Foundry today announced that Academy Award-winning creative studio DNEG has implemented Hiero to support its editorial workflows. Part of the Nuke product family, Hiero combines powerful multi-shot management, conform, editorial, and review workflow functionality with the shared Nuke timeline. Providing greater visibility and control over projects from ingest to delivery, Hiero enables editorial and production teams to efficiently monitor progress and share feedback in context.
DNEG is already deploying Hiero on episodic, film and experience-based projects in production and expects to be fully migrated to Hiero by the end of the year. Delivering visual effects (VFX) and animation for film, television, and immersive content, DNEG has earned eight VFX Academy Awards since 2011, with almost 30 years of experience in the industry.
“Alongside our in-house developed, open source review tool xSTUDIO, transitioning to Hiero has helped us to enhance our editorial processes, as cut updates and shot management for large sequences containing hundreds of shots were proving cumbersome,” said Chris Kowal, Global Head of Production Operations at DNEG.
“Using Hiero has given us the ability to work with a level of efficiency we would have previously never dreamed of,” said Abigail Cadogan, Head of Editorial at DNEG. “We have the flexibility to adapt our workflows in response to client demands quickly.”
Danny Di Donato, Senior Software Developer at DNEG says “Hiero's Python API allowed us to build a one-stop shop for our entire editorial pipeline. Custom soft effects, timeline-driven Nuke farm rendering, and even ShotGrid cut comparisons built directly into our own panels. Our team can conform, publish, and track changes against production without ever leaving the timeline.”
DNEG’s Hiero integration includes a custom-built shot manager tool that links to the studio’s production tracking database, allowing editors to see live updates and frame ranges while working in the timeline. It also provides accurate automatic OCR (optical character recognition) detection for shot naming, significantly reducing manual work. The new workflow ensures editors can stay organized and in control even through complex productions with large shot volumes. Next, DNEG plans to integrate plate handling and color grading workflows through Hiero as well.
About Foundry
Foundry has a 30-year heritage in developing creative software for the Media and Entertainment industry, and a portfolio of award-winning products. It advances the art and technology of visual experience with creative leaders around the globe, including major feature film studios and post-production houses such as ILM, DNEG, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Wētā FX, Pixar, Marvel, Netflix, Framestore and Skydance Animation.
In partnership with these companies, Foundry solves complex visualization challenges to turn incredible ideas into reality. Its products are used to create breathtaking visual effects and animation on a wide range of feature films, episodic content, and commercials.
Foundry software was integral in the making of every VFX Academy Award-winning film since 2007. The company has been recognized and honored at the highest level in the industry, including four Academy Sci-Tech Awards for Mari, Katana, Nuke and Furnace, two HPA Engineering Excellence awards for Flix and Nuke respectively, and an Engineering Emmy for Nuke.
Founded in 1996, Foundry is headquartered in London, with over 275 people worldwide.
About DNEG
DNEG is a world-leading visual effects and animation company for the creation of film, TV, and immersive content, with worldwide offices and studios across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
With almost 30 years of industry experience, DNEG has been honoured with eight Academy Awards® for ‘Visual Effects’ since 2011, and numerous BAFTA, Primetime EMMY®, and Visual Effects Society Awards for its critically acclaimed work.
Upcoming announced projects include The Odyssey (July 2026), Motor City (July 2026), Coyote vs. Acme (August 2026), Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups (August 2026), Klara and the Sun (October 2026), Street Fighter (October 2026), The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Season 3 (Nov 2026), The Cat In The Hat (Nov 2026), Ramayana: Part 1 (Nov 2026), The Angry Birds Movie 3 (Dec 2026), Above the Below (Dec 2026), Animal Friends (Jan 2027), Bad Fairies (May 2027), Blade Runner 2099, Alone at Dawn, SAS: Rogue Heroes S3, On The Line, Road House 2, Snoopy Unleashed, Blood On Snow, This City Is Ours S2, Black Palace, and Gundam.