In a major expansion of its visual effects and digital lab services and personnel, Mechnology has opened a second studio in Vancouver, B.C., according to Mechnology founder and president Chip Potter.

Mechnology Vancouver has brought aboard Sean Bowers as general manager.  Bowers previously held various producer and post production positions with Syfy, Screen Siren/Hasbro/HUB, Hallmark/E1, Lionsgate and Alliance Atlantis.

Kirsten Sharp has also been added as visual effects producer.  Sharp was previously at Goldtooth Creative, a digital production studio and creative agency; Rainmaker Entertainment; Mainframe Entertainment and Vanguard Animation/Starz Entertainment.

Potter indicated the move was made in response to increased client production in Vancouver and the desire to allow clients to take advantage of the favorable business climate supported by British Columbia. The future for Hollywood and corporate brands is what we call transmedia storytelling, said Potter. The new generation of visual artists is eager to work on this scale, moving from a movie, to television, to social game, to mobile app. Mechnology is designing a studio where artists can function at a high level by accessing our visual effects and digital lab to develop and promote their reels, games and apps.

Film and TV is booming in Vancouver and increasingly it's a place to innovate for the new media industry. Visual artists are behind the web's most compelling content and Mechnology wants to attract those visual artists who can help producers tell a story most effectively, from big screen, to home screen, to tablets and phones.

Although our on-set supervision and visual effects work for television and film is Mechnology's bread and butter, through our digital lab we've been creating other assets, pipelines, and software along the way for ourselves and our clients. My partner, Stephen Lebed, has created several mobile apps for filmmakers, two mobile games and a scanning tool that allows us to capture an environment as a point cloud that in turn helps us integrate 3D models into live action.  In short, we've turned our artists loose inside the digital lab and they've created prototypes for amusement park rides, interactive corporate presentations, education apps, games, and a ton of art. The digital lab is the repository for artist noodling.  It's a jumping off point where our client might say: ‘That's amazing, what if we apply that technology to my project.’”

There is a huge talent pool in Vancouver that we're tapping into, said Lebed, Mechnology principal and visual effects supervisor. And along with that, Mechnology has always been a place where we train artists in visual effects.  Most of our artist trainees have stayed with us for years. We've already begun training the next generation of 3d and 2d artists.  We have been very fortunate to find the team that we have in place here and we're looking forward to the challenges ahead. 

We're a boutique shop that has a good client base, Potter pointed out, but we needed to grow to the next level.  Opening an office in Vancouver is a sign that we can make the jump into larger, more challenging projects.  We're able to hire top talent in Vancouver and offer our customers more choices for how they want their projects to be done.

Mechnology has worked on such key projects as Boston Legal (ABC), The Middleman (ABC Family), Hell on Wheels (AMC), Without a Trace (CBS), House (Fox Television), Southland (NBC Universal), Burn Notice, (USA Network) and The Aviator (Miramax Films).