| Vision Crew Unlimited | |
| Type: | Privately held company |
| Foundation: | 1994 |
| Location: | Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Key People: | Evan Jacobs, Jon Warren, Douglas Miller |
| Num Employees: | 20-50 |
| Industry: | Visual effects, CGI |
| Fate: | Closed |
| Defunct: | 2002 |
| Homepage: | VisionCrew.com |
Vision Crew Unlimited (VCU) was a motion picture and TV commercial visual effects company founded in 1994 by visual effects artists Evan Jacobs, Jon Warren and Douglas Miller.[1] The company later expanded into a full service visual effects firm.
In 1996, VCU contributed miniature effects to James Cameron's film Titanic. While they were initially hired as a subcontractor to lead effects house Digital Domain, VCU was ultimately hired directly by 20th Century Fox to build miniatures for the engine room sequence as well.[2] [3] [4] In an interesting coincidence later that same year, the company was contracted to work on a CBS TV miniseries with the same name.[5]
While the company worked on many feature films, they were much more prolific in the television commercial market, and worked on over forty spots in eight years.[6] Their work was featured in ads for the majority of car brands[7] as well as Coca-Cola, Pizza Hut, and Geico.
In 1998, Jacobs and John Hoffman were nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries representing VCU's work on HBO's "From the Earth to the Moon".
Vision Crew closed in April 2002. The company attributed its shutdown to a difficult business climate and the founders' interest in pursuing other projects and opportunities.[8]
| Saint Paul Insurance "Boat" | Dodge "Truckville" | Buick "Igor" | |
| Ford Explorer "Geyser" | Evolution Trailer | Chrysler "Bridge" | |
| Oscar Mayer "Kid Kong" | UUNet "Tower" & "Train" | Motomaster | |
| Dodge "Diesel" | Anti-Smoking "Stereo Kid" PSA | Sony PlayStation "Access Granted" | |
| Hyundai "Expand" | Mercedes print ad | Jeep "Hand"[9] | |
| Toyota "Tundra" | Lexus "Fly" | Dodge "Saw" | |
| Land Rover print ad | Zyrtec "Apartment" & "Attic" | Garlic Tabasco "Vampire" | |
| Mercedes "Performance" | Anti-Smoking PSA "50 Ways"[10] | Lexus "High Bank" & "Hanger" | |
| Mazda "Transmission" | Zyrtec "Power" | Mighty Mighty Bosstones "Royal Oil" | |
| Diet Dr. Pepper "Shuttle" | Nissan "Toys II" | Geico "Lake" | |
| Geico "Alternate Transportation" | Hi-C "Blast" | Pizza Hut "Bread Subs" | |
| Jeep "Recognize It" | Duracell "Fishing" | Plymouth "Shakers" | |
| New York-New York Hotel & Casino | Jeep "Ice Fishing" | Plymouth "Mighty Mouse"[11] | |
| Coca-Cola "Things We Know" | Broken Arrow teaser trailer | Acclaim NFL Quarterback Club |