Weta Productions named a top technology innovator

Weta Productions received recognition for their contribution to economic growth and their development of cutting-edge technology at an awards ceremony last week for their work on television series, Jane and The Dragon...

Weta Productions, alongside three other businesses, received a 2006 Technology Commendation Award from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology to mark its outstanding achievements.

Weta Productions is the television production company of Weta, run by Richard Taylor and Andrew Smith with Technical development led by Trevor Bryman. Weta Productions uses various forms of technology in a unique way to create high quality, lower cost television animation. The technology, currently being used in a 26-episode 3D animation series, called Jane and the Dragon (pictured above), fast-tracks the animation process by capturing the movements of actors on a motion capture stage. The actors wear special lycra suits peppered with reflective dots, and relaying the images to a computer via infrared cameras lining the studio.

Chief Executive of the Foundation, Murray Bain, says Weta and the winning companies are contributing significantly to New Zealand's economic transformation by using technology to become globally competitive firms. "Growing globally is critical to New Zealand's future economic and social wellbeing", he says. "These four companies are leading the way by creating products that are forging new overseas markets and building a highly skilled, innovative workforce."

Traditionally, characters are modelled on computer before being passed to skilled technicians who animate the shots manually. Weta Productions uses various forms of technology in a completely different and unique way, reducing the labour and technical knowledge required. The animation pipeline produces the highest quality show while remaining within television budgets.

Jane and the Dragon could not have been made without the new technology, which has created 50 new jobs and has won a prized Banff 2006 World Television Award for best animation.

Canadian company Nelvana invested in the first 26 episodes of Jane and the Dragon, which is expected to screen on New Zealand television next year. Rights to the series have been sold in Australia, the US, the UK, Canada, Latin America and South Africa.

The Technology Commendation Awards were established in 1999 to publicly recognise companies that have developed or applied new technology that has grown their business and benefited New Zealand.