Atmosphere Visual Effects

Atmosphere Visual Effects Logo

Atmosphere Visual Effects (also known as Atmosphere VFX) is a Canadian visual effects studio located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company was founded in 2003 by Andrew Karr, Tom Archer, and Jeremy Hoey, all former employees of Vancouver-based visual effects company GVFX, after that company folded.

Company Profile

Atmosphere Visual Effects is described as a "dynamic, rapidly growing, award winning visual effects facility" that creates visual effects for feature films, television series, and commercials. The company maintains a staff base of 11-50 employees and operates from their facility at 177 West 7th Avenue in Vancouver.

The company specializes in several key areas of visual effects production:

• Previz - Working at the location to produce the best shots
• CG - Environment, characters and vehicles using a variety of software
• Compositing - Blending live-action with CG, miniatures and matte paintings
• Matte painting - Digitally painted images and full CG environments

Battlestar Galactica

Atmosphere Visual Effects played a significant role in the visual effects production of the Re-imagined Series, working alongside primary VFX studio Zoic Studios. Visual effects supervisor Gary Hutzel enlisted the Vancouver-based company to supplement Zoic's work during the first season due to a combination of financial and logistical issues.

According to the Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion, "Zoic did approximately half the work for season one, while the rest was done in Vancouver," with Hutzel noting that he "needed to use some other companies, like Atmosphere, that were closer to me and the production in Vancouver and more cost-effective. They have also been excellent teammates on the show."

"The Hand of God"

Atmosphere was specifically enlisted by Gary Hutzel to visualize the bulk of the action-packed attack sequence in "The Hand of God." Hutzel described the episode as "a fun 'ship show' that provided a chance to break all the rules," noting that while David Eick and Ronald D. Moore were initially concerned it would be too slick and break from their usual documentary style, they ultimately supported the approach. Hutzel praised Atmosphere's work, saying they "just did a fantastic job for us — they were very anxious to make this the best episode of the season and threw everything they had into it."

Episode Credits

Atmosphere served as the primary VFX studio on many episodes throughout the series, including episodes: 109, 110, 112, 203, 209, 211, 214, 215, 217, 220, 303, 304, 310.^{[citation needed]}

Awards and Recognition

Atmosphere Visual Effects has received numerous prestigious awards and nominations for their work on Battlestar Galactica:

Emmy Awards

• 2007: Emmy Award Winner - Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series for "Exodus, Part 2"
• 2005: Emmy Award nomination for "The Hand of God"

Visual Effects Society Awards

• 2006: VES Award Winner for Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Broadcast Program, Commercial, or Music Video for their work on Cylon CG (previously nominated in 2005)
• 2006: Two VES Award nominations for "Exodus, Part II" and "Downloaded"

The 2007 Emmy win was particularly significant as it was the first time a Vancouver-based show brought the Emmy Award home to Canada. Jeremy Hoey, principal at Atmosphere, stated: "After a decade of being consistently and prominently honored with Emmy Awards nominations for visual effects, this is the first time a Vancouver-based show has brought the award home. We at Atmosphere are proud to share in this award and to take part in such an outstanding production as Battlestar Galactica."

Other Notable Projects

Beyond Battlestar Galactica, Atmosphere Visual Effects has worked on numerous other science fiction and fantasy productions, including:

• Stargate Atlantis (all 5 seasons)
• Stargate SG-1 (season 7)
• Stargate Universe (both seasons)
• The 4400
• Andromeda
• Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
• Primeval: New World
• Bitten

The company has also worked on feature films such as The Maze Runner (2014), The Sea Beast (2022), and Chronicle (2012).

Industry Impact

According to industry analysis, the Canadian VFX scene's growth has been significantly supported by aggressive tax credits created by the British Columbia government, including the DAVE (Digital Animation and Visual Effects) tax credit. Jeremy Hoey has noted that "I don't think the British Columbia visual effects industry as we know it would even exist without the kinds of aggressive tax credits created by the BC government."

Leadership

The company's three co-founders continue to lead the organization:

• Jeremy Hoey - Co-founder and VFX producer, previously worked as computer graphics artist for Stargate SG-1 and senior digital matte artist for Stargate: Atlantis
• Tom Archer - Co-founder
• Andrew Karr - Co-founder

External Links

• Atmosphere Visual Effects homepage