What happens when two Toronto visual effects shops find they have many of the same clients, and are bidding on many of the same jobs? Why, they merge, of course.

This was the case with GFX Animation, a provider of animation and visual effects for the film and tv industries, and Twister, the digital design division of Creative Post. The new company, a Creative Post subsidiary called Twister/gfx, announced its formation in early September, and its goal now is to go after a larger market. To that end, it has plans to acquire new high-definition post-production systems for the growing demand of mows finishing in that format.

One advantage to two companies with slightly different focuses coming together is that they now have a variety of gear under one roof.

‘We have the myriad of equipment and software,’ says Michael Churchill, the gfx founder spearheading the development of the new organization. ‘We have sgi, nt and DEC Alfa workstations. Also, GFX Animation was an Alias|Wavefront Maya house, whereas Twister was an Avid, Softimage and NewTek LightWave 3D house. So basically we now have three applications we can bounce around in.’

Twister/gfx also has a Discreet Flame system for compositing and visual effects, which Churchill says draws some clients. He insists, however, there shouldn’t be too much emphasis placed on the machines.

‘Some producers care about the boxes you’re running, but a lot of them don’t,’ he explains. ‘There’s sometimes a concern as to what software applications you’re using, just because certain ones do certain things, but it’s mostly about the merit of the work you do.’

The new company consists of five full-time employees and several freelancers. Jean Marc Rodrigue, the lead animator, is a former motion control camera operator from Mirak Communications, where he worked on the Michael Moore feature Canadian Bacon and numerous tv series. With a background also in graphics and animation, he is now responsible for most of Twister/gfx’s 3D work, and has created broadcast design and animated show openings for The Sports Network, a&e, wtn and Life Network.

At this stage Twister/gfx is working for both long-form and commercial clients, and reorganizing its facility accordingly.

‘Under Creative Post we’ve specialized in long form,’ comments Ken MacNeil, vp operations for Creative Post. ‘We’re expanding upstairs to do short form specifically. They’re two different fields in terms of what clients expect, so we are separating the markets to two different levels.’

MacNeil began as an editor, rising to the ranks of senior editor at cbc, tsn and Creative Post, where he has cut a series of sports documentaries for TV Eye Entertainment, including the Gemini-nominated September 1972 and the Gemini-winning Forever Rivals. He served as field producer and editor on the three-part Open Ice, to be broadcast on tsn starting Nov. 9. The offline editing of the latter was done at The Producers’ facility, with conforming done at Creative Post. He also worked on the four-part miniseries The War of 1812 for Montreal’s Galafilm, which he describes as a ‘monumental piece to do.’

Now on the management side of things (although he still does some hands-on editing), MacNeil sees some issues with fresh eyes. His major beef is with documentary clients who inquire if Creative Post has an Avid Symphony finishing system.

‘They say, ‘My editor did it on an offline and I can come over there and I want to conform it,’ ‘ he recounts. ‘I say, ‘Yeah, I can give you a Symphony, but the problem is an editor shouldn’t run a Symphony. It should be a colorist. I’d rather conform on one of our linear suites or in our Flame room, which is also a Discreet Smoke editing system, and send you to a colorist if it’s going to be very advanced work. They’re two very specialized fields.’ ‘

Churchill points out that his background is more concentrated in the design aspects of productions.

‘Twister/gfx might not necessarily cut a documentary, but we would be asked to build all the packaging around it,’ he explains. ‘That may be the opening that goes with the show, or if it’s a doc and you’re doing a lot of interviews, how the head shots are going to be done and how the key plates are going to be designed.’

Another part of Churchill’s experience is in the realm of special effects. Last year, through GFX Animation, he worked on episodes of Divine Entertainment’s The Inventors’ Specials, a series featuring stories about the likes of Galileo, Marie Curie and Thomas Edison.

‘It was basically putting the special effects part of it together, compositing it, building the shots, and then giving it to an editor to put into the show,’ he explains.

Although MacNeil and Churchill agree the territory of each individual craftsperson should be respected, inevitably the lines sometimes get blurred.

‘I edit a documentary, and the next doc comes up and all of a sudden I’m out directing it to some level,’ MacNeil explains. ‘There’s a director, and then there’s the ‘visual director’ for second unit and that kind of stuff. I think we have a team of people here that can overlap in that sense – editors that are designers, and designers that can edit.’

With Twister/gfx a part of its Toronto facility, Creative Post is more than ever the one-stop shop it aspires to be.

‘In some instances we’ll get a show in, and all the special effects and design will be done on this side, and then we give them back to the post-production house on that side to conform,’ MacNeil says. ‘Basically all the resources are here.’ *

-www.twistergfx.com