Foundation Imaging was a CGI visual effects studio,

computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes (still images) and dynamic images (moving images), while computer animation refe ...

studio, and

post-production Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments. The ...

editing facility.

History

The company was founded by Paul Beigle-Bryant and Ron Thornton. It pioneered digital imaging for television programming using

Newtek NewTek, Inc. is a San Antonio, Texas-based hardware and software company that produces live and post-production video tools and visual imaging software for personal computers. The company was founded in 1985 in Topeka, Kansas, United States, by T ...

LightWave 3D LightWave 3D is a 3D computer graphics program developed by NewTek. It has been used in films, television, motion graphics, digital matte painting, visual effects, video game development, product design, architectural visualizations, virt ...

, originally on

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based Video Toaster workstations.

Dissolution

The company was dissolved after work on season one of ''

Star Trek: Enterprise ''Star Trek: Enterprise'', titled simply ''Enterprise'' for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001, to May 13, 2005 on Uni ...

'' had been completed and the company assets were sold off in a

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on December 17, 2002 by Brian Testo Associates, LLC.

Legacy

The company's pioneering work on Babylon 5 popularized using the software package

Lightwave 3D LightWave 3D is a 3D computer graphics program developed by NewTek. It has been used in films, television, motion graphics, digital matte painting, visual effects, video game development, product design, architectural visualizations, virt ...

on US TV shows for CGI visual effects, which led to it becoming an industry standard throughout the 1990s. Key animators from the company and Emmy Award-winners Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz and John Teska remain major figures in the visual effects field for their work on shows such as the rebooted

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...

and

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Notable works

Babylon 5

Foundation Imaging is best known for their work on the science fiction series ''

Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tel ...

'', winning an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for the pilot episode.

Star Trek franchise

After completing the third season of Babylon 5, they worked on Paramount's Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ultimately winning two more Emmy Awards for their work on Voyager). Foundation Imaging made the exterior views rendered by computer graphics for the ''Delta Flyer''

shuttlecraft A shuttlecraft, also known as a shuttle spacecraft, shuttle ship, drop shuttle, drop spacecraft, or dropship, is a type of spacecraft described in theory and science fiction. Serving the same purpose as a ship's tender, it is a smaller vessel that ...

, from drawings by Rick Sternbach, debuting on Voyager in the "

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". They also did the CGI views of the Varro generation ship in the episode "

The Disease "The Disease" is the 111th episode of the science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Voyager'', the 17th episode of the fifth season. The episode focuses on a plot with Harry Kim (played by Garrett Wang) as '' USS Voyager'' encounters a un ...

" for example. The company also worked on

Robert Wise Robert Earl Wise (September 10, 1914 – September 14, 2005) was an American film director, producer, and editor. He won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for his musical films ''West Side Story'' (1961) and ''The Sound of ...

's director's cut of '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture.'' This was one of Foundation Imaging's last projects before they shut down. Lebowitz also worked with

Paramount Plus Paramount+ is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily from the libraries of CBS Media Ventures (including CBS Studios), Paramount Me ...

on the film's 2022 restoration.

Batman CG visuals

While working on Star Trek, the company provided CG visuals for the Warner Brothers direct-to-video animated movies based on the Batman: The Animated Series TV series.

Project history

Movies

*'' The Jackal'' (1997) *'' Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero'' (1998) *''Today's Life'' (2000) *''

The Legend of Zu ''The Legend of Zu'', also known as ''Zu Warriors'', ( zh, t=蜀山傳) is a 2001 Hong Kong film produced and directed by Tsui Hark. The film starred Ekin Cheng, Cecilia Cheung, Louis Koo, Patrick Tam, Kelly Lin, Wu Jing, with special appeara ...

'' (2001) (Blood Sea sequence) *''They Crawl'' (2001) *'' Project Viper'' (2002) *''The Extreme Team'' (2003) *''Chrome'' (2005)

Live action series

*''

'' (1993 - 1996) (seasons 1-3) *''

Hypernauts ''Hypernauts'' is a proof of concept show produced by Foundation Imaging and Netter Digital Entertainment. To further prove that the computer-generated imagery and visual effects created in ''Babylon 5'' were easily applied to other venues, the ...

'' (1995 - 1996) (season 1) *'' Star Trek: Voyager'' (1996 - 2001) (seasons 3-7) *'' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1997 - 1999) (the season 5 finale, seasons 6-7) *''

Young Hercules ''Young Hercules'' is a prequel series to the television series ''Hercules: The Legendary Journeys'' the originally aired on Fox Kids Network. It premiered on September 12, 1998 and ended on May 14, 1999, with a total of 50 episodes over the cou ...

'' (1998 - 1999) *''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college that ran from 1998 to 2003. T ...

'' (2000) (single episode water effects) *''

'' (2001 - 2002) (season 1)

Animated series

*'' Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles'' (1999) *''

Max Steel Max Steel is a line of action figures produced and owned by the toy company Mattel since 1999. The original figures based on the first TV series were similar to the original 12-inch G.I. Joe toys, consisting almost entirely of different versi ...

'' (2001) *''

Dan Dare Dan Dare is a British science fiction comic hero, created by illustrator Frank Hampson who also wrote the first stories. Dare appeared in the ''Eagle'' comic story ''Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future'' from 1950 to 1967 (and subsequently in repri ...

'' (2002)

Video games

*'' Twisted Metal: Black'' (2001) (CG movie and visual effects)

DVD

*'' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'' (DVD director's edition)

Awards

*1993 Emmy Award – Babylon 5 – Outstanding Individual Achievement In Special Visual Effects: **Paul Beigle-Bryant, Computer Imaging Supervisor - Foundation Imaging **Shannon Casey, Visual Effects Coordinator **Ron Thornton, Visual Effects Designer - Foundation Imaging *1999 Emmy Award – Star Trek: Voyager – Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series: **Rob Bonchune, CGI Supervisor - Foundation Imaging **Elizabeth Castro, Visual Effects Coordinator **Arthur J. Codron, Visual Effects Coordinator **Dan Curry, Visual Effects Producer/Supervisor **Don Greenberg, Visual Effects Compositor **Paul Hill, Visual Effects Compositor **Adam "Mojo" Lebowitz, CGI Supervisor - Foundation Imaging **Ronald B. Moore, Visual Effects Supervisor **Greg Rainoff, Visual Effects Artist **Mitch Suskin, Visual Effects Supervisor **John Teska, CGI Animator - Foundation Imaging *2001 Emmy Award – Star Trek: Voyager – Outstanding Special Visual Effects For A Series: **Robert Bonchune, CGI Supervisor - Foundation Imaging **Eric Chauvin, Matte Artist **Art Codron, Visual Effects Coordinator **Dan Curry, Visual Effects Producer **Steve Fong, Visual Effects Compositor **Ronald Moore, Visual Effects Supervisor **Greg Rainoff, Visual Effects Animator **Mitch Suskin, Visual Effects Supervisor **John Teska, CGI Artist - Foundation Imaging

References

External links

Babylon 5 - Online!: Interview with Ron ThorntonTrek Today: Interview with Paul BryantNewtek.com: Interview with Kyle ToucherNewtek.com: Interview with Kevin "Q" Quattro
{{Animation industry in the United States Visual effects companies American animation studios Defunct film and television production companies of the United States