Dr. Toon discusses the implications of Avatar on Live-Action Animated Features.

Sony Pictures Animation has acquired the rights to Atari's ROLLERCOASTER TYCOON, reports HEAT VISION.

HEAT VISION reports that Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison is ready to bring Patrick Jean's viral hit PIXELS into a feature film.

DreamWorks has bought the rights to the board game MONSTERPOCALYPSE, reports Deadline.com.

Australian Screen Industry News reports that the Australian federal government just made it easier to qualify for Post, Digital and Visual Effects (PDV) tax incentives.

The SIGGRAPH 2010 Technical Papers program has been announced under the chair of Tony DeRose from Pixar Animation Studios and topics range from a new application for browsing street-level imagery to new advancements in architecture demonstrating that curved surfaces can be just as rigid as traditional designs.

Since its release, AVATAR sold 19.7 million DVDs/Blu-rays, making it the fastest selling title for its first three weeks, reports REUTERS.

Anthony Mackie and Evangeline Lilly have joined the cast of DreamWorks' REAL STEEL, reports VARIETY.

Read about the making of Iron Man's latest adversary.

The Bilbao Chamber of Commerce and DigiPen Institute of Technology (USA) today launched DigiPen Institute of Technology Europe - Bilbao, a school dedicated to growing innovation in the video game and animation industries.

Read how ILM ramps up the action for Iron Man, War Machine and Whiplash.

AEAF Awards 2010, 11 August 2010, Sydney

Seminars and screenings plus the AEAF Awards screening and presentation. 

The AEAF Awards Entry Form 

The Australian Effects & Animation Festival Awards - AEAF Awards - is an international competition and screening now in its 13th year and attracts entries from around the world. The Awards recognize and reward excellence and creativity in 10 categories of competition. 

Commercials Animation - Commercials VFX - Titles, Idents & Stings - Short Film - Student - Music Video - TV Series - Flash Animation - Feature Films Animation - Feature Films VFX

The AEAF Awards finalists and winners will be screened on 11 August 2010. 

The panel of judges will select the top ten entries in each category for screening and the top scoring entry will be named winner and receive the award.
The AEAF Awards are open to all digital content creators and motion graphics, digital video, animation and effects professionals and students.

Digital Media Online Festival For the first time, all entries will have the opportunity to be shown online at www.digitalmedia-world.com prior to judging by the panel.

If you want your peers in the filmmaking community to view your projects, and believe you deserve industry recognition, then enter your work now. If you choose, it will be shown online straightaway.

Previous winners of the AEAF Awards are among the world's premier post-production companies, effects houses and film studios. Past winners include: 

Weta Digital - Animal Logic - Industrial Light & Magic - Beeps - Complete Post - Digital Pictures - Fuel - Iloura - Rising Sun Pictures - Fin Design & Effects - Sony Pictures Imageworks - Passion Pictures - The Mill - Box Communications - John Rowe Animation - Framestore CFC - Nectarine - Bigfish Design - Pixar Animation Studios - Students from AFTRS - QUT - VCA - and many others. 

Don’t miss out on your chance to be involved in Australia’s leading competition for the creation of animation and effects and digital content creation. Make sure to enter your work in the AEAF Awards 2010. Simply fill in the Entry Form and send it to us with your entry, no later than 30 June 2010.

All finalists’ entries will be screened at the AEAF Awards night on 11 August 2010. Winning entries receive the specially commissioned Award and, most important, exposure through a screening of the entries, press coverage including the Showcase issue of Digital Media World Magazine and the recognition of the digital content creation, animation and VFX communities

Please see the Entry Form to enter online or download an entry form. We look forward to receiving your entry.

 

As expected, IRON MAN 2 cleaned up at the box office for the weekend of May 7-9, 2010.

Anthony Hopkins is in talks to join Chuck Russell's ARABIAN NIGHTS, reports HEAT VISION.

Executive production and distribution company Bejuba! Entertainment is partnering with TELETOON Canada inc to develop a new live-action/CGI tween series entitled *The Sherlock Legacy* based on the original book *The Sherlock Legacy*.

A miniature Mexican wrestler might not be the obvious choice for a Canadian cell phone company's spokesman. But when Bent Image Lab Director Rob Shaw discovered just such a character in Toronto-based TAXI 2's script for the latest Koodo Mobile campaign, he immediately saw the connection.

The housing and homelessness charity Shelter and popular children's brand 'Bob the Builder' - whose licensor is HIT Entertainment, one of the world's leading independent children's producers and rights owners, today announce an exclusive three-year partnership.

Anonymous Content has added yet another standout director to their lineup with the addition of CG specialist Trevor Cawood.

Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADSK), has unveiled eight industry-oriented software suites to help students learn core design and engineering skills. The suites contain the full range of Autodesk 2D and 3D design software tools used by professionals worldwide.

And this May, I dare say, they’re ambitiously launching a diverse program of movies depicting a Japan both known and unknown.