Sunday, July 05, 2015

Consolidation

Bigger and bigger.

Leading visual effects companies Cinesite and Image Engine have merged, giving the two entities a combined staff of over 525 VFX and animation staff at their studios in London, Vancouver and Montreal.

Cinesite, which opened its doors in London in 1994, has contributed BAFTA and Academy Award nominated and winning visual effects to films including “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Iron Man 3,” the Harry Potter series of films, and “The Golden Compass.” It is working on productions including “Now You See Me: The Second Act,” “Ant-Man,” “Spectre,” “The Last Witch Hunter,” “Gods of Egypt,” “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” and “The Revenant.”

Founded in Vancouver in 1995, Image Engine has built a strong reputation for producing high-quality visual effects for film and high-end television. Nominated for an Academy Award for its work on Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9” in 2009, the studio has gone on to work on such high-profile productions as “Elysium,” “Chappie,” “Jurassic World,” “Game of Thrones” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Forthcoming releases include “Point Break” and “Straight Outta Compton.” ...

You will note that both companies have sizable presences in Canada, land of verdant forests, Mounties and lots and lots of Free Money.

It's the Free Money that's made Montreal, Vancouver and other Canadian burgs hot beds of of CG production. The minute citizens up north don't want to underwrite American Entertainment conglomerates and the sub-contractors who love them, the work will shift to other points on the globe. Trust me on this.


2 comments:

Kinetic said...

It might also be that there is talent up north as well. Not just "Free" money

Steve Hulett said...

I know plenty of Canadians with talent and skills galore, they're a talented group. But if the generous subsidies weren't there, the conglomerates' footprints would be way smaller.

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