Frantic History

1997 – Frantic Films is formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba as a two-man operation. Chris Bond has already built a respectable career as a freelance creator/producer of visual effects and animation, while B. Comm. graduate Ken Zorniak has a sharp eye for business. In this early incarnation of "the band", Bond plays the keys (handling production), while Zorniak does lead vocals (marketing and general business operations). The company makes an immediate impact with commercial clients such as Proctor & Gamble.

1998 – Frantic sets its sights on the television and film industry; early projects include the creation of CGI storm effects for Stephen King's Storm of the Century. Meanwhile, Frantic's commercial work results in several major awards, including a Signature Award and a CanPro Award. The honors help to build the groundwork for what is to become Frantic's Commercial Division.

1999 – Stephen King's Storm of the Century airs on ABC in February; the project ultimately earns Frantic an Emmy nomination for its visual effects work. Commercial projects continue to draw attention, garnering a Blizzard Award, a Gold PROMAX Award and a Signature Award.

2000 – Jamie Brown moves from Credo Entertainment to become a partner at Frantic, taking on the responsibilities of CEO and Executive Producer. Fresh off the success of living-history sensation Pioneer Quest: A Year in the Real West, Brown also begins assembling Frantic's new Live Action Division.

Meanwhile, Chris Bond and Ken Zorniak receive the Business Development Bank of Canada's Manitoba Young Entrepreneurs of the Year Award

At 122 employees – and still growing at an astonishing rate – Frantic Films celebrates its first full decade of existence.

2001 – The feature Swordfish is released. The film features the now-famous Ventura Bank Explosion sequence, which becomes Frantic's calling card in the film industry.

Recognizing the role of research and development in the future of the industry, Frantic cements significant partnerships with key industry players such as eyeon Software. Mark Wiebe comes on board as the company's first software developer and Director of Research & Development.

In the fall, the company expands with the opening of its West Coast office in Vancouver. Frantic is named as one of Profit Magazine's "Top 50 Hottest Startups" and wins CanWest Global's I.H. Asper Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

In the Live Action Division, Lynne Skromeda – who worked with Jamie Brown on Pioneer Quest – joins the team to assume a variety of production responsibilities as the in-house line producer.

2002 – The Live Action Division's television production Quest for the Bay becomes the highest-rated series of the year for History Television; the series is subsequently sold to PBS in the U.S.

Frantic takes the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce Awards by storm, earning three of 10 possible honors, including Innovator of the Year.

The Commercial Division continues to evolve; in November, it is officially incorporated as its own company.

2003 – The VFX Division demonstrates the value of previsualization as a production tool by creating previz sequences for X2: X-Men United. The division continues to show the versatility of their work with the release of The Italian Job, Paycheck and The Core.

Looking toward the future, Frantic officially forms its Software Division. At SIGGRAPH 2003 in San Diego, the division unveils an early version of Flood, its groundbreaking fluid dynamics software. The technology is critical in the creation of the Tar Monster for Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed.

In June, Frantic announces the opening of its Los Angeles production office. Meanwhile, at the Banff Television Festival, CEO Jamie Brown is recognized with the Lions Gate Innovative Producers Award.

Jeff Peeler joins Frantic in August, coming over from Critical Madness Productions. Peeler assumes the dual roles of Vice-President and Executive Producer of the Commercial Division. The move marks a major step forward for the division, ushering in a period of renewed growth – and helping to establish an international presence on the commercial front.

2004 – As Frantic begins a four-year (and counting) run on Canada's Profit Magazine "100 Fastest Growing Companies", the Live Action Division's latest installment in the Quest series – Quest for the Sea – debuts on History Television and its first movie-of-the-week: Zeyda and the Hitman (starring Danny Aiello, Judd Hirsh and Mercedes Ruehl) airs on CTV.

Frantic is named as one of Canada's Innovation Leaders by the National Research Council of Canada, largely due to the seven months dedicated to developing fluid simulation technology (a.k.a. Flood) for Scooby Doo 2. Frantic's software team gives the industry an inside look at the Tar Monster's development at SIGGRAPH 2004 in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Frantic introduces its new render farm management system software Deadline to the market.

Other Frantic projects on the silver screen include Catwoman and Resident Evil: Apocalypse, while the Live Action Division telefilm Zeyda and the Hitman (starring Danny Aiello, Judd Hirsh and Mercedes Ruehl) airs on CTV.

2005 – Frantic works closely with Richard "dr." Baily on the 20th Century Fox thriller Stay. Capitalizing on the massive amounts of particles generated by Image Savant's Spore Technology – as developed by Baily – Frantic in turn creates Krakatoa, a high-density particle renderer. The program is capable of rendering millions of particles per frame. Krakatoa and Flood are also combined to create realistic smoke effects for the Wes Craven werewolf feature Cursed.

Live Action's first lifestyle series, Last Chance for Romance, premieres on Global Television, living history turns to the military for Bomber Boys: The Fighting Lancaster and the biopic Ken Leishman: The Flying Bandit airs on History Television.

Elsewhere, the Software Division launches Amaretto, the 3ds Max interface for the NVIDIA Gelato renderer. Frantic also creates a new online community for computer animation and visual effects professionals at franticfilms.com/support. The community offers a common area for industry pros and support for all Frantic software. Behind the scenes, Scott McCulloch joins Frantic as Software Division Coordinator – a role that would evolve into his current post as Research & Development Manager.

On the other side of the globe, Frantic opens an office in Sydney, Australia to accommodate work on Superman Returns; once the project is completed, Frantic chooses to maintain this international presence on a permanent basis.

2006 – It's a busy year for Frantic VFX projects on the silver screen, with the release of Superman Returns, X-Men: The Last Stand, Poseidon, Silent Hill and Idlewild. Frantic contributes 140 VFX shots for Superman Returns, demonstrating how the company pushes the boundaries of VFX technology on every project. The film serves as a showcase for Flood, Krakatoa, a custom crystal management system for kryptonite effects and Flood: Surf, Frantic's innovative ocean surface software program.

The Live Action Division celebrates a Gemini Award after Til Debt Do Us Part earns the nod for Best Lifestyle/Practical Information series and the series is ordered for two more seasons. Additionally, two other Frantic live action projects earn nominations: Bomber Boys: The Flying Lancaster (Best Reality Series) and the one-hour documentary Ken Leishman:The Flying Bandit (Best Biography Documentary). Lawyer series Almost Legal airs on the Life Network, Music Rising, which details efforts to bring live music back to areas hardest-hit by Hurricane Katrina, airs to strong numbers of CTV. And November sees the premiere of high drama living history series Devil's Brigade on History Television. Meanwhile, producer Lynne Skromeda is named Vice-President of the division.

The Software Division opens its first-ever booth at SIGGRAPH 2006 in Boston, giving the industry an up-close look at Krakatoa, Flood: Surf, Deadline and Amaretto. Frantic is also named one of Deloitte's "Technology Fast 50" winners.

2007 – In January, the Live Action's new series Guinea Pig debuts on Discovery Channel and quickly cracks the Top 100 Canadian specialty channel shows, garnering an order for more episodes. OLN airs surfing doc Breakbound in the spring. Til Debt Do Us Part becomes Frantic's longest running series as it is renewed for its fourth and fifth seasons.

Frantic receives its first two Academy Award nominations in February, as Superman Returns and Poseidon compete in the achievement in visual effects category.

At 122 employees – and still growing at an astonishing rate – Frantic Films celebrates its first full decade of existence.