Pixar to open Vancouver studio

[Stellios]

wonderful news!

[PorkpieSamurai]

woah! thats amazing news.

[tuddel]

woah thats awesome news :scream:

[kabojnk]

Wow, that's awesome news!

[Baltasound]

Someone had to do it:

http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/uploads/image/sorry_CA01.jpg

[aesir]

Does anyone else think that's really really weird?

I mean, an entire studio of 75-100 people dedicated entirely to the creation of shorts, which frankly, do nothing to make money for pixar, and from what I've heard, were mainly used as a kind of warm up/test of new tech for the next film. Now they're doing this off in another city so it's not like anyone working on the features gains experience from the shorts...

I just don't get why...

but hey, more jobs, so yay.

[ThomasMahler]

I could see them working out technical difficulties and doing experiments based on shorts that the 'main' team can then use for their feature films. I think Pixars goal was to release a full feature film every year, so not having to deal with too many technical difficulties when the actual production starts could be a very good thing. CG is often times still a freaking headache, so having a team that would push the boundaries based on real-world examples could be a huge help for Pixar.

Also, with digital distribution becoming more and more popular, maybe they just wanna be able to push shorter stuff out there, again simply to experiment. In this day and age, who says that a film has to be 90 minutes long? One of the best Disney films ever (Dumbo) was barely 60 minutes long. Couldn't a shorter film still be great? Can't you tell a story within 20-30 minutes? Can't that be successful in todays world? No need for packaging and retailing, just sell it digitally, throug iTunes and directly to iPhones and stuff.

What I'd hate to see is this studio going the old Disney way and basically becoming the 'B-Team' that creates rubbish direct to video stuff that just makes money thanks to the IP (Bambi 2 anyone?). That'd be a horrible business model in todays day and age where people can quckly find out what that studio is all about - in the end, such a business model would simply end up hurting Pixar and all their IPs.

[playmesumch00ns]

I just don't get why...


Money, surely?

[DanielWray]

I'm not your buddy, friend.

This is awesome news, shame i don't live there, or that they there not opening one in england, like in newcastle.. just an idea (if anyone from pixar reads this *Cough*).

[kelgy]

This must be the news hinted a few weeks ago by a politician about a major studio planning to relocate to Vancouver. Not exactly a relocation.

I get a sense of deja vu. Didnt Disney have an animation studio in Vancouver for a while in the 90s, making direct to video features? They were alleged to hire student grads then lay them off at the end of the year and hire new ones. Hopefully that pattern won't repeat. Then again it would let lots of student grads get a Pixar resume credit!

[JBoskma]

Excellent news! Vancouver is booming!

[grantmoore3d]

Very cool! I guess I'll have to work even harder on my portfolio this summer!

[Remi]

There's an abundance of space here in South Dakota too, just sayin:)

[kees]

peanut butter jello time ! :bounce:

[rcronin]

This is great stuff. If they are going to transfer their technical and creative techniques 100% to this new studio, it will give a lot of artists insight into their process. I mean there's 100's of dvd extras and videos that show what goes on at Pixar, but to actually be in 'their mix' would be a fantastic learning experience. Plus we need an injection of Renderman into Van to bring things up to L.A./London standards and promote more high end film work.

[SheepFactory]

I would hate to be the guy who has to sift through the avalanche of demo reels they will recieve from every cg artist in vanc...Canada. :D

[Bonedaddy]

I just don't get why...


Couple reasons come to mind:



Shorter projects are a good testbed for R&D, which is a great long-term investment.
Shorter projects can also have a great ROI. A little bit of time on a made-for-DVD short can boost DVD sales a lot. The Ghibli short films at the Ghibli museum in Mitaka can ONLY be seen there (including a sequel to Totoro), and are shown completely randomly, so people repeatedly buy tickets to go see them. Holiday and TV specials can make tons of money and be shown every year. It can be surprisingly profitable.
Tax havens. My friend claims that back in the day, Disney built feature animation studios in most major markets for tax credits (he also claims they closed them down two years later). I don't know anything about that, but I'd believe there's some truth to it.
Spillover. Pixar is ramping up to do two movies per year, and they only have so much space to expand in Emeryville. If the studios are set up well, Vancouver could help absorb some of the work if Emeryville gets a little overburdened.
Just some thoughts. I'm no expert! :)

[aesnakes]

It says all the post production will stay in LA. So does this mean there will be no compositing or lighting jobs, any people working with renderman here.....i would like to know exactly what kind of talent they are looking for.

