The Academy Award-winning special effects team of Volker Engel (Independence Day) and Marc Weigert today announced the formation of their new production company, Uncharted Territory.

Based in Los Angeles, the duo plan to make story-driven motion pictures with cost-effective blockbuster effects. Uncharted Territory's first feature, the action adventure Coronado,recently wrapped in Los Angeles and will shortly begin screenings for domestic and international distributors.

Shot in Europe,Mexico and Los Angeles, Coronado stars Kristin Dattilo, Clayton Rohner and John Rhys-Davies and follows the trail of a young Beverly Hills woman whose search for her missing fiance leads her into a Central American jungle in the grip of revolution. The picture was funded for an undisclosed sum by a group of German private investors and is represented Creative Artists Agency.

Engel, who received an Oscar for his visual effects work on 20th Century Fox's 1996 Independence Day, has worked with director Roland Emmerich on films such as Godzilla (TriStar /Centropolis) and Universal Soldier (Carolco). He becomes the company's chief executive officer, while chief financial officer duties go to Weigert, creator of the production software package, Digital Assistant for Visual Effects.

Weigert was formerly the owner/founder of Dreamscape Imagery, the visual effects outfit that worked on Disney's Flubber and Jim Henson Productions' Muppets From Space.

Engel and Weigert made extensive use of blue screens on Coronado, a technique they believe will beinstrumental in avoiding costly location shoots in the future.

"On films such as Independence Day and Godzilla we have proven that new technologies empower us as filmmakers in the creative process," Engel said. "Now, beginning with Coronado, we aim to implement these tools as producers to enhance the production process and create studio-quality films ata reasonable budget."

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