Shotgun Software announced that animation company Blue Sky Studios is integrating Shotgun’s web-based production management system into its pipeline as the central platform for studio-wide collaboration among all of its 400 employees, as well as directors and producers working on productions at Blue Sky.
“Data tracking is a key component of every production,” said Blue Sky Studios vice president of finance Jason Wasserman. “As we have grown, we now regularly have two or three features in production at the same time. As we share resources across all of those projects, it became critical to have an efficient, robust framework to manage all of the data. Shotgun has a number of attractive features we need right out of the box. It’s a cost-effective option to investing in building and maintaining a proprietary tracking system, so we can focus our R&D and engineering efforts on developing the core artistic tools that are our expertise.”
Designed specifically for studios working on visual effects, CG feature animation and video games, Shotgun enables all parties involved in a project with instant access to critical data, messaging and real-time project progress. It is also highly flexible, with an API that enables studios to easily write their own tools and integrate Shotgun with other pipeline tools and creative software applications.
Blue Sky’s decision to choose Shotgun came after the studio undertook an extensive evaluation among a small group of managers, artists and technical directors who took the system through its paces and gradually exposed it more broadly throughout the studio.
“Everyone who has touched Shotgun has loved it,” said Blue Sky Studios production manager Denise Rottina, who drove the evaluation process. “With manual processes like email, meetings, and weekly status reports, so much data falls through the cracks. Shotgun centralizes all of that communication, which will facilitate more effective collaboration. Also, our TDs are thrilled that the API is so easy and intuitive to work with.”
Blue Sky is currently integrating Shotgun with its internal systems and plans to deploy it on Leafmen, the upcoming Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox animated feature releasing in 2013.
