Touted as the highest-budgeted miniseries ever produced in British Columbia, Aftershock, now in post-production, is Rainmaker Digital Pictures'(Vancouver-based Rainmaker Entertainment’s post-production and visual effects arm) largest assignment to date.

Coproduced by Hallmark Entertainment/Pacific Motion Pictures for fall broadcast on cbs, the series follows the fate of four families caught in a major New York City earthquake, simulated with all the bells and whistles.

While Rainmaker Entertainment is responsible for the production, rdp has taken on the duties of laboratory and post services, as well as the design, production and post-production of the more than 80 complex visual effects shots in the script.

With a $3 million plus budget, rdp will employ 3D computer graphics, model construction, matte painting, miniature photography and compositing.

According to company president Bob Scarabelli, the magnitude of this project demonstrates Rainmaker has moved from a post-production provider to a true creative partner in large-scale film and tv production.

Although the company has played increasingly larger roles in the projects in which it is involved, including such films as Wrongfully Accused and Medusa’s Child, and tv series like First Wave and The Crow, Scarabelli says, ‘Aftershock is our biggest story yet.’

Planning and design work on the miniseries kicked off in November ’98 and post-production will continue through the fall of ’99. While shooting just wrapped on location in New York, the majority of the project was shot in Vancouver, where rdp’s Lee Wilson supervised the visual effects photography, and pmp produced.