Katana New Customers Announcement

London, February 28 2023. Foundry, the leading developer of creative software for the Media and Entertainment industries, today announces nine new studios have adopted its look development and lighting toolset, Katana, over the past 18 months. Signed studios include Reel FX, Monkeys, Cumulus VFX, Shirogumi, Brazen Animation, Pop Family Entertainment, Infinite Studios, FutureWorks and Boxel Studio, further expanding Katana’s global footprint from North America to India and Japan.  

Katana has long been used by major studios including Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Pixar; the tool itself originates from some of the biggest shows at Sony. But the scalability and time efficiencies Katana offers make it an accessible and attractive option for small and medium studios alike across many verticals, proven by the latest cohort who specialize in video game cinematics and episodic shows, as well as VFX and animation.

As demand for high quality production and episodic content continues to rise, the pressure for studios to strengthen resources and ensure that projects are delivered on time and to budget is greater than ever. Katana’s commitment to studio and artists’ needs ensures that projects can be scaled easily as well as enabling more shots per artist. Katana strives to optimize time and resources by encouraging seamless collaboration, anywhere in the world.

John Anderholm, Technical Supervisor at Reel FX, says: "Katana is an integral part of the Reel FX workflow. By easily creating scalable and repeatable looks covering large numbers of shots, our team can move quickly without sacrificing accuracy. With more time to focus on the creative instead of task-based minutia, we can push the boundaries of what we can accomplish while delivering at a consistently high level. Our show partners love it."

Paul Denhard, Senior Product Manager, Look Development and Lighting says: “We’re delighted to see more artists and studios around the world experience the benefits of Katana. 

“Although the origins of Katana were born from a global studio, Katana’s power to streamline artists’ work at scale, enabling studios to expand into more projects, is more accessible than ever for look development and lighting teams at small and medium-sized studios.”