DONNIE DARKO, Richard Kelly’s disturbing 2001 indie cult about teen angst, time tripping and a giant demonic rabbit, hit a little too close to home with its eerie 9/11 parallels. Plus its confusing, elliptical narrative polarized moviegoers. Still, this ’88 treatise on urban legends starring Jake Gyllenhaal became an instant one itself, prompting further elaboration in this expanded cut. Released theatrically last year and released on DVD Feb.

Turbo Squid, which touts the largest collection of royalty-free 3D products available for download, announced that the 100,000th 3D product has been posted for sale.

Sci Fi Channel has ordered a second season of its hit series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, with the number of episodes to be produced, timing for the new season and which cast members will return, to be announced.

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA has been a ratings winner for Sci Fi since its Jan. 14, 2005 premiere.

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF A SPOTLESS MIND was one of last year’s most intriguing movies, fashioned from the wild imaginations of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Michel Gondry. Erasing a love from one’s memory shook Jim Carrey and Oscar nominated Kate Winslet to the very core of their existence, and this new two-disc collector’s edition DVD (Universal Home Ent., $27.98) offers more than an hours of bonus features. Vfx provided by Buzz Image Group and Custom Film Effects. However, as Gondry illustrates, he definitely prefers old fashioned, in-camera tricks to CGI. “

Sony Pictures will release XXX, HELLBOY, RESIDENT EVIL 2 and ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO for the PSP on April 19, 2005, reports VARIETY. SPIDER-MAN 2 will be bundled with the first million PSP units. Pricing on the PSP flicks will be announced later next week. Sony Pictures Home Ent. plans to release four to five catalog films each week for the PSP. Since the launched of PSP in Japan in December, more than one million universal media disc (UMD) movies have been sold.

The Foundry’s Furnace proved to be an invaluable set of tools when Mumbai-based vfx studio VCL (Visual Computing Labs, a division Tata Elxsi) recently provided the 3D elements and compositing for the forthcoming Yash Raj feature, DHOOM. Led by VCL’s creative director and vfx supervisor, Pankaj Khandpur, the team consisted of around eight compositors with the remainder working in 3D who, in less than eight weeks, completed 553 vfx shots, with Furnace being used on more than100 of them, for rig and wire removal.

Alias has scheduled the second annual Maya API Developers Conference for June 6-8 in Santa Barbara, California. For three days, Alias offers a unique learning opportunity for software developers in the games and film industries to network with industry peers and gain insight into the Maya API (Application Programming Interface). In-depth seminars and hands on classes provide a rare chance to hear from Alias software developers and customers working in film and games.

Digital-Tutors offers the worldwide availability of FUNDAMENTALS OF MAYA: POLYGON AND SUB-D MODELING training kit, the latest release in a library of industry leading training resources for digital artists. In more than 3.5 hours and two discs of leading edge training methods, FUNDAMENTALS OF MAYA: POLYGON AND SUB-D MODELING, guides users though the fundamentals of modeling an original concept monster in Maya.

HP introduced the 64-bit xw9300 Workstation, the first to include AMD Opteron processors and support for NVIDIA Quadro SLI dual PCI Express graphics, built for customers with intensive computing demands, including 3D animation.

Atari Inc. is developing and publishing THE MATRIX: PATH OF NEO, an interactive console and PC game based on the blockbuster motion picture trilogy THE MATRIX, THE MATRIX RELOADED and THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS from Warner Bros. Pictures for a 2005 holiday release on PS2, Xbox and PC.

Rhythm & Hues was the first vfx studio to apply Massive’s new Smart Stunts capability on Fox’s ELEKTRA last year. Smart Stunts simplifies the creation of large groups of CG characters or creatures in Massive, the Academy Award-winning 3D animation system for AI-driven crowd-related effects used in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, developed by Massive Software.

Pixar animator John Kahrs, who worked on THE INCREDIBLES from model testing through completion, will discuss his work at Gnomon School of Visual Effects Feb. 24 at 7:00 pm.

Kahrs refined facial articulation for Mirage and Violet, and animated Bob and Syndrome, while working on Helen, Dash and Violet as well. He reveals the thought process he undertakes when trying to give each character life from the inside out...and the ways he brings detail and subtlety (or not) to each action.

Vicon Motion Systems has acquired Peak Performance Technologies, Inc., enabling the combined company to expand its market reach, broaden its product range and strengthen the company's technology expertise in the motion capture field.

OMG Group chief exec Julian Morris commented: "We believe that this is an excellent acquisition for the group, bringing expansion into the sports market and video-based motion capture. Peak and Vicon, together, provide a compelling proposition across a wide market and product range."

Vanguard Animation has built its CG pipeline with Maya software from Alias, starting with its feature debut, the 3D VALIANT. This business model will allow them to “produce more Hollywood-quality animated features faster, and for a much lower cost than is typical in the industry.”

VALIANT releases in Europe on March 25, 2005, and across the U.S. on April 15.

2d3 has begun shipping boujou three, the third-generation of its award-winning professional 3D camera matchmoving software. boujou three is designed for specialist tracking departments working on the most challenging shots, and complements boujou bullet, 2d3’s easy-to-use volume tracking solution.

boujou three is built around a range of new technologies and features including:

As VFXWORLD turns its focus in February to commercials, music videos and IDs, Tara DiLullo recently spoke with vfx artist Joe Laffey about his attention-grabbing spec spot, X-GAMES SKATEBOARD. The clever, fast-paced, MTV-style :45 spot features the tardy professional skateboarder, Caine Gayle, defying gravity, narrow alleys and city congestion to catch up to his fellow boarders on their X-Games-bound bus in Los Angeles. Laffey TV, the St.

The Process of Making Great Videogames
Westwood, California, USA
February 8, 2005

LA ACM SIGGRAPH is hosting “The Process of Making Great Videogames.” Attendees will see the latest in videogames and the innovative ways in which they are being made. Presenters from Pandemic Studios, Shiny Entertainment & Electronic Arts will be presenting the latest in the art and science of game development.

Discreet announced combustion 4 software, the highly anticipated upgrade to its visual effects desktop software solution. combustion software for Windows and Macintosh will feature a complete set of sophisticated tools for visual effects creation, including vector paint, particles, effects, animation and 3D compositing tools.

Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi (the ED TV series) have been brought on board to pen the feature adaptation of THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX for Universal Pictures, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Sylvain Chomet (THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE) is directing, while Gary Ross is producing through his Larger Than Life Prods. with partner Allison Thomas.

The project is based on the book, THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX: BEING THE STORY OF A MOUSE, A PRINCESS, SOME SOUP, AND A SPOOL OF THREAD, by Kate DiCamillo (BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE). It won the 2004 Newbery Medal for children's literature.

Some people will go to any lengths to avoid sharing Emerald Nuts. In EXAGGERATING DAD (:30), which aired during Super Bowl XXXIX, a father finds himself confronting a unicorn, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny – compliments of visual effects from The Syndicate – when he makes excuses why his young daughter shouldn't sample his Emerald Nuts.