"If we have a problem - obviously we need to get it fixed quite quickly and we do have a good response time, not just to fix bugs but also to see if there are any features that we need adding. If I do have any issues with the Reality system then Computer Film Services will quickly follow up any problems that I have."

View John Paul Harney interview.

Joe Dembinski, Director of Photography & Director of Hot Animation. "The systems are user-friendly and versatile; the programs do exactly what we want them to do and the animators feel comfortable using them."
"If you were to take this kit away from the animators they would be totally stumped, it is an invaluable aide to animation production."

"Peter Challis, Digital Instructor & Technician at The Royal College of Art endorses CFS by saying, "I've been very pleased with both the new equipment supplied and service given on existing DPS hardware; Computer Film Services are one of the best suppliers the department has dealt with. They have been a great help to our students giving prompt advice and assistance far beyond anything I had expected.""

Chris Bowden, Producer at Cosgrove Hall Films says, "We have been using the dpsReality systems here at Cosgrove Hall for about two years. Actually, our association with Computer Film Services began in 1996 when we were amongst the first to use the PVR systems to directly record stop motion animation for the Gerry Anderson production 'Lavender Castle.' By the time we equipped for 'Fetch the Vet,' three years later, we had progressed to the latest Reality systems which we found displayed all the stability of the old PVR and allowed us to record uncompressed 16:9 images.
"Stability is really the key to any computer based recorder we put in to our studios. Even over a two-year production cycle we just can't afford to lose any time with machine failures. The dpsReality has performed solidly.

"We are now making good use of the ability to store soundtracks in the machines. On some of our more complicated productions, this is proving very useful in allowing directors and studio crew to test edit and pre-visualise scenes.

"Overall we've been delighted with the Reality systems, and they are finding use right the way through our company from CGI to studio floor."

Jacquie Trowell, Director Triggerfish Animation, South Africa says, "When Triggerfish decided to go ahead with dpsReality, some of the CFS team made a trip to South Africa to help get things going. I finally felt secure that I had the right combination of technology and support for my specific needs. And the support continues.

"I am constantly in touch with CFS and they are always available to answer (patiently) my millions of questions! Their knowledge of animation production, DPS technology and how they work best together has helped me take my first step towards the digital production of stop-motion animation."

Jacquie Trowell adds, "The friendly support and service that I have received from Computer Film Services has been outstanding and invaluable. Coming from a 35mm background and being fairly isolated in Cape Town, South Africa, I have relied heavily on their expertise and advice."

The Little Entertainment Company says, "It was decided early on in the production that Merlin would be shot digitally onto a DDR as opposed to the traditional film route, for both speed and quality. A secondary benefit has been the ease with which we have been able to digitally transfer picture material from our studio into post-production via dpsReality's unique virtual file system."
"We are currently shooting with five Reality set-ups, four running the Animate software, linked to a fifth set-up for day-to-day back-up, rendering composites and the final rushes output."

"Throughout the eighteen months of this production, Computer Film Services has provided us with quick and hassle-free backup, which is one of the key reasons we have thus far delivered well within time and budget."

Matt Stevens, The Hive, DVD Department comments "Reality comes in very handy for batch work, especially capturing stills or whole sections from a single DigiBeta. Just type in all the time codes and hit go, it does the rest, great! Playing things to a DigiBeta from Reality is great. It's really easy to insert footage anywhere on the Digi, which is essential to us because we often get late changes to the menu text. It has been 100% accurate and so much easier than fiddling around with the DigiBeta machine. On top of that, the remote access and control is a great feature when it comes to importing and showing work to clients."

3D Animator Adrian Wyer sees the advantages that Reality gives to the 3D creative process for which The Hive is justifiably renowned.

He says, "Reality has enabled us to keep our production pipeline going at full tilt, whilst still being able to view and edit clips on the machine. Three people can be rendering to the Reality, whilst someone else can be laying off a tape. No one has to stop work and there is no bottleneck. The ability to store footage at different compression ratios means we can manage storage more efficiently, animatics can be sorted at four or five MB/sec, and finals can be uncompressed for maximum image quality."

Donovan Hide, Digital Compositor for 'Camouflage' & Technical Manager at Sherbet enthusiastically endorses CFS.

Donovan used dpsReality "...in conjunction with After Effects to keep track of the film as it matured through production. We used a combination of live action and animation.

"Using dpsReality we did a rough on-line edit and transferred stills to Reality, then slotted in the animation and did the compositing in the studio.

"Being able to keep track of the development of the film using the system was a really good bonus."