington alumni firm.
• Framestore: UK-based VFX and immersive content studio working across major film franchises and streaming originals; comparable full-service offering to RSP and a competitor for the same Hollywood client roster.
• DNEG: Publicly listed global VFX and animation studio delivering feature-film and episodic VFX at significantly larger scale; a direct competitor for the same franchise and streaming work RSP pursues.
• Rodeo FX: Montreal-based VFX studio focused on feature-film work for Hollywood studios; comparable mid-sized premium VFX supplier and another Billington alumni firm competing for the same mid-budget VFX packages.
• Digital Domain: Hollywood VFX and animation studio with feature-film roots and growing immersive/VFX-supervision practice; competes for similar big-budget feature VFX work and has overlapping Marvel/DC credits.
• El Ranchito: Madrid-based feature-film VFX studio and Pitch Black sister company; RSP explicitly co-delivered The Bluff with El Ranchito, illustrating both direct collaboration and overlap as global VFX bidders.

Emerging players

• Spin VFX: Toronto-based VFX studio with strong episodic/streaming pedigree (Game of Thrones spinoffs, Star Trek); represents the broader mid-tier independent VFX peer group competing for streaming-platform budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rspvfx
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCcN05FccYcWXY4Y5P16oBWQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/rspvfx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rising-sun-pictures
• Instagraminstagram.com/rspvfx

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rising Sun Pictures