Image Metrics creates gaming and film divisions to focus on the needs of each

Image Metrics, a leading provider of facial animation solutions for the entertainment industry, is aligning its operations into video game and film and TV divisions to address the growing demand for its services in both industries.

“With leading visual effects companies and game developers outsourcing key production components to specialized experts like Image Metrics, demand for our facial animation solutions has been increasing in both the video game and film industries,” said Mike Starkenburg of Image Metrics. “As a result, Image Metrics is organizing its expertise and resources into two divisions to best serve the unique needs of each market. This will ensure we can continue to efficiently deliver outstanding animation and significant return on investment to our growing customer base.”

Having guided Image Metrics in various roles over the past several years including a term as the COO, Kelvin Duckett will now lead the Film and TV division as General Manager, where he will oversee global sales to feature film and visual effects studios, post production houses and broadcast customers. Duckett brings with him more than 20 years of experience working in the film industry. He has built, run and sold highly technical service companies such as 525 Post Productions (Hollywood), Virgin Mexico (Mexico City), Rushes (London), MediaLab (Paris) and POP & Post Logic Studios (Los Angeles). Trained as an editor, Duckett has worked for the BBC, ITN and ABC News. He has also worked extensively as a visual FX specialist on high-end commercials and music videos.

With Duckett’s guidance, Image Metrics has recently debuted a beta program for film studios interested in incorporating the performance transfer portion of its facial animation technology into their internal production pipelines. In addition to its upcoming film projects, Image Metrics also showcased its facial animation capabilities in film at the SIGGRAPH 2008 tradeshow with a photo-real demo of a character named “Emily” that became recognized worldwide as a new achievement in CG believability.