Manex Visual Effects

Manex Visual Effects (MVFX) was a motion picture special visual effects company located in Alameda, California. Though a small company active only for a short period of time, it provided visual effects for a number of high-profile movies and the company received international recognition including two Best Visual Effects Oscars and one Academy Award for Technical Achievement. As the company that created bullet time for ''The Matrix'' their work has been highly influential and still is referenced in many media outlets as recently as November 2022.

History

Founding and first works

In 1995 Cinergi Pictures acquired an effects company from visual effects pioneer Doug Trumbull. It was originally known as Cinergi F/X but was subsequently named Mass Illusions. Mass.Illusion operated as a special-effects house owned by Cinergy, an independent movie studio. By 1997, Cinergy needed to sell Mass.Illusion for financial reasons, and began looking for investors to buy the company. Mass.Illusion had $1 million in debt, but had assets including artists and a $7.5 million contract to produce ''What Dreams May Come'' special effects. It had also submitted well-received test shots for ''The Matrix''. In 1997 Cinergi pulled out of Mass Illusions. The company was rescued from liquidation by the Columbus, Ohio based company Manchester Exchange & Investment Company Inc, or Manex, with Manex agreeing to assume the firm's debt. Robert Bobo began running the company in November 1997.In 1998 it was again renamed, this time to Manex Visual Effects, headed by managing director Robert Bobo. In August 1997, it was moved to Alameda Naval Air Station.

In 1998 Manex completed work on the movie '' What Dreams May Come''. This featured an extended sequence in which the character played by Robin Williams entered a painted world. Manex provided the visual effects for this sequence and partly as a result of this work the movie was awarded an Academy Award for Visual Effects. In 1999, Manex's creative director received an Oscar for ''What Dreams May Come.''

In 1999 Manex completed work on ''The Matrix'' which received an Academy Award. The team at Manex, led by John Gaeta, created the signature bullet time sequences from the movie. They also developed a system for image-based rendering allowing choreographed camera movements through computer graphic reconstructed sets (also known as Virtual Cinematography) for which Manex was awarded an Academy Award for Technical Achievement.

In November 1998, investors sued Manex managing director Robert Bobo, arguing he had defrauded them and was using the company for personal gain. Plaintiffs included part owners of Manex: Michael Van Himbergen, Roger Davis, and Steven Gillam. After losing in their initial efforts, the three plaintiffs settled for an undisclosed sum and in an exchange for public stock owned by them that was transferred to Manex Entertainment in March 2000. Robert Bobo was free thereafter to try to sell Manex for about $20 million. Bobo stressed at the time that the company was not being sold and was instead upgrading and bringing in investors. The company did raise a significant amount of investment and continued to expand but was eventually sold by Bobo and management to an investor group and moved to Trenton, New Jersey. After Bobo and management left, no further contracts were awarded to the company.

Expansion and acquisitions

In 1999 Manex expanded, acquiring the Los Angeles operations of the Computer Film Company. The company underwent reorganization including the formation on an interactive division headed by Bill Dawson, formerly of Softnet, Xoom.com and Apple. Dawson recruited Kawika Maszak, also from Softnet and formerly of Gannett

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