• Contractual
• Full time

Immediate supervisor: Production Manager

General description

The incumbent is responsible for planning, managing the entire project including the delivery schedule for production and all aspects for the visual effects project. He oversees all production sequences and respects the budget parameters. The producer acts as a representative of the client and Modus.

Requirements

• Five (5) to seven (7) years of experience in visual effects project management for feature films;
• Good knowledge of visual effects and post-production in the film industry;
• Good knowledge of English and/or French (spoken and written);
• Good knowledge of software from Microsoft Office, Filemaker and the internet;
• Holds a university degree in project management and/ or communication;
• Knowledge of project management software such as MS Project or Omniplan is a definite asset;
• Experience in team and project management

Principal responsibilities

• Be aware of the magnitude of current and future projects (read scripts and other documents);
• Identify and understand customer expectations and all related specifications for any given project;
• Maintain all communication (verbal and written) with the client, in collaboration with the project manager;
• Plan and manage all aspects of the project;
• Manage all activities of the production team;
• Establish priorities related to the production on a daily and weekly basis;
• Supervise, manage and monitor all aspects of the project to ensure agreed upon deliverables while maintaining status updates with the client and ModusFX;
• Maintain quality controls as per the clients expectations and specifications agreed upon;
• Design, plan and manage the schedule of a project and all its related tasks in collaboration with the project manager;
• Communicate with the production team the specific requirements of the project and deadlines to meet;
• Follow and update the progress of the project to customer satisfaction;
• Act as a liaison between the client and Modus;
• Manage customer expectations and respond to his satisfaction;
• Organize and lead meetings with the client as required;
• Conduct daily meetings with the supervision team and project management;
• Manage the budget allocated to the production and authorize expenditures;
• Be the key liaison between the client and ModusFX in all aspects related to production such as technical and organizational excluding those related to artistic.

by Marc Bourbonnais

When we founded Modus FX in 2007, we knew that to succeed as an industry leader, we would have to extend our reach beyond the local market. We believed that, if we could get a piece of the Hollywood and international markets, we could compete with the best.

Visual effects is a tough business. Audience expectations grow every time a new film sets the bar higher, but the movie studio’s budgets don’t change much. In 1999, a classic VFX film like The Matrix had just over 400 CG shots. Today, a film like Tron has almost four times as many. We are constantly challenged to find efficient ways to produce more and better effects.

We currently employ between 80 and 100 skilled artists and technicians, depending on our workload. We have created CGI for such Hollywood movies as Source Code, The Immortals, Jane Eyre, Barney’s Version, Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and many others. Every year we move a little bit closer to our goal of becoming one of the top ten visual effect studios in the world. The secret to our success so far has been careful business planning based on five key factors.

1. Think global

While we have certainly taken on big projects here at home, such as Canada`s first 3D animated film, Sarila, most of our work has been on films from France, Great Britain, Asia, and, of course, Hollywood. We now run a full office in Los Angeles and recently won a spot on ICM, a major talent agency – the first Canadian visual effects company to be represented by them.

2. Choose your niche

The high-end studios we work with appreciate our full visual effects capabilities, including concept development, on-set support, 3D modeling, animation, and compositing. But for most VFX facilities it is wise to specialize. At Modus FX, for example, we have developed expertise in surfaces, such as the trains in Source Code and the water plane in Barney’s Version, as well as CG environments and invisible effects, such as when we changed the season from winter to summer for several scenes in Jane Eyre.

3. Find and keep talent

Visual effects artists are highly skilled and dedicated professionals. They are hard to come by. It is crucial to create an environment where they feel engaged and where their contributions are valued. To keep doing great work, we need to make sure we continue to attract, and develop, great artists.

We are now at an optimum size for a facility that serves the feature film industry. We have a stable core team of about 50 permanent staff. We typically have another 40 or 50 on a contract basis, usually hired for a specific project, and often rehired for the next one. Of course there are only so many artists to draw from in Montreal, so we also need to recruit from abroad.

Finding artists is an ongoing task. We are also becoming more involved in training new talent at home. Quebec has great training programs, such as the Centre NAD, and here at Modus we plan to extend that with in-house training for emerging artists.

4. Use tax incentives

Tax credits have been a stable part of the Canadian film production landscape for twenty years, offering local companies an advantage over their American competitors. Tax incentive programs in some states are far from stable and encourage producers to turn to dependable environments like Quebec and Canada.

