Promax/BDA India is an event for entertainment marketers, promoters and designers. This year's conference will look at the line between branding and promotion that creates meaning, and branding that just adds to the clutter.
ZEITGIEST is a unique and ambitious multimedia, musical event by P.J. Merola. This event is free and not for profit. It runs from May 29 - June 3, 2007 at 8:00-9:30 pm.
ZEITGEIST is an abstract, aesthetic exploration of personal belief and social myth -- told through a multimedia work of live solo percussion, stereo video displays and electronic music. Using animation, live performance, drama, humor, and narrative, ZEITGEIST attempts to bring its audience to a place that most likely counters what they believe as true.
Lauren Corrao, evp, original programming and development, Comedy Central, announced the network's 2007 and 2008 development slate, which includes an animated project by Larry the Cable Guy.
Projects in development run the gamut from short-form and sketch/variety to scripted narrative and animation starring a cross-section of top comedic talent such as Lewis Black, David Alan Grier, Michael Ian Black, T. Sean Shannon, Larry the Cable Guy and JoKoy and feature top producers including Jamie Tarses, Robert Morton, Max Brooks, Scott Carter and David Sacks, and Jim Biederman.
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE, created by Stephan Pastis, has been named Best Newspaper Comic Strip of the year, while FOXTROT creator Bill Amend took home the coveted prize of Cartoonist of the Year, as the NCS announced all category winners at its 61st Annual Reuben Awards Banquet on May 26, 2007, in Orlando.
Carter Goodrich won in the Feature animation category for his character design in OPEN SEASON (Sony), beating out nominees Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, directors for OVER THE HEDGE (DreamWorks) and Peter De Seve, character designer for ICE AGE 2: THE MELTDOWN (Fox).
Water is everywhere for the second consecutive summer movie season, and J. Paul Peszko dives in once again to navigate the latest breakthroughs with ILM, PDI/DreamWorks Animation and Sony Pictures Animation.
Karen Raugust reports on how digital technologies have changed the recruiting process, but passion, talent and teamwork still rule.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (with more cutting edge vfx from ILM) continued to chart new waters and rewrite the record books at the global box office with its unprecedented six-day opening tally of $404M. The film easily surpassed the previous opening record of $382 million set by SPIDER-MAN 3 just a few weeks ago.
Former Mainframe Ent. ceo Rick Mischel announced today (May 29, 2007) that he has launched Reach Games a new games company specializing in supplying art, design, modeling, animation and localization services to the videogame industry. Based in Vancouver, Reach plans to service other developers and publishers from around the world. Reach also plans to co-develop casual games and handheld games with other developers.
PERSEPOLIS, an animated feature about a young girl's life under Iran's ayatollahs shared the jury prize March 27, 2007, at the Cannes Film Festival.
The animated short, MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI, from The National Film Board of Canada, also picked up two major awards. The avant-garde, stop-motion film from Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski won the Canal + Award for Best Short Film and the Petit Rail d'Or for Best Short Film.
In an attempt to up the exhibition ante, IMAX has arranged for four scenes of Warner Bros. Pictures' THE DARK KNIGHT to be shot with its proprietary 65mm cameras for projection on the enormous 15/70 format, including the introduction of the Joker (played by Heath Ledger). Chris Nolan's sequel to BATMAN BEGINS will open day-and-date July 18, 2008, in conventional and IMAX theaters.
John Woo is set to direct and produce NINJA GOLD, a property from videogame creator Warren Spector, the creator of DEUS EX, THIEF: DEADLY SHADOWS and SYSTEM SHOCK, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Fox Atomic and Woo's Lion Rock Prods. will produce the film with Terrence Chang as the producer. Spector is the exec producer.
Set in modern times, a descendant of an ancient bloodline must adapt to more covert forms of warfare.
First it was Cartoon Network's ROBOT CHICKEN, now Lucasfilm is giving its blessing to FAMILY GUY to spoof the sci-fi classic, reports VARIETY. The animated series will begin its fifth season with an hour-long episode retelling the STAR WARS adventure with the FAMILY GUY characters.
Tony Award winning actor Charles Nelson Reilly has died at the age of 76, reports THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. He passed away on May 25, 2007, in Los Angeles from complications from pneumonia, reported his partner, Patrick Hughes, to the NEW YORK TIMES.
Reilly's work in animation spanned several decades. In 1975-76, he hosted Filmation's kids' series UNCLE CROC'S BLOCK, which featured such animated segments as THE GROOVIE GOOLIES, WACKY AND PACKY, M*U*S*H and FRAIDY CAT.
The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF), with the support of the TELUS Ottawa Community Board Mention, is hosting the Toon Apprentice Lectures, a unique series of classroom visits teaching high school students that there is much more to animation than Saturday morning. OIAF director Chris Robinson will be presenting the Toon Apprentice Lectures at area high schools throughout May, June and September.
ANIMART 07Monodendri, Ioannina, GreeceJuly 18-28, 2007Deadline: May 31, 2007
Woodstock Film Festival 2007Woodstock, New York, USAOct. 10-14, 2007Deadline: July 14, 2007
III ASTERFEST 2007Int
III ASTERFEST 2007
We have the pleasure to inform You that we are approaching the final stage of the preparations for the new, third edition of our new festival in the Macedonian country, as well as in the region and beyond, dedicated to the professional film (documentary and fiction) culture and emphasizing its affirmation, popularization and valorization towards the audience.
AWN affiliates Glenn Vilppu and Larry Lauria will be leading sketching and painting workshops in the Tuscany and Umbria regions of Italy in the summer of 2007.
Vilppu's workshop SKETCH AND PAINT ON LOCATION runs from May 28, to June 8, 2007. The workshop is a watercolor and sketching tour of Bagno Vignoni, Florence and Tuscany, Italy.
The Animation Society of India (TASI) is hosting Anifest India 07. It is for the first time ever in India that an animation education festival is going to take place at the Anifest India 07. Along with the professional sessions that happen every year, this year the event will put more emphasis on animation education. Premiere animation schools and teachers from all over India and even abroad shall come and present their course structure and also showcase some of their best student films.
Multyashkino aims at demonstrating the best recent works of Russian animation. More than 50 animated cartoon films are released every year in this country. The open-air event will also feature live performances and games for children. It will take place from 11:00 am to 2:30 pm. For more information, visit www.multyashkino.ru/.
At the Portage Theater (4050 N Milwaukee Ave), on Friday May 25, at 8:00 pm, John Kricfaulsi (creator of REN & STIMPY) is bringing armloads of cartoon fun to cover the tastes of every living being in Chicago -- rare, unseen and banned cartoons for adults highlighting each of the seven deadly sins. John K. introduces each cartoon and confesses the sin that inspired it. ($25, or $45 for both nights, matinee sold separately)
Electronic Arts' THE SIMS, the bestselling PC game of all time, is making its way to the big screen via 20th Century Fox and John Davis Prods., according to VARIETY. Fox's Steve Asbell and SIMS Studio head Rod Humble are shepherding the live-action project. Brian Lynch (SCARY MOVIE 3) is the writer.
"THE SIMS has done an interactive version of an old story, which is what it's like to have infinite power and how do you deal with it," said Humble. "Given that that's an old story, you can imagine how easily that would translate to traditional storytelling."
Walt Disney Pictures' PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END landed a hefty worldwide gross of $58 million in its first two days of pre-weekend release. Domestically, the film was virtually sold out in theatres across the country on Thursday night and collected an impressive $17 million from the evening showings. Overseas, the film grossed a swashbuckling $12.1 million from 13 territories on Wednesday, and brought in an additional $29 million from Thursday showings in a total of 39 territories.
