LOS GATOS, Calif.—Netflix has bolstered its ability to add stunning visual effects to its streaming originals by acquiring Scanline VFX.
Scanline had already worked on such Netflix projects as “Cowboy Bebop,” “Blood Red Sky” and “Stranger Things 3” as well as a number of big budget projects for Marvel and others.
Scanline was founded in 1989 and is now led by Stephan Trojansky, a trailblazing VFX Supervisor whose proprietary fluid rendering system Flowline won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement in 2008, explained Amy Reinhard vice president of studio operations at Netflix in a blog post announcing the deal. The company has offices in Vancouver, Montreal, Los Angeles, London, Munich, Stuttgart, and Seoul.
“Scanline is known for its complex, photorealistic effects and expertise in virtual production,” Reinhard reported. “It’s also done an extraordinary job of supporting our creators on everything from the above-mentioned VFX achievements to those in upcoming [Netflix] titles like “Don’t Look Up”, “The Gray Man”, “Slumberland”, “The Adam Project” and “Stranger Things 4.”
Reinhard said that Netflix will invest in Scanline’s pipeline, infrastructure and workforce and “continue to support the pioneering work that Scanline’s Eyeline Studios is doing in virtual production to push the boundaries of what is visibly possible.”
In addition to working with Netflix, Scanline has done groundbreaking work on everything from “Game of Thrones” to “Godzilla vs Kong” and Zack Snyder’s “Justice League.” Going forward, the company will continue to operate as a standalone business and work with their variety of clients, she wrote.
Reinhard also stressed that in the future “We’ll also continue to rely on many other studios around the world for our VFX needs so we can continue to ensure that our creators have access to the world's most innovative tech, and continue to bring the most compelling and cutting-edge storytelling to our members.”
Financial terms were not disclosed. Netflix expects the deal will close in Q1, 2022.