In Montreal the tax credits for digital effects services can reach 35-40%. These credits are great for everyone: they support an industry that provides long-term high-tech jobs, and they infuse around $1.50 into the local economy for each dollar awarded as a tax credit.

5. Become an attractive investment

Although our business is not without risks, our size makes us attractive to local investors who want to get involved with large projects.

Expenditures on equipment and staff in this industry are high and it can be hard to get long-term advance agreements on projects. Cash flow is a challenge for almost everyone in this industry, but we benefit from having regular clients and a lot of repeat business. Our track record means our credit margin is good. Our bank has confidence in our stability and that’s crucial to weathering the ups and downs. That stability works all the way down the line: from the film companies who keep coming back with new work, to the freelance and permanent staff who like to work here, to our investors and creditors who know that we’re in business for the long run.

People say that the movies are a recession-proof industry. Even with the increase in the value of the Canadian dollar and the financial turmoil in the US, people want to be entertained. Digital effects are used in all films these days and increasingly for TV. This is a growing market.

Marc Bourbonnais is president and co-founder of Modus FX, a visual effects facility in Ste. Therese. He represents Modus FX at the Quebec Film and Television Commission and is an active conference speaker. Bourbonnais was recognized with the NAD Centre’s Tribute Award in 2010.

• Full time
• Contract

Immediat supervisor

Lead Modeler

General description

The incumbent is responsible for the creation from an established concept and maintenance of high quality organic models to be used throughout the production.

Requirements

• Have at least five (5) years production experience with organic modeling (character/creature);
• Have a very good knowledge of the following software: XSI and Zbrush;
• Knowledge of the following would be considered an asset: Maya, 3DS Max, Mudbox and Image Modeler;
• Have a college or university degree in 3D animation/Digital production;
• Have a good knowledge of English or French (spoken and written) represents an asset;

Principal responsibilities

• Conduct research in accordance with the project;
• Collect, find, manage and organize digital references material used for modeling;
• Decide and determine the ‘’best practices’’ approach for realization of the project;
• Create digital models based on the concept provided or according to the references obtained;
• Publish displacement maps and normals;
• Prepare and unwrap uv’s on assigned models;
• Identify, analyze, solve and document problems and challenges encountered;
• Provide and use all materials and tools needed for the project;
• Participate in daily meetings;
• Perform other related duties as assigned by management;

Montreal, Que: Nov. 17, 2011... Montreal-based visual effects studio Modus FX delivered a surreal dream sequence for Immortals, the stereo 3D feature film released in theaters on Nov. 11. The 16-second scene produced by Modus depicts a surreal combat sequence between Theseus (Henry Cavill) and King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) on a small boat, set on a sea of shields. Other than a live action shot of the actors in the middle of the sequence, the entire scene was created and rendered in CG.

“It’s a very artistic piece which aims to capture the iconic imagery of Greek mythology,” explained Martin Pelletier, CG supervisor at Modus. “Developing the sequence was a collaboration between our artists and director Tarsem Singh. For us it was an in-depth process of visualizing and clarifying the director’s imagination.”

The Sequence

The scene begins when the film’s hero Theseus touches Phaedra – a psychic oracle played by Freida Pinto. In that instant, the camera swoops into Phaedra’s mind for the vision sequence.

Red CG petals fall from the sky and we see King Hyperion and Theseus spinning around in combat on the boat. The scene cuts to a wider shot and various fighting poses are discernable in the whirling mass. The audience sees that the boat is sitting on a mass of warriors’ shields, like a Greek phalanx, with the water in the background.

La scène coupe ensuite vers un plan plus large montrant une multitude de poses de combat perceptibles dans la masse tourbillonnante. Les spectateurs découvrent alors que le bateau repose sur un monticule de boucliers de guerriers, comme une Phalanx grecque, avec la mer comme toile de fond.

For a moment, Hyperion and Theseus freeze and the camera pans down to show a mummy lying on the ground with the petals falling onto it: beauty, transience and death in a single image. As they begin to fight and spin again, the view pulls back to a wider shot. In the background the sea, created by Scanline VFX, swells up into a giant tsunami approaching the shore.

