BUF Compagnie is a French/American digital visual effects company, specializing in CGI for feature films, commercials, and music videos. Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... Shortcut: WP:WIN Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia and, as a means to that end, also an online community. ... Shortcut: WP:CSD Current list: Category:Candidates for speedy deletion There are a few, limited, cases where admins can delete Wikipedia pages on sight. Non-admins can ask for an admin to delete such a page, either by listing it on speedy deletions, or by adding either a {{delete}} or... A digital system is one that uses discrete values (often electrical voltages), especially those representable as binary numbers, or non-numeric symbols such as letters or icons, for input, processing, transmission, storage, or display, rather than a continuous spectrum of values (ie, as in an analog system). ... Visual Effects (or VFX for short) is the term given to a sub-category of special effects in which images or film frames are created and manipulated for film and video. ... Computer-generated imagery (commonly abbreviated as CGI) is the application of the field of computer graphics (or more specifically, 3D computer graphics) to special effects in films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media. ...

History

Based in Paris, France and Los Angeles, California, BUF Compagnie (BUF) was founded by Pierre Buffin in 1984^{[citation needed]}. The company develops new software advances in visual effects (VFX) and computer animation for feature films, commercials, music videos and special venue projects. BUF’s pre and postproduction services have earned industry nominations for Best Visual Effects and awarded innumerable technical achievement awards ^{[citation needed]}. Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... This article is about the year. ... Computer animation is the art of creating moving images via the use of computers. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... From the earliest days of the medium, television has been used as a vehicle for advertising in some countries. ... A music video (also video clip, promo) is a short film or video meant to present a visual representation of a popular music song. ... Post production is the general term for the last stage of film production in which photographed scenes (also called footage) are put together into a complete film. ...

Technology

BUF’s research and development group is composed of 15 engineers^{[citation needed]}.

BUF is credited with pioneering stereo-modeling and camera mapping techniques in production; creating the first French full 3D short-length film^{[citation needed]}; the development of the first motion blur post-process and camera tracking software^{[citation needed]}; first VFX company to use mental ray^{[citation needed]}; creating the ‘freezing-effect’; conceiving the first 3D camera movements in a photorealistic environment reproduced by utilizing still photographic images^{[citation needed]}; introducing new software that simulates clothing; producing invisible continuous shots between live action and full CG; advancing singular character animation software; introducing crowd generation and management techniques along with new fluids and solid dynamics systems; creating original tools dedicated to animation and paint3D and launching the ‘bullet time’ effect created for “The “Matrix” franchise, which was directly inspired by the research carried out by BUF while working on Michel Gondry's "Like A Rolling Stone"[1] music video in 1996.[2] Michel Gondry, 2005 Michel Gondry, born May 8, 1963 (1964 according to some sources), is a French Academy Award winning screenwriter, film, commercial, and music video director noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène. ...

BUF has an animation studio complex in Pantin, France, which developed the entirety of animation for “Arthur and the Minimoys.” of over 1,600 shots ^{[citation needed]} requiring the involvement of 20 supervisors and 100 artists at any one time. Buffin also customized the equipment and trained his team of artists to work on every aspect of the structure and creation of the company’s first animated motion picture.

To date, BUF’s vibrant commercial division has developed more than 1,000 commercials adopting broad visual methods and technical challenges, to realize the director’s vision on the small screen. BUF’s most recent triumph was the #1 top-rated 2007 Super Bowl advert for Hewlett-Packard. Commercials for Mercedes-Benz, Lancia, Nissan, Peugeot, Canal +, Coca-Cola and Disney, have also been executed by BUF.

As of April 2007, BUF has received 14 awards for Best Visual Effects and 20 additional nominations and accolades in Technical Cinematic Excellence. The company has won eight Clio Awards, the advertising industry’s highest honour, and five Music Video Awards for The Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna and White Stripes. Other music video credits include Lenny Kravitz, Björk, Nina Hagen, Terence Trent d’Arby, Air, Emilie Simon, Chemical Brothers, Melanie Blatt, Ginger Ale, Daft Punk, Texas, All Saints and Foo Fighters.

