Legend3D

Last updated
Legend 3D
Company type Public
IndustryFilm, television
FoundedAugust 2001;22 years ago (2001-08)
DefunctDecember 2021;2 years ago (2021-12) (bankruptcy)
FateDefunct
Headquarters,
United States
Number of locations
3
Key people
Jeremy Novak, CEO
Shamitha Kattukandy, COO
Products stereoscopic conversion
Website legend3d.com

Legend 3D was an American stereoscopic conversion studio and multimedia company. [1]

Contents

Founded in 2001, the company produces 3D conversion and visual effects work. In November 2016, Legend 3D moved into its facility on the Columbia Square campus in Hollywood, CA. [2] In October 2017, the company announced it was expanding its presence with a new facility in Pune, India. In February 2018, Toronto Star reported that the Toronto division of Legend3D has downsized its work force to about 100 employees. The liberal government had previously announced that it will allocate provincial government fund for $3.1 million to the L.A firm to create 271 new jobs while retaining 280 positions in its Toronto office. [3] When the government announced the funds for Legend, the company also pledged to invest $27 million in the Toronto office. The Ontario government says its officials are now “working with Legend 3D to confirm that they are following the terms of our contract." [4]

As of March 2019, The Toronto office has been silently shuttered and staff have been laid off after finding more cost effective labour in India. The executive team has also been replaced once again.

As of December 2021, Legend has filed for bankruptcy.

Company history

Barry Sandrew, Ph.D., founded Legend Films in 2001, originally as a colorization studio, building on the patents from American Film Technologies where he served as CTO from 1986-1991. In 1985, Barry left his position as staff neuroscientist at Harvard and Mass General Hospital and pioneered the first all-digital technology and process for colorizing black and white films. The company produced colorized product for Fox Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Turner, Paramount, Sony, Japan's Tsuburaya, BBC and several other major global media and distribution companies. In 2010, following the release of Alice in Wonderland, he changed the name of Legend Films to Legend 3D, and colorization took on a low priority in order for the company to focus entirely on the stereoscopic conversion of feature films and commercials.

The stereoscopic conversion industry went through a Wild West of development with each of the 3 big conversion studios developing their own proprietary software to get through the incredible amount of content delivered in the peak of 3D. Legend was known for having incredibly high quality and low margins due to sales executives underbidding each other between the competing studios. Legend was known for doing a lot of work with Disney and Sony, while their main rival StereoD, was known for capturing all market around Universal, Legendary Pictures, Marvel, and ILM. In late 2014, the company expanded to create two additional lines of business: Legend VFX, providing visual effects, and Legend VR, offering pre- and post-production services for the creation of virtual reality experiences. Late 2014 is when a temporary studio was built up out of the Sheridan College's rentable conferences room ON, Canada. This led to the downsizing of the Carlsbad branch. This temporary location was strategically placed to recruit college students. This along with many other reasons caused key executives at the studio to depart the studio due to disagreements with investors over where the industry should go.

In September 2017, the company opened a facility in Pune, India. In December 2017, the company opened another facility in Luoyang, China, which hosts over 100 members.

In December 2021, Legend3D holdings has closed all locations and filled for bankruptcy.

Visual Effects Services

Legend's teams in Asia Pacific allow for plate preparation & augmentation. The RPM department's work allows for streaming episodics and feature films.

Downsizing and closing of Toronto Facility

In February 2018, Toronto Star reported that the Toronto division of Legend3D has downsized its work force to about 100 employees. The liberal government had previously announced that it will allocate provincial government fund for $3.1 million to the L.A firm to create 271 new jobs while retaining 280 positions in its Toronto office. [5] When the government announced the funds for Legend, the company also pledged to invest $27 million in the Toronto office. The Ontario government says its officials are now “working with Legend 3D to confirm that they are following the terms of our contract." [6]

The terms of the contract were never fulfilled and the office was closed March 2019.

Notable releases

Films converted to 3D

Commercials

In 2008, Legend converted a commercial for Skittles candy for the M&M/Mars Company

Special events

Legend performed 3D conversion of large-screen video material for the This Is It concerts.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IMAX</span> Large-screen film format

IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio and steep stadium seating, with the 1.43:1 ratio format being available only in few selected locations.

