Digital Domain

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Digital Domain
Image:Digitaldomain.gif
Type Privately held company
Founded 1993
Headquarters Venice, California, USA
Key people Carl Stork, Ed Ulbrich, John Textor
Industry Visual Effects, CGI animation
Employees 500-1,000
Parent Wyndcrest Holdings, LLC
Slogan Dream with your eyes wide open
Website D2.com

Digital Domain is an Academy Award-winning computer graphics company located in Venice, California that provides visual effects for film, commercials and music videos.

Contents

[edit] History

The company began producing visual effects in 1993, its first three films being True Lies, Interview with the Vampire and Color of Night in 1994. It has produced effects for more than 60 films including Apollo 13, Armageddon, The Fifth Element, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Titanic, and What Dreams May Come. More recent films include The Day After Tomorrow, I, Robot and Stealth.

In 2002, the company launched a subsidiary to market and distribute its Academy Award-winning compositing software, Nuke. The move was partially motivated by Apple's acquisition of a similar program, Shake.

Digital Domain was started by ex-ILM General Manager Scott Ross after he left the LucasFilm organization. Ross wrote the business plan and was then contacted by director James Cameron who had heard through the grapevine that Ross was starting a new visual effects company to directly compete with ILM. Cameron suggested that his long time friend and associate, Stan Winston, join the Company as it's third founder. The company had as it's initial investor, the IBM corporation. Then in 1996, Ross hired investment banker Lehman Brothers to bring in new capital partners. Cox Enterprises then acquired a 33% ownership in Digital Domain. In 1998, after the box office success of " Titanic", James Cameron and Stan Winston severed their working relationship with Digital Domain, and resigned from its board of directors. In 2003, Digital Domain founder and CEO Scott Ross produced Secondhand Lions at Digital Domain for New Line Cinema.

A memorable shot from The Fifth Element.
Enlarge
A memorable shot from The Fifth Element.

Digital Domain was purchased in May 2006 by Wyndcrest Holdings, LLC an investment firm whose principals include former Microsoft exec Carl Stork who is acting as Digital Domain's new CEO, Director Michael Bay, John C. Textor and Dan Marino.[1] In September of 2006 it was announced that Digital Domain hired a trio of top senior execs from Industrial Light & Magic: Mark Miller (a 22-year vet of ILM, most recently vp and senior exec in charge of production and marketing) had been named president, Cliff Plumer (CTO of ILM) was named CTO and Kim Libreri (a vfx supervisor at ILM) joined as vp, advanced strategy.

[edit] Awards

Digital Domain's business units have been recognized with awards from many top industry organizations. As of 2006, Digital Domain has won five Academy Awards: two for Best Visual Effects (Titanic, What Dreams May Come); and three for Scientific and Technical Achievement for its proprietary imaging software (for it’s proprietary compositing software NUKE, for its proprietary 3D tracking software TRACK and for its volumetric renderer STORM).[2] The company has also been nominated for three other Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects (Apollo 13, True Lies, I, Robot). In addition, its excellence in digital imagery and animation has earned Digital Domain multiple British Academy (BAFTA) Awards, and Prix Ars Electronica and Prix Pixel INA awards.[3]

A shot from I, Robot.
Enlarge
A shot from I, Robot.

Digital Domain's Commercials division provides digital imagery and animation for television commercials, working with top commercial directors. To date, it has been awarded 34 Clio Awards, 22 AICP awards, 8 Cannes Lion Awards and numerous other advertising honors. The Commercials division has also produced multiple music videos working with artists that include The Rolling Stones, Faith Hill, Creed, Janet Jackson, Busta Rhymes, Björk, Celine Dion, Michael Jackson and Nine Inch Nails, and has earned Grammy and MTV "Music Video of the Year" Awards.[4]

[edit] Special effects filmography

  • Transformers (2007) ... Visual Effects Company
  • Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) ... Visual Effects Company
  • Flags of Our Fathers (2006) ... Visual Effects Company
  • My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Æon Flux (2005) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Stealth (2005) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation), Special Effects Company
    From the film Stealth: the fictional F/A-37 Talon on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).
    Enlarge
    From the film Stealth: the fictional F/A-37 Talon on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).
  • Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) ... Special Effects Company (visual effects)
  • Dark Water (2005) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects)
  • Cinderella Man (2005) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Flight of the Phoenix (2004) ... Special Effects Company (additional special visual effects), Special Effects Company (digital animation)
  • Careful What You Wish For (2004) ... Special Effects Company (visual effects facility and conform)
  • Tooth Fairy (2004) ... Special Effects Company (visual effects facility and conform)
  • Do Geese See God? (2004) ... Special Effects Company (visual effects facility and conform)
  • Portrait (2004/I) ... Special Effects Company (visual effects facilities)
  • I, Robot (2004) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation), Special Effects Company
  • The Day After Tomorrow (2004) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Peter Pan (2003) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • The Missing (2003/I) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) ... Special Effects Company
  • Secondhand Lions (2003) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • The Italian Job (2003) ... Special Effects Company (helicopter/mini Cooper sequence)
  • Daredevil (2003) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Adaptation. (2002) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects: Evolution sequence)
  • xXx (2002) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • The Time Machine (2002) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects)
  • We Were Soldiers (2002) ... Special Effects Company
  • A Beautiful Mind (2001) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) ... Special Effects Company (visual effects: "Ford of Bruinen" sequence)
  • Vanilla Sky (2001) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation) (as Digital Domain Inc.)
  • Stormrider (2001) ... Special Effects Company
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) ... Special Effects Company
  • Red Planet (2000) ... Special Effects Company
  • X-Men (2000) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) ... Special Effects Company
  • Rules of Engagement (2000) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Supernova (2000/I) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Fight Club (1999) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Lake Placid (1999) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and animation)
  • Edtv (1999) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects)
  • What Dreams May Come (1998) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Armageddon (1998) ... Special Effects Company
  • Tightrope (1998) ... Special Effects Company
  • Kundun (1997) ... Special Effects Company
  • Titanic (1997) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Red Corner (1997) ... Special Effects Company
  • Ghosts (1997/I) ... Special Effects Company
  • The Fifth Element (1997) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • Dante's Peak (1997) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects and digital animation)
  • The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996) ... Special Effects Company
  • Chain Reaction (1996) ... Special Effects Company
  • Sgt. Bilko (1996) ... Special Effects Company
  • T2 3-D: Battle Across Time (1996) ... Special Effects Company
  • Strange Days (1995) ... Special Effects Company
  • Apollo 13 (1995) ... Special Effects Company
  • Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) ... Special Effects Company (visual effects)
  • Color of Night (1994) ... Special Effects Company
  • True Lies (1994) ... Special Effects Company (special visual effects)

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.digitaldomain.com/press_release.html
  2. ^ http://www.fmx.de/E.216.html?id=715
  3. ^ http://www.digitaldomain.com/press_release.html
  4. ^ http://www.vfxworld.com/?atype=news&id=17991

[edit] External links

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