I Design Your Eyes

Zoic Studios riding VFX boom

Dang — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:50:26 +0000

“Interviews with principals at Zoic Studios, a visual effects studio in Gastown. Principals Patrick Mooney, and Barbara Dawson talk about the boom in VFX work that’s under way in British Columbia.”

Watch Video from The Vancouver Sun:
Zoic Studios Ride VFX Boom

Zoic sees Vancouver as ideal satellite hub for booming VFX sector

Dang — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 19:38:50 +0000

Tax, talent and time zone.

A competitive advantage in all three has allowed British Columbia to mature into a North America hub for film and television production during the past 40 years.

Now, thanks to technology, Hollywood North is evolving into a world leader in the industry’s hottest sector: visual effects.

Visual effects, or VFX, aren’t exclusive to science fiction and fantasy; even conventional television dramas rely on them as a cost-effective alternative to set building and location shooting, and they’re also used to enhance special effects and physical stunts such as a car crash.

Eric Roth, a California-based spokesman for the VFX artists community, describes visual effects as the entertainment industry’s “new superstar.”

“When people plunk down $12 for their movie tickets, they’re looking to see great effects, whether in 2D, 3D, in Imax or as a download. From Hollywood to Bollywood, visual effects is now the key to the entertainment industry’s bottom line,” Roth, executive director of the Visual Effects Society, said in an email.

Hollywood Reporter recently estimated that VFX now accounts for more than 2,200 jobs in Vancouver — with hundreds more coming in the months ahead.

The list of VFX and digital animation companies that have set up shop here, or plan to open in the near future, reads like a who’s who of the entertainment industry, not including homegrown pioneers like Image Engine and Rainmaker Entertainment.

Your cost of shooting in a green room — essentially, an empty room with green walls where VFX artists superimpose a background after the actors have been filmed in it — could be one-fifth the expense of a physical set.

Los Angeles-based Zoic Studios was one of the first arrivals, adding a Vancouver operation in 2005 in the Sun Tower on Pender. They moved last December, over the course of a weekend amid a hectic production deadline, to expanded facilities in Gastown.

Zoic Tags Up FIFA Street

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:58:48 +0000

The excitement over the latest installment of Electronic Arts FIFA STREET is intense. When the game was announced at GamesCom 2011 in Cologne, Germany on August 16, it was trending #6 worldwide on Twitter beating the Justin Bieber juggernaut. Zoic Studios was proud and happy to have been able to partner with EA SPORTS to create the announcement trailer for the event. The fan response has been tremendous.

“Our #1 mandate from EA SPORTS was that this trailer be, above all else, authentic,” says Levi Ahmu, Zoic’s Creative Director. “Naturally, our first action was an exploratory dive into the rich and textured world of street football.” Ahmu and Dmitri Gueer, ZOIC’s Senior Editor, worked on the edit to express this energy and enthusiasm in the piece. “Levi has an amazing sense of timing and an eye for detail. We had a lot of fun experimenting with the flow of the edit. That fun really comes across,” says Gueer.

“The guys at EA SPORTS supplied us with a phenomenal audio track (“Maskinen” by Skåmslåkkar),” continues Ahmu, “it’s an energetic pounding track that exemplifies the never ending excitement known in street football culture. The dev team provided us with some of the most amazing angles and coverage of the game, which made the editorial process a dream.”

That cultural excitement is communicated in all aspects of the trailer. Even the design is based on the street art of the community, again showcasing EA SPORT’s renowned commitment to authenticity. Zoic is pleased to have been a partner in letting the football community get a peak at this exciting title.

NBC and Zoic

admin — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 22:58:55 +0000

NBC Magic hired Zoic Studios to create a piece for the 2011 Upfronts that would help usher in a new chapter for NBC by introducing the 2011 version of the iconic peacock logo. The concept, created by Brad Gensurowsky and Gus Vouniozos of NBC Magic, was to artfully move through different logos of the past starting in the 50’s and progressing through the different eras until arriving at the unveiling of the new logo. The unveiling of the new logo is significant as it coincides with the arrival of the new chairman of NBC Entertainment, Bob Greenblatt. At Zoic Studios, the piece was created by artists Tony Meister, Brian White, and Ryan Wehner and was produced by Matt Olmon. Kari St. Clair produced the piece for NBC Magic. Additional animation was done by Laffey TV and the soundtrack was provided by Yessian.
Also, NBC Promo was on the front page of Promax BDA last week and was that website’s Hot Spot. It should be on CG News sometime this week.

