More Updates Flood the Theatrical Release Database!
This week in the Theatrical Release Database, we have a dozen new pages, a half dozen date changes and some other interesting tidbits of info on upcoming effects flicks.
NewTek Launches NewTekTV.com & Portable Live Production Suite
NewTek Inc. announced the launch of an online streaming channel, NewTekTV.com, as well as the release of TriCaster, a portable live production suite which provides a comprehensive toolset designed to appeal to corporate presenters, educators and media ministry users. NewTek is exhibiting April 18-21 at NAB, Booth #SL1949, Las Vegas Convention Center.
This Week’s Animation Trivia Quiz for April 18, 2005
AWN Discussion Forums - What's New? for April 18, 2005
This week in AWN's Forums, a new member has questions about getting art software for this new computer system.
Adobe Makes $3.4B Macromedia Buy
Adobe Systems Inc. announced it will purchase Macromedia Inc. for around $3.4 billion in stock. Under the terms of the agreement, which has been approved by both boards of directors, Macromedia stockholders will receive, at a fixed exchange ratio, 0.69 shares of Adobe common stock for every share of Macromedia common stock in a tax-free exchange. Based on Adobes and Macromedias closing prices on April 15, 2005, this represents a price of $41.86 per share of Macromedia common stock.
Amityville Horror Haunts Box Office
Moviegoers were ready for a good scare as MGMs remake of THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (with vfx from Asylum) debuted in first place with $23.5M for the weekend ended April 17, 2005. Paramounts actioner SAHARA (with vfx from Cinesite and Double Negative) dropped to second place, taking in $13.1M for a cume of $36.4M while Foxs romantic comedy, FEVER PITCH hung in at third place, earning $8.5M, giving it a total $23.6M in its second week of release. Robert Rodriguez SIN CITY collected another $6.7M for Dimension Films is it dropped to fourth place.
Raven Moon Launches Animation Division
Orlando-based Raven Moon Entertainment Inc. announced today (April 18, 2005) that it is launching a new animation division targeted toward servicing and generating revenues from the entertainment, advertising and creative content producers market.
Sales for the Raven Moon Animation division will be handled by industry veterans Janice Hamlin (276-632-1772) located on the east coast and Chris Devine Dailey (310-374-1081) located in Los Angeles.
DreamWorks Animation Strikes AMD Alliance
AMD and DreamWorks Animation SKG Announce Strategic Alliance
AMD will provide the AMD Opteron processor with Direct Connect Architecture for DreamWorks Animation's next-generation enterprise servers, workstations, render farm nodes, enterprise desktops and enterprise laptops. The new agreement also includes marketing opportunities for AMD to utilize characters from DreamWorks Animation motion pictures, as well as work with DreamWorks Animation to promote upcoming film and home video releases.
Fox Animation Promotes John Cohen
John Cohen has been promoted from director of development to vp of production at Twentieth Century Fox Animation and continues to report to Chris Meledandri, president of the Fox Animation unit.
Lucy Liu Gets A Rise Out of Vampire Flick
Lucy Liu has signed on to star in Ghost House Pictures horror/thriller, RISE, reports VARIETY. Sebastian Gutierrez has written and will direct the film, which will start shooting this summer.
Liu will play a reporter who wakes up in a morgue to discover she is a vampire, spurring her to seek revenge on the vampires responsible.
Kingsgate Films Greg Shapiro (RULES OF ATTRACTION) and Carsten Lorenz (exec producer of THE GRUDGE) are producing. Ghost House will fully finance the flick. Sister firm Mandate Pictures will handle worldwide sales.
Spy-Hunter Heads Back to Writing Desk
Universal has hired Stuart Beattie to rewrite the film adaptation of famed Midway videogame SPY-HUNTER, reports VARIETY. The film has been close to a production start for awhile now with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson starring and John Woo directing. Universal hopes to have the film ready in time for a big summer 2006 release.
Beatties credits include story on PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL and screenplay on COLLATERAL and the upcoming DERAILED, which stars Clive Owen.
Craven’s Breed Finds Five Stars
Michelle Rodriguez (RESIDENT EVIL), Taryn Manning (8 MILE), Oliver Hudson (TVs THE MOUNTAIN), Hill Harper (THE SKULLS) and Eric Lively (TVs THE L WORD) have signed on to star in Wes Craven-exec produced horror film THE BREED, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. First Look Media and DEJ Prods. are handling worldwide rights. Cravens longtime collaborator Nick Mastandrea will make his directorial debut on the film, which starts filming next week.
Creative Media Has Good Story with Multiple Deals
Creative Media has announced multiple deals including a co-development deal with Bob Thompsons Good Story Prods. as well as new series announcements for LITTLE ROBOTS and HIPSTER & JACK.
Vanessa Chapmans new media and rights ownership company, Create Media Ventures, and former Create TV & Film Ltd. colleague Thompson will form a key co-development alliance.
