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PUSHING SFX BOUNDARIES
PUSHING SFX BOUNDARIES
In 1986 when the Internet still seemed the stuff of science fic- tion, FrameStore, the effects com- pany behind Walking With Dinosaurs and its imminent sequel, was established.
The six original founders – Sharon Reed, Mike McGee, Jonathon Hills, William Sargent and Alison Turner – were keen to push the boundaries of technical innovation in film and TV effects, something they have worked towards in the years since.
“The funny thing,” says Sharon Reed, joint chief executive of The FrameStore Group with her husband William Sargent, “is that technological possibilities exist at
a very much higher
level than actual
client take up.
“The technolo- gy for sending mov- ing images around the world has been there for ages. The thing that’s held it up is the ability of networks to com- municate.
“Now you’re able to do it because you can use the Internet. Due to the fact that compression has come on such a way, we actually e-mailed some Nintendo ads to America for transmis- sion recently. It allows you to meet deadlines much more easily, without having to rely so much on things like airline schedules.”
From the smallest job – a single effects shot, or a video transfer, say – to epic productions like Hallmark’s Dinotopia, an $80m, six-hour TV adven- ture for 2002 mixing live-action and CGI, FrameStore provides a wide range of service and support across all aspects of the film and television industry.
Some competitors might spe- cialise in big features, others in high profile commercials, but none can match the breadth of FrameStore and sister company CFC.
The key to this suc- cess lies in their ability to keep one step ahead of demand, matching the needs of clients with available and imminent technology.
The company was originally set up in response to the demands
of directors like Steve Barron, an early shareholder in the company, whose groundbreaking pop promos in the 1980s required innovative effects. And it has grown from there.
“You have to do your R&D,” adds Reed, “and think about new ways of doing things that would be marketable to clients. And where we started off only buying things off the shelf we now develop our own tools. That gives us an edge over our competitors, which is important.”
With a degree in history, a background in the antiques business Sharon Reed seems an unlikely person to be heading a company that operates in such a hi-tech industry.
She has worked in televi- sion though and in being, by her own confession, a non-tech-
nical person she is able to cut through the jargon and pose the sort of straightforward questions that her clients might ask.
“In this business, technology is very seductive,” she continues, “but I understand that
you have to be
very careful in
how you use the
company’s finan-
cial resources.
You only have so
much to spend,
so you have to
spend it in the
right way.
“If you’re too
seduced by the
technology there’s a danger you’ll spend too much money on things that won’t give you an adequate return.”
Employing 290 people across the group, FrameStore itself and CFC, the strategy of prudent investment, technological inno- vation and keen customer ser- vice would seem to be working.
Apart from Dinotopia, far and away the biggest job they have taken on, they are work- ing on a BBC adaptation of
Conan Doyle’s The Lost World and Walking With Beasts, a follow up to Walking With Dinosaurs, which charts the story of evolution.
“Before Walking With Dinosaurs we’d never done a CG creature before, but it turned out far better than even we expected in terms of the quality of image and animation.
“I think because we came in at the front end of digital technology every single thing we did was new and some- thing people hadn’t done before. Over time you acquire the judgement and expertise to be able to take these things on.”
Another example of this envelope pushing philosophy is the establish- ment of an interactive division, which allows clients remote access to works in progress, rough cuts and in some cases the finished thing.
“We’re focusing quite a lot on con- nectivity with our clients,” adds Reed. “We’re also starting DVD authoring and interactive services. You can never
stand still in any business, and technology gives us the ability to offer new and excit- ing things to clients all
the time.” Whatever
Photos opposite page from top: Ginger Gibbons; Angelina Ballerina, the latest production from the team at GSCF; Misha Badr-Saafdari, Presenter of the CiTv Kids Awards programme
Photos this page from top left: Dinotopia(FS); Vodafone Girl’s Night (FS); Chrysler Golden Gate (FS); Guinness Surfer (CFC); The Mummy Returns (CFC); main: Walking With Dinosaurs (FS);
inset: Sharon Reed, joint CEO of The FrameStore Group and right: Guinness Dreamer (CFC)
19
FrameStore will have to
match the rapid developments during the past decade and a half. But this is, as Sharon Reed acknowledges, a time of infinite possibility.
“I just hope the next 15 years are as much fun as the last. We’ve come such a long way, but you can be sure there are still a lot of creative possi- bilities that haven’t been explored.” ■ Anwar Brett
they achieve over the next 15 years,
go some to