
January, 9th 2012
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.
Most recent headlines
10/02/2025
With more than 1.6 million Valentine's Day playlists created globally on Spo...
10/02/2025
New series Memory Bites with Matt Moran stirs up nostalgia with a taste of the p...
10/02/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Feb. 10, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) has introduced AMORPHOUS , its new software that features a single user interface to operate ...
10/02/2025
NEW YORK and MEXICO CITY Spanish-language media conglomerate TV Azteca has inked a two-year deal with WSC Sports for the AI-powered sports content technology pr...
10/02/2025
TORONTO Jordan Bartow, a 15-plus-year industry veteran with a history of driving artificial intelligence, media and enterprise cloud transformations, has joined...
10/02/2025
LA Wildfire Victims Fundraiser - Entertainment Industry
Erik Smalls February 10, 2025
0 Comments
Join us for an exclusive networking event designed fo...
10/02/2025
OWC and ARCHIWARE Partner to Deliver Seamless Shared Storage, Cloning, Backup, a...
10/02/2025
Berklee's Signature Series Celebrates the Music of Fleetwood Mac The concert will feature a global cast of over 90 students performing a career-spanning s...
10/02/2025
Adam Downey, director of post production at Sky, tells TVBEurope how seeing a harmonious team working to deliver a project is like watching a ballet
By Matthew...
10/02/2025
The association aims to support the media technology industry by identifying vulnerabilities in media systems and solutions
By Jenny Priestley
Published: Feb...
10/02/2025
A Dusseldorf court ruling on a patent dispute warned the company could face heavy fines
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 10, 2025
A Dusseldorf cour...
10/02/2025
The teams at Mikros Animation extend its heartfelt congratulations to DreamWorks...
10/02/2025
Super Bowl LIX: Tubi Leads All Streaming Platforms in Least Lag Time, According ...
10/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Camera Operator Don C...
10/02/2025
Official trailer released for upcoming Sky Documentaries series David Frost VsComing to Sky and NOW on 23rd FebruaryMonday 10 February 2025
To view this conten...
10/02/2025
SPEAG combines CMX500 OBT with the DASY8-3D system for automated SAR testing of ...
10/02/2025
Back to All News
Netflix ISP Speed Index for January 2025
Mulitcolor streaks on a black background curved right to foreground with the Netflix logo N at the t...
10/02/2025
Back to All News
Dive into the 1960s and 80s Korean Music Scene with Upcoming S...
10/02/2025
John Nallen Named President and Chief Operating Officer of Fox Corporation in Ne...
10/02/2025
Fox Corporation Acquires Red Seat Ventures Los Angeles, CA - February 10, 2025 - Fox Corporation ( FOX or the Company ) (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX) today announced ...
10/02/2025
Article courtesy of Digital Media World
Read the article
Ross Baker, senior colourist and head of grading at Molinare in London, talks about building his care...
10/02/2025
Article courtesy of Digital Cinema Report
Read the article
Light Iron has selected Nara for its New York and Los Angeles facilities - streamlining its workflo...
10/02/2025
Article courtesy of postPerspective
Read the article
If you've seen the show, you've likely noticed its distinctive look, part of which could be attri...
10/02/2025
Article courtesy of Televisual
Read the article
The series was shot by cinematographers Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC ( Chivo') and Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC...
10/02/2025
Article courtesy of Post
Read the article
The feature brought together a familiar team that included Guadagnino, DP Sayombhu Mukdeeprom and colorist Claudio D...
10/02/2025
Article courtesy of Digital Media World
Read the article
Colourist Daniel Pardy talks about building a working LUT for this film with a distinctive 16mm film ...
10/02/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Thales has delivered the first drone system for ...
10/02/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Thales At a time when much is expected of AI and its contribution to the security and sovereignty of nations, Thales offers a ...
10/02/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Cannes, February 10th, 2025 - Space Norway, Northern Europe's leading satellite operator, and Thales Alenia Space, a joint v...
09/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: FOX Sports Highlights Celebrity Fashion With Productio...
09/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: NEP Specialty Capture Adds Key Cameras for Game Broadc...
09/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: Augmented-Reality Graphics Play Starring Role in FOX S...
09/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: Telemundo Deportes Goes All Out in Miami for Spanish-L...
09/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: FOX Sports Highlights Celebrity Fashion With Productio...
09/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: Augmented Reality Graphics Play Starring Role in FOX S...
09/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: NFL Tech Ops Rides Years of Experience for Biggest, Mo...
08/02/2025
The American Forces Network (AFN), the U.S. government's television and radio broadcast service for military personnel and their families stationed overseas...
08/02/2025
In his Joshua Tree studio, cinematographer Timur Civan recently lensed a new music video Resurrection for gothic country artist Blood Nebraska. Working in col...
08/02/2025
DoPchoice debuts Spill Killer designed to prevent light leakage and ensure a clean, professional look for set or location lighting.
The elegantly designed butt...
08/02/2025
ESPN and Major League Rugby (MLR) have announced a multiyear media rights agreement that will bring MLR games to ESPN platforms. Under the new deal, live covera...
08/02/2025
Grammy-Nominated Alum Shares Berklee Wisdom with His Student Sister I thought graduating with a double major would be the key to success, Carlos Perez de An...
08/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: Inside the SkyCam and Sony Efforts To Make 4K 240-fps ...
08/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: Inside the 10,000-Sq.-Ft. Tech Center With FOX Sports ...
08/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: CMSI Uses the Big Game To Push Workflows Forward The company is providing edit support for pregame, Tubi Red Carpet Show By Ken Kersc...
08/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: Inside SkyCam and Sony's Efforts to Make 4K 240 fp...
08/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: FOX Sports Digital Leans on Vizrt's TriCaster Vizi...
08/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: ESPN Studio Ops Spreads Across Big Easy From Fulton St...
08/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: Verizon's Joe Russo on How 5G Can Get to the Next ...
08/02/2025
Live From Super Bowl LIX: Inside the 10,000 sq. ft. Tech Center with Fox Sports ...