AWN Headline News
Weinstein Co. Launches CG Unstable Fables Video Line
The Weinstein Co. (TWC) is getting more animated with a new brand of direct-to-video CG feature length films, UNSTABLE FABLES, being produced by The Jim Henson Co. (JHC), Flame Ventures and Prana Studios, with screenplays be overseen by Roger S.H. Schulman (SHREK, MULAN II). The new Unstable Fables brand offers irreverent versions of well-known classic tales and incorporate modern twists on the stories. The first titles being produced are based on GOLDILOCKS, THE THREE LITTLE PIGS and BILLY GOATS GRUFF.
THQ Acquires Vigil Games
Interactive entertainment software publisher/developer THQ Inc. has acquired Austin, Texas-based, game developer Vigil Games. The Virgil team will be led by David Adams, previously creator/director of several projects for NCSoft and famed comic artist Joe Madureira, best known for his work on Marvel Comic's Uncanny X-Men and his creator-owned comic series, BATTLE CHASERS. Vigil is currently working on new content for next-gen scheduled for release in 2008.
HP, AMD Power Over the Hedge
HP technology helped DreamWorks Animation SKG create the 3D-animated feature, OVER THE HEDGE, which was released today in U.S. theaters and is showing at the 59th Cannes International Film Festival.
HP, which is DreamWorks Animation's preferred technology provider, delivered servers, workstations and HP Halo collaboration studios to meet the demanding business and production needs required to create the new animated comedy.
Fairly OddParents Holds 'American Idol-Style' Contest in Hour-Long Special
Nickelodeon's THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS pays homage to the AMERICAN IDOL craze with its very own Idol-like singing competition in FAIRY IDOL, a one-hour special premiering May 19, 2006, at 8:00 pm. The special stars former AMERICAN IDOL contestant Diana DeGarmo, as the singing voice of her biggest fan, Cosmo. The older-skewing special repeats on Nickelodeon May 20 at 7:00 pm and May 21 at 5:00 pm.
Rainmaker Announces New Animation and VFX Facility in London
Rainmaker has established a new facility in the Soho district of London: Rainmaker Animation and Visual Effects UK Ltd. In fact, all the visual effects in the St. Sulpice sequence of THE DA VINCI CODE were completed there. Led by Rainmaker visual effects supervisor Mark Breakspear and visual effects producer Nick Drew, the crew produced the longest visual effects sequence in the film.
Houdini 8.1 Public Beta Released
Side Effects Software, developer of the award-winning Houdini family of 3D software, announced the public beta of Houdini 8.1. This new version features an artist-friendly Auto Rig, Muscle System, Character Picker and Pose Library, as well as enhancements to the Rigid Body and Wire dynamic solvers. CG artists from around the world are invited to download the Houdini 8.1 public beta for free from www.sidefx.com as part of the Houdini Apprentice Program.
endorphin Used to Create Realistic Chaos in Poseidon
NaturalMotion Ltd. announced that its award-winning endorphin software was used by Giant Killer Robots to create several character animation sequences for POSEIDON. endorphins ability to quickly and easily generate realistic animation allowed the teams to create very demanding and destructive shots that would have been near impossible to achieve using traditional tools.
Dell to Make AMD Switch
Dell announced that it would begin using processors from AMD in place of those from Intel to help regain lost market share. Dell said that the AMD-based Dell high-end servers with four Opteron processors would be introduced by the end of this year.
Kevin B. Rollins, Dell ceo, emphasized, however, that it is a fairly small category that has been given to AMD, and that Intel would continue to remain the supplier of most processors used by Dell.
SDAFF’s Final Deadline Nears!
San Diego Asian Film Festival 2006San Diego, California, USAOctober 12-19, 2006Deadline: June 7, 2006
Academy Announces 2006 Student Academy Award Winners
Thirteen students from nine different colleges and universities have been named winners in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 33rd annual Student Academy Awards competition. They will participate in a week of industry-related activities and social events culminating June 10, 2006, with the awards presentation ceremony at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. One film student from South Africa also has been selected to receive this year's Honorary Foreign Student Film Award.
The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title within category):
Adobe Celebrates Student Filmmaking at Cannes
Adobe Systems Inc. announced that it is sponsoring the American Pavilion Student Filmmaker Program at the Cannes Film Festival, May 17 through May 28, 2006. Students representing 30 film schools in North America, the U.K., India and South Africa will be paired with professional filmmakers and instructors to create documentaries on their experience at Cannes using the Adobe Production Studio, Macromedia Flash and Macromedia Studio 8. Documentaries will be broadcast daily on the Adobe.com website.
IDT Ent. Gets Sheepish With CG Feature
IDT Ent. has announced the start of production on a new CG-animated feature film, titled SHEEPISH. The film, in production at the companys West Coast headquarters in Burbank, is a comic twist on the old saying beware of wolves in sheeps clothing. Animation will be done at IDT Ent.s studio in Toronto.