Fringe gets animated

Leslie Morgan — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:37:09 +0000

Last Friday night’s episode of Fringe entitled “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide” is one of the most unique and compelling productions to air on television. For Zoic Studios it was also one of the most ambitious, involving the creation of 240 heavily stylized animated shots, a blend of hand drawn and 3D techniques, in just under six weeks.

Inspired by graphic novels, Max Fleischer and Hanna-Barbera classics, Zoic began the process with extensive character designs for each of the actors who would appear in the animated dream-state. Storyboards were drawn for every scene in the show and were cut together with footage from stunt coordinator fight scene choreography and live action performances to retain the integrity of the actor performances and ensure that that these unique character personalities translate on screen. Using a unique blend of 3D and hand drawn bush strokes, Zoic created animated characters that strike a balance between stylized and authentic, allowing the subtleties of the actors’ emotions and mannerisms to shine through. The materials and footage from various formats were extensively tracked in Zoic’s project management pipeline, to effectively organize plates, actor and voice over performances and feed shot and version notes to the artists from the supervisors and client.

In addition to the character animation, the Zoic team recreated some Fringe sets and designed and animated new environments key to the narrative. These environments, often hand painted backgrounds projected onto 3D plates, have incredible depth of field and subtle hand held float, providing an immersive experience for the viewer.

“This project was one of the most intensive and rewarding we have worked on in Zoic’s history,” says Zoic Studios Creative Director Andrew Orloff. “It was an incredible undertaking, from the amazing writers at Fringe to the animation production that is both steeped in tradition and groundbreaking.”

For more info check out the article in Wired Magazine

Also here are some photos from this ground-breaking episode:

Zoic congratulates our clients for extraordinary wins at the PromaxBDA Mi6 Conference!

admin — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 19:26:06 +0000

Last night at the PromaxBDA/Mi6 conference, DraftFCB & W&K won “Overall Marketing Campaign of the Year” for the ‘Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2′ campaign that features focus group mothers’ condemnation and fear of EA/Visceral Games’s Dead Space 2. Meanwhile, The Ant Farm swept the coveted PromaxBDA/Mi6 Agency of the Year. Two amazing wins for our friends and clients. Their creative & collaborative spirit, combined with innovation and savvy, earned these accolades…and what we can only assume are a few post-celebration hangovers.

FRINGE Gets Saved!

Leslie Morgan — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 18:06:16 +0000

Many of you may not watch the show Fringe and for that I am deeply sorry. I’ve been a fan since the beginning, quite honestly because I will watch anything with Joshua Jackson in it (Dawson’s Creek anyone?) However, what kept me watching was the show was well written, the characters well developed and the shows leads captivate me every time I watch. John Noble who plays Dr. Walter Bishop is absolutely brilliant as the sort of mad scientist who works with the Fringe division, a special FBI task force that deals with anything beyond the scope of traditional science. Fringe is essentially a cross between The X files and The Twilight Zone. Created by the one and only J.J. Abrams, best known for creating Alias, co-creating Lost and of course directing the most recent version of Star Trek, the show has been on the brink of cancellation since season 1. Now in it’s third season, the show recently faced cancellation once more until Fox recently announced a pick up for season four. Fans were shocked, but so was one of the men who helps run the show, Showrunner J.H. Whyman.

Wyman, who has worked on both film and television took to Twitter to announce the good news to his fans, “Fringe was picked up. Thanks Fringedom.” Like many shows on television, Fringe has a solid fan base, though that is not necessarily reflected in the shows ratings. This past January the show moved to the dreaded Friday night slot on FOX and fans as well as those who work on the show thought it spelled doom and cancellation. Other shows that have been moved to that time slot on FOX include Firefly, and Dollhouse, both cancelled. Not only was the show picked up for a fourth season, but FOX asked for a full 22 episodes. Again some may wonder why this is a big deal, but for a Sci-Fi show that doesn’t necessarily have stellar ratings on a Friday night, this is definitely a pleasant surprise.

