GVFX
Encyclopedia
GVFX, initially Gajdecki Visual Effects, was a Visual effects
company initially based in Toronto
, founded in the spring of 1991 by John Gajdecki. A second branch of the company based in Vancouver
was started in 1998. There was also a Los Angeles
branch, which was closed in the summer of 2003. The Toronto office closed in September 2003, with the company being consolidated to its Vancouver branch. The company was in financial trouble at that point, with employees being owed back wages, and Gajdecki stating that "this company didn't have enough money to cover its expenses".Carrying the high capital costs of visual effects equipment proved too much, and he has since liquidated much of his corporate and personal assets to cover the outstanding bills. The Vancouver branch was restructured in 2004.
In 2006 Gajdecki worked with Director James Gunn (Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed and Dawn of the Dead) on the feature film Slither “We created 261 shots of which I think about 10 were easy…” Gajdecki says. “The rest was CG creature extensions, CG parasites all over the place, the usual number of wire removals, a flashback on an alien world, stunt enhancements, matte paintings and even an asteroid colliding with the earth! Nine different vendors produced about half of the shots; the rest was created by an in-house unit that I set up.”
In 2008 and 2009 Gajdecki worked with Director Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) and LA VFX Supervisor Robert Skotak (Titanic and Aliens)on 3D Steroscopic feature film The Hole, Gajdecki was says "We're working on The Hole, a psychological suspense feature that is shooting in Stereo in Vancouver and LA. The VFX are being completed both in Vancouver and in LA; I'm heading up the Vancouver half and Robert Skotak (Titanic and Aliens) heading up the LA half. We are moving away from our long-standing relationship with Digital Fusion and moving to NUKE for 2D and sticking with Maya for 3D. Also, we are the first to use the REVIEW features of Frame Cycler in Stereo Mode and are Alpha testing a new stereo projection system that is very slick indeed. The economic recession is not felt as heavily in Canada as in other countries due in large part to sound government policies, and as always we are as busy as we need to be."
In 2009 and 2010 Gajdecki worked with Director Alex Zamm on Disney's Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2. The film shot in Los Angeles and Gajdecki worked in China with Hong Kong company Centro VFX and Beiing VFX company Base FX.
Visual effects
Visual effects are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot. Visual effects involve the integration of live-action footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or...
company initially based in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, founded in the spring of 1991 by John Gajdecki. A second branch of the company based in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
was started in 1998. There was also a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
branch, which was closed in the summer of 2003. The Toronto office closed in September 2003, with the company being consolidated to its Vancouver branch. The company was in financial trouble at that point, with employees being owed back wages, and Gajdecki stating that "this company didn't have enough money to cover its expenses".Carrying the high capital costs of visual effects equipment proved too much, and he has since liquidated much of his corporate and personal assets to cover the outstanding bills. The Vancouver branch was restructured in 2004.
In 2006 Gajdecki worked with Director James Gunn (Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed and Dawn of the Dead) on the feature film Slither “We created 261 shots of which I think about 10 were easy…” Gajdecki says. “The rest was CG creature extensions, CG parasites all over the place, the usual number of wire removals, a flashback on an alien world, stunt enhancements, matte paintings and even an asteroid colliding with the earth! Nine different vendors produced about half of the shots; the rest was created by an in-house unit that I set up.”
In 2008 and 2009 Gajdecki worked with Director Joe Dante (Gremlins, The Howling) and LA VFX Supervisor Robert Skotak (Titanic and Aliens)on 3D Steroscopic feature film The Hole, Gajdecki was says "We're working on The Hole, a psychological suspense feature that is shooting in Stereo in Vancouver and LA. The VFX are being completed both in Vancouver and in LA; I'm heading up the Vancouver half and Robert Skotak (Titanic and Aliens) heading up the LA half. We are moving away from our long-standing relationship with Digital Fusion and moving to NUKE for 2D and sticking with Maya for 3D. Also, we are the first to use the REVIEW features of Frame Cycler in Stereo Mode and are Alpha testing a new stereo projection system that is very slick indeed. The economic recession is not felt as heavily in Canada as in other countries due in large part to sound government policies, and as always we are as busy as we need to be."
In 2009 and 2010 Gajdecki worked with Director Alex Zamm on Disney's Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2. The film shot in Los Angeles and Gajdecki worked in China with Hong Kong company Centro VFX and Beiing VFX company Base FX.
Footnotes
Eye on the VFX Industry Vancouver article on the CG Society website: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=733718External links
- johngajdecki.com personal website of GVFX founder
- Eye on the VFX Industry Vancouver article on the CG Society website: http://forums.cgsociety.org/showthread.php?t=733718