Image Metrics, a provider of facial animation solutions for the entertainment industry, announced that it is aligning its operations into video game and film and TV divisions in order to address the growing demand for its services in the two industries. Kelvin Duckett has been promoted to general manager of the film group, and former Havok sales exec Brian Waddle is joining the company as general manager of the games unit. In these newly created positions, Duckett and Waddle will work directly with Image Metrics CEO Mike Starkenburg to expand business operations in their respective markets.
Having guided Image Metrics in various roles over the past several years including a stint as COO, Duckett will oversee global sales to feature film and visual effects studios, post production houses and broadcast customers. During his 20-year career in the film industry, he has built, run and sold highly technical service companies such as 525 Post Productions in Hollywood, Virgin Mexico in Mexico City, Rushes in London, MediaLab in Paris and POP & Post Logic Studios in Los Angeles. Trained as an editor, Duckett has worked for the BBC, ITN and ABC News, and has also worked extensively as a visual FX specialist on commercials and music videos.
With Duckett’s guidance, Image Metrics has recently debuted a beta program for film studios interested in incorporating the performance transfer portion of its facial animation technology into their internal production pipelines. The company attracted a lot of attention when it showcased its facial animation capabilities at SIGGRAPH 2008 with a photo-real demo of a character named ‘Emily.’
Brian Waddle brings senior management expertise and a history of sales success to the role of general manager of video games. Before joining Image Metrics, he was VP of worldwide sales and marketing at Havok, where he oversaw global sales and marketing operations and channel development until the company’s recent acquisition by Intel.
Image Metrics rapidly re-creates realistic facial performances without markers or makeup. The company’s solutions have been adopted by some of the best-known production studios in the entertainment world, including Digital Domain, Rockstar Games and Sony Computer Entertainment. Recent projects include facial animation for cinematic sequences in the video games Rock Band 2 and Grand Theft Auto IV. Image Metrics has offices in Santa Monica, Calif. and Manchester, U.K.
