Iranian Delegation at Mikros Image Studios

The first program on Iranian filmmakers in Paris was a visit Mikros Image Studios, a leading digital visual effects and post house for cinema, TV and advertisement which was established in 1985. Managing Director Gilles Gaillard welcomed the delegation and explained that the company has an annual 22 million Euros in circulation, of which 70% comes from advertisements, 25% from cinema and 5% from exhibitions and services rendered to museum exhibitions. He continued: “We started making films in 2001, when I began my work as the Managing Director of the company, and now we make 15 feature films a year, and of course handle the post production services for 35 French feature films.” Mikros Image has four departments of CGI, conversion of digital films to 35mm films, Technology research and study, and business and order processing. 

In addition to France, the organization has a branch in Belgium, as the Belgian government has been using tax exemptions and governmental budgets to support and develop its national cinema. On hundred and seventy salaried employees and eighty free lancers work in the two buildings of the company, one in Paris suburbs and one downtown, in an area of 3600 sqm. At the entrance of the first floor, a TV screen showed the company’s produced advertisement clips which were mostly made with CEG technology. The first part of the tour was the workshop of animation makers, who used 8 to 10 computer design sets to create animated characters and virtual sets, using Linux and Apple Macintosh software programs. All the memories of the institute were kept in a data center, a 16sqm room with rows of computer racks. At Mikros Image, each project is assigned to a project manager, who will supervise and manage the progress of each stage of the project. The project manager and the business manager of the company appoint one person to each project as the artistic supervisor. Centre national de la cinématographie undertakes 75% of the digital costs of post production services for feature films. This institute is one of the ten major companies in France which handle 75% of the post production digital services of French Cinema. After the end of the tour, the Managing Director sat with the Iranian delegation for one hour and answered to their questions.