Olswang has advised Double Negative (DNeg), Europe's largest independent provider of visual effects for film, on its merger with Prime Focus World (PFW), the creative services subsidiary of Prime Focus Limited, the global media and entertainment industry services provider.

The new VFX business, which will trade under the Double Negative brand, will form one of the world's largest independent VFX, 3D conversion and animation businesses. It will be led by DNeg's current management team of Managing Director Alex Hope and CEO Matthew Holben and retain existing creative talent at its London and Singapore facilities. In addition to DNeg's London and Singapore businesses, it will also open in Vancouver and have access to all Prime Focus' visual effects operations in India.

Double Negative, founded in 1998, has grown to become one of the industry's success stories with honours including an Academy Award for Inception and two BAFTAs for Inception and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Matthew Holben, CEO of Double Negative commented: "Olswang played a vital role in delivering this transformative deal for Double Negative. We have enjoyed working with Olswang for a number of years and the team is extremely well-regarded for their corporate expertise in the media and entertainment sector."

Paul Guite, a Partner in Olswang's corporate group added: "It has been a pleasure for Olswang to act for Double Negaitve once again and help them create a global leader in the field of visual effects services. The film and entertainment industry is evolving rapidly and this merger is the latest example of ambitious businesses leveraging creative excellence with the benefits of a global offering."

The Olswang team was led by Paul Guite, Corporate Partner, and supported by Ken Wilkinson, Tom Jameson and Marie Ingham (corporate), Natasha Kaye and Robert Sartor (tax), Anita Wisby (employment) and Anne Chitan (finance).