‘When we started [in 1997], our goal was to do animation for video games,’ says Darren Cranford, co-founder of Keyframe Digital Productions. What Cranford and co-founder Clint Green didn’t expect was that their work would catch the eye of TV and film producers who would recruit them for pre-visualizations, 2D and 3D animation, and all manner of visual effects. Today, most of their clients are repeat customers. ‘They’ve been loyal to us, so we want to be loyal to them,’ says Cranford.

The metamorphosis of Keyframe began when Colin Chilvers (Academy Award winner for visual effects on Superman) walked into their studio.

‘Chilvers wanted us to do character animation for his own film,’ says Cranford, ‘but when he saw what we were doing with pre-visualization he said, ‘This would be very cool for movies.” Turns out Chilvers was working as special effects co-ordinator on X-Men (2000) at the time, ‘so we ended up pre-visualizing about 45 minutes of X-Men,’ continues Cranford, ‘and that’s what launched us into the movie business.’

Their TV debut into visual effects soon followed with Mutant X (2001). ‘The producers kept throwing us visual work,’ says Cranford, ‘and naive as we were, we just jumped in even if we didn’t know if we could pull it off. After about five episodes the producers were so impressed they ended up giving us the whole show, which turned out to be three seasons.’

But so far, Keyframe has shied away from seeking out VFX work for feature films. ‘We decided early on that if the door was knocked on, we’d open the door and work on it,’ says Green. ‘But we created our niche in catering to TV, probably better than any other company that’s out there right now. For example, for Warehouse 13 we’re pulling off about 180 shots every 10 days, with a crew of 15.’

‘And that’s just on average,’ adds Cranford. ‘When our animators are in their zone, as we like to say, they can pull off as many as 200 shots in five days. As you can imagine, when you give 200 shots to your average movie FX house, they can spend five days just having meetings about it.’ They both chuckle about that.

Keyframe is responsible for all visual effects on the first season of Warehouse 13, and has just confirmed its commitment to do season two.

Plus, ‘when we say it’s going to cost this much – if they shoot the way we say – then if we do something wrong, we eat the cost,’ continues Cranford.

Nestled in a small studio in the southern Ontario town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, the location has proven ideal for their clients in L.A., New York and Toronto. ‘It’s pretty much all the same for us because they always want us to go to them,’ says Green.

‘We would love to be a company of 160 or 200 people,’ Green admits, ‘but because we’re not, we’re able to cater to projects we love to work on.’

Those projects include additional episodes of their show The Hugglers, a 3D/live-action hybrid currently airing on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, and Peggy’s Little Harbour, a full-animation series that they’re prepping for MIPCOM. Both are aimed at preschoolers, much like their recently completed season two of Pinky Dinky Doo for Sesame Workshop. *

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY

Television (VFX)

Mutant X (2001)
Monk (2002)
Playmakers (2003)
Crazy Canucks (2004)
The Dresdan Files (2007)
Victor (2008)
XIII (2008)
Deadliest Sea (2009)
Warehouse 13 (2009 – season 2 just confirmed)

Features Films (Pre-Viz)

X-Men (2000)
Left Behind (2000)
Don’t Say a Word (2001)
Driven (2001)
Exit Wounds (2001)
K-19 – The Widowmaker (2002)
Bulletproof Monk (2003)
Secret Window (2004)

Television (Animation)

Littlest Light on the Christmas Tree (2003)
The Hugglers (2006 – additional episodes in development)
Pinky Dinky Doo – (2008 – season 2)
Peggy’s Little Harbour (in development)