Luma Pictures Expands, Moves to Santa Monica

Animation & EFX Studio Eyes Commercial Work, Embarks on Key Feature Projects

February 18th, 2004 — SANTA MONICA, CA - Visual effects and animation company Luma Pictures has completed a move and a major expansion to facilitate its entry into commercial work and to meet the demands of several current feature film projects. The studio has relocated its production facility to a site in the heart of Santa Monica's media district and more than doubled the size of its staff and technical resources.

Character animation specialist Mark Skelton, formerly with game company Blizzard Entertainment, is among the key hires as Luma's staff has grown from 10 to more than 30 artists. Additionally, the company has more than doubled its network of computer animation and compositing workstations and made commensurate additions to its data storage and rendering capacities. Luma plans to add further resources to support visual effects and animation work for television and cinema advertising, including editing and finishing systems.

"We are committed to increasing our involvement in commercial work and felt that we could best accomplish that by moving to a site in Santa Monica where so much of that work is based," explained Luma Pictures visual effects supervisor and principal Payam Shohadai. "The timing was right as our success in features had caused us to outgrow our former location."

Luma Pictures has retained Susan Bennett on the East Coast and Mary Ford on the West Coast to represent it for commercial work. The studio's commercial experience includes spots for Burger King and Compaq Computers.

The moves are, in part, predicated on Luma's current commitments for feature film work. The company was recently named the key visual effects supplier for a film for a major studio that will entail the delivery of more than 200 visual effects shots. Immediately upon the completion of that project, Luma will move onto another large scale film project, involving significant 3D creature animation. Among Luma's recently completed projects are effects for Breakin' All the Rules for Screen Gems, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights for Miramax and Unchain My Heart: The Ray Charles Story for Crusader Entertainment.

Skelton arrives with a reputation as a gifted character designer and modeler. In his five years at Blizzard Entertainment, he served as lead modeler with credits on such popular game titles as War Craft, Diablo and Starcraft. His latest project was a cinematic for Starcraft: Ghost, due for release later this year. He designed such well-known characters as Arthas, the villain from the War Craft series as well as the horde of orcs featured in that game.

"When I arrived at Blizzard, there were only six people in the cinematics department and we did everything-animate, model, texture and composite," Skelton recalled. "As we grew, individual artists followed specific disciplines. I naturally gravitated toward creatures, although I continued to do sets and environments."

Skelton added that he left Blizzard to pursue work in the film industry and had several offers before accepting a post with Luma. "I was looking for a new challenge and Luma offered me the best opportunity," Skelton said. "Very few mid-sized animation houses attract creature work, while at a giant company I would be more restricted. Here there are a lot of young artists who are hungry to do great work. We have the opportunity here to build an amazing company."