Boris FX, known for providing integrated VFX and workflow solutions for video and film, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Imagineer Systems Ltd., the UK-based developer of the exclusive Planar Tracking and masking tools. Imagineer’s flagship product, mocha Pro plays a leading role in assorted major Hollywood films. In 2013 the team behind mocha was honored by the Motion Picture Academy with a Science and Engineering Award. mocha Pro software was recently used on blockbuster films “Gone Girl,” “Birdman” and “Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1,” and TV shows such as “The Leftovers,” “Game of Thrones” and “House of Cards.”
“This strategic acquisition will allow us to offer the most comprehensive and advanced set of visual effects tools and solutions on the market today, serving everyone from independent filmmaker to the professional video editor working with effects to the feature film VFX artist,” contended Boris Yamnitsky, founder and CEO, Boris FX. “Imagineer Systems has the best-of-breed motion tracking, masking and rig removal technology. The company’s engineering and product design expertise perfectly complement Boris FX’s own highly regarded team of visual effects software developers and industry specialists. Both Boris Continuum Complete and mocha Pro will greatly benefit from combining our resources and technologies, as will the many mutual customers we serve.” The newly merged company will build upon the strengths of both development teams to become a high-profile software firm specializing in postproduction plug-ins and tools for editorial, visual effects and motion graphics design.
Imagineer CEO John-Paul Smith noted, “Joining the Boris family is a huge opportunity to bring mocha’s world-class planar tracking to Boris Continuum Complete users, giving artists and editors the tools they need where they need them most.”
According to Yamnitsky, “Acquiring the proprietary mocha Planar Tracker technology will allow us to bring Imagineer’s Academy Award-winning planar tracking to Boris FX solutions and customers, while conversely, Imagineer products will benefit from Boris FX’s advanced host integration know-how. The breadth and depth of both companies’ technologies will allow us to quickly build powerful new visual effects. The acquisition expands global coverage, better serving customers worldwide, with staff located in the UK, New York, Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia.”
Boris FX has more than one million registered customers, which include Viacom, ABC/Disney, BBC and ESPN. Boris FX tools were instrumental in contributing to television content such as “Downton Abbey,” “Weeds,” and “The Annoying Orange.” Boris FX customers have also reacted eagerly to the news of the merger. “At ESPN, BCC plug-ins are part of my everyday Avid workflow. The interface, flexibility and quality are paramount for me to create the highest quality content for productions like Major League Baseball. Additionally, when tracking is part of my design process, mocha Pro is my hands-down go-to tool. The ease of use and amazing results I can get with mocha open up design opportunities I don’t get with other tracking tools,” stated Doug Fitzsimmons, coordinating editor and project leader at ESPN. Fitzsimmons continued, “To learn that Imagineer and Boris developers are joining forces is really exciting. I am really looking forward to seeing what innovations this Imagineer/Boris team of designers develop, and getting more advanced tracking tools in my Avid timeline.”
Boris FX flagship visual effects solutions include Boris Continuum Complete (BCC), a comprehensive plug-in toolset for editing and compositing systems from Avid, Apple, Adobe, Sony, Grass Valley, The Foundry, Assimilate, Quantel, Blackmagic and SGO.
“I’ve worked with Continuum Complete for many years and am continually impressed with the sheer power and large library of useful tools for post,” said Ross Shain, chief marketing officer of Imagineer Systems. “Imagineer is very excited to be teaming up with one of the leading plug-in developers in the industry, and we will leverage Boris FX’s experience with GPU-enhanced acceleration and host integration to improve the mocha family of products.”
Shain continued, “Our companies share a common vision: to provide editors and artists with dedicated problem-solving tools that speed up workflows and help users focus on creativity. Combining technical and marketing resources will allow Imagineer to better support our existing customers and help expose the power of mocha to new users in the editorial and broadcast markets. Combined, Boris FX and Imagineer will be supporting almost every professional editing and effects software in the marketplace.”
Imagineer Systems Ltd. will operate as a wholly-owned UK subsidiary of Boris FX with CEO Smith continuing to lead from the Guildford, UK location. Yamnitsky, CEO of Boris FX, will serve as the group chairman and Shain will become the chief marketing officer of both Boris FX and Imagineer.
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More