FOX entertainment chief Kevin Reilly has said that, “Fringe is a fantastic show…It has truly hit a creative stride and has distinguished itself as one of television’s most original programs. The series’ ingenious producers, amazingly talented cast and crew, as well as some of the most passionate and loyal fans on the planet, made this fourth-season pickup possible,” said Reilly. “When we moved the show to Fridays, we asked the fans to follow and they did. We’re thrilled to bring it back for another full season and keep it part of the Fox family.” Hollywood Reporter article

Zoic Studios is also happy about the pick up, the VFX studio has been creating the visual effects for the series since season one and is excited that the series has come back for a fourth. Executive Creative Director of Zoic Studios Loni Peristere says, “J.J. Abrams and his team are the masters of weaving emotional relatable relationships into genre television. Using the medium of science fiction and fantasy as allegorical metaphors for current issues both at a personal and global level. I am hopeful this decision is indicative of Kevin Reilly’s reign at Fox. As we are all still trying to get over ‘Firefly’.”

Don’t take everyone else’s word for it, check out what’s happening on Fringe including alternate universes, mishaps and pending fatherhood for my man Joshua Jackson’s character Peter, Friday nights on FOX and stay tuned for an exciting article next week all about an upcoming animated episode. You won’t want to miss it!

How to Survive SXSW

Leslie Morgan — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 16:35:40 +0000

From March 11-21 thousands of people descended on Austin, Texas for the film, music and interactive festival called SXSW. What first began in 1987 as a way for musical acts to be seen by music labels has become an event that has bridged the gap between music, film and technology. At the time, only one hundred and fifty people were expected to attend. However, seven hundred people showed up and from that point forward the festival soon became nationally recognized as a premiere event generating over one hundred million dollars in revenue for the city of Austin. I was able to attend the first part of the festival this year and I learned a thing or two about what it takes to get the most out of your SXSW experience. Here are some tips on how to survive SXSW and get more out of your time in Austin.

I arrived in Austin on Saturday the 13th late at night. Tip # 1: Arrive early and sleep before you get there. It was my intent to check into my hotel and then check into the festival. However, I was incredibly tired from the flight and lack of sleep the night before so all I wanted to do was check into my hotel and sleep. Sleeping is not something one does at SXSW or any festival for that matter, but in order for me to be up early the next morning to attend some panels I knew it was in my best interest to get some.

Upon getting my bag I proceeded to find a taxi, which was simple enough. However, the actual taxicab experience left something to be desired. Tip # 2: avoid taking a cab, if you can. This was not NY, LA, or any other city I had ever taken a taxi in. Typically you tell a driver your destination and address and they whisk you away to your desired location. When I told the driver the name of my hotel and where it was located he had no idea what I was talking about and proceeded to stop at a gas station as I called the hotel frantically trying to get better directions. This was one of several bad cab experiences I had at the festival and instead of boring you with the crazy details of each one; my recommendation is to avoid taxis like the plague in Austin!

After a good nights rest, I was up and running the next day. Fortunately I was able to secure a spot in a hotel that was on the convention shuttle route. Tip # 3: book your hotel early along the shuttle route and buy an unlimited ride shuttle pass. After my hideous taxi experience, it was well worth the $40. The shuttle runs from 8am-2am throughout the festival and if you book online you save $10. The shuttle will stop at the hotels on the route every 15-30 minutes and I never waited more than 10 minutes on any given day. Just a word of warning, definitely get to the shuttle before 2am. A guy I met told me that a friend of his missed the shuttle and ended up not catching a taxi until almost 6am and not making it back to his hotel till 7:30am (what did I tell you about taxi cabs?!)

So I arrived at the convention center, went into the exhibit hall and got my pass. I decided to get a Gold badge, which got me access to both film and interactive panels. Make sure you get your “goody” bags, which are essentially a bag with a pocket size map and a large booklet with all the information you need to get around. Tip # 4: Plan what panels you want to attend in advance. This was my biggest mistake! Prior to the festival my work schedule had been crazy and so I didn’t have time to really figure out everything I wanted to see. SXSW.com has a way to set up your schedule online and also has a variety of different kiosks throughout the convention center. My advice, use the information center and the kiosks provided if you can, but know where you are going and what you want to do before you arrive in Austin.

Tip # 5: Get to know your way around downtown. Definitely take a couple of hours to simply walk around the convention center and get to know where everything is. There are a lot of panels outside the convention center as well. Again just take some time to figure out where the other locations are so you aren’t scrambling to get somewhere, end up being late and find yourself locked out of a panel, which is what happened to me.

