Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists. © Improvision.

Keep your eyes out for a new name in animation. That name is Pentafour, India's premier computer effects company, which is currently in production on its first animated feature film, Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists.

Sinbad, due for release in 1999, is the first-ever feature-length film fully animated using the relatively new technique of motion capture. While many films today incorporate motion capture on some level to achieve seamless visual effects (remember those impressive aerial views of Leo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet standing on the front tip of the ship in Titanic?), Sinbad is the first to extend this technique to the big screen in such an explicit way.

As anyone will tell you, being a forerunner in a new medium has its ups and downs. Pentafour's goal to push motion capture to new levels has presented many admittedly "mind-boggling" challenges at nearly every stage of production on Sinbad. New sets had to be elaborately designed and built using wire-frame materials to allow proper pick-up of the actors infrared sensors. At the same time, the sets had to match perfectly the animated sets and props to ensure an exact picture composite.

In addition, two groups of live actors had to be cast for the film. One of these groups consisted of actors who were chosen in large part because of their physical attributes. The closer the actors resembled the height and body shape of the characters they were portraying, the easier the post-production process in bringing shape to the digital data captured on film. The second group of actors consisted of the voice-over talent, as would be hired in any animated film. Pentafour chose to work with known celebrities to add prestige and marketability to the film. Actors including Brendan Fraser (Sinbad), Leonard Nimoy (Baraka), Mark Hamill (as the King's Guard), Jennifer Hale (Princess Serena) and John Rhys Davies (King Chandra) make up the voice-over talent.