Screen credits have included Hollywood Feature Films, Record-Breaking Netflix Movies and Series, Factuals and Documentaries.
As Director at Wonderfilm Pictures, Lewis Andrews has had the privilege of collaborating with numerous top-tier industry professionals on some of the most iconic film and streaming shows in history. From Paramount’s Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One starring Tom Cruise, to Netflix’s 3 Body Problem, Lewis regularly travels for shoots, whether in international locations or in studios around the world.
Lewis has worked with large-scale production crews as well as small, tight-knit teams. Collaborating across every department, Lewis has built strong relationships with some of the best studios in the industry. These connections often become repeat clients on multiple shows.
Lewis has worked closely with XM2, one of the world’s largest and most successful aerial cinematography companies, on productions such as Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One, James Bond: No Time To Die, Fast & Furious 9, Cinderella, and Secret Invasion – Marvel. Managing heavy-lift aircraft for cinematic purposes requires a team of experienced professionals to pilot, operate, and maintain the drone’s integrity during use.
Lewis works on the technical aspects of the camera gimbal and the drone. Whether flying in close proximity to cast members, such as Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible, or capturing action-packed stunts with extensive pyrotechnics in Fast & Furious 9, the role demands versatility and the ability to respond swiftly to the fast-paced demands of shooting environments.
XM2 not only manufactures but also develops state-of-the-art film tools in-house, with their global team innovating in the motion picture industry. Lewis has engaged with XM2 in various VFX roles, including tech work on arrays that XM2 has flown.
Throughout Lewis’s freelance career he has often utilised his passion for camera and cinematography to shoot and direct his own Music Videos, Commercials and branded content for clients such as Nike, Puma, and Sony Music. His abilities have been adopted in the TV world, particularly on VFX plate shoots where he has been tasked with capturing additional photography alongside the DOP and Visual Effects Supervisors.
Lewis has shot some exciting projects with a range of RED Digital Cinema cameras; the RED KOMODO-X and the RED DSMC2 HELIUM 8K. His other go-to cameras have been the Sony VENICE, Sony FX6 and Sony A7S II.
As well as a natural handheld style which Lewis leans towards, he has always loved steadicam as an art of camera movement. He has developed skill for camera operating on a hand held gimbal.
His first gimbal was the DJI Ronin which he used on many of his freelance shooting projects, and was first properly recognised in his short film The Princess of Symmetry. This film captured the attention of Sony Music who later hired him to shoot a music video for eclectic grime group Vibbar for Sweden.
Lewis has captured thousands of HDRIs on set using Wonderfilm Pictures’ VFX equipment, including specially engineered nodal camera heads like the Nodal Ninja 5. These tools help capture detailed 360° and panoramic photography quickly, even under tight deadlines and varying light conditions. He uses PTGui to process these captures, ensuring high-quality and consistent results.
Handling a 50% chrome/matte grey ball is an essential part of VFX supervision. Wonderfilm Pictures produces these VFX balls in-house, ensuring quality and consistency.
Photogrammetry data is crucial for reconstructing environments and assets in post-production. Lewis ensures comprehensive coverage and detailed asset recording using equipment ranging from Lidar to drones.
Lewis is passionate about data management, emphasising the importance of organised, quickly accessible data. He has developed sophisticated FileMaker systems to manage and track data effectively, enhancing productivity and efficiency on set.
Lewis creates his own bespoke FileMaker VFX databases to track VFX work on-set such as capturing slates, camera notes, measurements, VFX details, and on-set diagrams or photos.
For post, Lewis creates FileMaker databases which can name and track assets as well as track file paths on SSDs or online servers during VFX shows.
Similar FileMaker databases he has created can track VFX shots, manage vendor bids, and produce daily reports for the VFX producer.
Lewis values lens gridding for its precision. He meticulously creates detailed reports from the lens grid shoots, capturing necessary data for editorial and tracking purposes. He ensures every capture is seamless, paying close attention to the dolly’s length, the floor’s flatness, the light distribution, and the required focus pull or grain sample.
Lewis has had VFX Supervisor responsibilities on set of Netflix, Amazon, and BBC Science productions.
Lewis has taken on VFX Supervisor roles such as directing his own sprite units with multiple background supporting artists, managing and shooting blue screen elements, and ensuring the VFX department meets creative criteria and briefs.
Lewis has collaborated with well-known VFX DOPs and aerial cinematographers to capture background plates. Lewis often works on plate shoots which fulfil narrative requirements in Visual Effects shows with full CG creatures and mixed CG/live-action sequences.
His expertise extends significantly with experience in operating cinema cameras such as RED and Sony, adding value in smaller-scale crews, including television projects.
Wonderfilm Pictures’ RED KOMODO-X VFX Arrays cater for large scale productions looking for a practical VFX plate shoot solution, aerial or ground.Â
We work with a top engineer to elegantly design our array assemblies from the ground up for a range of shoot applications in the film industry. From heavy duty stabiliser heads, to drones with more crucial payload limits.
Central to our ultra light weight VFX Array platforms are the three RED KOMODO-X Cameras, the latest evolution in the KOMODO series. The KOMODO-X capture a stunning level of detail with a 6K sensor at 80 fps and 16.5+ stops of dynamic range.
Our VFX Array produces a stitched plate with a combined 160° FOV. We manufacture our VFX Arrays to achieve maximum coverage from the KOMODO-X 6K Sensor and the Zeiss 21mm CP.3 XD lenses.Â
We applied our expertise gained from working on large-scale VFX shows to the design of our VFX Arrays. With compositors in mind, material from our array includes a 25° FOV overlap for reliable, perfect stitching.
Arranged in a horizontal configuration, three RED KOMODO-X cameras with a 19.9MP sensor and 6144 × 3240 effective pixels produce a combined 18,432 x 3240 stitched plate.
The best imaging capability and VFX plate composition are made possible with three identical Carl Zeiss 21mm CP.3 XD lenses. Stitching is reliable and the lens distortion can be mapped using Zeiss’s XD technology.
Our production-ready VFX Array rigs are designed for big shows. A testament to this is our custom hardware designed to make the rigs fully operational remotely within 1500 ft. R/S, FIZ, Playback, Timecode.
Lewis worked in the locations department for the productions Jolt (Amazon Studios) and Fast & Furious 9 (Universal Studios).
The locations department secured permissions and ensured compliance with legal standards, aligning the filming locations with the project’s needs.
