Toronto’s Spin Productions was called in to bring the particular visions of performer Marilyn Manson and The Partners’ Film Company director Floria Sigismondi to, um, life.

Following the success of the Beautiful People video with its haunted figures and strange mouth apparatuses, Sigismondi was beckoned to helm Manson’s current effort, Tourniquet.

Working with Sigismondi and editor Michelle Czukar, Spin assembled the images collected during the labor-intensive shoot and helped create scenes that include a Manson-to-moth metamorphoses and a moving mannequin.

Steven Lewis headed the Spin creative team on the project and Spin head and executive producer Norm Stangl braved the set for on-site consultation. Spin producer was Connie Dercho.

Much of the video’s seamless effects work was created on Spin’s Inferno system by Lewis and Paul Cormack. Not surprisingly, Lewis reports, ‘a lot of the effects involved removing legs.’ For the moth scenes, Lewis says Spin mixed elements of Manson and moth shots and used Inferno to combine the layers and enlarge and stretch the image of the insect. Lewis also used Inferno tools which allow a static frame to appear in motion, because no Manson vehicle would be complete without some writhing and squirming.

Running with that expertise of enhancing cartoonish creatures, Spin also recently brought a slightly more cuddly character to life with a 3D version of the Kinderegg guy. For a spot created by Roche Macaulay & Partners, Spin brought the formerly 2D spokesegg into a new space, designing the character on a PowerMac 7500, animating with Prisms on sgi, and completing on the Inferno.

Spin creative director on the spot was Joe Sherman, animator was Kyran Kelly and modeling and lip synching were handled by Geoff Marshall.

-Magnetic merge

Toronto-based post agglomeration Magnetic Enterprises will merge its two video post-production facilities, Magnetic South and Magnetic North. Mag South will relocate to the Mag North facility at 70 Richmond Street East.

Magnetic coo Bruce Grant says the move will increase the efficiency of the operation, allowing talent to be more fully utilized.

The expanded facility is expected to be completed by the end of June. Magnetic’s audio divisions at 550 Queen Street East and 306 Rexdale Boulevard will continue to operate as usual.

-Rocket launch

Toronto-based MIJO Corporation has launched Rocket Digital Post & Sound, a new division to expand its complement of ad services. Rocket, located on Queen Street East in Toronto, features an editing suite with Avid Media Composer 100 AVR 75 with 3D effects and a dedicated Sony dvw digital Betacam as well as an audio suite with a ProTools iii 16-track system.

The two suites are connected via ethernet and separated by a voice-over booth with picture lock.

Rocket vp Clinton Young had been an in-house producer at mijo and says the company decided to put together its own post shop to service internal work as well as agencies and corporate clients. Through its divisions, mijo handles print ads and graphics, distribution of tv commercials, handling fiber and satellite transmissions, and motion picture advertising.

Young says Rocket is an extension of those services. The new shop has plug-ins and software to keep material in a digital domain and is able to digitize to and from serial controlled machines in a duplication facility in the building. Rocket also offers QuickTime videos for multimedia and Web applications.

Young says with an on-staff producer the shop can handle many components of the production process. ‘We are able to do a number of productions here, with a producer as well as writers and talent,’ says Young. ‘It’s not just a duplication facility that’s got an edit suite and not just a production company with post capabilities, it’s all of the above.’

Young says the company offers affordable solutions for the lower end of the commercial spectrum, with the shop handling commercial revisions and Jumbotron spots.

-The Visionaries

Multimedia 97, scheduled for May 6-9 in Toronto, has announced a new speaker series featuring international multimedia leaders. The Visionary Series will feature Dr. John Warnock, founder of Adobe Systems and American Film Institute board member; Ron Whittier, senior vp and gm, Content Group, Intel; Dr. Willy Chiu, director of the IBM Digital Library; and Carlos Montalvo, vp, interactive multimedia group, Apple Computer.

-Ryerson bytes big

The Rogers Communications Centre at Ryerson Polytechnic University has installed a Web server with what is purported to be the largest capacity in the world. The multi-terabyte server stores Web pages as well as digital video and audio material and Web-based academic courses.

StorageTek Canada loaned the school a WolfCreek Tape Automation Library which is fips connected to a modified Unix system. Proprietary software allows a desktop user anywhere on the Ryerson atm network to access any of the stored information.

-Aural test

The Society of Professional Audio Recording Services executive has released the revised 1997 spars test for use by employers, students and educators in the audio industry. The test is a set of four modules addressing technical, administrative, music recording and studio post-production skills, and is designed as a standard skills evaluation method.