scorchedICE
Though it has grown and diversified into a sophisticated urban metropolis, the city of Calgary still retains the cowboy ethos and roughneck persona which has defined it since its hardscrabble days as a cow town and destination for oilfield wildcatters in the southern province of Alberta, Canada. It may seem like an odd location for a boutique digital post production facility, but once you meet Craig Van Horne, the face behind scorchedICE, it all makes sense. The straight talking, shoot-from-the-hip Van Horne specializes in tapeless, file-based workflow, focusing mostly on corporate commercial video as well as assisting clients and other production facilities solve workflow issues and create efficient communications. And to anyone who listens, Craig preaches the gospel of BOXX.
“Having a company that supplies equipment and technical support in order for me to do what I love to do and to have them really care about what I do—you can’t beat that. One of the first questions you hear when you talk to a BOXX consultant is the question, ‘What are you going to do with it?’ They understand my business. BOXX is passionate about my passion.” Craig often works alongside Jump Studios, another Calgary-based award-winning design, animation and visual effects studio whose clients include ESPN, Disney, and ABC. “Jump is proudly, exclusively a BOXX shop,” he confides. Although Craig is not impressed by studios who advertise impressive lists of gear, he is quick to add that a when he sees a company with BOXX workstations, he sees a company that will deliver on time and on budget—a quality which has never been more critical as a tight economy heralds the call for more efficient workflows. Through his experience with scorchedICE and Jump Studios, Craig sees an industry shift in workflow, the need to create new workflows for different types of projects, and appreciates BOXX flexibility in that regard. “You have to define what works for you,” Craig says, “and don’t bend your business to someone else’s idea of what a workflow should be.” His own successful business is proof-positive that a customized efficient workflow results in greater profit margins.
Craig Van Horne runs 3ds Max and Cinema 4D on his BOXX workstations, creating process animation and motion graphics for corporate heavyweights and Fortune 500 Companies. He also relies heavily on his BOXX render farm, whose speed and power easily handles his most complex projects and frees him up to enjoy life outside of the studio. “I don’t want a relationship with my computer,” he laughs. “I want to be out in the real world—not babysitting rendering.”
But most often, when the subject is BOXX, Craig waxes enthusiastically about what he deems as “BOXX’s true value.” He explains that the vast majority of post work is boutique, in studios with less than four employees. “They can’t afford an IT department,” he says, “and frankly, most IT guys don’t understand this business.” Craig explains, “BOXX has added value. I can call Randall Marley (or another member of BOXX Technical Support) and talk to someone real. These are people that understand your business.” Craig pauses for rare moment. “A BOXX workstation comes with its own IT department,” he smiles. “It’s the one thing I always come back to—that level of support. You just can’t find that elsewhere.”
