Mac Guff
Encyclopedia
Mac Guff is a French visual effects
company based in both Los Angeles
, USA
and Paris
, France
, where it is headquartered. Mac Guff specializes in the creation of computer-generated imagery
for commercials, music videos and feature films. 270 graphic artists, vfx supervisors and producers, computer engineers and administrators are usually working on 100+ million files (for Despicable Me
). In mid 2011, the company was split in two, and the animation department has been acquired by Illumination Entertainment (Universal Group). With a capital of 3,2 millions of euros, the new company is named "Illumination Mac Guff".
. The director and producer Alfred Hitchcock
popularized both the term "MacGuffin" and the technique.
Visual effects
Visual effects are the various processes by which imagery is created and/or manipulated outside the context of a live action shoot. Visual effects involve the integration of live-action footage and generated imagery to create environments which look realistic, but would be dangerous, costly, or...
company based in both Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where it is headquartered. Mac Guff specializes in the creation of computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
for commercials, music videos and feature films. 270 graphic artists, vfx supervisors and producers, computer engineers and administrators are usually working on 100+ million files (for Despicable Me
Despicable Me
Despicable Me is a 2010 American computer-animated 3D comedy film from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment that was released on July 9, 2010 in the United States. The film features the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, and...
). In mid 2011, the company was split in two, and the animation department has been acquired by Illumination Entertainment (Universal Group). With a capital of 3,2 millions of euros, the new company is named "Illumination Mac Guff".
Company name
The company name Mac Guff was inspired by the term MacGuffinMacGuffin
A MacGuffin is "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is...
. The director and producer Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
popularized both the term "MacGuffin" and the technique.
Animated productions
- La Vie des betes (1988, design. Philippe StarckPhilippe StarckPhilippe Patrick Starck is a French product designer and probably the best known designer in the New Design style...
) - "Love Don't Let Me Go" (2002 music videoMusic videoA music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for David GuettaDavid GuettaPierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
dir. Olivier Boscovitch) - Pat & Stan (2003–2006, television seriesTelevision programA television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
dir. Pierre Coffin) - Azur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest (2006, feature filmFeature filmIn the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
dir. Michel Ocelot) - Dragon HuntersDragon Hunters (film)Dragon Hunters is a 2008 French computer-animated fantasy film, directed by creator Arthur Qwak and Guillaume Ivernel. It stars the voices of Vincent Lindon, Patrick Timsit and Marie Drion. The film was produced by Futurikon, and co-produced by LuxAnimation, Mac Guff Ligne and Trixter...
(2008, feature film dir. Arthur QwakArthur QwakArthur Qwak is a French animator and comic-book writer.-Filmography:*Orson et Olivia *Malo Korrigan...
and Guillaume Ivernel) - Despicable MeDespicable MeDespicable Me is a 2010 American computer-animated 3D comedy film from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment that was released on July 9, 2010 in the United States. The film features the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, and...
(2010, feature film dir. Pierre CoffinPierre CoffinPierre Coffin is a French animator and director. He was trained at the Gobelins in Paris and started to work at Amblimation, the 2D London based facility, where he worked on the Steven Spielberg-executive-produced We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story...
and Chris RenaudChris Renaud (animator)Chris Renaud is an American illustrator and film-maker. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the 2006 animated short No Time for Nuts, which featured the character Scrat from the computer animated Ice Age films. Most recently, he directed Despicable Me, starring the voice of Steve Carell,...
) - The LoraxThe Lorax (film)The Lorax, also known as Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, is an upcoming American computer-animated 3-D film based on Dr. Seuss' children's book of the same name. It is being produced by Illumination Entertainment and will be released by Universal Pictures on March 2, 2012, what would have been the 108th...
(2012, feature film dir. Kyle Balda and Chris RenaudChris Renaud (animator)Chris Renaud is an American illustrator and film-maker. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the 2006 animated short No Time for Nuts, which featured the character Scrat from the computer animated Ice Age films. Most recently, he directed Despicable Me, starring the voice of Steve Carell,...
)
Features
- 1995 : La HaineLa HaineLa Haine is a 1995 French black-and-white film written, co-edited, and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. It is commonly released under its French title in the English-speaking world, although its American VHS release was entitled Hate. It is about three teenage friends and their struggle to live in...
