Digital Domain
Encyclopedia
Digital Domain is a visual effects and animation company founded by film director James Cameron
, Stan Winston
and Scott Ross
. It is based in Venice, Los Angeles, California
. The company is known for creating state-of-the-art digital imagery for feature films, television advertising, interactive visual media and the video game industry.
, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles
, and Color of Night
in 1994.
It has produced effects for more than 60 films including Titanic
, Apollo 13
, What Dreams May Come
, The Fifth Element
, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
, Armageddon, Star Trek: Nemesis
and The Day After Tomorrow
. More recent films include I, Robot
, Flags of Our Fathers
, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Transformers, Speed Racer
, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
, Star Trek, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, 2012
, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
, The A-Team
, Tron: Legacy, Thor
, X-Men: First Class
and most recently, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Real Steel
.
In October 2002, Digital Domain launched a subsidiary, D2 Software, to market and distribute its Academy Award
-winning compositing software, Nuke
. The move was partially motivated by Apple's
acquisition of a similar program, Shake
.
In May 2006, Digital Domain was purchased by an affiliate of Wyndcrest Holdings, LLC, a private holding company whose principals included Wyndcrest founder John Textor, director Michael Bay
, former Microsoft executive Carl Stork, former NFL player and sports television commentator Dan Marino
, and Jonathan Teaford.
In 2009, a sister company Tradition Studios was opened in Florida to develop and co-produce original, family-oriented CG animated features that will rival films created by Disney, DreamWorks and Pixar. The studio is currently constructing a 115000 square feet (10,683.8 m²) facility, which is scheduled to open in Port St. Lucie
in December 2011, and is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs over the next few years. The company, which has attracted many talents, including Aaron Blaise, the director of Brother Bear, and Brad Lewis
, the co-director of Cars 2, is currently developing an animated feature film The Legend of Tembo for a 2014 release with Aaron Blaise and Chuck Williams directing it. Tembo will tell a story of a young African elephant who is captured and separated from his family and taken to India where he has to become a fierce, battle elephant.
The studio has partnered in 2011 with Reliance MediaWorks
, a division of the Indian media conglomerate Reliance ADA Group
, to open studios in London and Mumbai to provide post-production services for movies, TV shows and commercials. The facilities will be owned by Reliance, which has existing post-production facilities in London and Mumbai, and will be managed by Digital Domain.
As of March 2009, Digital Domain has won seven Academy Awards
: three for Best Visual Effects
(Titanic
, What Dreams May Come
, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
); and four for Scientific and Technical Achievement for its proprietary technology—i.e., for Track (proprietary tracking software), for Nuke
(proprietary compositing software), for Storm (proprietary volumetric renderer), and for its proprietary fluid simulation system.
The company has also been nominated for three other Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects
(Apollo 13
, True Lies
, I, Robot
). In addition, its excellence in digital imagery and animation has earned Digital Domain multiple British Academy (BAFTA) Awards, and Prix Ars Electronica
and Prix Pixel INA awards.
Digital Domain's Commercials division provides digital imagery and animation for television commercials, working with top commercial directors. To date, it has been awarded 34 Clio Awards, 22 AICP awards, 8 Cannes Lion Awards
and numerous other advertising honors. The Commercials division has also produced multiple music videos working with artists that include The Rolling Stones
, Faith Hill
, Creed
, Janet Jackson
, Busta Rhymes
, Björk
, Celine Dion
, Michael Jackson
and Nine Inch Nails
, and has earned Grammy and MTV
"Music Video of the Year
" Awards.
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
, Stan Winston
Stan Winston
Stanley Winston was an American visual effects supervisor, makeup artist, and film director. He was best known for his work in the Terminator series, the Jurassic Park series, Aliens, the Predator series, Iron Man, Edward Scissorhands, and Avatar...
and Scott Ross
Scott Ross (film executive)
Scott Ross is a digital media executive with a career spanning three decades. In the 1980’s he led George Lucas’ companies and in 1993 he founded, along with James Cameron and Stan Winston, Digital Domain, Inc., one of the largest digital production studios in the motion picture and advertising...
