The Foundry, a leading developer of visual effects (VFX) software whose products have been used to make recent ‘must see’ movies including District 9, Terminator Salvation and Transformers, has formed a unique collaboration with industry leading visual effects and animation studio, Sony Pictures Imageworks. The two companies are embarking on a technology sharing relationship to advance visual effects and digital production techniques across the industry.

Sony Pictures Imageworks now add The Foundry’s industry renowned compositing software, Nuke, to their existing stable of the company’s plug-ins, and The Foundry gain access to a range of Imageworks’ innovative in-house technology including the highly regarded lighting tool, Katana. These production proven tools have been used by Imageworks to facilitate their highly-acclaimed VFX work on films such as the Spider-ManTM movies, Superman Returns, I am Legend and, most recently, G-Force and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

The agreement also involves close cooperation going forward. The two companies will work together to ensure the successful use and integration of each other’s technology, and exchange updates and new discoveries.

Sony Pictures Imageworks now join ILM and Weta Digital as Nuke site license holders.

Bill Collis, The Foundry CEO, said, “It’s highly unusual for software or post production companies to share technologies and that’s what makes our new relationship with Sony Pictures Imageworks so special. There are some exciting ideas we can explore over the coming year, building on Imageworks’ Katana technology and The Foundry’s customer-driven product focus for Nuke to deliver the next generation of compositing software. Sony is obviously a highly respected player in the industry and the fact that they are implementing our software, and collaborating on future products, is a huge compliment. We are looking forward to working with Sony Pictures Imageworks, and to seeing what fantastic results we can achieve together. “

Randy Lake, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Sony Pictures Imageworks, said, “Artistry enabled by cutting-edge technology is the cornerstone of our business. This imaginative relationship with The Foundry brings great technologies together and places powerful production tools into the hands of artists.”

Rob Bredow, Chief Technology Officer at Sony Pictures Imageworks, said, “Imageworks is taking a far more open approach to its technology. Sharing software with a progressive company like The Foundry is an important step for both of our companies. First, it enables Imageworks to provide the best compositing tools to our artists today by adopting Nuke widely into our VFX and animation workflows. And second, The Foundry has a proven track record of taking production proven software and turning it into industry-leading solutions. We’re looking forward to collaborating with The Foundry to help create the next generation of tools leveraging the best of our mutual technologies. We are expecting great things from this relationship to give artists the tools to create even greater imagery.”

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About The Foundry
The Foundry is a world-leading innovator of visual effects and image processing technologies that boost productivity in motion picture and video post-production.

The Foundry has a well-established client base that includes leading visual effects facilities worldwide, such as Warner Bros, The Moving Picture Company, Weta Digital, Framestore, Sony Pictures Imageworks and Digital Domain. It is at the cutting edge of software development, marketing and sales for visual effects compositing.

In June 2009 The Foundry announced a management buyout for an undisclosed sum led by Advent Venture Partners. Advent backed The Foundry’s management team, led by CEO Dr Bill Collis and the original founders.

The Foundry is highly profitable and has more than doubled in size in the past two years.

The Foundry’s products support a wide range of award-winning host platforms including After Effects, Autodesk ® Media and Entertainment Systems, Avid DS, , Nuke, Shake and Final Cut Pro. In 2007, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded a Sci-Tech Award ® to The Foundry’s development team for the Furnace image processing suite ‘ and the company now holds two products with AMPAS Sci-Tech Award ® winning technology including high-end compositing system Nuke.

The Foundry is headquartered in London, and has offices in Los Angeles. For more information please visit: www.thefoundry.co.uk

© The Foundry, its logo and product names are registered trademarks in the UK, USA and and/or other countries. Academy Award is a registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

About Sony Pictures Imageworks
Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. is the Academy Award ® winning, state-of-the-art visual effects and animation unit of Sony Pictures Digital Productions. The Imageworks production environment supports live-action visual effects and character animation, all-CG animation, Imageworks 3D stereoscopic, and Imageworks Interactive, a full service creative group that produces websites and supports digital marketing for the studio and outside clients.

Imageworks’ achievements have been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with Oscars ® for its work on Spider-Man™ 2 and the CG animated short film The ChubbChubbs! In 2008, Surf’s Up was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In 2007, two of Imageworks’ projects, Superman Returns and the all-CG animated feature Monster House, were nominated for Academy Awards in the Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects and Best Animated Feature respectively. With those two nominations, Imageworks became the first studio to be recognized in the same year in these distinct areas, an indication of the diversity and quality of the company’s capabilities. Other Oscar ® nominated projects include The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, Spider-Man™, Hollow Man, Stuart Little and Starship Troopers, for a total of ten nominations.

Imageworks’ most recently completed projects include Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, G-Force, Watchmen, Valkyrie, Body Of Lies, Eagle Eye, Hancock, Speed Racer, Beowulf, and I Am Legend. Upcoming projects include 2012, Alice In Wonderland, and Cats And Dogs 2.

Imageworks maintains operations in Culver City, CA; Novato, CA; Albuquerque, New Mexico and Chennai, India.

Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. is a division of Sony Pictures Digital Production Inc.

For more information, please visit www.imageworks.com.