- 1997 : DobermannDobermann (film)Dobermann is a French film directed by Jan Kounen and starring Vincent Cassel.-Plot:The charismatic criminal Dobermann , who got his first gun when he was christened, leads a gang of brutal robbers with his beautiful, deaf girlfriend Nat the Gypsy . After a complex and brutal bank robbery, they...
- 1997 : ContactContact (film)Contact is a 1997 American science fiction drama film adapted from the Carl Sagan novel of the same name and directed by Robert Zemeckis. Both Sagan and wife Ann Druyan wrote the story outline for the film adaptation of Contact....
- 1998 : Quasimodo d'El ParisQuasimodo d'El ParisQuasimodo d'El Paris is a 1999 French film that is a comedic adaptation of the novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo.-Plot:...
- 1998 : The Visitors II: The Corridors of Time
- 1999 : Train de vie
- 2000 : Cours toujours
- 2000 : Scènes de crimes
- 2001 : VidocqVidocq (2001 film)Vidocq is a 2001 mystery film, directed by Pitof, starring Gérard Depardieu as historical figure Eugène François Vidocq pursuing a supernatural serial killer...
- 2001 : Safe ConductSafe Conduct (film)Safe Conduct is a 2002 French historical drama film directed by Bertrand Tavernier and written by Tavernier and Jean Cosmos.-Plot:The film is about the French film industry from 1942 to 1944 during the Nazi occupation. The film focuses on assistant director and resistance fighter Jean Devaivre and...
- 2001 : G@mer
- 2001 : Snowboarder
- 2001 : Le Petit Poucet
- 2002 : Monsieur Batignole
- 2002: IrréversibleIrréversibleIrréversible is a 2002 French drama film written and directed by Gaspar Noé, starring Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel and Albert Dupontel. The film employs a non-linear narrative and follows two men as they try to avenge a brutally raped girlfriend...
- 2002: BrocéliandeBrocéliande (film)Brocéliande is a French horror film written by Doug Headline and Benoît Lestang, directed from Doug Headline, it stars André Wilms, Alice Taglioni and Alexis Loret.-Plot:...
- 2002 : Filles perdues, cheveux grasFilles perdues, cheveux grasFilles perdues, cheveux gras is a 2002 French musical comedy-drama film about the crossing paths of three lost young women.The film was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2002.-Plot:Three lost women cross paths and help each other...
- 2002 : GinostraGinostraGinostra is 2002 crime fiction film written and directed by Manuel Pradal, starring Harvey Keitel , Andie MacDowell . The story is about an FBI officer investigating the murder of a would-be informant, attempts to contact the only person who knows the truth behind the killings - the dead man's...
- 2002 : Quelqu'un de bien
- 2003 : Love Me If You DareLove Me If You DareLove Me If You Dare is a 2003 Belgian film directed by Yann Samuell.-Plot:The film begins in a small town in Belgium, where a little girl, Sophie, is being bullied by other children...
- 2003 : Blueberry
- 2003 : A Species OdysseyA Species OdysseyA Species Odyssey is a 90-minute french documentary film directed by Jacques Malaterre first broadcasted on January 7th 2003 on France 3.- Facts :* Title: L'Odyssée de l'espèce* Directed by: Jacques Malaterre...
(TV) - 2004 : L'Américain
- 2004 : L'Équipier
- 2004 : Agents secrets
- 2004 : Arsène Lupin
- 2005 : La Boîte noireLa Boîte noireLa Boîte noire is a 2005 mystery film directed by Richard Berry, written by Richard Berry and Éric Assous, adapted from a novella by Tonino Benacquista, and starring José Garcia and Marion Cotillard.-Plot:...
- 2005 : Ma vie en l'air
- 2005 : Danny the Dog
- 2005 : Joyeux Noël
- 2005 : Homo sapiens (TV)
- 2006 : BandidasBandidasBandidas is a 2006 French/Mexican/American Western comedy film starring Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz directed by Norwegian directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg and produced and written by Luc Besson...
- 2006 : Azur et AsmarAzur et AsmarAzur & Asmar: The Princes' Quest is a 2006 French animated fairytale fantasy film written and directed by Michel Ocelot and animated at the Paris animation and visual effects studio Mac Guff Ligne...
- 2006 : Tell No OneTell No OneTell No One is a 2006 French thriller film directed by Guillaume Canet and based on the novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. It was written by Guillame Canet and Philippe Lefèbvre and stars François Cluzet...