Capturing the Imagination as Moving Imagery

The imagery is ambitious. At the start of the project in September 2010, Modus FX had several meetings with director Tarsem Singh to map out the shots and the look of the scene. Singh wanted what he referred to as a “clay effect,” with the figures becoming malleable organic forms, blending together as they spin in combat.

After the initial meetings, the team at Modus spent four months developing the ideas in a process of exploration and refinement, gradually shaping the final look of the scene. Test shots were sent back to the director for review on a weekly basis.

Early on the team had decided the scene would be done in three shots: close up, wide and very wide. Then they began working on the spinning figures – how fast they should rotate and how many poses should appear. Testing was done with Softimage XSI combining textures, including skin, glossy black helmets, a gold mask, blue cloth and brown leather. The textures were tried at different speeds with different motion blurs and shutter speeds.

“It took a lot of experimentation, but as we progressed, we started to develop some really interesting ideas,” said Pelletier. “We liked the clay effect, but it still needed something more to look believable.”

He explained that the team at Modus then developed a “force field” effect to augment the scene, which had to fit in seamlessly with the overall aesthetic and the other surreal effects of the film. “It worked very well,” said Pelletier. “It shows how important it can be to keep the creative process going right to the end. The effort paid off.”

The Sea and the Sky

“We wanted the lighting to look magical or even supernatural,” said Pelletier. “We played around with sky colors until we had the right tones and then redid the lighting on the live plates to match the CG lighting. This was an interesting challenge because usually we do the opposite – match the CG to the lighting in the live shots.”

Remarkably, the sea was realized much more quickly. “We hit bull’s-eye on the first try with the CG ocean,” recalled Pelletier.

A Company That Solves Problems

“Relativity Media saw us as a company that solves problems,” said Yanick Wilisky, visual effects supervisor and co-founder of Modus FX. “It was a very complex sequence, artistically and technically, but we found the way. We solved it for them.”

Immortals is a 3D fantasy adventure film directed by Tarsem Singh and starring Henry Cavill, Freida Pinto and Mickey Rourke. It was released in 2D and 3D on Nov. 11 by Universal Pictures and Relativity Media.

About Modus FX

Since launching in 2007, Modus FX has become an industry leader in high-end feature film visual effects and animation, boasting an international clientele and a talented team of hand-picked artists from around the globe. Led by co-founders Marc Bourbonnais and Yanick Wilisky, Modus has developed a unique approach to creating digital content, combining a cutting-edge production pipeline with personalized on-going project coordination. The studio collaborates with each director through the artistic process, from editorial script and on-set supervision to final delivery. Based just outside Montreal, Modus offers a full scope of services in its modern 12,000-square-foot studio. For more information, visit www.modusfx.com.

Montreal, Que: Oct 20, 2011... Montreal-based studio Modus FX recently delivered invisibly integrated visual effect shots for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1. The latest installment in the wildly popular romantic vampire series based on the novels by Stephenie Meyer opens in theatres on Nov 18. Incorporating a stylized look as a visual expression of the more-than-human qualities of the characters, the film required seamless CGI and a refined aesthetic.

A team of 12 artists at Modus had six weeks to complete 42 shots for the film, which included creating a pregnant belly for lead actress Kristen Stewart, digitally removing a wrist brace she was wearing in another sequence and a variety of subtle cosmetic refinements.

Yanick Wilisky, visual effects supervisor and co-founder of Modus FX, described the challenges of creating organic CG. “We are all so used to seeing organic objects and surfaces. If something is just slightly off, you know it’s fake - even if you can't put your finger on exactly what the problem is.”

Making Stewart look pregnant was one of the tasks assigned to Modus. “They wanted the baby to kick and move inside her belly,” said Wilisky. “We had to match the camera moves, the lighting, even the film grain, along with the subtleties of her skin.”

In fact, according to CG supervisor Martin Pelletier, “The two hardest things to work with in CG are water and skin.”

“For this project, we had to be really quick in terms of turn around,” he explained. “We made use of very complex lighting from the set, adding 3D layers, and a matchmove of her stomach, to make her look pregnant. We took our time at the start to get the recipe right and that paid off in efficiency once we got going. We were soon able to turn around several shots each day.”