. It is based in Venice, Los Angeles, California
Venice, Los Angeles, California
Venice is a beachfront district on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is known for its canals, beaches and circus-like Ocean Front Walk, a two-and-a-half mile pedestrian-only promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, artists, and vendors...
. The company is known for creating state-of-the-art digital imagery for feature films, television advertising, interactive visual media and the video game industry.
History
The company began producing visual effects in 1993, its first three films being True LiesTrue Lies
True Lies is a 1994 American action-comedy film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Charlton Heston, and Art Malik. Eliza Dushku also appears in the film in one of her first major film roles...
, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles
Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles is a 1994 American drama and horror film directed by Neil Jordan, based on the 1976 novel Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice. The film focuses on Lestat and Louis, beginning with Louis' transformation into a vampire by Lestat in 1791...
, and Color of Night
Color of Night
Color of Night is a 1994 American erotic mystery thriller film produced by Cinergi Pictures and released in the United States by Hollywood Pictures. Directed by Richard Rush, the film stars Bruce Willis, Jane March, Ruben Blades, Lesley Ann Warren, and Scott Bakula...
in 1994.
It has produced effects for more than 60 films including Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, Apollo 13
Apollo 13 (film)
Apollo 13 is a 1995 American drama film directed by Ron Howard. The film stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kathleen Quinlan and Ed Harris. The screenplay by William Broyles, Jr...
, What Dreams May Come
What Dreams May Come (film)
What Dreams May Come is a 1998 American supernatural drama film, starring Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Annabella Sciorra. The film is based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Richard Matheson, and was directed by Vincent Ward. The title is taken from a line in Hamlet's To be, or not to...
, The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element is a 1997 French science fiction film directed, co-written, and based on a story by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich...
, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (film)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas, also known as Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas , is a 2000 comedy film from Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment, based on the 1966 TV special which itself is based on 1957 book of the same name by Dr. Seuss...
, Armageddon, Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek Nemesis is a 2002 science fiction film directed by Stuart Baird, written by John Logan , and with music composed by Jerry Goldsmith. It is the tenth feature film in the Star Trek franchise, and the fourth and final film to star the cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next...
and The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American science-fiction disaster film that depicts the catastrophic effects of global warming in a series of extreme weather events that usher in global cooling which leads to a new ice age. The film did well at the box office, grossing $542,771,772 internationally...
. More recent films include I, Robot
I, Robot (film)
I, Robot is a 2004 science-fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay was written by Jeff Vintar, Akiva Goldsman and Hillary Seitz, and is very loosely based on Isaac Asimov's short-story collection of the same name. Will Smith stars in the lead role of the film as Detective Del...
, Flags of Our Fathers
Flags of Our Fathers (film)
is a 2006 American war film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood and written by William Broyles, Jr. and Paul Haggis. It is based on the book of the same name written by James Bradley and Ron Powers about the Battle of Iwo Jima, the five Marines and one Navy Corpsman who were involved...
, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Transformers, Speed Racer
Speed Racer (film)
Speed Racer is a 2008 American live action film adaptation of Tatsuo Yoshida's 1960s Japanese anime series of the same name, produced by Tatsunoko Productions. The film is written and directed by the Wachowskis...
, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American fantasy-drama film directed by David Fincher. The screenplay by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord is loosely based on the 1922 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald...
, Star Trek, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is a 2009 American science fiction-action film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Steven Spielberg. It is the sequel to the 2007 film Transformers and the second installment in the live-action Transformers series...
, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, 2012
2012 (film)
2012 is a 2009 American disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich. It stars John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, and Woody Harrelson. It was produced by Emmerich's production company, Centropolis Entertainment and was distributed by Columbia Pictures...
, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is a 2010 fantasy-adventure film directed by Chris Columbus. The film is loosely based on The Lightning Thief, the first novel in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan...
, The A-Team
The A-Team (film)
The A-Team is an American action film based on the television series of the same name. It was released in cinemas in the United States on June 11, 2010, by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Joe Carnahan and produced by Stephen J. Cannell and the Scott brothers Ridley and Tony...
, Tron: Legacy, Thor
Thor (film)
Thor is a 2011 American superhero film based on the comic book character of the same name published by Marvel Comics. It is the fourth film released as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe...
, X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics starring the X-Men.-Publication history:The original series was an eight-issue limited series. It began in September 2006 and ended in April 2007. It was written by Jeff Parker and penciled by Roger Cruz...
and most recently, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Real Steel
Real Steel
Real Steel is a 2011 American science fiction film starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy. The film is based in part on the 1956 short story "Steel" by Richard Matheson, though Levy placed the film in U.S. state fairs and other "old-fashioned" Americana settings. Real Steel was in...
.
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-winning compositing software, Nuke
Nuke (software)
Nuke is a node-based compositor produced by The Foundry, and used for film and television post-production. Nuke is cross-platform, and is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux...
. The move was partially motivated by Apple's
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
acquisition of a similar program, Shake
Shake (software)
Shake is a discontinued image compositing package used in the post-production industry. Shake was widely used in visual effects and digital compositing for film, HD and commercials. Shake exposes its node graph architecture graphically. It enables complex image processing sequences to be designed...
.
In May 2006, Digital Domain was purchased by an affiliate of Wyndcrest Holdings, LLC, a private holding company whose principals included Wyndcrest founder John Textor, director Michael Bay
Michael Bay
Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their fast edits, stylistic visuals and substantial practical special effects...
, former Microsoft executive Carl Stork, former NFL player and sports television commentator Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
, and Jonathan Teaford.
In 2009, a sister company Tradition Studios was opened in Florida to develop and co-produce original, family-oriented CG animated features that will rival films created by Disney, DreamWorks and Pixar. The studio is currently constructing a 115000 square feet (10,683.8 m²) facility, which is scheduled to open in Port St. Lucie
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The population of Port St. Lucie was 88,769 at the 2000 census but grew rapidly during the 2000s. In 2009 the State of Florida estimated the City's population at 155,251. Port St. Lucie forms part of a metropolitan area called...
in December 2011, and is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs over the next few years. The company, which has attracted many talents, including Aaron Blaise, the director of Brother Bear, and Brad Lewis
Brad Lewis
Bradford "Brad" Lewis is an American film producer, animation director and local politician. He produced DreamWorks' Antz and, for Pixar, the Oscar winning Ratatouille. He is a former mayor of the city of San Carlos, California....
, the co-director of Cars 2, is currently developing an animated feature film The Legend of Tembo for a 2014 release with Aaron Blaise and Chuck Williams directing it. Tembo will tell a story of a young African elephant who is captured and separated from his family and taken to India where he has to become a fierce, battle elephant.
The studio has partnered in 2011 with Reliance MediaWorks
Reliance MediaWorks Ltd
Reliance MediaWorks Ltd is film and entertainment services company based in Mumbai. Reliance MediaWorks operates BIG Cinemas, India's largest cinema chain with over 550 screens spread across India, the United States, Malaysia, Nepal and Netherlands...
, a division of the Indian media conglomerate Reliance ADA Group
Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group
Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group is one of India's largest conglomerates, headquartered in Navi Mumbai, India. The company, which was formed after Dhirubhai Ambani's business empire was divided up, is headed by his younger son Anil Ambani. It has a market capitalization of US$ 15 billion,...
, to open studios in London and Mumbai to provide post-production services for movies, TV shows and commercials. The facilities will be owned by Reliance, which has existing post-production facilities in London and Mumbai, and will be managed by Digital Domain.