Graphic design is a further extension of BUF’s strong and wide-ranging expertise, having executed principal branding campaigns for Disney, Coca-Cola, Citroën, General Electric, Lexus, Paramount Pictures, Studio Canal, Europa and Metropolitan.

As a broadly documented resource in the VFX domain, BUF has been integral to numerous publications, textbooks, industry reference books and manuals, including The Animation Business Handbook, Rendering with mental ray, Monte Carlo and Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods 2004, Cyberarts 2000: International Compendium Prix Ars Electronica, Comic Art of Europe Through 2000: An International Bibliography.

The company Buffin built into a $250 million icon over 23 years has not occurred by happenstance. The visual effects giant rewrote the rules of crafting a remarkable finished product. Buffin’s ingenuity has also served his company well. By forming an on-the-job learning Academy for young professional artists, BUF now employs a large percentage of its workforce directly from specialized universities across Europe, with a median age of 25.

BUF continues on the move carrying out numerous diverse VFX projects for feature films. Buffin is also actively mounting two literary adaptations destined for animated films, one from a Jules Verne novel and another from Lewis Carroll. In addition, BUF has two live-action projects and two animated sequels to “Arthur and the Minimoys” in development.

As a chief international developer of entertainment software and one of the finest VFX companies in its sphere, Buffin plans to reposition BUF beyond service provider to producing exclusively in concert with a major film studio. Already in discussions with several U.S. entities on this front, Buffin is presently producing pilots and two motion picture projects in Los Angeles. With its now heightened recognition across all channels, the company expects to generate broad expansion of the BUF brand.

Films

• The City of Lost Children (1994)
• Batman & Robin (1997)
• The Matrix (1999)
• Fight Club (1999)
• The Cell (2000)
• Panic Room (2002)
• S1m0ne (2002)
• The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
• The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
• Van Helsing (2004)
• 2046 (2004)
• Alexander (2004)
• Batman Begins (2005)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
• Silent Hill (2006)
• The Prestige (2006)
• Arthur and the Minimoys (2007)

The City of Lost Children (French: ) is a French fantasy/drama film by Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet released in 1995. ... For the 1949 serial Batman and Robin, see Batman and Robin (serial). ... This article is about the 1999 film. ... Fight Club is a 1999 feature film adaptation of the 1996 novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, adapted by Jim Uhls and directed by David Fincher. ... The Cell is a 2000 suspense film written by Mark Protosevich and directed by Tarsem Singh. ... Panic Room (2002) is a movie written by David Koepp, directed by David Fincher, and starring Academy Award Winners Jodie Foster and Forest Whitaker. ... S1m0ne (also spelled Simone) is a 2002 science fiction drama film written, produced and directed by New Zealander Andrew Niccol, starring Al Pacino. ... The Matrix Reloaded is the second installment of The Matrix series, written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers. ... The Matrix Revolutions is the third and last film in the The Matrix trilogy. ... Van Helsing is a 2004 American action/horror film about vampire-hunter Gabriel Van Helsing, directed by Stephen Sommers. ... 2046 is a Hong Kong movie (filmed in Shanghai) written and directed by Wong Kar-wai and released in 2004. ... Alexander is a 2004 epic motion picture film, based on the life of Alexander the Great. ... For the novel based on the film, see Batman Begins (novelization). ... Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a 2005 fantasy adventure film and the fourth in the popular Harry Potter films series. ... It has been suggested that Silent Hill 2 (film) be merged into this article or section. ... The Prestige is a 2006 period film directed by Christopher Nolan, with a screenplay adapted from the 1995 World Fantasy Award-winning novel of the same name by Christopher Priest. ... Arthur and the Minimoys (Arthur and the Invisibles in English-speaking territories) is a part-animated, part-live action feature film adaptation of the same-name, 2002 childrens book and the 2003 sequel Arthur et la cité interdite / Arthur and the Forbidden City by filmmaker Luc Besson, who also...

External links

• Official Website