- 2007 : Truands
- 2007 : La Tête de maman
- 2007 : 3 Amis
- 2007 : '|L'Invité
- 2007 : 99 francs
- 2007 : Les Femmes de l'ombreLes Femmes de l'ombreFemale Agents is a French film about female resistance fighters in the Second World War...
- 2008 : Dragon HuntersDragon Hunters (film)Dragon Hunters is a 2008 French computer-animated fantasy film, directed by creator Arthur Qwak and Guillaume Ivernel. It stars the voices of Vincent Lindon, Patrick Timsit and Marie Drion. The film was produced by Futurikon, and co-produced by LuxAnimation, Mac Guff Ligne and Trixter...
- 2008 : Un conte de Noël
- 2008 : The First Day of the Rest of Your LifeThe First Day of the Rest of Your LifeLe premier jour du reste de ta vie is a 2008 French film written and directed by Rémi Bezançon...
- 2008 : Comme les autres
- 2008 : Mes stars et moi
- 2008 :Transporter 3Transporter 3Transporter 3 is a 2008 French-English action film, and is the third installment in the Transporter film series, as well as the first not to be distributed by 20th Century Fox in the United States. Both Jason Statham and François Berléand reprised their roles, as Frank Martin and Tarconi,...
- 2008 : Largo WinchLargo Winch (film)Largo Winch is a 2008 French film based on the Belgian comic Largo Winch. It was released on 17 December 2008. A sequel was released in Belgium February 16, 2011 as Largo Winch ; its international title being The Burma Conspiracy.-Cast:...
- 2009 : WelcomeWelcome (film)Welcome is a 2007 Bollywood comedy film, directed by Anees Bazmee. The film stars Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Feroz Khan, Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Malika Sherawat and Paresh Rawal...
- 2009 : CocoCoco (film)Coco is a 2009 French comedy film written, directed, and starring Gad Elmaleh. The film is based on a character sketch he created for his one-man show "La Vie Normale". The film earned $8.5 million in its opening weekend at the French box office, and went on to gross $11.7 million in the European...
- 2009 : Un prophète
- 2009 : Park Benches
- 2009 : Happy End
- 2009 : L'affaire FarewellL'affaire FarewellL'affaire Farewell is a 2009 French film directed by Christian Carion, starring Guillaume Canet and Emir Kusturica. The film is an espionage thriller loosely based on actions of the high-ranking KGB official, Vladimir Vetrov. It was released in the United States in June 2010, under the title...
- 2009 : Le Petit NicolasLe petit NicolasLe Petit Nicolas is a series of French children's books. It was created by René Goscinny and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé and it was published for the first time on March 29, 1959...
- 2009 : 'Une affaire d'État
- 2009 : 22 Bullets22 Bullets22 Bullets is a French film directed by Richard Berry. It tells a romanticized version of the life story of Jacky Imbert. The filming began in 23 February 2009 in Marseille for six weeks, continuing to Avignon in early April 2009, and continued for 8 weeks in Paris.- Plot :Charly Mattei has turned...
- 2009 : Coco and Igor
- 2009 : SpliceSplice (film)Splice is a 2009 Canadian/French science fiction horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. The story concerns experiments in genetic engineering being done by a young scientist couple who attempt to introduce human DNA into their work of splicing animal...
- 2010 : With Love... from the Age of ReasonWith Love... from the Age of ReasonWith love... from the Age of Reason is a 2010 French film directed by Yann Samuell. -Synopsis:On her fortieth birthday, Margaret receives a letter that her seven year old self had written to remind her of the promises made at that age, which is considered to be the age of reason in the Catholic...
- 2010 : Sarah's KeySarah's KeySarah's Key is a French drama starring Kristin Scott-Thomas and follows an American journalist's present-day investigation into the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup Sarah's Key is a French drama starring Kristin Scott-Thomas and follows an American journalist's present-day investigation into the Vel' d'Hiv...
- 2010 : Despicable MeDespicable MeDespicable Me is a 2010 American computer-animated 3D comedy film from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment that was released on July 9, 2010 in the United States. The film features the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, Kristen Wiig, and...
- 2012 : The LoraxThe Lorax (film)The Lorax, also known as Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, is an upcoming American computer-animated 3-D film based on Dr. Seuss' children's book of the same name. It is being produced by Illumination Entertainment and will be released by Universal Pictures on March 2, 2012, what would have been the 108th...