Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Gold/Mining/Energy : Mainframe Entertainment (ReBoot/Beasties) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Sleeperz who wrote (240)	1/2/1998 10:39:00 AM
From: D.E. Shetland	Respond to of 459

In their roadshow, MFE mentioned that they had one animator poached by EA. When EA sat him down at his workstation so he could show them how they crank out the production at MFE, he was a bit surprised that the software looked different and that it didn't have all the additional features that MFE built into it. He couldn't do much of what he did at MFE and left EA and returned. As for supply of employees. The animation classes are getting larger at the schools. MFE has a grant from the BC gov't to start up a "work training" type program. Warner digital closed down it's whole shop last year, so there still aren't many large-scale operations. They hire many directors from the industry on a project-by-project basis in order to keep the expenses variable. They are paid almost entirely in US$, hence benefit from U$/C$ movements. They can pass that along in wages. They have a good work environment, there's lots of work and the younger animators, if productive, can earn some pretty hefty salaries. Mgmt spoke at the roadshow of a brilliant 18 year old who hit all his production benchmarks and then some, and earned around $60,000 --not bad. They then elevated him to a level of more respnsibility - some modeling etc... There aren't many places you can go and see your work up on the screen around the world within a few months, getting number 1 or 2 ratings. Plus the upside of more IMAX films, both 3D and RideFilm, big screen movies, more TV etc... Also, stock options don't depend on liquidity since they are usually longer-term and have holding period restrictions on them. I think MFE has a better chance, given their size and growth, of seeing the share double or triple in the next year or two than EA. In the IPO, they had to restrict the employee purchase because it got to be too large. On BW, it is now Hasbro's number one toy. I think that says a lot for what the show did for demand. Do you think Hasbro wants more? What about other toy manufacturers? Pretty compelling sales pitch.

To: Sleeperz who wrote (240)	1/6/1998 1:40:00 PM
From: D.E. Shetland	Respond to of 459

Looks like movie-making with CGI animation is taking-off. A project a year for Universal! Let's hope they're talking to MFE on one. I guess the look, the economics, the flexible editing capability are finally making inroads. THere aren't many companies that a large studio would talk to that have proven themselves in long-form CGI animation and a few are tied up (Pixar, PDI, Digital Domain, ILM). One has to figure MFE is under consideration for some of this. -------------------------------------- (LOS ANGELES) - Universal Studios is close to forming a subdivision within its movie group to produce a series of new computer-animated features, sources say. The first of at least three such movies will be announced within a month, and negotiations are under way with an unnamed computer animation company to work on the project. Separate companies will be hired to create each movie to facilitate speedier releases. Animated features (including computer-animated movies such as Disney/Pixar's "Toy Story") take two to three years to produce, but hiring separate companies to create each one could allow for one release per year starting in 2000. (The Hollywood Reporter)