"This is a strategic move for us," explains Dan
Schmit, the visual effects supervisor and cinematographer who founded Engine
Room in 2001. "The opportunity to live within a production community was a
significant draw. Further, it allows us to expand into a welcoming environment
designed from the ground up with space for all of the interconnected
departments and visiting clients in mind."
Engine Room offers computer animation and visual effects, as
well as a live action unit that handles cinematic effects shoots, plus other
motion picture and HD specialty productions. The studio's credit list includes
the recent Weinstein feature Pulse, Paramount's
upcoming Freedom Writers, and the
Universal release of Nick Cassevetes' Alpha Dog. Television credits include the upcoming FX Network
series Dirt, as well as the current
Disney television series The Suite Life and Cory in the House,
both shot at Hollywood Center Studios.
As part of the move Engine Room's technical and working
infrastructure has been expanded. A major element includes the integration of
new Web-based studio management software that the company originally beta-tested,
and has now fully embraced. Called Shotgun, it allows artists, producers and
clients to check the status of every aspect of current visual effects jobs from
on or off-site on any computer with an Internet connection.