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In their own words: Chris Dyl, CTO, Turbine Inc.
Cambridge-based GenArts Inc. says it has secured a long-term partnership with Lucasfilm Ltd., the Hollywood production studio founded by Star Wars writer and director George Lucas.
Lucasfilm has used GenArts’ digital visual effects software since the Cambridge company was founded in 1996, but the agreement will allow the film studio to standardize GenArts’ software across all their locations, and use the development toolkit in new areas, like games and online media, officials said.
Visual effects have become more pervasive in films, going beyond imagery designed to wow audiences to the lighting and shadow that create a sense of realism, said GenArts chief marketing officer Steve Bannerman.
As film characters are carried over into spin-off games, movie studios are looking to preserve the “emotional content” that goes along with that realistic texture, said CEO Katherine Hays.
“Storytelling is becoming more interactive for audiences,” Hays said. “Taking that same level of quality into other areas of media is something we are working to do broadly.”
In January, GenArts acquired UK visual effects software company SpeedSix Software Ltd., known for its Monsters and Raptors plug-ins, which enable lens distortion matching, particle effects, re-timing and fluid backgrounds.
The SpeedSix purchase and the Lucasfilm partnership are part of an acquisition and strategic partnership plan instituted since Hays took over as CEO last June, after Insight Venture Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, invested an undisclosed amount of capital last February.
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