"Zero Dark Thirty" Optimized With Avere Systems

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Some of the visual effects for the new movie "Zero Dark Thirty" were provided by Image Engine, which has saved money by using storage from Avere Systems.

Network attached storage optimization provider Avere Systems announced that Image Engine, a company specializing in visual effects for feature films, has tapped Avere to dramatically reduce costs as part of its new storage architecture system.

Storage costs were significantly reduced for Imagine Engine, with  a cluster of Avere FXT 3500 Edge filers.  Image Engine has been involved in feature films such as Zero Dark Thirty, Battleship, District 9 and The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

"Our continued success has required us to do a greater amount of rendering which puts significant pressure on the servers and systems," said Gino Del Rosario, head of technology, Image Engine. "By leveraging Avere, we are able to scale as well as send and route massively large files without any challenges. The Avere architecture separates storage performance from storage capacity allowing us more flexibility to address studio needs in a compartmentalized manner – something our previous solution addressed in a totally different way."

Access to VFX software currently used by Image Engine runs through the Avere Edge filer cluster including all 3D and 2D applications. One of the key features that has proven to be helpful for Image Engine has been the analytics provided by the graphical user interface, which enables the company to monitor performance in order to pinpoint hotspots, IOPS and latency trends.

Image Engine announced it has provided over 300 shots for Zero Dark Thirty, which has been nominated for a 2013 Visual Effects Society Award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture. "High-end ‘invisible’ effects such as digital environments and hard surface animation have become increasingly important core competencies at Image Engine," said Steve Garrad, Visual Effects Executive Producer. "A film like Zero Dark Thirty relies upon Image Engine for highly nuanced, photorealistic effects, and I think the results speak for themselves."