Cinesite has been awarded a major visual effects contract for the Twentieth Century Fox production Marmaduke based on the 1954 newspaper comic strip created and illustrated by Brad Anderson. The film is scheduled for release in 2012. Cinesite is also expanding its production department capacity by approximately 25 percent particularly in the 3D and character animation areas. The company will add personnel and equipment as well as increase square footage. Large areas of Cinesite's Soho offices which were originally a storage facility for the British Library are currently undergoing a major renovation. We are working on several exciting and challenging projects this year and in 2010 says Antony Hunt managing director of Cinesite. Marmaduke is another fantastic opportunity for us to work with Fox having recently worked with them on The Day the Earth Stood Still and Wolverine. Marmaduke director Tom Dey (Shanghai Noon Showtime and Failure to Launch) will develop this big-screen adaptation. The classic Marmaduke strip revolved around the adventures of a mischievous Great Dane who lives with the Winslow family. The big dog also appeared in several segments of the animated Heathcliff series in the 1980s as well as a in the Garfield and Friends show. Cinesite Visual Effects Supervisor Matt Johnson will oversee the work on Marmaduke. Johnson will initially be based in Vancouver for the shoot and then in Los Angeles. Marmaduke will utilize Cinesite's innovative Transatlantic Portal Service. This will be the second full production to use the system which creates a digital link between identically calibrated 2K playback suites in London and Los Angeles. This service was first used with great success on Disney's Bedtime Stories. The system also allows for simultaneous live viewing and dailies sessions between both sites and makes full use of the 24-hour day. Marmaduke is a great chance for us to show off our Transatlantic Portal; having daily direct access with the client will really help streamline the creative process Johnson says. We will also be able to combine our expertise from our experience on Underdog and Beverley Hills Chihuahua. This major award of work combined with the exciting visual effects work already begun at Cinesite including Clash of the Titans has driven Cinesite's physical expansion and refurbishment. Over the past couple of years we have developed our reputation as both a highly creative and technical visual effects company adds Hunt. We are currently refurbishing production areas as well as increasing capacity to allow space for both current productions and future productions. We are also working to enhance our creative environment. Cinesite is currently working on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Warner Bros.) Naked Beauty (Disney) Clash of the Titans (Warner Bros.) Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (Disney) and Leap Year (Spyglass). Other recent productions include Moon (Liberty Films) The Prisoner (AMC/ITV) and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Warner Bros.). Cinesite www.cinesite.com
