Ben 10 VFX go global

Monday, 30 November 2009

For the second live action film from the Cartoon Network, Ben 10:Alien Swarm, studios from all over the world communicated remotely to pull the VFX together. Using a combination of cineSync and database application Invisually, Zoic Studios (LA), Turner Studios (Atlanta), Ghost FX (Denmark) and Super 78 (LA) - all regular cineSync or cineSync Pro users - were able to communicate effectively and deliver the shots without ever being in the same room.

From Animation World Network:

Spreading out the visual effects effort across different cities and time zones meant 24-hour-a-day productivity. “Ghost would deliver shots for review overnight,” Jacobs recalls, “Then mid morning we’d get shots from Turner Studios out of Atlanta and finally Zoic would send their shots at the end of our day in Los Angeles.”

With all that material flooding in, it could have been very difficult to keep track of everything so the production utilized online collaboration tools. “We used a system called Invisually for most reviews and notes,” said (VFX Supervisor) Evan Jacobs. “This allowed us to get almost immediate feedback to the vendors from the director, editorial and myself, even when none of us were in the same location. Then we’d schedule cineSync sessions to go over things in more detail when necessary.”

To read more about the VFX work on Ben 10: Alien Swarm, you can check it out at Animation World Network.

And to hear more about how cineSync Pro will soon be able to integrate with applications like Invisually (and Shotgun, Final Cut Server, etc) keep an eye out for some upcoming news....