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AWN Headline News

Animation Headline News

Digital Animation for Freelance Producers Event Comes to U.K.

Digital Animation for Freelance Producers is six-day program exploring animation and CGI from a producers viewpoint.

The program includes evaluating all aspects of animation through design to delivery, budgeting and scheduling within a 3D environment, demystifying jargon, breaking down the roles within animation and CGI, and managing clients and artists within a 3D environment.

Headline News

Underworld: Evolution Scares Up Box Office

Screen Gems UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION (with Luma Pictures as the leading vfx house) led the box office with $26.8M in its opening bow for the weekend ended Jan. 22, 2006. HOODWINKED, the hot 3D-animated indie from The Weinstein Co., followed in second place with $10.4M and a two-week cume of $28.6M. Buena Vistas GLORY ROAD slipped from first to third with $8.76M and $27.7M. Paramounts LAST HOLIDAY was right behind in fourth with $8.71M and $25.9M.

Foundry Headline News

The Foundry Launches Furnace 3 for Shake

Leading visual effects developer The Foundry kicks off 2006 with the release of Furnace 3 for Shake, including brand new image processing plug-ins designed to significantly enhance workflow and productivity for Shake artists.

Furnace, available for Linux and OSX, is already a popular suite of image processing tools, designed to tackle every day compositing tasks, and the new release delivers Shake artists with an additional 10 plug-ins, many of which automate time-consuming processes in the creation of digital visual effects.

Effects Headline News

Lots of Houdini at VFX Bake-Off

Three of the seven films competing in the visual effects industry Bake-off on Jan. 25 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences used Houdini from Side Effects Software. They include CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. The Bake-off involves a 15-minute presentation to the Visual Effects Award Nominating committee, which will then create the final nomination list for the Visual Effects Oscar awarded each year by the academy.

Effects Headline News

Plenty of SHOW AND TELL from VES

The Visual Effects Society (VES) offered its version of the Academy Bake-Off with SHOW AND TELL 2006, all-day Saturday at Skirball Cultural Center. Boasting the largest turnout ever, with 200 participants, more than a dozen presenters and 30 different presentations, many industry luminaries offered in-depth presentations of the nominated works, including John Knoll (STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH), Joe Letteri (KING KONG), Dennis Muren (WAR OF THE WORLDS) and Dean Wright (THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE).

Open Headline News

Da Vinci Code To Open Cannes

Ron Howard's THE DA VINCI CODE will open the 59th Festival de Cannes on May 17, 2006. Howards films that previously screened as Cannes include WILLOW, FAR AND AWAY and ED TV.

Based on Dan Browns best-selling thriller, the story chronicles the conspiracy developed to cover-up the true meaning of the Holy Grail. Many historians and religious leaders have criticized the book as pure fiction.

Headline News

Medal of Honor Airborne Flies Into Stores

Electronic Arts announced MEDAL OF HONOR AIRBORNE, the newest installment from EAs critically-acclaimed MEDAL OF HONOR franchise. As the first game in the MEDAL OF HONOR series to be released on next-generation platforms, AIRBORNE will ship to stores in Winter 2006 under the EA brand for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Xbox and Windows PC.

Animation Headline News

Rendering Center To Be Built in Southern China

An animation rendering support center for animation production is being set for Shenzhen, in south China's Guangdong Province, reports People.com.cn. The project hopes to bring all areas of animation production studio-design, financing, production, selling to the area.

The Institute of Digital Media Technology (Shenzhen) Ltd. (IDMT) will build the center. IDMT is a major 3D animation production company, which made the first 3D high-definition cartoon movie in China.

Awards Headline News

Golden Reel Awards Set March 4

The Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE) will present the 53rd Annual Golden Reel Awards, honoring the finest work in the various areas of sound and music editing in motion pictures and television, on March 4, 2006, during a black tie ceremony at The Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The MPSE Career Achievement and Filmmaker's Awards will also be presented.

The gala stars with cocktails at 5:30 pm, dinner at 7:00 pm and the awards at 8:30 pm, plus dancing. For tickets phone 818-506-7731 or e-mail office@mpse.org.

Headline News

Genius Products Sells Baby Genius Back to Creators

Genius Products Inc. the exclusive U.S. home entertainment distributor for The Weinstein Co., has sold its Baby Genius brand to Pacific Ent. Corp., a newly formed company headed by Klaus Moeller in a deal enabling Genius to focus its efforts on distributing its wide range of top independent and mainstream feature film titles while retaining exclusive U.S. distribution rights for the preschool brands.

Headline News

New Interactive Game Available on DragonBooster.com

Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. has launched an enhanced consumer website for the CGI animated boys action property Dragon Booster, offering a new interactive game, RACE FOR POWER, where players can create their own dragons, race them on personally designed race tracks and ultimately customize their DRAGON BOOSTER experience.

Headline News

Academy to Honor Gary Demos & Don Hall

CGI pioneer Gary Demos will receive the first Oscar this year when Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honors him with the Gordon E. Sawyer Award. Longtime sound editor Don Hall will be awarded a John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation. The Oscar statuette and Bonner medallion will be presented at the Scientific and Technical Awards Dinner on Feb. 18, 2006, at The Beverly Hilton.