[Pinoy McGee]

I would hate to be the guy who has to sift through the avalanche of demo reels they will recieve from every cg artist in vanc...Canada. :D

Or, it's just a simple matter of filtering some Pixar director's LinkedIn network for Canuck talent. 100 warm bodies? Done. See 'ya Monday.

[foxco]

I would hate to be the guy who has to sift through the avalanche of demo reels they will recieve from every cg artist in vanc...Canada. :D

Haha, I was thinking the same thing on my way to work this morning. I am almost convinced that they would be able to build the studio completely out of demo reels and it would be strong enough to withstand an earthquake.

[NicolasJordan]

A bit of a weird move by Pixar but if they are looking for experienced 3D people Vancouver is probably one of the best places to look in North America next to the L.A./Hollywood area. I prefer living right here where I am, in the middle of nowhere since I can't stand large urban areas. Regina is even to busy and big for my liking. :)

[SheepFactory]

Haha, I was thinking the same thing on my way to work this morning. I am almost convinced that they would be able to build the studio completely out of demo reels and it would be strong enough to withstand an earthquake.


they can dump all the demo reels on false creek and build a pixar island next to granville island from those :D

[DanielWray]

Pixar haven't sold out?

EDIT: This was posted after the post below me. Wierd.

[eirenicon]

Does anyone else think that's really really weird?

I mean, an entire studio of 75-100 people dedicated entirely to the creation of shorts, which frankly, do nothing to make money for pixar, and from what I've heard, were mainly used as a kind of warm up/test of new tech for the next film.

It makes perfect business sense from a marketing perspective.

“First and foremost for us is to concentrate on Pixar legacy characters,” said Nasrabadi, citing Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, and Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars as four of its legacy characters. “We want to keep these well-known and well-liked characters alive without creating a distraction to those working on the full-length motion pictures in California.

“The types of products we produce will be niche products, such as short films, whether they are standalone or episodic in nature,” said Nasrabadi, a 12-year veteran of the digital entertainment business. “They will be helpful to all of Disney’s ancillary businesses, such as television, compilations on DVD, Internet broadcasting, as well as theatres.”

Basically, the studio will be focused on keeping Disney characters (re: Pixar characters that Disney owns) alive so they can sell more merchandise. Don't think of them as short films, think of them as advertisements with heart ;). Also, can I just point out that Nasrabadi is a Disney guy, not a Pixar guy, and is currently operations veep of direct-to-dvd products? Of course, what's the difference between Pixar and Disney these days?

[Digit]

I believe theres an error in the article. The shorts (eg For The Birds, Lifted) will still be made in Emeryville.

[DanielWray]

Perhaps they will make short films and release them to see what the general publics reaction is. Running a smaller, cheaper studio to produce ideas that are currently on the table, but can't be currently made becuase of tight deadlines etc would be a great way to go about this.

If a short film get's a strong reaction, then pixar could go ahead and work on a longer version, or a full length film...

[circusboy]

I believe theres an error in the article. The shorts (eg For The Birds, Lifted) will still be made in Emeryville.
Well its more than mentioned 'in passing'. The entire gist of the article is that those will now be made in Van. Thats a pretty big error...
I guess we'll see what really happens soon enough.

[RockinAkin]

...And suddenly, every studio in Vancouver fears for it's Animators.

[Digit]

Well its more than mentioned 'in passing'. The entire gist of the article is that those will now be made in Van. Thats a pretty big error...
I guess we'll see what really happens soon enough.

Yes, but I work here and I know for sure its an error!

[silvia]

Yep, the article messed it up. I am pretty sure they will post a correction pretty soon.

[theMessenger]

hmmm I love the donuts in DeepCove!! They must too. :drool:

Well tax relief, donuts, awesome landscape, Snow runs, clean air, school talent, and the upcoming Olympics is my guess for a opening. Get in while you can becuase Vancouver is going to blow up!

Wish I was there now.....

[SheepFactory]

Yes, but I work here and I know for sure its an error!


Can you clarify what exactly the Vancouver studio will be doing then?

[soulburn3d]

Gotta love the press, they really have no idea what they're doing.

- Neil

[Digit]

Can you clarify what exactly the Vancouver studio will be doing then?

I cant answer that for sure but I know Pixar are keen to stress that the feature films and short films will still be here in Emeryville.

