|
|
ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 4.1 - April 1999
Business
Phil Roman Entertainment Formed. Six-time Emmy-winner Phil Roman,
who in February departed Film Roman, the animation company he founded in 1984
[AF 02/16/99], has announced the formation of his new company, privately owned
Phil Roman Entertainment in Studio City, California. Roman is president and
chief executive officer of the full service animation firm. The new company
will create, develop and produce traditional and computer animation for TV,
features, commercials and promotions. The Roman company is expected to announce
a number of projects soon. "Starting up again is great," says the
40+ year animation veteran, Phil Roman. "It was too early for me to quit
the career I love and I'm totally energized now that I'm free of corporate
responsibilities. The animation doors of my new company are wide open to service
any and all opportunities within the industry." On April 7, Roman will
be given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Beverly Hilton Hotel by the Imagen
Foundation, an organization that honors positive portrayals of Hispanics in
the entertainment industry. Phil Roman Entertainment can be reached at:
4040 Vineland
Suite 205
Studio City, CA 91604
Tel. 818-985-1200
Fax 818-985-2668
Rhythm & Hues Merges With VIFX. Visual effects and animation studio
Rhythm & Hues has purchased the VIFX portion of Marina del Rey based-effects
house Blue Sky/VIFX from 20 Century Fox for approximately $5 million. Under
the Rhythm & Hues banner, the combined companies will be the largest privately
owned visual f/x house in Los Angeles. The core management team at VIFX will
remain intact although layoffs are expected for some of VIFX's 100+ employees
because of an overlap of job functions once the merger is completed. Richard
Hollander, president of Blue Sky/VIFX, will become president of Rhythm &
Hues' feature film division, while John Hughes will continue to serve as president
and CEO of R&H. Fox had originally purchased VIFX in 1996 for the purpose
of having them produce, among other projects, the CG-animated sci-fi pic Planet
Ice, which after creative changes, has ended up in the hands of Don Bluth's
Fox Animation Studios in Phoenix, Arizona. Harrison, New York-based Blue Sky
is unaffected by this deal and is still under Fox ownership. One project VIFX
is currently in production on is Disney's Fantasia 2000, while Rhythm
& Hues is doing f/x work for Universal's live-action sequel Flintstones:
Viva Rock Vegas.
Sony Forms New Kids Entertainment Group. Sony Pictures Entertainment
(SPE) has formed a new division (unnamed as of publication) to develop character-based
entertainment primarily targeted to the kids market in live action, CGI, cel
animation and other media. This is in addition to the family films, which
will continue to be developed and produced by Columbia Pictures. Sander Schwartz
has been named president of this new entertainment group, in addition to his
current responsibilities as head of SPE's Columbia TriStar Television Children's
Programming, which will fold into this new division. Schwartz, who will report
to SPE Co-President and COO Bob Wynne, will oversee a wide slate of original
live-action and animated theatrical releases, television programs and direct-to-video
products, all created especially for children and families. Schwartz commented,
"From the inception of our animation and children's programming unit
a few short years ago, the mandate to produce the highest quality programming
has always been present. We are now confirming our commitment to this segment
of the entertainment business as a core component for the growth of our company...We
will be directing our efforts towards finding and nurturing the new talent
that will drive our future family entertainment business, as well as mining
opportunities to build franchise properties from SPE's current library assets."
SPE Worldwide Marketing President Bob Levin expounds the importance of creating
characters, "Ultimately, it is captivating characters that drive family
entertainment, and with our new division we will have the resources and focus
necessary to drive character creation, and to market those characters around
the world through all of SPE's units."
Imax And Mainframe Connect. Imax Corp. has agreed to make a strategic
investment in Vancouver-based Mainframe Entertainment, producers of the 3D
computer-animated ReBoot and Beast Wars. The company will invest
CAN$16 million (U.S.$10.6 million) into Mainframe to acquire an equity and
convertible senior debt, giving Imax an approximate 30% stake in the company.
