Category: Business

The new motion-capture company, Mobility Art Studios, has launched in Hyderabad, India, says THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The two-stage facility will use Vicon MX-F40 motion-capture cameras on projects for the film, TV, commercial and game industries.

As part of its business plan, the company will also offer cleanup services. In the future, it hopes to open a separate cleanup division and an online performance library.

DreamWorks Animation today (July 31, 2007) posted a sharply higher second-quarter profit, propelled by SHREK THE THIRD, which has reached global box office grosses of $720 million since mid-May.

The Glendale, California-based studio reported total revenue was $222.5 million and net income was $61.8 million, or 60 cents per share, compared with $74.9 million and net $13.7 million, or 13 cents per share, for the same period in 2006.

Mobile service provider Amp'd Mobile will shut down at the end of July following its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing last month, reports THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

On Monday, July 23, 2007, Amp'd sent a text message to its customers saying it would disconnect their services the next day. Later, on its website, the company said it would be "potentially suspending U.S. operations on July 31."

Amp'd grew quickly with a youthful customer base, however in its bankruptcy filling it stated that nearly 46% of its 175,000 subscribers were not paying their bills.

VFX house CafeFX is branching out into character animation, which will be headed up by Academy Award-nominated animation supervisor James Straus. The move is a reaction to an increased demand for the company's character animation work following its participation on PAN'S LABYRINTH.

TERMINATOR franchise rights owner, Halcyon Co. have filed a lawsuit against MGM in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging that MGM is getting in the way of the right to set up distribution deals for T4, reports VARIETY.

Halcyon principals Victor Kubicek and Derek Anderson purchased the rights to the franchise rights in May, which included sequel rights as well as a screenplay for the fourth installment from T3 writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris.

Production I.G. is set to acquire comic publisher Mag Garden in full by December, VARIETY reports. The Japanese toon firm already owns 15% of the company and will acquire the remaining shares in a 2-to-1 stock exchange. After the acquisition, Mag Garden will be removed from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Production I.G. hopes to use Mag Garden's manga properties as a source for animated productions.