BRUSSELS, January 26, 2009—FedEx Express, the world’s largest express transportation company and a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) played a crucial role in the making of the new animated movie, “Brendan and The Secret of Kells.”
In two years, FedEx has shipped more than 250,000 drawings between art studios in Belgium, France, Ireland, Hungary and Brazil on assignments by Belgian movie producer Vivi Film. The movie will soon be shown in the Belgian Kinepolis movie theatres.
“Brendan and The Secret of Kells” is co-produced by Vivi Film in Belgium, Les Armateurs in France and Cartoon Saloon in Ireland. The film was shot and drawn in 2D, a technology that is gradually being phased out because of the latest 3D applications.
“Choosing 2D was a conscious choice from an artistic point of view,” said Vivi Film’s Viviane Vanfleteren. “Because we worked with drawing studios in France, Ireland, Hungary and Brazil on this film, we needed a company that could transport drawings from one studio to the other, not only quickly but also reliably. Because FedEx also handles logistics for many film festivals and has built up a strong reputation in the movie world, the choice was made quickly.”
Vivi Film sent more than 250,000 drawings to its partner drawing studios. Due to FedEx’s track-and-trace system, all drawing studios could follow exactly where the drawings were, at any time of the day or night. “This was extremely useful when calling in the right people and planning,” added Viviane Vanfleteren. “About 200 people, spread over five drawing studios, worked on the film and that made careful planning necessary. Without FedEx’s handy tracking system this would have been much harder. As a result, the production process didn’t have any delays resulting from the whole logistics process.”
FedEx was both a logistics provider and one of the film’s main sponsors. This allowed Vivi Film to save 40% on its transportation expenses.
“We have been closely involved in the film industry for many years,” explained Stéphane Verdoy, MD Sales Benelux, Scandinavia and the Baltic countries for FedEx Express. “For example, every year we sponsor the most important film festivals in Belgium, including the Ghent International Film Festival, the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF) and the animated film festival Anima. In addition, FedEx has a rich film history. It has been involved in transporting scenery and props. Because film producers usually have only one copy available on film and because films move from one festival to the next, producers must be able to count on their film reaching the various festivals on time and intact. FedEx can offer them that certainty.”
“Brendan and The Secret of Kells” can be seen in Kinepolis movie theatres starting 11 February.