As part of the deal, Imax and Mainframe will co-produce 3D animated films
for release in IMAX theaters and other markets. Their first collaboration,
Gulliver's Travels, is expected to be released to IMAX theaters by
summer 2001. Imax co-Chief Executive Officers Brad Wechsler and Rich Gelfond
stated, "We believe that 3D animation will be an integral part of Imax's
future." Three films that are in development at Mainframe, Gulliver's
Travels, The Pied Piper and Pandora's Box, will continue
their development as part of Imax and Mainframe's co-production venture. Wechsler
and Gelfond point out, "This partnership with Mainframe allows us to
create, produce and distribute our own 3D animation content cost-effectively,
and cross-platform that content into other markets." Mainframe's President
Ian Pearson points out an additional goal of this alliance: "We share
Imax's vision that 3D CGI - whether it's A Bug's Life, Antz
or a Mainframe creation - will look exquisite when shown in real stereoscopic
3D in an IMAX theater." Feature-length 3D movies can efficiently be reformatted
from conventional 35mm to Imax 3D theaters at a cost of $6-8 million. This
agreement is still subject to Board and regulatory approvals, as well as approval
by Mainframe's shareholders.
 |
| Toonsylvania was one of only two shows produced by DreamWorks TV. © DreamWorks LLC. All rights reserved. |
DreamWorks TV Shuts Down. In a move to consolidate, DreamWorks Television
Animation has closed down, and the direct-to-video unit has merged with the
feature division. A DreamWorks spokeswoman stated, "We are currently
reorganizing our animation divisions so we are all operating under one umbrella.
While we have decided not to continue pursuing television animation opportunities
at this time, we are continuing to develop and produce animation for both
feature films and direct-to-video." The TV division, spearheaded by Jeffrey
Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg, opened shop in 1996 headed by Gary Krisel
and David Simon. In their short history, the group produced two series: Invasion
America (WB) and Steven Spielberg Presents Toonsylvania (Fox Kids
Network). The direct-to-video unit, launched in '98, also by Krisel and Simon,
will now fall under the jurisdiction of feature animation co-heads Ann Daly
and Ron Rocha. Current home video projects include Joseph, a sequel
to The Prince Of Egypt, and a sequel to Antz. Currently more
than two-thirds of the TV division's 50 employees have transferred to the
direct-to-video unit and it is expected that only a minimal number of employees
will be affected by the reorganization. As of yet, it has not been determined
whether TV animation heads, Simon and Krisel, along with Bruce Cranston, Head
of Development for TV Animation, and Margot Pipken, Head of Production for
TV Animation, will have roles in the direct-to-video division.
House Of Moves Makes The Big Move. One of the largest motion capture
studios in the world, hOuse of mOves (HOM), has moved to a larger facility
in Marina del Rey, California, situated near Los Angeles International Airport.
The larger space includes a 3,500-square foot stage with a 24-foot ceiling,
along with an additional 3,500 sq. ft. of space for executive offices and
conference rooms. HOM has also upgraded their motion capture hardware to include
a new system with 12 cameras capturing at anywhere from 60-240 frames per
second. "We upgraded to the Vicon8 because it is the best system on the
market," said Tom Tolles, founder and president of hOuse of mOves. "With
the ability to go up to 24 cameras (more than any commercial motion capture
system on the market), we have found that the data fidelity and integrity
are unsurpassed." The new address and phone number for HOM is:
hOuse of mOves
5318 McConnell Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90066
(310) 306-6131
Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail to editor@awn.com.
News Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Feedback?
Past Issues
|
Animation World Magazine Career Connections | School Database | Student Corner Animation World Store | Animation Village | Calendar of Events The AWN Gallery | The AWN Vault | Forums & Chats Home |
About | Help | Home | info@awn.com | Mail | Register
©1999 Animation World Network