Dave Clayton

His expertise spans the animation process, from developing early motion studies to crafting compelling characters.

Dave was recently Animation Supervisor on Godzilla vs Kong, drawing on early experience as a Lead on Peter Jackson’s King Kong (2005). He also supervised animation on Rampage (2018), creating the albino gorilla George and the two other massive creatures who rampage through Chicago.

On Game of Thrones: Season 8 (2019), Dave led animation across all six episodes, including ‘The Bells’ celebrated with an Emmy for VFX. His team animated thousands of charging Dothraki and the zombie Wights, developed new technology combining fire and water simulation to destroy fleets of ships, and created Rhaegal’s dramatic death in all its visceral detail.

For the Academy Award-nominated Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) Dave and his team animated the epic third-act battle in the constantly evolving hollow, along with Ego’s transformation into his human form.

Dave was Animation Supervisor on James Cameron’s Avatar (2009). Having joined Wētā FX in 2003 to work on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Dave later led Wētā’s animators back to Middle Earth to bring life to the digital characters in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy (2012–14), achieving two Oscar nominations and three BAFTA nominations.