OMG CELEBRATES THE EIGHT BEST MOVIES OF 2008
Visual effects expert Oxford Metrics Group continues to lead the way in delivering movie magic

Oxford, UK (1 December, 2008) – Oxford Metrics Group plc (OMG), developer of motion capture and image understanding systems, is celebrating its involvement in eight of the best movie releases of 2008, further highlighting its position as the leading visual effects company in the world.

The eight movies from 2008 are: Sweeney Todd, Tropic Thunder, Prince Caspian, 10,000 BC, Iron Man, Meet Dave, Changeling and Hell Boy II.

The Group’s award-winning products – Vicon’s MX motion capture cameras and 2d3’s match moving software, boujou – have enabled film-makers to capture spectacular action sequences and create stunning visual effects that satisfy even the most demanding film enthusiasts. Many shots initially thought impossible because of challenging conditions were finished to the highest standards.

Meet Dave, released in July, was the latest film from director Brian Robbins. It follows the story of a desperate crew of miniature alien humanoids, with their home planet in danger and no place in the known universe to seek shelter, they board a human spacecraft (Eddie Murphy) in hopes of saving their doomed world.

Dan Kruse, head camera tracker at Hydraulx said: “We have found that without the precision and speed of boujou in our camera tracking pipeline, we probably wouldn’t be able to do the large turn around of shots that we do.”

Kruse continued: “With the ever growing extreme camera moves in film today, many shots would prove to be untrackable without boujou.”

Another of the top eight movies relied heavily on Vicon’s capabilities. Prince Caspian, released in June 2008 and out on DVD on 2nd December, needed to create a huge number of talking beasts and other strange creatures, as well as long battle sequences. The team used Vicon’s MX40+ cameras to deliver outstanding and detailed motion capture data.

Adam Valdez, animation director at MPC, said: “Prince Caspian proved to be our most complex crowd project to date. One of our big challenges was hybrid creatures which required complex motion editing. Audiomotion (The UK’s largest motion capture service provider) stepped up to the creative task, refining the solution until our client was happy with some truly exciting sequences.”

Nick Bolton, chief executive at OMG, said: “We’re very proud that OMG is associated with such fantastic films. It’s great to hear industry talent speak so enthusiastically about our products.”
He continued: “2008 was a great year for seeing the best of motion capture at the cinema and we already can’t wait for 2009’s offerings. I am especially looking forward to seeing the greatly anticipated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. An enormous amount of work has gone into the making of this film so make sure you don’t miss it!”

In addition to its use in the movie industry, and in computer games, Vicon’s motion capture technology is also used by consultant surgeons working with movement-related ailments such as cerebral palsy, and by athletes training or working on improving their performance.

-ENDS-

Images available on request

About Oxford Metrics Group
Oxford Metrics (LSE: OMG) is a group of technology companies producing image understanding solutions for the entertainment, defence, life science and engineering industries. Be it for capturing the movements of actors (for the movie industry), sportsmen (for video games or improving team performance), children with Cerebral Palsy, rehab patients and animals (for medical, life science and research industries) or virtual reality displays (for engineering and development), the Group has the world leading market position and a strong international reputation for precision instruments.

Founded in 1984, the Group’s headquarters are in Oxford, UK, and has offices in California and Colorado, USA. It has customers in over 50 countries and is a quoted company listed on AIM, a market operated by the London Stock Exchange. The Group trades through three operating subsidiaries – Vicon, the world’s biggest motion capture and movement analysis company, 2d3, a manufacturer of specialised image understanding software for entertainment and defence applications and Yotta, our 3D mapping business.

Oxford Metrics’ global clients in science, medicine, sport, engineering, gaming, film and broadcast include major hospitals and research facilities such as Guy's Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and Loughborough University, engineering industry leaders including Ford Motor Company, BMW, Airbus, Caterpillar, and Toyota, and in the entertainment sector, Sony, Industrial Light and Magic, The Moving Picture Company (MPC), Sega, Nintendo, UbiSoft, EA, Square Enix and many others.

For more information about OMG and its subsidiaries, visit www.omg3d.com, www.yotta.tv, www.vicon.com, or www.2d3.com.

Press contact:
Hayley Roberts / Ingrid Semanikova
ShoutIT Communications
Tel: 0118 946 9262
Email: hayleyr@shoutitpr.com / ingrids@shoutitpr.com