Frantic Films Corporation is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 branded content and live action production company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Frantic Films is known for producing live action reality shows, documentaries and for its past work in feature film visual effects.

History

In 1997 Frantic Films was founded by Ken Zorniak and Chris Bond. The company initially produced work for commercial clients such as Proctor & Gamble and created CGI for Stephen King's Storm of the Century.

In 2001 Frantic Films garnered international attention after creating stunning visual effects sequences for the blockbuster film Swordfish.

Also in 2001 Frantic Films founded a Research & Development division that would focus on creating software and tools for future visual effects projects. Since its inception the R&D division has produced a large suite of in-house and commercial software. Early efforts were focused on Deadline (a commercial render farm management tool) and Flood (an in-house fluid simulation tool). In 2004, Flood was said to be one of the top three fluid simulation tools in the world.

In 2007 the Visual Effects and R&D/Software divisions were acquired by the Prime Focus Group

Prime Focus Group

Prime Focus Group is one of the largest film, advertising and television post-production and visual effects companies in the world. It is the result of a number of acquisitions and mergers by Prime Focus Ltd.-Prime Focus Group:...

 and Frantic Films stopped all visual effects and previsualization projects. The software division has since been acquired by Thinkbox Software, a small company owned by Frantic Films co-founder Chris Bond. As of 2007 Frantic Films has focused primarily on live action and branded content.

In early 2009, Frantic Films acquired all of Red Apple Entertainment, enabling rights over Red Apple's entire syndication catalog and mode of production.

Branded Content

The Branded Content division, Frantic Branded Content

Frantic Branded Content

Frantic Branded Content is a division of Frantic Films, the Canadian award-winning production company based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.The multi-disciplinary production facility specializes in creating original integrated entertainment for use across the entire range of traditional and emerging...

 specializes in creating original integrated entertainment for traditional and emerging media platforms. In 2009, Frantic Branded Content partnered with ad agency TAXI and commercial production company Soft Citizen, to produce the branded entertainment television property 'Commercial Break'.

Live action (past and current)

• Til Debt Do Us Part
  Til Debt Do Us Part
  Til Debt Do Us Part is a Canadian television series produced by Frantic Films for Slice in Canada, Zone Reality in the United Kingdom and AmericanLife TV Network and CNBC in the USA. It is hosted by Gail Vaz-Oxlade, who each week visits a couple who are in debt and having relationship troubles...
  
  
• Keep Your Head Up Kid: The Don Cherry Story
• Breakbound
• Devil's Brigade
• Guinea Pig
• Music Rising
  Music Rising
  Music Rising is a charity co-founded by Producer Bob Ezrin, U2's The Edge and Gibson Guitar CEO Henry Juszkiewicz. Launched in November 2005 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the foundation aims to help in the purchasing of new instruments for the musicians of New Orleans affected by the disaster.-...
  
  
• Retail

Visual effects and previsualization (past)

• Runaway
  Runaway (animated short)
  Runaway is a 2009 animated short by Canadian animator Cordell Barker. The film received a special jury award for short films at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and was named the best animated short film at the 2010 Genie Awards....
  
   (2009) – visual effects
• Journey to the Center of the Earth
  Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008 film)
  Journey to the Center of the Earth is an American 2008 3D adventure film starring Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, and Anita Briem...
  
   (2008) – visual effects
• Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
  Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
  Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is a 2007 film written and directed by Zach Helm. The film stars Dustin Hoffman as the owner of a magical toy store, and Natalie Portman as his store employee.-Plot:...
  
   (2007) – visual effects
• Superman Returns
  Superman Returns
  Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. It is the fifth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a alternate sequel to Superman and Superman II by ignoring the events of Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace .The film stars...
  
   (2006) – visual effects, software development
• X-Men III: The Last Stand
  X-Men: The Last Stand
  X-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film and the third in the X-Men series. It was directed by Brett Ratner and stars an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones,...
  
   (2006) – previsualziation
• Poseidon
  Poseidon (film)
  Poseidon is a 2006 disaster film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, the third film adaptation of the novel The Poseidon Adventure written by Paul Gallico, and a loose remake of the 1972 film of the same name. It stars Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas and Richard Dreyfuss. It was directed by Wolfgang Petersen...
  
   (2006) – previsualization
• The Chumscrubber
  The Chumscrubber
  The Chumscrubber is a 2005 dark comedy film directed by Arie Posin and written by Posin and Zac Stanford, starring an ensemble cast. The film focuses on the lack of communication between teenagers and their parents, and the prevalence of prescription drugs in American society...
  
   (2005) – visual effects
• Cursed
  Cursed (film)
  Cursed is a 2005 horror film directed by Wes Craven and written by screenwriter Kevin Williamson, who both collaborated on Scream. The film stars Golden Globe-nominees Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg as the main sister-and-brother protagonists. The plot focuses on two young adults who are...
  
   (2005) – visual effects
• Stay
  Stay (2005 film)
  Stay is a 2005 American psychological thriller film directed by Marc Forster and written by David Benioff. It stars Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling, Bob Hoskins and Naomi Watts, with production by Regency and distribution by 20th Century Fox...
  
   (2005) – visual effects
• Resident Evil: Apocalypse
  Resident Evil: Apocalypse
  Resident Evil: Apocalypse is a Canadian-British 2004 science fiction action horror film directed by Alexander Witt, from a screenplay written by producer Paul W.S. Anderson...
  
   (2004) – visual effects
• Catwoman
  Catwoman (film)
  Catwoman is a 2004 American superhero film and quasi-spinoff of the Batman film series directed by Pitof and released by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures on July 23, 2004....
  
   (2004) – previsualziation, visual effects
• Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
  Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
  Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is a 2004 film, and sequel to 2002's Scooby-Doo based on the Hanna-Barbera series classic, Scooby-Doo. It is the second installment in the Scooby-Doo Live-Action film series. It was directed by Raja Gosnell, who also directed the first film, and was written by James...
  
   (2004) – visual effects
• The Core
  The Core
  The Core is a 2003 American disaster film loosely based on the novel Core by Paul Preuss. It concerns a team that has to drill to the center of the Earth and set off a series of nuclear explosions in order to restart the rotation of Earth's core...
  
   (2003) – visual effects
• Paycheck
  Paycheck (film)
  Paycheck is a 2003 film adaptation of the short story of the same name by science fiction writer Philip K. Dick. The film was directed by John Woo and stars Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman and Aaron Eckhart...
  
   (2003) – visual effects
• X2 - X-Men United
  X2 (film)
  X2 is a 2003 superhero film based on the fictional characters the X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it is the second film in the X-Men film series...
  
   (2003) – previsualziation, visual effects
• The Italian Job
  The Italian Job (2003 film)
  The Italian Job is a 2003 heist film directed by F. Gary Gray. The film stars Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, Edward Norton, Seth Green, Jason Statham, Mos Def, and Donald Sutherland. It is an American remake of a 1969 British film of the same name, and is about a team of thieves who plan to steal...
  
   (2003) – previsualization, visual effects
• Swordfish
  Swordfish (film)
  Swordfish is a 2001 crime-thriller film, directed by Dominic Sena and starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle and Vinnie Jones. The film is an action thriller that was also notable for Halle Berry's first topless scene...
  
   (2001) – visual effects
• Alien Resurrection (1997) – visual effects contributed to DVD release

External links

• Frantic Films - Official website
• Frantic Branded Content
• Thinkbox Software