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AWN Headline News

Digital Headline News

Digital Domain Acquired By Investment Group Led by Michael Bay

Digital Domain, the Oscar-winning vfx studio and production company based in Venice, California, has been acquired for a reported $35 million by South Florida-based Wyndcrest Holdings Llc., a group led by director Michael Bay, former NFL quarterback Dan Marino and investor John Textor.

Headline News

Liberty Media Buying IDT Ent. to Propel Starz Ent. Group Programming

Liberty Media Corp. is buying IDT Ent. from parent company IDT Corp. it was announced today, May 16, 2006. Liberty will give up its holdings in IDT Corp. to add this diversified production/distribution group of companies to its holdings, which includes Starz Ent. Group that will have the capability to create a wide array of CG-animated and live-action programming for domestic and international distribution in all major channels, including broadcast syndication, premium television, theatrical and home video/DVD.

Disney Headline News

Disney Classic Shorts Compiled for ‘Small World of Fun’ DVDs

WALT DISNEYS ITS A SMALL WORLD OF FUN VOLUME 1 &2 (Walt Disney Home Ent., $14.99) is a new collection of Disney shorts released on DVD May 16, 2006. Starring Mickey, Goofy, Pluto and friends, each volume features entertaining adventures that are themed to different countries from around the world.

Effects Headline News

mental ray Helps ILM Render Poseidon

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) credits mental ray, the Academy Award-winning high-end rendering software, from mental images, for significant advances in virtual cinematography that ILM achieved in creating the vfx for POSEIDON.

Headline News

Narnia Becomes #1 DVD of 2006

With more than 11 million units sold, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (from Buena Vista Home Ent.) is this years top DVD seller so far.

Commented Bob Chapek, president of Buena Vista Home Ent.: "We are delighted with the tremendous success of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE DVD. This award-winning film is a stellar addition to the celebrated Disney collection and has set the tone for the next chapter in this promising franchise."

Film Headline News

Carnival of Animals Tops AniFest 2006

Anifest 2006 closed its 5th year in Trebon, Czech Republic on May 10, 2006, with its presentation of awards. The Anifest Grand Prix goes to KARNEVAL ZVÍAT (THE CARNIVAL OF ANIMALS) by the Czech director Michaela Pavlátová. The film had its world premiere at AniFest. The Prize for the Best Feature-Length Film stays in the Czech Republic as well, going to FIMFÁRUM 2 by the directors Jan Balej, Vlasta Pospíilová, Betislav Pojar and Aurel Klimt.

Headline News

Bratz Coming to the Big Screen

MGA Ent. Inc., Avi Arad Prods. and Crystal Sky Pictures will team to bring MGA's famous BRATZ dolls to the big screen. A screenplay, tentatively entitled BRATZ, is in the process of being written with a targeted production start of late fall 2006 in Los Angeles.

Under the deal, Crystal Sky Pictures will finance a live-action feature film based on the popular BRATZ characters. MGA's founder/ceo Isaac Larian, Avi Arad and Crystal Sky's chairman Steven Paul will produce the picture, and Crystal Sky Pictures president Benedict Carver will exec produce.

Film Headline News

Weinsteins Pick Up Tsui Hark’s Seven Sword Rights

The Weinstein Co. (TWC) has acquired all theatrical and video rights in the U.S. to the martial arts epic, SEVEN SWORDS, directed by the master of kung-fu action films, Tsui Hark (ZU WARRIORS, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA). Cheung ChiSing and Chun TinNam adapted the screenplay based on the original novel, SEVEN SWORDSMEN FROM MT. TIAN, and it was produced by Lee JooIck, Ma Zhongjun and Pan Zhizhong. Richard Wong, Hong BongChul and Zhang Yong serve as exec producers.

Games Headline News

Vivendi Games Rolls Out Top Tier Product At E3

Vivendi Games (VG) rolled out its top tier lineup at E3 last week. Among the companys highly anticipated titles shown during E3 was Blizzard Ent.s WORLD OF WARCRAFT: THE BURNING CRUSADE, the expansion pack to the worlds most popular massively multi-player online role-playing game (MMORPG). Sierra Ent.

Headline News

TV, Internet, Design, Innovative & Integrated Media Clios Announced

Juries for the 47th international Clio Awards announced Grand Clio winners for best-in-show. On May 15, 2006, juries awarded a total of 29 Gold Clio winners for the evening at the Clio Content & Contact, Print, Internet, Design, Innovative and Integrated Media Awards Gala at the Jackie Gleason Theater in South Beach, Miami, part of the annual Clio Festival, May 13-16, 2006. Clios in the Television/Cinema and Radio categories were announced May 16.

