Shotgun review and asset management software enables efficient production management for Hong Kong-based VFX and animation studio.
Los Angeles, CA -- For more than a decade, the talented team of more than 40 artists at Hong Kong-based Boutique VFX and animation studio FATface has serviced both commercial and film projects and earned a strong reputation in Hong Kong’s competitive marketplace.
As the company has expanded to tackle larger and more complex projects, FATface began looking for a flexible production management tool that would be easy to implement and integrate with their existing structure, provide value to users at all levels, and easily scale along with the company, ultimately deciding to standardize on Shotgun.
The leading developer of cloud-based production tracking, review and asset management software for film, TV and games, Autodesk-owned Shotgun is in use at scores of facilities located around the world.
The FATface team first had the chance to break Shotgun in on its recent production of sci-fi short film VIRTUS, a fully photoreal CG project where robots engage in intense battles. VFX Supervisor Alan Lam explained, “We only had a limited timeframe to complete VIRTUS, and Shotgun helped us organize a massive amount of data and assets. Since everyone on the production team can input into and access Shotgun, it saved us time and resources on data sharing between departments, and eliminated communication errors. Having Shotgun in place let us focus on the art and not worry about tracking our data.”
Lam continued, “Shotgun gives me a bridge to communicate with my producers and artists efficiently. It shows the progress of projects clearly and centralizes all updates. I can review and leave comments, and know that they’re being communicated directly to the artists. It just makes my day easier.”
One of the most popular Shotgun features proved to be the Shotgun Pipeline Toolkit. “Pipeline Toolkit is highly configurable and adaptable to our common CG applications,” explained Pipeline TD Daniel Wong. “Artists can load and share their work with just a few clicks, and each publish can be revised on the Shotgun website and marked with a thumbnail and descriptions. It lets everyone track information easily and centrally. Tools like this are crucial because the pipeline is our everyday working environment, and a strong pipeline helps ensure that a project is progressing in the right direction.”
Ultimately, Shotgun has allowed FATface artists and supervisors to feel more confident as they prepare for expansion. “Using Shotgun on VIRTUS was a great test for us. In order to keep growing and taking on more complex and high quality projects, a good pipeline will give us the power to maximize our resources,” Lam concluded. “With Shotgun we’ve accomplished this and are ready to take the next step.”
Source: Shotgun
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