"Hand-Crafted" Visual Effects

In one central sequence – the wedding of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) – the camera pans around the newlyweds as they embrace. However, due to a minor wrist injury, Stewart was wearing a brace on the day of the shoot. Naturally, the brace had to be removed in post.

“Matchmoving a close-up is a good example of the challenges of organic CG,” said Pelletier. “We started with a CG model of the hand and then carefully crafting the rig to create natural motions. Once we had that, every minute movement of the hand had to be matched exactly.”

The shot, which is over 300 frames, called for extensive camera tracking and object tracking. Lighting artists at Modus rendered the actor's hand with subsurface scattering to capture the partial translucence of skin and make it look believable.

“Tracking was particularly challenging, because when they were shooting it, they weren’t thinking about it as an effects shot. There was no camera metadata for the sequence,” Pelletier explained.

“The solution was to do a series of careful manual adjustments until we had correctly replicated the light sources on the set. For work like this, it really takes the eye of a skilled artist to get it right.”

“Bella is moving in the shot as the camera circles around her,” Wilisky added, “She’s holding Edward’s hand, so we needed to recreate parts of his hand, along with some of the background. It was a highly technical and complex shot, but no one will see any of that when they watch the movie.”

"We have developed a very efficient pipeline for visual effects in live action shots, particularly for aspects such as motion tracking," said Wilisky. Along with in-house proprietary technologies, Modus uses tools such as PFTrack, Mocha Pro and the Nuke 3D package. “The shots we delivered on Twilight are similar to the type of invisible effects work we’ve done in the past on films like The American, Barney’s Version and Jane Eyre. The studios recognize that we have a strong pipeline and that we know how to deliver.”

Directed by Bill Condon, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 will be released Nov 18, 2011 by Summit Entertainment. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner.

Since launching in 2007, Modus FX has become an industry leader in high-end feature film visual effects and animation, boasting an international clientele and a talented team of hand-picked artists from around the globe. Led by co-founders Marc Bourbonnais and Yanick Wilisky, Modus has developed a unique approach to creating digital content, combining a cutting-edge production pipeline with personalized on-going project coordination. The studio collaborates with each director through the artistic process, from editorial script and on-set supervision to final delivery. Based just outside Montreal, Modus offers a full scope of services in its modern 12,000-squarefoot studio. For more information, visit www.modusfx.com.

Eric Philpott

philpott | communications

(905) 773-6651

philpott@philpott.ca

Los Angeles: Oct 12, 2011… Modus FX, one of Canada’s emerging leaders in visual effects, announced today that it has signed with International Creative Management (“ICM”), one of the world's largest talent and literary agencies. Based in Montreal, Modus FX is the first Canadian postproduction house to be included in the prestigious entertainment agency's roster. The partnership between ICM and Modus FX will provide Hollywood studios with easier access to Modus' capabilities for project development, VFX supervision, and postproduction.

Modus FX credits include the highly anticipated The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I, which is set to release in November and stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner; Tarsem Singh’s Greek mythology Immortals, starring Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, and Freida Pinto slated for release this fall; the sci-fi thriller Source Code starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Famiga; and the adaptation of the BBC Films Jane Eyre starring Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender.

"Audience expectations for visual effects keep rising, so every new production faces a new challenge, even if they don't have a blockbuster budget," said Valerie Delahaye, who heads Modus' Los Angeles office. "Filmmakers and studios get a much better return on their postproduction dollars when they have a visual effects partner who can work with them during development. We help them to foresee technical issues before they happen, and guide them to elegant, artistic solutions."

About ICM

International Creative Management (ICM) is one of the world's largest talent and literary agencies with offices in New York, Los Angeles, and London. ICM represents creative and technical talent in the fields of motion picture, television, books, music, live performance, branded entertainment, and new media. ICM was formed in 1975 through the merger of Creative Management Associates and International Famous Agency. In 2005, the company raised equity financing from Rizvi Traverse and institutional investors to fund strategic growth, and in 2006, ICM acquired the literary agency Broder Webb Chervin Silbermann.

Since launching in 2007, Modus FX has become an industry leader in high-end feature film visual effects and animation, boasting an international clientele and a talented team of hand-picked artists from around the globe. Led by co-founders Marc Bourbonnais and Yanick Wilisky, Modus has developed a unique approach to creating digital content, combining a cutting-edge production pipeline with personalized on-going project coordination. The studio collaborates with each director through the artistic process, from editorial script and on-set supervision to final delivery. Based just outside Montreal, Modus offers a full scope of services in its modern 12,000-squarefoot studio. For more information, visit www.modusfx.com.