3D films are motion pictures made to give an illusion of three-dimensional solidity, usually with the help of special glasses worn by viewers. They have existed in some form since 1915, but had been largely relegated to a niche in the motion picture industry because of the costly hardware and processes required to produce and display a 3D film, and the lack of a standardized format for all segments of the entertainment business. Nonetheless, 3D films were prominently featured in the 1950s in American cinema, and later experienced a worldwide resurgence in the 1980s and 1990s driven by IMAX high-end theaters and Disney-themed venues. 3D films became increasingly successful throughout the 2000s, peaking with the success of 3D presentations of Avatar in December 2009, after which 3D films again decreased in popularity. Certain directors have also taken more experimental approaches to 3D filmmaking, most notably celebrated auteur Jean-Luc Godard in his film Goodbye to Language.

<i>Shrek 2</i> 2004 DreamWorks Animation film

Shrek 2 is a 2004 American animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book Shrek! by William Steig. Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon from a screenplay by Adamson, Joe Stillman, and the writing team of J. David Stem and David N. Weiss, it is the sequel to Shrek (2001) and the second installment in the Shrek film series. The film stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz, who reprise their respective voice roles of Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona. They are joined by new characters voiced by Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Rupert Everett, and Jennifer Saunders. Shrek 2 takes place following the events of the first film, with Shrek and Donkey meeting Fiona's parents as the zealous Fairy Godmother, who wants Fiona to marry her son Prince Charming, plots to destroy Shrek and Fiona's marriage. Shrek and Donkey team up with a sword-wielding cat named Puss in Boots to foil her plans.

<i>Shrek the Third</i> 2007 film by Chris Miller

Shrek the Third is a 2007 American animated adventure comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book Shrek! by William Steig. Directed by Chris Miller and co-directed by Raman Hui from a screenplay by Jeffrey Price, Peter S. Seaman, Miller, and producer Aron Warner, and a story conceived by Andrew Adamson, co-director of the previous two installments, it is the sequel to Shrek 2 (2004) and is the third installment in the Shrek film series. The film features Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, Julie Andrews, and John Cleese reprising their voice roles from the previous films, along with new additions Justin Timberlake as Arthur Pendragon and Eric Idle as Merlin. In the film, Prince Charming is plotting to overthrow Shrek and Fiona, who have inherited the throne following King Harold's death. Shrek has no interest in ruling the kingdom and attempts to convince Fiona's underachieving 16-year-old cousin Artie to reign instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Pictures</span> American television and film studio

Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment through multiple platforms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal Logic</span> Australian animation and visual effects studio

Animal Logic is an Australian animation and visual effects digital studio based at Disney Studios in Sydney, New South Wales in Australia, Vancouver in Canada, and Rideback Ranch in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1991, Animal Logic has produced visual effects and animation for feature films such as the Academy Award-winning Happy Feet, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, Walking with Dinosaurs 3D,The Lego Movie andPeter Rabbit. The company was also recognised for its work as lead visual effects vendor on Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby, which won Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects at the 3rd AACTA Awards ceremony. In 2018, Peter Rabbit was presented with a range of accolades, including the AACTA Award for Best Visual Effects or Animation, and Australian Production Design Guild Awards (APDG) in Visual Effects Design and Drawing, Concept Illustration & Concept Models for Screen. Most recently, the company has produced work for the Warner Animation Group's The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part and Marvel Studios' Captain Marvel. It is a subsidiary of Netflix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DreamWorks Animation</span> American animation studio

DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA) (also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio owned by Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a division of Comcast. The studio has released 47 feature films. Their catalogue includes several of the highest-grossing animated films of all time, with Shrek 2 (2004) having been the highest at the time of its release. The studio's first film, Antz, was released on October 2, 1998, and its latest film was the Netflix original Orion and the Dark on February 2, 2024; their upcoming theatrical slate of films includes Kung Fu Panda 4 on March 8, 2024, The Wild Robot on September 20, 2024, and Dog Man on January 31, 2025. Additionally, DreamWorks has reserved two release dates for animated films: August 1, 2025 and September 26, 2025.

Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. Most of the studio's films are distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures Releasing under their Columbia Pictures label, while all direct-to-video releases are released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Shrek 4-D is a computer-animated 4D film based on the Shrek franchise created by DreamWorks Animation, itself based on the book by William Steig. It also is a 4D simulator ride attraction with motion-based effects and water sprayers located at various theme parks around the world. It is currently shown at Universal Destinations & Experiences in Japan, Singapore, and previously in Universal Studios Florida and Hollywood, where it closed on August 14, 2017, in Hollywood to make way for the DreamWorks Theatre attraction while the one in Orlando closed on January 10, 2022 and was replaced by Illumination's Villain-Con Minion Blast. Outside the Universal parks, the movie was shown at Movie Park Germany in Germany from May 2008 until July 2011, and Warner Bros. Movie World in Australia from September 2005 until August 2010. A spin-off attraction titled Donkey's Photo Finish is located at the Florida venue while Meet Shrek and Donkey is located at the Hollywood venue. In Universal Studios Japan, the attraction is shown in the same theater as Sesame Street 4-D Movie Magic, with the Shrek 4-D film shown for the first 12 hours of the day, and the Sesame Street film shown for the next 12 hours of the day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evan Jacobs</span>

