In this first of two features covering the efforts of
Vancouver's Image Engine VFX studio, we meet some crew and find out how they worked.

CGSociety :: Production Focus Part 1/2
20 October 2009, by Paul Hellard

History
For many years, the founding partners of Image Engine, namely Robin Hackl, Christopher Mossman and Greg Holmes wanted to nurture the company into new areas, to start taking on more film work. They'd grown a primarily television-focused business over the previous ten years, just like other boutique shops in Vancouver. When Neill Blomkamp arrived with the feature film pitch for 'District 9', this was exactly what they were waiting for.
© 2009 Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
 
© 2009 Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

They needed folks with feature film experience to drive the growth. Shawn Walsh began as a Digital Effects Supervisor on the existing episodic television work, but given his background, he quickly turned his attention to the task of creating a feature film division at the company. Now, Image Engine has grown roughly four or five fold in four or five years.

"The first person I called begging for help was Peter Muyzers who was my CG Supervisor when I worked as a lighter at The Moving Picture Company on 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'," explains Walsh. "Both Peter and I were looking for an opportunity to create something in Vancouver and the film division at Image Engine fitted the bill for us. Pete and I hashed out a plan to grow the company into a film focused entity and set that plan in motion." Now, film work accounts for about 90% of Image Engine's revenue. Shawn Walsh says that Muyzers has been the key catalyst in their increased technical capabilities, the drive towards establishing a strong R&D department under John Haddon, and creatively reaching for the highest level possible. "It has been a really challenging three years, but we are really jazzed about our crew's potential," Walsh says.
 
© 2009 Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
 

Film
When Peter Muyzers and Shawn Walsh went to New Zealand to flesh out the film plan, Neill was very responsive to their suggestions regarding the visual effects process and to some degree handed the torch to them. "He'd been carrying the ideas for visual effects on 'District 9' for some time, and I think he really wanted someone to take up the charge. Neill's ideas and our plan to facilitate them held up throughout the entire production at Image Engine, from the initial scrums at WingNut Films back in New Zealand."

"Neill Blomkamp is an incredibly savvy filmmaker. His knowledge of the process from start to finish is well beyond his years," Walsh adds. However, Shawn points to one aspect you wouldn't necessarily know until you have some working familiarity with Blomkamp is that he is a focused designer. "I was working with Neill in pre-production," explains Walsh. "It was only after I watched Blomkamp laying out the visual effects of 'District 9' at Image Engine that I was truly convinced that this work was possible within our budget."

The crew completed somewhere around 80 shots in the final five weeks of the schedule. "That simply would not have been possible without the combination of Image Engine's R&D driven film pipeline, Neill's incredible clarity of vision and our amazingly talented crew," says Shawn. "Also, let's not forget that Neill had a great mentor and support system in Peter Jackson and all the folks at WingNut who were all very passionate about this project. They are a great bunch to work with!"
CJ in close up. © 2009 Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
 
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