Visual effects plug-in vendor The Foundry, presented technology demonstrations of Furnace, its new set of plug-ins for Apple’s Shake compositing and visual effects system at the IBC show in Amsterdam. The suite of plug-ins, which helps film compositors correct common problems when working on film effects shots, is currently in its Alpha test phase. Furnace is the culmination of two years’ research and development working closely with film effects houses in London. "We started using Furnace on some of our most difficult wire removal shots on HIGHBINDERS, a Jackie Chan movie, and the results were amazing," commented Angela Barson, senior compositor, The Moving Picture Company (MPC). "It is excellent at dealing with fast action shots which would normally require a lot of painstaking paintwork. Our wire removal team now regularly uses Furnace and it is saving us weeks of time." MPC also used Furnace for wire removal in several shots for HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS. Furnace for Shake is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2002.