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Frantic Films 1st Oscar nom.

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Frantic Films, one of Canada’s pre-eminent visual effects and live action production houses, is pleased to announce its nomination for two 2007 Academy Awards. The company is being recognized for its work on Superman Returns and Poseidon.

"We are thrilled to be nominated alongside some of the visual effects industry’s biggest names," said Ken Zorniak, Frantic’s COO & VFX Executive Producer. "Our team worked incredibly hard on Superman for 3 years; these nominations are extremely rewarding."

Frantic was put in charge of six sequences on Superman Returns, comprising some 140 shots in addition to developing key elements such as Kryptonite. For some of those, its artists had to start from less than scratch to create full photorealistic 3D shots. "People outside the industry might not realize that the scenes on Lex Luthor’s yacht were shot on a sound stage – we were asked to add the ocean," Zorniak remembers. "We just weren’t satisfied with the available software on the market – so our research and development team created a program called Flood Surf™ that was used to create digital ocean environments."

For Poseidon, Frantic’s work preceded even the main visual effects assignments, coming during a phase of film-making called previsualization. "It really helps a director and a VFX Supervisor to communicate their vision to cast and crew to have previz shots that are as accurate and believable as possible," said Zorniak. Frantic did all the previz work on Poseidon, but perhaps the most dramatic shot was the ship’s fateful ocean rollover. Frantic was able to generate realistic details of the ship’s interior and exterior during the rollover, setting the tone for the film’s marquee visual effects sequence, that ultimately was created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM).

Looking to the future, Frantic Films is focusing its attention on the upcoming stereo 3D epic, Journey 3D slated for release in the summer of 2008.

Frantic Films Equity Investment

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ – Frantic Films is pleased to announce it has secured a $5 million equity investment from Toronto-based Priveq Capital Funds. The proceeds will be used to fund the growth of all Frantic’s divisions through acquisitions and investment in current operations.

"We are thrilled to have the PRIVEQ team on board as we look to expand our business – again," said Jamie Brown, Frantic’s CEO and Executive Producer. "There are many more opportunities for growth we can access with this extra leverage behind us."

Frantic’s management is excited by the chance to expand all four of its major divisions, including visual effects, television/film production, and commercial production. "We also will use these funds to propel the company’s software development division forward," said Frantic COO, Ken Zorniak.

Commenting on the Frantic transaction, Brad Ashley, Managing Partner of PRIVEQ Capital Funds, said, "PRIVEQ is delighted to be an investor in Frantic. We are very impressed with the management team and the multitude of critically acclaimed successes the Company has been able to realize to date." Mr. Ashley also noted that "PRIVEQ is looking forward to supporting the Company’s efforts to realize on its tremendous growth opportunities."