Frantic Films Soars With Superman

Frantic Films Soars With Superman

Superman Returns showcases Frantic's largest visual effects project to date

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Frantic Films, one of Canada's leading production and post-production companies for film and television, will culminate 18 months of visual effects (VFX) work with the release of Warner Bros. Pictures' SUPERMAN RETURNS.

Frantic delivered 140 VFX shots for the blockbuster, which officially opens on June 28. Having previously worked with director Bryan Singer on X2: X-Men United, Frantic was again enlisted for six major sequences. In the process, the company used their current proprietary software and created new VFX technology for Singer's epic vision.

The company also helped redefine the deadly potential of Kryptonite. Frantic used Image Savant's Spore technology alongside their own custom particle renderer to make organic lighting effects and particle-dense representations of Kryptonite's inherent instability. The company created spontaneously growing Kryptonite crystals by building a custom 3ds Max script, which was adapted for use by the film's other VFX teams.

Frantic hit new levels of nautical realism in two scenes -- the Atlantis Project and the Metropolis Disaster -- by developing innovative ocean surface software. Based on a statistical model of ocean waves, the program accurately reproduced natural oceanic flow; early results had producers and industry professionals debating whether the shots were real footage or CGI.

At a late stage in post-production, Frantic was asked to recreate Krypton's destruction for the film's main titles. For this full-CGI scene, Frantic rendered up to 700 million particles per frame to detail the explosion. Amazingly, this sequence was conceived and delivered in less than five weeks.

About Frantic Films

Consistently on the cutting edge of VFX production, Frantic Films has established a reputation as one of North America's most dynamic and successful creative resources. With offices in Los Angeles, Vancouver and Winnipeg, Frantic offers accessible and localized consultation for all elements of film production. Frantic Films strives to move creative ideas from concept to completion by offering a wide array of services: from previz and look development to custom software solutions and postproduction visual effects. For more information, visit http://www.franticfilms.com/.

Source: Frantic Films

CONTACT: Randal Shore, PR, +1-204-949-0070, rshore@franticfilms.com;
Chris Bond, President & VFX Supervisor, +1-204-975-5116,
cbond@franticfilms.com; Jamie Brown, CEO & Executive Producer,
+1-204-975-5115, jbrown@franticfilms.com; Ken Zorniak, COO & VFX Producer,
+1-204-975-5114, kzorniak@franticfilms.com, all of Frantic Films

Web site: http://www.franticfilms.com/

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