[forsakendreams]

The Vancouver Sun article is inaccurate, here are some better reported stories:

The focus will be on Pixar's established characters, including Buzz and Woody from the "Toy Story" films and Lightning McQueen and Mater from "Cars."

"The operation will be small in size and dedicated to producing short-form quality computer animation for theme parks, DVDs, television and theatrical exhibition ... for several different divisions of the Walt Disney Co.," Disney/Pixar president Ed Catmull said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSTRE54717R20090508
http://business.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090508.wdisneypixar0508/BNStory/Business/home

[rcronin]

The move to Van to take part in the cost saving tax incentives (albeit good news for Canadians) may have something to do with Disney's operating income falling by 97% in one year...

http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?f=59&t=761053

The guy who'll be heading the Van shop was Disney's vice-president of operations and finance.

[MikeRhone]

It says all the post production will stay in LA. So does this mean there will be no compositing or lighting jobs, any people working with renderman here.....i would like to know exactly what kind of talent they are looking for.

I think by post production they are referring to editing, sound, producers/directors being L.A based etc. A lot of VFX houses in Van run this way.

...And suddenly, every studio in Vancouver fears for it's Animators.

There is a huge talent pool to dip into in Vancouver with all of the layoff from the last 6 months. I think studio exec's would be a bit more worried about losing their more technical people, as there are still huge needs in those areas in Vancouver right now moment. Add to this Pixar news that Frantic is also ramping up soon. From what I heard, Frantic "Needs '75-100 generalists". I wish the HR at Frantic the best of luck :)

[kelgy]

Marke Andrews has been at the Sun forever.
He probably got the info from a BC Film Commission press release.

Here's the story I saw a couple of months ago:

http://www.ourfernie.com/b-c-film-industry-beacon-economic-gloom

"And this is the only bright light that I'm aware of in terms of the economy. This one is still firing on all cylinders", said Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Bill Bennett. "And it's nice to say that things are looking good for 2009."

He said a major production company from Los Angeles is considering relocating to Vancouver, although he wouldn't identify it.

The relocation could be worth "in the tens of millions [of dollars]," Bennett added.
*

"This is the third-largest production centre in North America after New York and Los Angeles."

According to a release by the BC Film Commission, the majority of the increase in film activity was in non-Canadian films, with the sector totalling $442 million in 2008, an increase of 146 per cent or $262 million over 2007.

*
While domestic spending decreased slightly, domestic animation spending increased 79 per cent, to more than $96 million, compared to $53 million in 2007. Overall numbers of domestic television and film projects were also up, by 75 per cent and four per cent, respectively.

[soulburn3d]

He said a major production company from Los Angeles is considering relocating to Vancouver, although he wouldn't identify it.

Well, that's definately not Pixar, since it isn't relocating and isn't in Los Angeles.

- Neil

[kelgy]

Well, that's definately not Pixar, since it isn't relocating and isn't in Los Angeles.

- Neil

**unless it was Pixar they were referring to, and they just got the facts wrong, like the Sun article apparently did.

[kees]

Yes, but I work here and I know for sure its an error!

Well even if we just get to make coffee and do dry-cleaning for the pixar people in Emeryville, we'll be happy in Vancouver. So it doesn't really matter :)

[jagg]

This is great news! Time to update the good ol' reel. Man everyone and their dog will be applying here.

[ericsmith]

I'm not your buddy, friend.

I'm not your friend, pal.

[DanielWray]

They should build a huge open lit complex near one of the canadian lakes, you know the brilliant blue lakes in the middle of nowhere.. that'd inspire to no end!

But, anyway, i guess the articles got it wrong and it's another studio who is relocating, or setting up shop. I couldn't imagine pixar moving that far away, wouldn't they just buy some land near by? hmm

Also, i'm not your pal, guy.

[SheepFactory]

Says they are looking for downtown. Maybe they will move in to the empty studio space left from EA blackbox. That location was amazing.

[DanielWray]

Wow! I just googled that studio space and it look's phenomanal. Man i'm getting in to this business just for the work place.. I won't rest until i get my very own blue bean bag and wide open view of the coast line while sitting at my desk!

[mr Bob]

No doubt paying far less for staff ...

[Pinoy McGee]

Even if it turns out to be just a Disney outsourcing studio (disguised as a Pixar house) I'd still apply even it means just making kiddie flash games for blu-ray editions.



.

[aidenvfx]

...And suddenly, every studio in Vancouver fears for it's Animators.