Awards
Digital Domain's business units have been recognized with awards from many top industry organizations.As of March 2009, Digital Domain has won seven Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
: three for Best Visual Effects
Academy Award for Visual Effects
The Academy Award for Visual Effects is an Academy Award given for the best achievement in visual effects.-History of the award:The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first recognized the technical contributions of special effects to movies at its inaugural dinner in 1928, presenting a...
(Titanic
Titanic (1997 film)
Titanic is a 1997 American epic romance and disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jack Dawson, Kate Winslet as Rose DeWitt Bukater and Billy Zane as Rose's fiancé, Cal...
, What Dreams May Come
What Dreams May Come (film)
What Dreams May Come is a 1998 American supernatural drama film, starring Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Annabella Sciorra. The film is based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Richard Matheson, and was directed by Vincent Ward. The title is taken from a line in Hamlet's To be, or not to...
, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American fantasy-drama film directed by David Fincher. The screenplay by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord is loosely based on the 1922 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald...
); and four for Scientific and Technical Achievement for its proprietary technology—i.e., for Track (proprietary tracking software), for Nuke
Nuke (software)
Nuke is a node-based compositor produced by The Foundry, and used for film and television post-production. Nuke is cross-platform, and is available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux...
(proprietary compositing software), for Storm (proprietary volumetric renderer), and for its proprietary fluid simulation system.
The company has also been nominated for three other Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects
Academy Award for Visual Effects
The Academy Award for Visual Effects is an Academy Award given for the best achievement in visual effects.-History of the award:The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first recognized the technical contributions of special effects to movies at its inaugural dinner in 1928, presenting a...
(Apollo 13
Apollo 13 (film)
Apollo 13 is a 1995 American drama film directed by Ron Howard. The film stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kathleen Quinlan and Ed Harris. The screenplay by William Broyles, Jr...
, True Lies
True Lies
True Lies is a 1994 American action-comedy film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Charlton Heston, and Art Malik. Eliza Dushku also appears in the film in one of her first major film roles...
, I, Robot
I, Robot (film)
I, Robot is a 2004 science-fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay was written by Jeff Vintar, Akiva Goldsman and Hillary Seitz, and is very loosely based on Isaac Asimov's short-story collection of the same name. Will Smith stars in the lead role of the film as Detective Del...
). In addition, its excellence in digital imagery and animation has earned Digital Domain multiple British Academy (BAFTA) Awards, and Prix Ars Electronica
Prix Ars Electronica
The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the most important yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music...
and Prix Pixel INA awards.
Digital Domain's Commercials division provides digital imagery and animation for television commercials, working with top commercial directors. To date, it has been awarded 34 Clio Awards, 22 AICP awards, 8 Cannes Lion Awards
Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global event for those working in advertising and related fields. The seven-day festival, incorporating the awarding of the Lions awards, is held yearly at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France...
and numerous other advertising honors. The Commercials division has also produced multiple music videos working with artists that include The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
, Creed
Creed (band)
Creed is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida. Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has released three consecutive multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond, and has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with an...
, Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, Busta Rhymes
Busta Rhymes
Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
, Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
, Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
, and has earned Grammy and MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
"Music Video of the Year
MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year
The MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year is the main award handed out at the yearly MTV Video Music Awards. It was first awarded in , when The Cars won it, and has been given out since. Eminem has been the most nominated solo artist, male solo artist, and act in this category, having been...
" Awards.
Further reading
- Bizony, Piers. (2001) Digital Domain: the leading edge of visual effects, London: AurumAurum PressAurum Press is an independent English publishing house located in London. It was founded in 1976. Aurum concentrates on non-fiction titles and publishes approximately 75 new books every year. One of its titles in 2009 will be the biography of Neville Staple, vocalist in The Specials, Fun Boy...
. ISBN 1-85410-707-0
External links
: Film and Commercial production- D2 Software Official Web site : Software sales for products such as Nuke