CULVER CITY, CA — Baraboom Studios (www.baraboomstudios.com) has opened a new facility that specializes in previsualization. The new Culver City-based studio launched with a small team of artists in late 2013 and has plans to expand in 2014 with the hiring of additional staff and the addition of a scanning and motion capture stage.
“We’re very excited to have a home in Culver City that’s convenient to our clients and provides a comfortable working environment for our talent,” explains executive producer, Mike Pryor.
Founded in 2009 by animation director supervisor Pepe Valencia, Baraboom has provided previs services for a wide range of film, television and commercial projects over the years, including Summit Entertainment’s The Impossible and Universal Pictures’ Hop. It is currently working on a television series for a major US network.
Valencia has more than 20 years of experience as an animator and animation director supervisor. His background includes 11 years at Sony Pictures Imageworks, where he served as animation supervisor on such films as The Aviator, Peter Pan and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. He also produced director’s layouts for Robert Zemeckis on The Polar Express, Gil Kenan on Monster House and Brian Singer for Superman. After leaving SPI in 2007, he joined Imagi Animation Studios and served as director of photography on the film Astro Boy.
The expansion plans are designed to capitalize on Hollywood’s growing use of previs as a time- and cost-saving tool throughout the production cycle. “We help directors, editors, art directors and others create great visuals,” Valencia (pictured) explains. “We provide tools that allow them to experiment and test ideas before they arrive on the set or become involved in expensive post production processes.”