So besides knowing where you are going, know who is going to be there and make a plan to meet up with them. Tip # 6: Connect with friends and colleagues prior to your trip. I found out after my trip that dozens of colleagues I never get to see were at the convention and I missed the opportunity to not only reconnect with them, but also connect with people they knew and I didn’t. Yes, you can learn a lot at the panel sessions and they can be quite valuable to attend, but the most valuable part of this or any festival are the people you get to connect with while you are there.

Finally, Austin is a really cool city with a lot of great places to eat and drink. Tip # 7: Go off the beaten path and explore. My first day I took an hour to go a bit outside of downtown and ended up at this really great pub. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who wanted to get outside of all the craziness because Catherine Hardwick, director of Twilight and Little Red Riding Hood, was sitting next to me drinking a beer and chatting with friends.

Some of the highlights of the festival were getting to meet Felicia Day after her keynote, albeit incredibly briefly; shaking Morgan Spurlock’s hand; the Google and the Say Media after parties; and meeting some really interesting people including my shuttle driver Dee a local of Austin who apparently plays a mean fiddle.

Now that I have had my first SXSW experience I am excited to attend again next year and this time I will be more prepared in order to make the most out of the experience!

To check out highlights of SXSW 2011 go to http://www.sxsw.com

Zoic’s Mark Stetson Talks About the Academy Award nominated films for Best VFX

Leslie Morgan — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 21:04:30 +0000

Recently our own Mark Stetson, Creative Director for Features, sat down to discuss this year’s Academy Award nominees for Best VFX. Check out the video below!

Mark Stetson discusses the Academy Award nominees for best VFX

Top 5 gifts to give yourself this Valentine’s Day

Leslie Morgan — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:57:35 +0000

Today is February 14, 2011 and everyone knows what that means; it’s Monday and the start of a new workweek. Of course besides being Monday, it’s also the second Monday of the month. Oh and today also happens to be Valentine’s Day. Instead of this being a post all about what you can get your significant other on this very special day, I am going to write about what you should get for yourself because Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be solely for people in relationships. Valentine’s Day can be a day for anyone. So if you are single go celebrate by getting yourself the following gadgets or toys today.

1) Urban Ears headphones: Urbanears HeadphonesWant to drown out the sounds of loving couples telling each other how much in love they are with one another. Grab a pair of Urban Ears headphones. They come in a wide variety of colors and have an on cord pause and play button. These headphones are great to travel with as they are collapsible and can fit into small spaces.

2) Netflix Subscription: Netlfix. Trying to go out tonight is pointless. Restaurants will be booked with couples holding hands on their tables while playing footsie under the table and bars will be filled with couples clinking glasses of wine cheering each other on for another successful, happy year together. Instead of going out and celebrating your singledom, why not go home, pop some popcorn, curl up on the couch and stream your favorite horror movie like Halloween or Friday the 13th.

3) Amazon Kindle: Amazon Kindle. If you are lacking the romance you desire now you can download all the trashy romance novels you want in an instant with the Amazon Kindle. With over 810,000 books, magazines and blogs available with the touch of a button you can immerse yourself in someone else’s steamy love life if you want.

4) Total Gym Workout bar: Total gym work out bar You’ve watched all the sappy movies you can handle and your eyes are strained from reading so get off the couch and go build your bicep muscles with the Total Gym workout bar. All you have to do is hang this over any doorframe and in a matter of weeks you will be buff. The best part is you don’t have to drill or fasten this to the doorframe; it can simply be attached and detached in seconds.

5) Zeo Personal Sleep Couch: Zeo Sleep Couch. You hate Valentine’s Day, you hate the fact that it’s Monday and you simply want to pretend this day never happened. So you take the day off and go to sleep until tomorrow. Well now you can get the most out of sleeping with the Zeo Personal Sleep Couch. This gadget helps analyze your sleep patterns so you can learn to get the best sleep of your life. The clock analyzes the quantity and quality of sleep you are getting each day and teaches you how to get the most out of sleeping.

Today whether you are in a relationship or not remember to celebrate the love you have in your life. You can start by remembering how much you love yourself by running out and buying a bunch of stuff that you don’t really need! Happy Valentine’s Day everyone.