Pace Pictures, a full-service sound and picture postproduction facility based in Hollywood, and ShockBox VFX, a bicoastal specialist in visual effects, animation and motion graphics, have formed a strategic alliance for film and television projects. The two companies provide studios and producers with integrated services, encompassing all aspects of post, in order to finish any project efficiently, cost-effectively, and with greater creative control.

The agreement formalizes a successful collaborative partnership that has been evolving over many years. Pace Pictures and ShockBox collaborated informally in 2015 on the independent feature November Rule. Since then, they have teamed up on numerous projects including, most recently, the Hulu series Veronica Mars, Lionsgate’s 3 From Hell and Universal Pictures’ Grand-Daddy Day Care and Undercover Brother 2. Pace provided services including creative editorial, color grading, editorial finishing and sound mixing. ShockBox contributed visual effects, animation and main title design.

“We offer complementary services and our staff have developed close working rapport,” said Pace Pictures president Heath Ryan. “We want to keep building on that. A formal alliance benefits both companies and our clients.”

As part of the agreement, ShockBox will move its West Coast operations to an all-new facility that Pace plans to open later this fall. The two companies have also set up an encrypted, high-speed data connection between Pace Pictures, Hollywood, and ShockBox, New York, allowing them to exchange project data quickly and securely. 

The companies’ joint work has covered a range of styles and scope. For the horror film 3 From Hell, Pace Pictures was responsible for editorial finishing, final color grading and deliverables, while ShockBox created more than 500 visual effects shots. For Veronica Mars, ShockBox designed and produced the series’ new opening title sequence (set to a new rendition of the series’ theme song "We Used to Be Friends" sung by Chrissie Hynde) with Pace handling editorial and post. For the two Universal Pictures features, Grand-Daddy Day Care and Undercover Brother 2, Pace Pictures provided creative editorial, color grading and editorial finishing services; ShockBox was the sole visual effects supplier.

Established by Ryan in 2005, Pace Pictures offers color grading, editorial finishing, visual effects, titling, sound design, sound mixing, media management and related services, available individually, or as turnkey solutions. It recently provided sound mixing services for the upcoming Lionsgate release Midway and post services for 20th Century Fox’s Ad Astra.

ShockBox, founded in 2015, is led by Steven and Danielle Addair, Peter M. Green and James Hall, and maintains production offices in New York City and Los Angeles. Additional credits include Netflix’s Brainchild, Fox and WWE Studios’ Santa’s Little Helper and Viacom/BET’s The Quad. ShockBox’s clients include Saban, Shudder, Pepsi, Philips Electronics and Cirque du Soleil.