Evan Jacobs is an American visual effects and 3D stereoscopic supervisor. Jacobs has overseen visual effects and served as miniatures supervisor on the feature films such as Olympus Has Fallen, Ed Wood, What the #$*! Do We Know?!, and Resident Evil: Extinction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RealD 3D</span> Digital stereoscopic projection technology

RealD 3D is a digital stereoscopic projection technology made and sold by RealD. It is currently the most widely used technology for watching 3D films in theaters. Worldwide, RealD 3D is installed in more than 26,500 auditoriums by approximately 1,200 exhibitors in 72 countries as of June 2015.

<i>Shrek</i> (franchise) DreamWorks Animation media franchise

Shrek is an American media franchise made by DreamWorks Animation, loosely based on William Steig's 1990 picture book Shrek!. The series primarily focuses on Shrek, a bad-tempered but good-hearted ogre, who begrudgingly accepts a quest to rescue a princess, resulting in him finding friends and going on many subsequent adventures in a fairy tale world. It includes four computer-animated films: Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), and Shrek Forever After (2010). A short 4-D film, Shrek 4-D, which originally was a theme park ride, was released in 2003. Two television specials, the Christmas television special Shrek the Halls (2007) and the Halloween television special Scared Shrekless (2010), have also been produced. Two spin-off films were made centered around the character Puss in Boots: 2011's Puss in Boots and its sequel, 2022's The Last Wish. Additionally, a stage musical adaptation was made and premiered at Broadway for more than a year (2008–2010).

Bob Murawski is an American film editor. He was awarded the 2010 Academy Award for Best Film Editing for his work on The Hurt Locker, which he shared with his wife, fellow editor Chris Innis. He often works with film director Sam Raimi, having edited the Spider-Man trilogy, Oz the Great and Powerful, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Murawski is an elected member of the American Cinema Editors, and is the co-founder of Grindhouse Releasing, an acclaimed film distribution company specializing in re-releases of cult films.

Digital 3D is a non-specific 3D standard in which films, television shows, and video games are presented and shot in digital 3D technology or later processed in digital post-production to add a 3D effect.

<i>Shrek</i> 2001 DreamWorks Animation film

Shrek is a 2001 American animated fantasy comedy film loosely based on the 1990 children's picture book of the same name by William Steig. Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson and written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, it is the first installment in the Shrek film series. The film stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. In the film, an embittered ogre named Shrek (Myers) finds his home in the swamp overrun by fairy tale creatures banished by the obsessive ruler Lord Farquaad (Lithgow). With the help of Donkey (Murphy), Shrek makes a pact with Farquaad to rescue Princess Fiona (Diaz) in exchange for regaining control of his swamp.

3ality Technica, formerly 3ality Digital, was a Burbank, California based company that specialized in high-definition, live-action stereoscopic digital 3D. The company developed production systems, image processing software and other technologies that enabled the creation, post-production and distribution of live-action 3D entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Identity FX</span>

Identity FX, a post-production division of Identity Studios, Inc., is a Visual Effects (VFX) company and Stereoscopic 3D design studio located in Los Angeles. The company specializes in full-service visual effects and stereoscopic 3D conversion in post production.

Dane Allan Smith is a Creative Producer specializing in digital media. He is known for his work on Dune (2022), Rings of Power (2022), Avengers Endgame (2021), Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017), Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), The Mandalorian and Jungle Cruise 2021. Dane currently manages daily operations as founding partner of Daneiam Inc.

References

  1. Xconomy.com
  2. "Virtual reality company signs 27K sf lease at Kilroy's Columbia Square campus in Hollywood". The Real Deal Los Angeles. 2016-07-13. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
  3. "Growing Ontario's Digital Media Sector". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  4. Rushowy, Kristin (2018-02-01). "Digital media company lays off workers after getting provincial funding". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  5. "Growing Ontario's Digital Media Sector". news.ontario.ca. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  6. Rushowy, Kristin (2018-02-01). "Digital media company lays off workers after getting provincial funding". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2018-02-06.