SF Women's Film Fest Offers $20,000 Scholarship
San Francisco Women's Film FestivalSan Francisco, California, USAApril 3-10, 2006Deadline: December 1, 2005
AWN Headline News
Cartoon Network Scares Up Halloween Programming
Cartoon Network has scared up Halloween-theme episodes of its hit shows, including the premiere of a new Halloween-inspired episode of ED, EDD N EDDY.
Airing Friday, Oct. 28, 2005, from 7-7:30 pm, ED, EDD N EDDYS BOO HAW-HAW follows Ed, Edd and Eddy as they attempt to find the legendary, trick-or-treat-filled neighborhood of Spook-E-Ville. In preparation, Ed spends the entire day watching horror movies. Once the sun sets, Eds TV-addled brain fantasizes that monsters are stalking their every step.
Lucasfilm Animation Singapore Opens and Preps Clone Wars
Lucasfilm Ltd. officially opened the doors of Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, a digital animation studio designed to produce movies and television for global audiences. The studio was created through a consortium that includes Lucasfilm Ltd., EDB Investments and Creative Technology Ltd.
Lucasfilm Animation Singapore to be Maya-centric
Alias Maya software has been chosen as the chief 3D animation technology at Lucasfilm Animation Singapore. The animation studio, which opened today (Oct. 27, 2005), is gearing up to produce digital animated content including films and television for global audiences. The choice of Maya not only gives the Singapore studio access to world-leading 3D modeling, animation and visual effects technology, it also assists in drawing top animation talent to their facility.
In Technology, Visual Effects, Technology, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia, North America
AMD64 Helps Power Lucasfilm Animation Singapore
AMD announced that the digital backbone of the new Lucasfilm Animation Singapore digital animation center is powered by AMD64 processor technology. The Singapore facility is Lucasfilm Ltd.s first animation studio in Asia and complements its new Letterman Digital Arts Center at the Presidio in San Francisco.
In Flash, Technology, Visual Effects, Flash, Technology, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia
NFB & Cinémathèque québécoise Celebrate Internationa
On Oct. 28, 2005, the National Film Board and the Cinémathèque québécoise join in the worldwide celebrations for International Animation Day. Special activities to mark the occasion are being planned in more than 30 countries on five continents.
MOO Makes Edible Origami & Ohio Lottery Ticket
MOO Studios (www.moostudios.com) recently completed a pair of projects involving onscreen transformation of the product: Asian Sensations Origami via Cannonball/ MO, and Ohio Lottery This is the Ticket via Stern Advertising.
Dinosaur Director Joins Ollie the Otter
Disneys DINOSAUR director Ralph Zondag has been hired by Regency Enterprises to direct its first CG feature, OLLIE THE OTTER. Regency, which is based out of 20th Century Fox, is co-financing the film with CritterPix, a San Rafael, California-based animation studio. Gary Goldman is producing with Regency's Alexa Amin shepherding for the studio.
Boll Splits Dungeon Siege, Goes Postal
Uwe Boll, a producer/director gaining a name for himself for adapting videogames into features, has optioned the rights to the violent videogame POSTAL and announced that his film adaptation of the DUNGEON SIEGE game will be split into two films to be released a month apart from each other, reports VARIETY. Boll will release the two IN THE NAME OF THE KING: A DUNGEON SIEGE TALE films on Nov. 3, 2006, and Dec. 1, 2006, via his new distribution firm, Event Film. The films star Jason Statham, Ray Liotta and Leelee Sobieski.
Peak Ent. Announces Licensing Deals for Pretty Pony & Muffin the Mule
Peak Ent. Holdings Inc has announced new licensing deals for its properties, PRETTY PONY and MUFFIN THE MULE.
Vinton Studios Commercial Division Now LAIKA/house
Vinton Studios Commercial Division will be known as LAIKA/house, effective immediately, a change to complete the transition started in July of this year after LAIKA absorbing Vinton Studios, a leading producer of character animation in all formats for over 30 years in Portland, Oregon.
65th Annual Peabody Awards Call For Entries
The 65th Annual George Foster Peabody Awards recognize outstanding achievement and excellence in television, radio and Internet programming. Original broadcast, cablecast and webcast programs presented in 2005 are eligible. The entry deadline is Jan. 17, 2006. Entrants may apply online at: www.Peabody.Uga.Edu.
PBS KIDS &PBS KIDS GO! Have the 'Fright Stuff' For Halloween
PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! are offering loads of Halloween-themed programming on Oct. 31, 2005 (check local listings). Kids can see what pranks Arthur pulls at the "Scare Your Pants Off" costume party on PBS KIDS GO! and find out what a Halloween campout brings for Clifford on PBS KIDS.