Hard to say. At first I would say yes. However if it is more of a direct to video program some may choose to stay where they are. However overall it is fantastic news for those of us in Canada. I suspect it also might be a head hunting studio. They bring in talent and the cream of the crop they might offer to send them down to the main studio. Not sure but does Pixar have benfits for there employees that would be a major insentive to have a studio in Canada since the majority of our health costs our covered by the government (our taxes)

[grantmoore3d]

Even if it turns out to be just a Disney outsourcing studio (disguised as a Pixar house) I'd still apply even it means just making kiddie flash games for blu-ray editions..

Agreed, that could prove to be some very good experience there, even if it isn't as glamorous as doing the Pixar films themselves.

[soulburn3d]

**unless it was Pixar they were referring to, and they just got the facts wrong, like the Sun article apparently did.

True, don't you love broken telephone. :)

- Neil

[sinistar]

Sounds like they could be getting into commercial or broadcast...or maybe just short films? I couldn't see them making episodic television or D2DVD of their major properties. Never seemed like Pixar's way. Could it really be a studio just for creating short films, albeit not the shorts before their feature films?

However, information like this seems like it must have been acquired because it was related..:

"The company uses short films as springboards for its feature animations, and that will be the role of the Vancouver studio. A Pixar short takes six to 12 months to produce, and the production team can range anywhere from 20 to 75 people."

[kelgy]

I find it both funny and sad that the Sun and the politicians try to disguise the fact that it is outsourcing. I don't think its accidental. They also do it when they say "third largest film center in North America" or use the term "BC's film industry" instead of the more accurate "film service industry."

They have had a BC film office since 1978 but local production is around 20 percent, and its most visible example is Insight Studios which has a fair bit of problems, financially, legally and artistically.
When Warren Franklin took over Rainmaker he said he wanted to boost local production in BC, and he mentions it here in the article below, but this was before the Canadian dollar dropped, so i guess boosting local production is a low priority again.


http://www.straight.com/article-123623/news-from-hollywood-north

“I think we have to move away from just being a service-based business. The film and digital-content business here needs to move into ownership of our properties.”

[kiaran]

It will be very interesting to see what pipeline they decide to use. On the one hand they have the highly proprietary Pixar-specific pipeline that nobody knows... or they could build a fresh one with software everyone already knows (ie. Maya).

[Bonedaddy]

It will be very interesting to see what pipeline they decide to use. On the one hand they have the highly proprietary Pixar-specific pipeline that nobody knows... or they could build a fresh one with software everyone already knows (ie. Maya).

They're doing work with the legacy characters, so it would only make sense they'd use the rigs they already have -- and keep the old pipeline.

[Michael5188]

Why would they change their pipeline? Because of the nature of work that studio would be putting out?

By the way, I know that could read as being insulting, but I'm sincerely asking. I would think they'd keep the same pipeline, I mean why fix what isn't broken, but then perhaps there's a reason to I'm not seeing.

[SheepFactory]

Isn't disney on a maya pipeline?

[Buexe]

I was at Wall-E presentation where some lead animation guy (forgot the name) said they are rebuilding their animation tool(s), because they had grown kind of old.

[MikeRhone]

Isn't disney on a maya pipeline?

I was under the impression they were on a Maya modeling pipe, their own proprietary animation tools (Marionette?), and a suped-up version of Renderman for rendering?

[Pinoy McGee]

I was under the impression they were on a Maya modeling pipe

Modo too in fact, starting with Wall E and Presto.

[lebada]

post production will still be handled in california making this piece of news worthless to me personally but still good overall for the vancouver scene. Maybe they'll bust out some straight-to-tv type series instead of just 1 short per movie they make.

[mosconariz]

It's not logic to change the pipeline to something like... maya

They can do better :)

[silvia]

It's not logic to change the pipeline to something like... maya

They can do better :)

Why would anybody think that the Vancouver branch would move to a all-maya pipeline? :surprised

[rcronin]

Why would anybody think that the Vancouver branch would move to a all-maya pipeline? :surprised

I figured they'd move to an all Lightwave pipeline...:drool:

[DanielWray]

They should just move their whole pipe-line over to paint, i mean, you have everything you need, 16 preset colours, a pen... heck even a zoom tool!

[rcronin]

They should just move their whole pipe-line over to paint, i mean, you have everything you need, 16 preset colours, a pen... heck even a zoom tool!

Thou must not knock Paint...;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk2sPl_Z7ZU

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