Re: Sony Imageworks Pulls the Plug on Albuquerque
What to make of the recent blow to the digital special effects effort here in New Mexico? The state had put a lot of effort and money into creating a good environment for them. This includes a multimillion dollar UNM studio and program to train professionals.
The local news feeds were just not satisfying and had mixed reasons for the move. I wanted to find out more. So I did some digging and found a website for digital special effects people (VFX). This is new site to me but from a scanning of the site it looks legit. You can read their take and I think Sony comes off looking like the bad guy here. It has to do with studio greed and just going where they can get the biggest discount (read Vancouver 46%) regardless of the consequences. The company will take the profit for a few years, shut it down and then find some swamp to settle down in for the next one. Vancouver is a beautiful city but one of the most expensive places to live in the world (yes WORLD). So the professionals are faced with either no job or go live in Vancouver.
“We offer the company 25 percent film incentives, while Vancouver is going to offer them 46 percent. It just makes sense for them.”
- NM Film Office Director, Nick Maniatis
“At least New Mexico was marketable for its lower cost of living.”
- VFX Sodier
VFX also points to the 24 minute documentary, called “Albuquerque the Unknown“, made by around 40 of the actual people who came from Culver City to work in Albuquerque. Most of the comments start out as “I thought it would really suck to move to Albuquerque but then…”. It comes off as a nice tribute to the city and illustrates what these people found here to love. Note the digital rain as one of them is talking during the video. Sadly, some of these same people are probably out of jobs unless they want to move to Vancouver.
As the biggest production get of the outgoing NM State Film commission nay the biggest production get in the history of the state the Avengers have brought New Mexico global recognition, excitement, jobs and an influx in tourism!
Now CHECK-OUT the above poster for Marvel’s Avengers as on display at the International Licensing Expo in Las Vegas last week – all three Avengers who recently rocked out with Mötley Crüe in the Q are shown as they will appear in the movie and in the plethora of merchandising sure to follow…
Movies.ie also notes, “Captain America’s modern suit which has wings on the helmet along with an idea of what Hawkeye will look like…the Iron Man suit has been updated too.”
These and more of the Albuquerque adopted super heroes are still in our midst as production rolls on this week. Meanwhile New Mexico represents on the big screen as host to some of the highly skilled hands of Sony Imageworks that touched-up the current box office topper The Green Lantern.
YOU still have a chance to put YOUR hand, face and/or feet in The Avengers if you can make it out for what’s really, really HOT IN CLEVELAND:
Producers will see people 18 and older
12-4 p.m. July 15
10 a.m.-4 p.m. July 16
at the Holiday Inn
6001 Rockside Road
Independence, OH (just outside the land of Cleve.)
As in the case of casting in the Q this call sheet too advises that people “come well-groomed…wearing your best business executive outfit,” Adults may submit “current pictures of children under 18” for consideration as possible extras.
The Avengers will shoot for approx. two weeks within 30 miles of Cincinnati – Enjoy your influx O-hi!
People should “come well-groomed and wearing your best business executive outfit,” the call sheet said. Adults also may submit “current pic tures of children under 18” for consideration as possible extras.
Presenting the highly anticipated, super, sci-fi, comic, fantasy movie, The Green Lantern, as animated right here at Sony Pictures Imageworks in Albuquerque, New Mexico!
Green made his world premiere at WonderCon 2011 today where 9 minutes of NM’s Own Sci-Fi fantasy Cowboys & Aliens was also screened.
Cowboys is in theaters July 29, Green hits screens on June 17…NM production, Thor will make its world premiere in Sydney, Australia on April 17, and THE AVENGERS is in production in New Mexico NOW!
“…three of our current productions are in the final push phase. We’re short staffed in a few vital areas where we need additional artists to help with the effort. You’ll see below there’s a list of the positions for which we’re currently recruiting. Please feel free to forward this information to the skilled and experienced artists whom you know. Please note that due to the nature of the production crunch we’re in, newly hired artists need to hit the ground running. As such, these opportunities probably aren’t right for super new college grads or career transitioners looking for a change. Thanks for your understanding.
Senior to Intermediate level abilities:
Character Animators
Cloth / Hair
Layout Artists
Lighting TDs
Effects TDs — Houdini experience required
Compositors
Look Dev Artists
All positions are either in Culver City, California or Albuquerque, NM.
DAYUM I wanna GO! The words, “at least” were screaming at me from inside my tiny brain as I rev’d and re-rev’d this week’s Comic Con updates and now I know why…at least TWO, THREE, FOUR NM films will be at #SDCC.
Thanks to an Eric (love those!) we got the scoop that the heavily Comi present Green Lantern film has firm roots in New Mexico!
As we told you here the super awesome Sony Pictures Imageworks is quietly in our midst and now we know that they are “heavily involved with post for that production.” Woot!
We’re so Hollywood New Mexico – every time I meet a new friend who tells me that they’re unemployed I assume they’re an actor. ;)
You may have happily taken-in mega hits like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, Jerry Bruckheimer’s G-Force or my personal fave Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs without even knowing from whence these productions sprung.
Why the answer is right here in our own backyard. Since 2007 Sony Imageworks has made a home for itself in the Q.
While we make much-ado about the live action productions aqui we gotta a give a big fat nod to the awesomeness (literally) that is Sony Imageworks.
And they ain’t just animatin’ over thar’. In the video above the first forty Imageworks crew that made the maiden voyage to town tout and tell all about how their doubts dispelled on joining us here in the Duke City.
