Anime 18 is set to release MYSTERY OF THE NECRONOMICON on home video, March 13, 2001. The erotic horror series was created by the director of UROTSUKIDOJI: LEGEND OF THE OVERFIEND, Takao Nakano. In the film, an evil presence plagues the women of Japan. Volume one, "Book of the Dead," will feature two episodes. Volume two, "Black Chapter" on VHS, featuring two more episodes, and the NECRONOMICON DVD, containing all four episodes, will be released on May 8, 2001. Both the DVD and dubbed VHS versions of the series will sell for US$29.99 each.

* Friday, March 30 – Sunday, April 1, 2001. Stonybrook, New York, U.S.A.



I-CON is a science-fiction, fantasy and comics show. The anime program will feature dubbing workshops, guest speakers and panel discussions. This event is a student run festival and one of the largest in the northeast United States. For more information contact the convention at: Web: http://www.iconsf.org/.

Thousand Oaks, California's Big Idea Productions, a family media company now branching out into feature films, is looking for an ANIMATION ART DIRECTOR, MODELER, SOFTWARE DEVELOPER, SUPERVISOR OF MODELING and SUPERVISOR OF POST PRODUCTION. . . Irvine, California's Blizzard Entertainment, producers of video games, including online games, is looking for PAINTERS/ ILLUSTRATORS who are adept at creating texture maps for environments and the interiors of structures. . .

Visual effects/live-action director Simon D. Holden has signed with The Flux Group, a motion graphics, visual effects and live-action production house. Holden will focus on commercial work for Flux. His previous commercial work includes spots for Dodge, Pontiac, Bally Total Fitness and Warner Bros. Home Video. Recently, Holden has done F/X work on film and TV projects such as MOULIN ROUGE, CONTACT, DANTE'S PEAK, FACE/OFF, THE X-FILES and STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE. Flux president Maggie Magee said, "Simon is an exceptional effects director and supervisor.

* Tuesday, March 13 – Wednesday, March 14, 2001. San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

The 20th Brussels Cartoon and Animated Film Festival - Festival du dessin animé et du film d'animation – handed out its top European awards. There were prizes only for national films, because the international official selection is non-competitive. Because Brussels is the capital of Belgium, a country with two separate language-based communities, there are, of course, two national Grand Prixs.

Louis K. Wang is a visual artist with a background in photography. He studied and worked in the US before returning to his hometown, Taipei. His gallery on AWN features Web graphics, plus images from the pilot of an anime style show, plus more from a project for a CD production and an educational game. Also new this week in the Animation Showcase: "Liquid Fish," a new series of work by Jean Detheux, with images and clips.

Bugshop, a New York motion graphics and effects shop, has completed four spots for the Animal Planet imaging campaign, "Life is Better with Animals." Ross Shain, creative director at Bugshop, served as visual effect supervisor, compositor and designer. He completed seven composite shots and designed the endtags, which involved compositing exotic animals such as a mountain ram, mandrill and alligator on green screen to hide then reveal the Animal Planet logo and tagline stamped into the background.

In this issue we are looking at a few current topics in the technology realm. What does the future hold for the high-end computer software/hardware companies? Have their glory days passed? Are all these new software versions really necessary? With the help of industry veteran Richard Taylor, Bruce Manning tackles a few of these topics and more. Mark Winstanley is outlining how software packages are becoming Web-export capable and John Edgar Park profiles and offers advice on low cost software/hardware systems which offer high-end results.

Black Logic has added five 3D artists to its CG department. The new Black Logic CG staff members include: Scott Petill, senior animator; Sebastian Bilbao, technical director; Julio Soto and Andrew Dayton, CG artists; and Glenn Harper, visual effects animator. Prior to joining Black Logic, Petill was at Post Perfect and earlier at ad agency Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer. In addition, he has consulted with Pixar on their commercial software releases, and designed a library of 3D textures for broadcast and print applications. "Scott is a wizard with motion and light.

ADV Films is releasing two new volumes of episodes from the anime hit, MONSTER RANCHERS, on February 27, 2001. "It's Time To Get Tough!" has the crew continuing their search for the Phoenix, but problems get bad when Suezo discovers his new super power. In "Racing To Win!," Holly is wounded by one of Black Worms' poison stingers and Tiger of the Wind must race time to find the berries to save her. Each tape contains three episodes and will sell for US$9.99 each.

March is technology month. In this issue we will be discussing what the future will be like for the high-end computer hardware/software companies. Have their glory days passed? Are they just releasing new software versions to release new product or are these true advancements? Do studios need all of these versions? Due to previous advancements are studios now comfortably doing more with less due to the high-end/low-end technology blur and proprietary software? How does the cost of retraining factor into these decisions?

* Friday, March 30 - Sunday, April 1, 2001. Santa Clara, California, U.S.A.

ADV Films is releasing the first two volumes in the anime mini-series A.D. POLICE. This series is a spin-off of the widely popular BUBBLEGUM: CRISIS 2040 series. After a massive earthquake destroys Tokyo, high-tech robots are set forth to rebuild the metropolis, however when a widespread glitch begins a techno crime wave it’s the A.D. Police's job to save the city. Hitting stores on February 20, 2001, "Bad Blood" and "Love's Labor Lost" will sell for US$19.98 each.

This month we take a look at one area of animation that has been showing enormous and steady growth. With game development on the rise and the emergence of new platforms, the gaming industry is rich with possibilities - not only economic but also artistic. Jacquie Kubin tells us why gaming is bigger than ever and how animators can bank on it in the future. Paul Younghusband discovers why Artworld UK is one of the leading, innovative gaming companies using digital images across several mediums for both continuity and profits.

So, you ignored our awesome store specials and missed Valentine's Day. Don't worry, we can help. Nothing offers redemption better than Davey & Goliath's "Learning about Forgiveness."



- And if that special someone forgot about you, check out Davey & Goliath's "Learning to Be Responsible." Nothing like a gentle reprimand delivered with love and care.

Bill Plympton has updated his appearances page. In the upcoming months, "Mutant Aliens" and Bill's other films will be appearing in various festivals and other events, including the Boston Underground Festival, Massachusetts, February 20-27; Festival Du Dessin Anime, Brussels, Belgium, February 21-March 3; New York Underground Festival, New York, March 7-13; Images Du Nouveau Monde, Quebec, March 7-11; SXSW Festival, Austin, Texas, March 12-20; and CineAmbigu, Barcelona, Spain, in April.

Alias|Wavefront is celebrating due to the fact that their award-winning 3D animation system Maya was used to create the top four selling December 2000 titles for the PlayStation 2. Research by PC Data Inc. shows Electronic Arts' MADDEN NFL 2001 leading the list of top-sellers with SSX: SNOWBOARD SUPERCROSS (EA) second, TEKKEN TAG TOURNAMENT (Namco) third, and NHL 2001 (EA) fourth. All of these titles were developed by companies using Maya for the creation of game graphics such as characters, environments and effects.

Santa Monica, California's Anthropics, Inc., a computer graphics software company, is looking for a PRODUCTION USER/ENGINEER and a SENIOR PRODUCTION ENGINEER to deliver production material using the company's proprietary software. . . Beverly Hills, California's Batia and Aleeza Hair Salon is looking for a GRAPHIC/WEB DESIGNER to update the salon's Website. . . Woodland Hills, California's BlackMarket Productions is looking for a CHARACTER ANIMATOR for animation short & series pilots. . .

Image Courtesy of Josell Public Relations