After an extended struggle to remain viable and reposition itself as a production partner, Pixel Motion, one of the high-profile players in the Halifax computer animation and effects market, has ceased operation.

Pixel Motion, founded in 1994 out of a previous computer company called Hypercomp, was known for its work on Salter Street’s effects-intensive series Lexx: Tales from the Dark Zone. The shop was originally involved in the demo for the show four years ago, and was responsible, together with Toronto’s C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures, for effects for the four pilot movies for the show.

Pixel Motion had some outstanding long-term debt outstanding with its financial institution, which recently appointed an agent in respect of the property of the company. Former Pixel Motion vp operations Gerry Boudreau says there were plans in the works for Halifax production and promotions company Eastern Edge to take over Pixel Motion, but that scenario failed to materialize.

The original management team behind the company had dropped away over the course of the company’s life, with founding president Lynn Pammet resigning last year and other members of the board of directors leaving this year.

Boudreau says in recent years, Pixel Motion had been attempting to move beyond service work and become a coproduction partner. ‘The realization that the company needed to turn into a coproduction company came too late in its financial scenario to be really attractive,’ says Boudreau. ‘With whatever partner was found, there wasn’t the ability of the company to respond with capital and investment and to be able to trigger some of the events that had to happen.’

In the wake of Pixel Motion’s demise, some of the company’s staff went on to form Blink Digital Productions, including Kerri Henneberry, who is spearheading the new shop. Boudreau has been working with Blink in the start-up phase, but says he is not certain if he will stay on with the new concern.

Another Halifax multimedia company, Mentor, also recently closed its doors, but as the market shakes out, the remaining and new players are positioning themselves to take advantage of increased production opportunities brought about by infrastructure incentives in the province.

In addition, new incentives in New Brunswick may lead to digital imaging companies looking at branch offices there. Says Steve Comeau, president of Halifax-based Collideascope Digital Productions: ‘There are a lot of people scrambling to to get things going on there. The sustainability of it all is yet to be seen, but there is a lot of opportunity there.’