BARABOOM! Studios, a specialist in pre-visualization, has opened a full-service production office in Culver City. The new location, featuring a workspace for a small team of artists and an assortment of technological tools, is a prelude to a broader expansion planned for next year. Within the next six months the company plans to add a scanning and motion-capture stage and extend its menu of services.
Founded in 2009 by animation director/supervisor Pepe Valencia, BARABOOM! Studios has provided pre-visualization services for film, television and commercial projects, including Summit Entertainment’s The Impossible and Universal Pictures’ Hop.
For The Impossible, BARABOOM! assisted in planning shots involving combinations of practical and digital visual effects. “We were able to lay it all out for everyone involved in the production to see,” recalls executive producer Mike Pryor. “The producers were able to determine very clearly both the technical requirements and the financial aspects of each shot.”
BARABOOM! Studios also offers previs for animated features. “With Pepe’s background in virtual cinematography and layout, we are able to provide assets directly into rough layout and then into final layout,” Pryor explained.
Valencia’s background includes 11 years at Sony Pictures Imageworks where he served as animation supervisor on such films as The Aviator, Peter Pan and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle. He also produced director’s layouts for Robert Zemeckis on The Polar Express, Gil Kenan on Monster House and Brian Singer on Superman. After leaving SPI in 2007, he joined Imagi Animation Studios and served as director of photography on the film Astro Boy.
