Framestore [1] announced the opening of its latest worldwide office, Montréal, during a visit to its London HQ by Québec Premier Pauline Marois.
The Canadian studio is the fourth link in Framestore's global chain, complementing existing offices in London, New York and LA. The office is located in de Gaspé which is at the heart of the vibrant Mile End creative community.
The Montréal studio will accommodate a significant proportion of Framestore's growing slate of confirmed film VFX work for 2013, including RoboCop (dir José Padilha), All You Need Is Kill (dir Doug Liman) and Paddington Bear (dir Paul King).
Framestore's decision to establish an operation in Montréal is based on the city's significant software, creative and technological talent base and a proven track-record of attracting quality VFX work from major US film studios. This combined with the fiscal advantages offered by Québec's Film Tax Credit (QPSTC) mean both Framestore and its clients will benefit from improved cost efficiencies.
In addition, Montréal's EST time zone means the studio can crossover in the working day with Framestore’s three other locations. All studios will operate coherently with parity of creative skills, systems, pipeline and workflow, so that crew and clients can benefit from seamless integration.
The new studio will be led by local talent along with key staff from Framestore's London HQ who will be instrumental in local planning, logistics and management. Framestore will make the most of Montréal's thriving creative culture by sourcing additional recruits from the local market.
“Québec offers winning conditions to foreign firms, which, like Framestore, are setting up operations here," Québec Premier Pauline Marois said. "Our specialized, competent workers and business environment adapted to the needs of companies and market conditions make Québec the ideal place to prosper. In Montréal, the cinema and television cluster occupies a key place in the economy. In addition to the anticipated economic spinoff in Montréal, the establishment of Framestore will consolidate the cluster and broaden synergy between industry stakeholders, in particular those in the film and digital entertainment sectors. We are proud to support Framestore’s investment project in Québec."
Framestore's Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sir William Sargent, said: "Montréal is a perfect fit for Framestore, it is a fascinating city with a flourishing arts and music scene. Its artistic community is highly regarded by the film, games, software and technology industries. Montréal is a city that has great talent, training and recruitment potential alongside financial benefits such as a supportive tax regime and a competitive cost base. These combined factors make Montréal an ideal place to see Framestore grow."
Source: Framestore
Links:
[1] http://framestore.com/