Moving Picture Company

Founding

MPC was established by Mike Luckwell in 1970, starting as a production company producing TV commercials and in 1978 the studio began delving into video, acquiring broadcast standard video recorders and TV cameras. MPC continued to grow; moving into video post-production and by 1983 was known for post-production and visual effects for the advertising and feature film industries.

Luckwell sold MPC to Carlton Communications in 1983 and in doing so; he became Carlton's managing director and largest individual shareholder. During Carlton's 2004 merger with Granada to create ITV plc, they sold MPC to French group Thomson SA for £52.7 million. Following the acquisition, Thomson, now known as Technicolor SA, aimed to make MPC grow by acquiring more film work. By the end of the decade, MPC had become one of the leading visual effects companies.

Expansion

MPC Film has grown from a small team in London to more than 3000 employees worldwide.

In 2007, MPC Film created a new facility in Vancouver, where a core team – some originally from London and others native to Vancouver, began work on Zack Snyder’s Watchmen. Since then, MPC Vancouver has worked on several feature films, including Skyscraper, Alpha and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. However, the Vancouver office announced its closure in 2019.

In summer 2008, the opening of MPC LA, a commercials post shop operating in Santa Monica, California. They have since completed jobs for commercial directors including Fredrik Bond, Filip Engstrom and Traktor as well as completing Super Bowl spots.

Around the same time as opening in Santa Monica, MPC Digital came into being, to create and re-purpose digital assets for the internet as well as new media applications and handheld devices. The MPC Datalab offered a service to manage digital acquisition and establish tapeless HD workflows.

After eight years at its Santa Monica location, MPC moved to a larger 25,000-square-foot studio in Culver City. MPC Film launched creative services in the studio including concept and production design, visualization, business development, virtual production and VFX supervisors representation. MPC Advertising has resources dedicated to VFX, color and finishing services. The space also plays host to a purpose-built VR/AR infrastructure and its content production arm, MPC Creative.

MPC Bangalore officially opened in October 2010. Being plugged into MPC's pipeline and production network, MPC Bangalore is able to share software development and in-house tools. However, Bangalore and Mumbai offices announced its closure in February 2025, causing Technicolor's bankruptcy. In early April, after acquisition by TransPerfect, MPC will open the Singapore studio.