Film Headline News

McLaren Retrospective in Official Selection at Cannes

For the first time, Cannes Classics will feature an animator, and the honor goes to Norman McLaren, who won the Short Film Palme dor in 1955 with BLINKITY BLANK. A selection of 13 McLaren films has been put together in homage to the great filmmaker and to celebrate 65 years of animation at the National Film Board of Canada.

Headline News

3ds Max Book Written Strictly For Architectural Visualization Industry

From author Brian L. Smith and publisher 'friends of ED', comes the first 3ds Max book ever written strictly for architectural visualization, titled, FOUNDATION 3DS MAX 8 ARCHITECTURAL VISUALIZATION.

Topics covered include:* How to model an architectural scene and create stunning materials that breathe life into your projects* How to use real-world photometric lights and global illumination to achieve photorealism* Efficient project workflow and scene assembly

Animation Headline News

ASIFA-East Fest Announces Awards

The New York chapter of ASIFA, the International Animated Film Society gave out its 37th annual awards in a ceremony held in the downtown Manhattan auditorium of the New School/Parsons School of Design on mM

The winners were selected from submitted films voted on by chapter members at a series of screenings. Twenty-seven awards were given out in four categories: Student Films, Commercials, Sponsored Films Over 2:00 and Independent Films. In addition to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners, craft awards were given out for achievements in design, animation, humor and education.

Nickelodeon Headline News

Brian Offutt New SVP, Entertainment Products, Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Prod

Brian Offutt, the former head of Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products' Los Angeles office, has relocated to New York City as svp, entertainment products, to oversee the NVCP home entertainment, publishing and record business for Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Noggin and The N, as well as the home video/DVD, book publishing and videogame businesses for Comedy Central, Spike TV and TV Land and the book publishing business for Paramount. These are all networks and the movie studio within the Viacom family that are handled for licensing and merchandising by NVCP.

Friends Headline News

Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends Game Launches

On May 15, 2006, CartoonNetwork.com launched BIG FAT AWESOME HOUSE PARTY, a free yearlong interactive game that allows players to immerse themselves in the hit series, FOSTERS HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS, by creating their very own imaginary friend. Players will be encouraged to explore the ever-changing adventures with their new imaginary friend, play mini-games, collect upgrades and take part in every aspect of life at Madame Fosters famous house.

Headline News

Gnomon Workshop Releases Two 3ds Max Training DVDs

The Gnomon Workshop now offers two new DVDs by CG supervisor Tim Jones. The creation of digital environments for the highest caliber game cinematics and short films has been Jones area of expertise at Blur Studios. In these DVDs, he shares his techniques for modeling, texturing, lighting, rendering and compositing highly realistic digital sets in 3ds Max.

ENVIRONMENT CREATION FOR PRODUCTION: 3DS MAX MODELING AND TEXTURING WITH TIM JONES.

Films Headline News

eyeon Makes Dreams Come True for Wish Films

Wish Films, a brand new production company based at Elstree Film Studios, has enlisted the help of eyeon Software to make Fusion an integral part of its pipeline.

Mark Ford and Stephen Charles are the driving force behind their new Wish Films studio. Recently at Lynx Video, a facility based in Denham, West of London, Ford and Charles operated the Flame/Smoke/Maya and Avid/Online suites, respectively. Successfully breaking into Wish Films, they have been commissioned to build a new post-production facility using Fusion 5.

Work Headline News

The Orphanage Wraps VFX Shots for Cannes-Bound Host

The Orphanage recently completed six months of vfx work on THE HOST, South Koreas most ambitious movie to date, which will have its world premiere on May 21 in the Directors Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival (which runs May 18-21).

Spot Headline News

Mayday for Poseidon

Paramounts MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III sunk Warner Bros. POSEIDON at the box office for the weekend period ended May 14, 2006. Despite a second-week drop of nearly 48%, M:I:III (with vfx from ILM) posted $25M for a cume of $85.1M. POSEIDON (with vfx from ILM and MPC) debuted with a disappointing $22.1M. Dropping to third place was Sonys RV, with $9.9M and a three-week cume of $43.2M. Foxs romantic comedy, JUST MY LUCK debuted in the fourth spot with $5.6M. Freestyles AN AMERICAN HAUNTING followed in fifth with $3.56M and $10.8M.

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