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What's Their Gig?
Brickyard VFX, an artist-owned and operated visual effects boutique,
has combined an old-fashioned Yankee work ethic with a creative edge
and kiln-fired them to create a unique work environment. From sea to
shining sea (there are offices in Boston and Santa Monica), the company
has placed its stamp on visual effects compositing, CG, digital
finishing, color correction, re-lighting, rotoscoping, and shot design
and enhancement for numerous high-profile national television spots. So
who’s in charge?
"We don’t really have titles here. I mean I don’t even use my title
because I find them to be a little shallow," explains Dave Waller,
Brickyard’s founder and co-owner (we forced it out of him) of the
company he shares with fellow artists/co-owners Steve Michaels, Geoff
McAuliffe and Patrick Poulatian. With this philosophy comes a unique
business model, one that’s definitely not about crunching out work for
maximum profit— they’d all been there, done that, and said, "no
thanks." "Being artist-owned, we really aren’t so interested in
hounding people for work or for money," says Waller. "I think when
accountants get cut out of the party, cool things can happen. When
you’re really bottomed-lined, you tend to make some bad decisions about
what’s best for your clients."
Among those clients are top ad agencies representing major brands like
Citibank, Sprint, Target and Coors. Recent spots include the Farmer’s
Insurance "Indestructible" ad; the Mobile ESPN "Sports Heaven" Super
Bowl XL campaign; and the "Ski-Lift" series created for AT&T to run
during the Winter Olympics.
Industry word of mouth has driven Brickyard’s growth since its
inception in 1999, when Waller mortgaged his house to buy a single
Autodesk Flame. The company added a dedicated CG division last fall and
today employs about 25 full-timers, plus freelancers, as needed
The Cool Factor
The name Brickyard, and much of the philosophy behind it, is the
bequest of one of Waller’s greatest influences — his grandfather. A
hard-working man of humble background but high values, Waller’s
grandfather grew up, struggled and succeeded in a neighborhood of Lynn,
MA, known as the Brickyard.
"I did base a lot of this on my grandfather’s teaching because he was a
big inspiration for me," says Waller. "He taught me that it’s people
that are everything. It’s not the gear. Nobody cares what shovel you’re
using if you’re putting in driveways; nobody cares what compositing
device you’re using if you’re doing effects— it’s about this creative
person needing that creative person."
Waller maintains that when you care deeply about the projects you work
on you in effect co-own them with your clients. "And because you co-own
them, you really want them to be the best they can be, and then the
money sort of falls along behind," he explains. "In some strange way,
it’s worked out for us really well."
The Geek Factor
Of course, shovels do come in handy, and Brickyard’s core technology is
centered on Autodesk Flame systems for 2D and Maya for 3D, with a total
of seven Flames and one Smoke between the two offices. Additional tools
include Shake, After Effects, Photoshop, Combustion, RenderMan,
Lightwave and Boujou. "We love plug-ins," adds Waller. "GenArts
Sapphire and The Foundry’s Tinder and Furnace get heavy use, and
Primatte, Keylight and Ultimatte help us pull some amazing key work."
The studio’s compositing suites have all been upgraded to HD, and the
company just added a second Sony HDCAM SR deck.
Brickyard is currently expanding its CG division, redoubling its
commitment to HD and stretching out into other media formats. Even in
this new playground, it’s clear the company will continue to be guided
by the values learned in another Brickyard.
What They Do
A visual effects boutique
To Watch the "Star Trek" spot Brickyard VFX did for the Got Milk campaign click below.
 Watch The Video:
[High]
[Low] Download Flash 9 Player
Who They Are
Dave Waller, founder/artist/co-owner; Steve Michaels, artist/co-owner;
Geoff McAuliffe, artist/co-owner; Patrick Poulatian, artist/co-owner
Technology
2d3 Boujou
Adobe After Effects, Photoshop
Apple Shake
Autodesk Combustion, Flame, Maya, Smoke
GenArts Sapphire
NewTek LightWave
Pixar RenderMan
Red Giant Software Primatte
The Foundry’s Keylight, Tinder, Furnace
Ultimatte
Brickyard VFX
www.brickyardvfx.com
353 Newbury St
Boston, MA 02115
ph. 617.262.3220
2054 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90404
ph. 310.453.5722
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