Pierre Raymond of Hybride rates Montreal as a key city for vfx, thanks in large part to the presence of Autodesk and Softimage. "If we're smart enough to design them, we're smart enough to use them," he says. 

Pierre Raymond of Hybride returned mid-June from an Autodesk User Conference in Japan, where he was asked to present a keynote address about work his firm completed on the TV series Marie Antoinette. The actors were all shot against greenscreen, and the backgrounds of Versailles and Paris were all composited. There were five days of shooting in Versailles and Paris, and 15 days of greenscreen work in Montreal. The results, which conformed to the tight TV schedule and budget, were of remarkable quality, he believes.

"We were asked, 'Is that possible?'" Raymond says. "In answer, we just showed them the 926 shots."

Hybride also worked on Frank Miller's 300, which Raymond cites as his company's most "spectacular" work on a movie. In fact, several Canadian companies had a role to play in making 300.

"We've been asked to provide anything from set extensions, character animation, head and face replacement to fx and simulations," says Buzz Image's Moodie. "Recent examples include The Covenant and The Flood. We have experienced the current trend of complete fully CG virtual environments with the movie 300."

"The movie 300 had a lot of effects, and the director had a particular vision of making a comic book come to life," says Chris Watts, who served as the film's vfx supervisor. "The Montreal studios were worked to capacity. Hybride and Buzz Image may not be the biggest, but they are hardworking and skilled. It was a Herculean effort to make 300."

Ottawa company XYZ RGB was also involved in 300, providing 3D scanning on set. "We went to Montreal, and scanned for three days," says coo Troy Robinson. The firm provided scans of 300 actors, props and shields.

Margaux Mackay of Gray Matter FX says that her Los Angeles-based firm opened a Vancouver office because of the Canadian tax rebates. All the talent she hires is Canadian.

On the west coast, in Vancouver, XYZ RGB was again on set with three high-end cameras to capture multiple views of the characters for the new Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer movie: The Thing, Mr. Fantastic, Human Torch, Invisible Woman and Doctor Doom. "The outcome will be 'digital doubles,'" Robinson says. The company also scanned model dinosaurs for King Kong and worked on Blades of Glory. "We have a bit of a niche in this area," comments Robinson.

Rainmaker was heavily involved in effects for Blades of Glory, providing some 300 vfx for the film. "They were all seamless vfx," says Rainmaker's Franklin, adding, "I guess eventually people will figure out about the vfx because those guys don't skate." Franklin notes that vfx are appearing everywhere, even in movies that are not considered "vfx films."

Raising the Bar
"The bar is being raised," Franklin adds. "Studios expect full face replacement on a budget." At the same time, he says that in most films, the effects should not be what is being noticed on screen. "We don't want to take you out of the movie," Franklin offers.

"The expectations are quite big," agrees Gray Matter's Mackay. "It can be challenging, so we have to be sure that we don't oversell and that we can meet the commitment."