Jakers! Moving To Weekdays On PBS KIDS
Beginning Sept. 5, 2005, PBS KIDS JAKERS! THE ADVENTURES OF PIGGLEY WINKS will begin airing Mondays through Fridays. The Emmy-winning, CGI-animated program from Entara Ltd. has run on weekends for the past two years.
GenArts to Reduce Cost for Sapphire Plug-ins for Discreet burn
GenArts Inc. is permanently lowering the price of Sapphire Plug-ins for Discreet burn, Autodesks Linux-based background rendering software. Effective immediately, the new price structure allows burn users to purchase a license of Sapphire Plug-ins for just $1,000 per dual processor workstation, reduced from $1,600. Thanks to Sapphire Plug-ins on burn, digital artists using inferno, flame, flint, fire and smoke can process projects faster than ever before, thereby increasing productivity and maximizing creative time.
Discreet Lustre 2.6 and Autodesk Incinerator 1.0 Announced
Autodesk Inc. will release Discreet Lustre 2.6, the latest version of its industry leading digital color correction system, and the Autodesk Incinerator 1.0 system that is planned to enhance the realtime performance of future Lustre-based products. New to the market, the Incinerator system is an inline cluster of configurable processing units that connect to one or more Lustre stations, boosting system performance and interactivity during digital color grading sessions. The Lustre 2.6 system delivers a host of new features, including additional conform and editorial capabilities.
Mill New York Goes Smooth with Skittles
Skittles, the brightly colored candy, has launched a new brand: Smoothie Mix Skittles. This time, the candy combines all the different fruit flavors used in the original sweets to create these new flavors. This new line was launched with two :30 spots that focus on mixing up two unbelievable items. These challenging vfx heavy spots were created by Mill New York, who was involved right from pre-production.
Enter Your Work In Zoom In 2
2nd Annual Zoom In Awards New York, New York, USAOctober 31, 2005Deadline: October 31, 2005
The 2nd Annual Zoom In Awards recognizes exceptional talent in digital production in both student and professional categories for each of the following competition areas: digital editing; digital cinematography; graphics & FX.
A complete list of finalists and winners for all categories can be found at the awards website (zoominawards.com), along with information on submissions and sponsorships.
Jonathan Strange Gets Screenwriter
New Line Cinema has hired Oscar-winning screenwriter Christopher Hampton (DANGEROUS LIAISONS) to adapt the bestselling British fantasy novel JONATHAN STRANGE & MR. NORRELL for the big screen.
Based on author Susanna Clarke's critically acclaimed debut novel, the story follows two feuding magicians who attempt to restore English magic in the age of Napoleon and combines the dark mythological fantasy of J.R.R. Tolkien with the social comedy of Jane Austen.
Alphanim & M6 Web Team On Mobile & VOD Exploitation
Alphanim and M6 Web have signed a two-year agreement to exploit more than 250 episodes of animated content provided by Alphanim in the areas of mobile and VOD. Under the terms of the agreement, M6 Web has the exclusive mobile and video-on-demand rights of eight animated series including Alphanims French and international hits POTATOES AND DRAGONS (78x7) and RALF THE RECORD RAT (104x1).
SCI FI Ramps Up Series Slate with Toon & Douglas Deals
SCI FI Channel announced new additions to its series development slate for '06-'07, including a new animated series and a new live-action supernatural series exec produced by Oscar-winner Michael Douglas.
BARBARIAN CHRONICLES is a half-hour animated series from Brendon Small, creator of the offbeat series HOME MOVIES. Described as cross between LORD OF THE RINGS and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, the ensemble comedy set in a magical realm of swords, sorcery and Middle-earth metrosexuals. Small and David Letterman's Worldwide Pants are exec producing.
Autodesk Extends Consulting Services
Autodesk Inc. has extended Autodesk Consulting services to the media and entertainment industry by creating a dedicated practice to help media and entertainment clients realize their ideas. Media and entertainment is the fourth market practice for Autodesk Consulting, joining manufacturing, building and infrastructure.
Schrader’s Exorcist Prequel Coming to Theaters
After ditching it to virtually remake the entire film with director Renny Harlin, Morgan Creek has decided to release helmer Paul Schraders EXORCIST prequel in theaters on May 20, 2005, according to VARIETY. Warner Bros. Pictures will distribute the film to a limited number of theaters. Having made two complete films for roughly $70 million dollars, the Renny Harlin version of the film grossed only $80 million worldwide.
Actor’s Strike of Games Looming
Final negotiations are coming to a final stage in the discussions between the Screen Actors Guild, AFTRA and a group of major videogame publishers, reports VARIETY. The current contract is in its second extension and the actors unions have said there will not extend it again after the Friday deadline. The current contract was hammered out with Electronic Arts and nearly 70 other companies followed its guidelines. Unlike the film and TV industry that have the Assn.
Alli Shearmur Appointed Co-President of Production of Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures new management team under chairman and ceo Brad Grey has promoted Alli Shearmur to co-president, production.
Shearmur, formerly an evp of production at Paramount, will oversee the day-to-day development and production of the studio's annual slate of films and literary acquisitions. Shearmur will report to president Gail Berman, who officially starts in May.