While one of the most advanced visual effects and animation studios in the east flourishes in Cranberry Township, another Pittsburgh startup puts finishing touches on a new state-of-the-art soundstage in McKees Rocks.
Pittsburgh is cultivating a taste for the LA filming industries and offering producers a tidy savings in the process.
Cinemanix Productions opened its doors in 2005 as a 3D animation and post-production studio dedicated to extreme creativity and staying ahead of the technology curve, explains Bryan Scibelli, founder. The full service production facility houses a state of the art Motion Capture Stage, Greenscreen Sound Stage and Visual Effects Production area.
Technologies like Phase Space, a bodysuit covered with LED-based motion sensors tracked by a 3D camera, are used to create the almost human figures seen in “Lord of the Rings” and Polar Express.” The seven-person staff has worked with Nickelodeon, Home Run Pictures and on numerous commercial projects.
It’s an exciting time for the company, which hopes to grow with the big switch next year to high def TV. “We’re embracing the fact that when the analog signal goes dead, there will be a great need for HD content,” Scibelli says.
And while production costs in LA could shoot upward of $20,000 a day, the same job here may come in at $7500.
“We’re trying to break (the west coast) mold,” Scibelli says. “The Internet has decentralized the production business. Younger people know that if they farm work out to Pittsburgh, they’ll have a larger budget to work with.”
Smithfield Street Productions recently invested $1 million to create a new sound stage in McKees Rocks. The company also recently wrapped up filming a major motion picture and has several more in the wings, a spokesperson said.
“I can see Pittsburgh really becoming a player in the realm of broadcast and TV. It has a lot of advantages. Someone like me can actually stand out and help draw people into Pittsburgh rather than being one of 200 people (on the West Coast) who do what I do.”
Writer:
Debra SmitSource: Bryan Scibelli, Cinemanix
Image courtesy Cinemanix