Dimension Taps Ed Wood Writers for King’s 1408
Dimension has tapped director Mikael Hafstrom (upcoming Weinstein Co. release DERAILED) and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura to tackle the adaptation of the Stephen King short story 1408, which has rewrittem by ED WOOD screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, reports VARIETY. The original script was penned by Matt Greenberg.
YTV Schedules Scares for Halloween
YTV has scheduled a host of scary programming to celebrate Halloween.
On Sunday, Oct. 30, the channel will be hosting a Halloween Dress Rehearsal with a 13-hour marathon of Halloween-themed shows.
JIMMY NEUTRON: PHANTOM OF RETROLAND will air at 8:00 am (also airing Monday, Oct. 31 at 8:00 am). For Nicks history report, he tells about the Phantom of Retroland, a monster who lives at the local amusement park. In the interest of science, Jimmy sets out to disprove this urban tale with a little help from Carl and Sheen.
ASIFA-San Fran Announces ASIFA-East Screening Winners
During a recent screening of the ASIFA-East Festival films, ASIFA-San Francisco hosted an audience award and has now announced the winners. Bill Plymptons THE FAN AND THE FLOWERS received the grand prize. More than 50% of all voters voted for Plymptons film and a third of the first prize votes were cast for THE FAN.
Digital Musings From the Editor:
VFXWORLD closes October with two fascinating global reports: Bruce Shutans A VFX World of Difference, which explores the workloads and trends that are driving various studios around the world; and Barbara Robertsons very timely interview with Chris Kubsch, the new gm of Lucasfilm Animation Co. Singapore B.V., which officially opens Thursday.
Animated Feature Entry Deadline Nov. 1 for 2005 Oscar Race
Nov. 1, 2005, is the deadline to submit entry forms and supporting materials in the Animated Feature Film category to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for 78th Academy Awards consideration. Film prints must be submitted by November 18.
Nominations for the 78th Academy Awards will be announced on Jan. 31, 2006, at 5:30 am PST, in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
Gnomon Offers An Evening With Jeff Okun
Gnomon School of Visual Effects will present An Evening with Jeff Okun, the prominent vfx supervisor and VES Awards chair, Nov. 3, 7:00 pm, at 1015 N. Cahuenga, Hollywood, California. A meet-and-greet precedes at 6:00 pm. You can RSVP at: RSVP@GNOMON3D.COM.
Since starting his career as a gopher for legendary designer Saul Bass, Okun has worked as an editor, a still photographer of legendary musicians (Sting, The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix) and sound editor.
Karl M. von der Heyden Joins DreamWorks Animation Board of Directors
Karl M. von der Heyden has been elected to the DreamWorks Animation board of directors.
He served as vice chairman, a member of the board of directors and cfo of PepsiCo Inc. from September 1996 to February 2001. During that period, he was instrumental in the company's spinoff of its restaurant operations, the acquisitions of Tropicana and Quaker Oats, and the IPO of the Pepsi Bottling Group.
Luxology Releases modo 103 Service Update
Luxology Llc., the creators of modo, a leading subdivision surface and polygonal 3D modeling platform, announced the release of its free modo 103 service update. The modo 103 update features a host of advances, including the debut of a new UV mapping technology that greatly simplifies and accelerates the UV unwrapping process, and improved stability for specific hardware configurations.
NaturalMotion Ships endorphin 2.5
NaturalMotion Ltd., the developers of breakthrough 3D animation technology based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis (DMS), announced that it is now shipping endorphin 2.5, the latest version of the companys award-winning 3D character animation software, at a new price of USD $9,495. endorphin 2.5s powerful new behavioral animation features, enhanced asset repurposing and improved FBX support, allow animators to quickly create realistic, fully interactive 3D character animation for games, films and broadcast production.
Ronald Sanders to Head Warner Home Video
As part of the reorganization and establishment of the recent Warner Bros. Home Ent. Group, Ronald Sanders has been named president, Warner Home Video. He assumes responsibility for the overall worldwide operation of Warner Home Video, including sales, marketing, distribution, finance, administration and physical operations.
Noodlesoup Prods. Founder Departs Studio
In an increasing American animation tradition, another animation studio founder is leaving the studio he created, as Jeff Nodelman leaves Noodlesoup Prods. to pursue his own independent portfolio. Nodelman will continue to collaborate periodically with the studio on specific projects, according to Nathan Graf, ceo of Noodlesoup.
Top Cow’s Magdalena Spirits Feature Deal
Producers Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, chairman of Platinum Studios, and Gale Anne Hurd, founder of Valhalla Motion Pictures and producer of THE TERMINATOR and this years upcoming AEON FLUX, announced that they are developing Top Cows spiritually themed comicbook MAGDALENA as a feature film. Kevin Taft, who recently signed a writing deal for New Line Cinemas ALONE, has been tapped to pen the script.
