Foundation Imaging, Inc. was a CGI visual effects studio,

computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating Film, moving images. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both still images and moving images, while computer animation refers to moving images. Virtu ...

studio, and

post-production Post-production, also known simply as post, 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 indivi ...

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, Texasbased hardware and software company that produced 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 ...

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

, originally on Commodore

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers produced by Commodore International, Commodore from 1985 until the company's bankruptcy in 1994, with production by others afterward. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16-b ...

based

Video Toaster The NewTek Video Toaster is a combination of hardware and software for the editing and production of NTSC standard-definition video. The plug-in expansion card initially worked with the Amiga 2000 computer and provides a number of BNC connect ...

workstations.

Dissolution

The company was dissolved after work on season one of '' Star Trek: Enterprise'' had been completed and the company assets were sold off in a

public auction A government auction or a public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a governmen ...

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 LightWave Digital. It has been used in films, television, motion graphics, digital matte painting, visual effects, video game development, product design, architectural visualization ...

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. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...

and Lost.

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 television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

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, from drawings by

Rick Sternbach Richard Michael Sternbach (born July 6, 1951) is an illustrator who is best known for his space illustrations and his work on the ''Star Trek'' television series. Early years Born July 6, 1951, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 1969 Sternbach enr ...

, debuting on Voyager in the " Extreme Risk". 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 16th episode of the Star Trek: Voyager season 5, fifth season. It focuses on a plot with Harry Kim (Star Trek), Harry Kim (played by Garret ...

" for example. The company also worked on

Robert Wise Robert Earl Wise (September 10, 1914 – September 14, 2005) was an American filmmaker. He won the Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for his musical films ''West Side Story'' (1961) and ''The Sound of Music'' (1965). He was als ...

'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+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Paramount Global. The service's content is drawn primarily ...

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

Live action series

*''

'' (1993 - 1996) (seasons 1-3) *'' Hypernauts'' (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'' (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. It aired from January 20, 19 ...

'' (2000) (single episode water effects) *'' Star Trek: Enterprise'' (2001 - 2002) (season 1)

Animated series

*'' Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles'' (1999) *'' Max Steel'' (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 series ''Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future'' from 1950 to 1967 (and subsequently in ...

'' (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 American animation studios Defunct film and television production companies of the United States Visual effects companies American companies disestablished in 2002 Bankrupt companies of the United States