Series Headline News

Monster Distributes Gets Ready for a Busy NATPE

Monster Distributes will be taking its animated preschool series PICME to NATPE for the first time. From Irish-based Jammedia, PICME is an award-winning interactive animation where a child literally stars in his/her own cartoon. Commissioned by RTE, PICME creates an interaction between broadcaster and audience. Great emphasis is put on the stories themselves, so that children who are not in the story also get huge enjoyment out of it.

Headline News

NVIDIA and Adobe Partner on New Production Studio

NVIDIA Corp. will offer its Quadro professional graphics to Adobe users through the newly announced Adobe Production Studio. NVIDIA and Adobe have established a strategic partnership that allows tighter integration between these hardware and software solutions in order to support industry initiatives, such as the recently announced Adobe OpenHD alliance.

Films Headline News

Eyetronics Doubles Growth in 3D Scanning; Moves U.S. Operations

Eyetronics, the international 3D scanning leader, enjoyed its most successful year to date in 2005, doubling its volume of work, according to Nick Tesi, vp of operations for Eyetronics in the U.S. As a result, Eyetronics has moved its U.S. operations to handle further growth this year.

Headline News

Disney Board to Consider Pixar Purchase

The board of directors of the Walt Disney Co. will meet on Monday (Jan. 23, 2006) to decide the fate of the proposed buyout of Pixar Animation Studios, the LOS ANGELES TIMES reported. The stock transaction would be in the neighborhood of $6.7 billion, The WALL STREET JOURNAL reported. A deal would make Pixar ceo and Apple chief Steve Jobs a board member and biggest shareholder with a 6% stake. Shares of both companies rose slightly Thursday.

Live-action Headline News

Mexican Directors Fly Japanese Anime Kite Into Live-Action

Mexican commercial directors Jorge and Javier Aguilera known as Big Brother have been tapped to helm the live-action adaptation of the Japanese anime, KITE, reports VARIETY. Rob Cohen and Anant Singh are producing.

Singh and Brian Cox will produce for Singh's Distant Horizon. Cohen and Marc Pitre will produce for Cohen's Nowita Pictures. Joshua Rubin is penning the script.

Disney Headline News

Playhouse Disney Preschool Time Online Launches

Disney Online, part of the Walt Disney Internet Group, in partnership with Disney Channel, has launched a new broadband subscription product called Playhouse Disney Preschool Time Online. The service is available for an annual subscription fee of $49.95. Parents can log-on to www.preschooltime.com to subscribe to the product or to access a free trial.

Creative Headline News

S4 VFX Division Launched

S4 Studios Llc. announced the formation of S4 VFX, a new, niche-marketed division of the six-year-old 3D animation studio that will be dedicated to MPAA fixes such as object removal and replacement and creative feature vfx work in 2D and 3D. S4 Studios partner Geoffrey Kater, supported by partners Larry Le Francis and Dale Hendrickson, will run the division.

Headline News

Chicken Little, Narnia DVDs Previewed

Buena Vista Home Ent. offered sneak peeks today (Jan. 19, 2006) of the upcoming DVDs this spring of CHICKEN LITTLE and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. No street dates were provided, but the CHICKEN LITTLE announcement is expected on Monday. Blu-ray/HD-DVD street dates are forthcoming.

Film Headline News

Lady in the Water Becomes Gwen Stacy for Spidey 3

Bryce Dallas Howard (THE VILLAGE, LADY IN THE WATER) is in final talks with Columbia Pictures to play the role of Peter Parkers doomed love Gwen Stacy in SPIDER-MAN 3, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Stacy is an iconic character in SPIDER-MAN lore being Parkers first love from high school who was killed by the Green Goblin during a bridgetop battle that was quite similar to the battle that occurred in the first SPIDER-MAN film.

Film Headline News

Zathura Lead Walks Bridge to Terabithia

Walden Media and the Walt Disney Co. have hired ZATHURA lead Josh Hutcherson as the lead in the film adaptation of BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, reports VARIETY. The film will begin production later this month in New Zealand.

Klasky Csupos Gabor Csupo will make his live-action directing debut on the film, which is based on Katherine Paterson's famed novel. The story follows a sad boy who befriends an outsider, who together create the world called Terabithia, which is filled with giants, trolls and other magical beings.

Mobile Headline News

Last Minute Entries Wanted for First “MoTV Awards” at NATPE Mobile ++

Hosted by iHollywood Forum, Inc., Fun Little Movies (FLM) and NeTV the winners of the first MoTV Awards will be announced at NATPE Mobile ++ on Jan. 23, 2006, in Las Vegas, Nevada, at 5:30 pm in the Mandalay Bay resort. Film and TV comedy star Eddie Griffin (DEUCE BIGALOW, EUROPEAN GIGOLO) will present the Fun Little Movies Award for Best Comedy.

Filmmakers or animators can still participate by submitting their short films (10 seconds to 10 minutes in length) to www.mobilemediafest.com.There is a $35 entry fee, $25 for students.

Awards Headline News

Promax/BDA Europe & Arabia Extend Awards Deadline

The Awards Entry Deadline for both Promax/BDA Europe and Arabia Awards has been extended by one week from Friday, Jan. 20, 2006, to Friday, Jan. 27.

This is the final deadline and will not be extended further. Entries and Marketing Objectives must be submitted online. Entrees will not be able to edit the marketing objectives after this date. Tapes must be sent direct to the Promax/BDA offices. Payment must be received either directly. Entries, tapes and payment must reach us by 27th January 2006.

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