Grind House Stalks Easter Weekend 2007
Dimension Films has announced that GRIND HOUSE, the highly-anticipated collaboration from directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, will be released in theaters Easter weekend, 2007.
"The Easter holiday was a record-breaking weekend for Dimension this year with SCARY MOVIE 4, and we are confident that GRIND HOUSE will do extremely well in this slot," said Bob Weinstein, co-chairman of Dimension Films.
Del Toro & Cuaron Team on Dahl’s Witches
Guillermo del Toro (HELLBOY) and Alfonso Cuaron (HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN) have been hired by Warner Bros. to make an adaptation of Roald Dahl's 1973 book, THE WITCHES, reports VARIETY. Del Toro will write and direct with Cuaron producing via his New York-based company Esperanto.
In regards to Nicolas Roegs 1989 adaptation, Del Toro said, "The Roeg film is a brilliant movie but certain aspects are a departure from Dahl's original. Dahl had the brilliance of writing children's stories, which shocked adults.
Aardman Launches International TV Distribution Division
Aardman Animations, the Academy Award-winning stop-motion animation studio, is making its foray into distribution, launching its own dedicated sales arm, Aardman International, to exploit its growing catalogue of properties.
Miles Bullough, Aardmans head of broadcast and development, will oversee the new division.
Dean Devlin to Make Directorial Debut With Ghosting
Producer Dean Devlin (INDEPENDENCE DAY and FLYBOYS) will helm his first film as director, GHOSTING, a vfx-filled paranormal thriller, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
Devlin will begin shooting early next year after principal photography is complete on his sci-fi adventure, ISOBAR.
Devlin will also produce GHOSTING for his company Electric Ent. with in-house partners Kearie Peak and Marc Roskin.
Mike Johnson to Helm Tale of Despereaux
Stop-motion vet Mike Johnson, who co-directed the Oscar nominated CORPSE BRIDE with Tim Burton, is headed back to London to replace director Sylvain Chomet on Universal Pictures 3D-animated feature, THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX.
Studio B Awards Scholarships To Young Animators
Studio B Prods., one of Canadas leading animation studios, is opening up their doors to scholarship winners. The winners were chosen by their portfolios from their respective first and third year animation programs. Three $2,000 scholarships and the opportunity to work with Studio B during a four-week paid internship program were awarded to:
* Capilano Colleges Lauren Airriess from Salt Lake City, Utah working in the Design & Storyboard Department on GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE and RICKY SPROCKET SHOWBIZ BOY.
James Schamus Named Sole Head of Focus Features
Focus Features, the art house division of Universal Pictures, named company veteran James Schamus as its sole ceo.
The new title for Schamus, who co-produced the Oscar-winning BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, follows the recent promotion of David Linde from co-head of Focus to co-chairman of Universal Pictures, sharing that job with Marc Shmuger. Previously Schamus and Linde had run Focus together.
FrameCycler DI Goes to Framestore CFC
Iridas has sold two seats of FrameCycler DI to Framestore CFC. The application provides disk-based, full-resolution playback; conform of Edit Decision Lists (EDLs) for online review of the editors' work; primary color grading for look development; and Iridas' new ReviewLink technology for interactive review session from multiple locations.
Narnia, Fantastic Four Sequels Change Release Dates
Disney has moved THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN from Dec. 14, 2007, to summer 2008, to avoid direct competition with Columbia Pictures fantasy, THE WATER HORSE, which is slated to open Dec. 8, 2007, reports THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Both are produced by Walden Media. The move also gives NARNIA director Andrew Adamson and his crew extra time, according to Walt Disney Studios svp of publicity, Dennis Rice.
CIS Hollywood Leverages Massive on Poseidon
Massive Software's artificial life-driven animation system has been adopted by CIS Hollywood to produce digital visual effects for Warner Bros. POSEIDON.
CIS Hollywood acquired single license of Massive to complete a number of POSEIDON shots that required realistic digital characters. These included establishing shots and other sequences showing people in passageways, as well as shots of crewmembers, waiters and cooks in the ships galley and a large party scene.
Titan Books to Publish Stan Winston Tome
Stan Winston is collaborating on the first-ever book to reveal all the behind-the-scenes secrets of his groundbreaking and hugely influential artistry and effects work.
Titan Books of London will work closely with Stan Winston and the artists of the Stan Winston Studio on the new book, tentatively titled THE WINSTON EFFECT: THE ART AND HISTORY OF STAN WINSTON STUDIO, written by CINEFEX editor Jody Duncan.
Digital Musings From the Editor:
E3 has come and gone, but managing editor Rick DeMott reports this week on the latest gaming achievements, trends, issues and concerns that were voiced at the various E3 conferences. Meanwhile, Peter Plantec reports on the cross-pollination and growing U.S. presence that occurred last month at fmx/06 in Stuttgart, Germany. Were covering features and shorts this month, so Renee Dunlop interviews Kyle Jefferson and Cameron Hood about directing FIRST FLIGHT, the first 3D-animated short from DreamWorks Animations Glendale campus.