• Full time
• Contract

Immediat supervisor

Lead Visual Effects Artist

General description

The incumbent is responsible for the design, creation and realization of digital visual effects and various simulations through several techniques and software.

Requirements

• Must have three (3) to five (5) years of experience in Visual Effects, Computer Graphic or in animation;
• Have a very good knowledge of one of the following software: Maya, Houdini or XSI ICE;
• Have a knowledge of Fume Fx, 3DS MAX and Nuke represents an asset;
• Must know and understand the structure of production;
• Must have a good knowledge of the principles of physics and mathematics;
• Must demonstrate experience in programming;
• Must have a college degree in visual arts or in 3D;
• Have a good knowledge of English and French, both spoken and written;
• Must demonstrate a strong ability to manage a work team;

Principal responsibilities

• Be aware of the nature of the project before it begins;
• View the edits, references and sequences in preparation for work;
• Search the best means of achieving the effects to be developed;
• Share and rule with his supervisor on the final result to be obtained;
• Assess and inform his superior of difficulties and technical needs expected to achieve effects;
• Create and develop the tools necessary to achieve the visual effects;
• Create and develop images, elements and models that will be used for the project or for all other initiatives;
• Develop and propose the visual effects and simulations;
• Realize all the effects and simulations requested (particles, hair, smoke, clothing, liquid, etc.);
• Provide relative documentation on the creation of tools;
• Write and revise scripts relating to work performed;
• Work to optimize the techniques currently used;
• Participate in research and development during waiting periods;
• Organize, manage and maintain the simulation files and accessories created;
• Organize and manage the database of visual effect references, of editing, tools and accessories created
• Publish the approved items in full compliance;
• Deliver images;
• Participate in daily meetings;
• Make corrections and edits to images as requested;
• Submit for evaluation to his superiors the work done to obtain approval;
• Perform rendered images taken and monitor the work of rendering;
• Perform other related duties as assigned by management.

• Contract
• Full time

Immediate supervisor

Lead Technical Director–Production

General description

The incumbent is responsible for the technical management of the production structure. He must design, create and develop the tools that will help to solve technical problems encountered on the production floor.

Requirements:

• Have a college diploma or university degree in3D animation or computer science;
• Minimum three (3)to five(5) years’ experience in cg production or postproduction, with an emphasis on scripting/programming;
• Excellent knowledge of the following software is required: XSI, Python, C / C+ +;
• Have experience in developing tools for Soft Image in Pyhton, C/C++
• Have an excellent knowledge of the programming techniques;
• Good knowledge of the process of tool development for Softimage;
• Knowledge of developing tools for data exchange between Softimage, Nuke, Houdini and Maya is an asset;
• Knowledge of Softimage ICE is a desirable asset;
• Good spoken and written knowledge of either English or French is required;

Principal responsibilities

• Ensure awareness of the nature of VFX project in advance of commencing production;
• Meet with team involved with the project before commencing production;
• Listen, identify, define and fulfill the needs of the technical direction;
• Interact and determine with his immediate supervisor what the final result is to be delivered;
• Assess and inform his superior of the difficulties and technical challenges that are anticipated to solve problems;
• Identify the technical approaches to be used to achieve the desired result;
• Take on the understanding of current pipeline/procedures in place to make improvements;
• Create quick scripts to automate repetitive production tasks;
• Develop and program toolsets that meet current and future needs of production;
• Ensure the stability/ standardization of the toolsets and make the necessary corrections, if any;
• Advise the production team as tools get created and updated for the floor, and provide/maintain documentation on its use:
• Design, develop and maintain the tool sets created;
• Provide technical support to the production team;
• Problem solve and support current tools on the floor;
• Debug and improve the tools used;
• Organize, manage and keep the programming files created up to date;
• Work to optimize the techniques currently used;
• Inform his supervisor on his progress of assigned workload/tasks;
• Publish the approved/tested tools to the floor;
• Participate in daily meetings;
• Submit completed work done for the evaluation/approval of his superior;
• Write and participate in a postmortem at the end of each project;
• Perform other related duties as assigned by management.
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