Image in Media Inc. (Image) announced that it has signed a $20 million co-production agreement for a 3D animation feature film entitled MONSTER CLUB THE MOVIE with China Film Animation Ltd. and UK-based producer Treehouse Film and Television Ltd. Production is planned to start in Q1 2006 and be completed within 12 months.
ASIFA-Hollywoods tribute to the work of UPA has been moved from February to March 26, 2006 at 6:00 pm. The event will examine the legacy of UPA (United Productions of America) the "anti-Disney" studio of the 1950s that is still influencing animation design today. The screening will feature rarely shown Columbia theatrical cartoons (in 35mm) starring Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing, as well as groundbreaking TV shorts, commercials and industrial films.
Congratulations to Autodesk for completing its purchase of Alias. We look forward to covering future developments in 3D software development and the ramifications for the entire industry. And congratulations to Pixars Ed Catmull and all the other recipients that will be honored at the Academys annual Scientific and Technical Awards at the Beverly Hilton on Feb. 18. Catmull, Tony DeRose and Jos Stam were singled out for their scientific and practical implementation of subdivision surfaces as a modeling technique in movies.
Vicon has installed a 44-camera Vicon MX40 system for facial, hand and full-body capture to leading game company Square Enix Co. Ltd.
Square Enix acquired the system to take advantage of the immediate performance gains of Vicon MX when recording actors for cinematic sequences and in-game play, and to support higher camera counts and complexity for motion capture on next-gen titles.
Square Enix has created such popular game franchises as FINAL FANTASY and DRAGON QUEST, and has been an experienced motion capture user for many years.
Apple introduced the new iMac featuring Mac OS X running on the new Intel Core Duo processor, delivering performance that is up to twice that of its predecessor. The widely praised iMac design now features dual-core processors, a built-in iSight video camera for video conferencing out-of-the-box, and the breakthrough media experience of Front Row with the Apple Remote for a simple, intuitive and powerful way for consumers to enjoy their content from across the room.
BOXX Technologies launched APEXX 4, a top-of-the-line personal workstation specifically engineered to maximize the productivity of the VFX professional.
Yoram Gross and his family have sold their 50% holdings in Yoram Gross-EM.TV to the other 50% shareholder, EM.Ent., an affiliated company to the German media company EM.TV AG.
Originally founded by Yoram and Sandra Gross 37 years ago in Sdyney, they sold 50% of their studio to EM.TV in 1999 to form Yoram Gross-EM.TV.
The Gross family will continue to hold a majority shareholding in a related company, Yoram Gross Prods., until its current slate of productions is completed to ensure continuity of production and creative control.
Stephen Moore has relocated from Los Angeles to the U.K. to join Aardman as head of features/COO.
Moore was president of International for Twen-tieth Century Fox for eight years, overseeing both the theatrical and home entertainment divisions.
Aardman is very pleased to have been able to appoint Stephen at this point in the studios history," said David Sproxton, exec chairman of Aardman. "Stephens vast expe-rience will enable the studio to build considerably on its recent successes and increase its opportunities in many arenas.
As Marvel Studios moves into a production unit of its own, the house that superheroes built has promoted Kevin Feige to president of production, Ari Arad to evp production and Craig Kyle to vp creative development, animation, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
For the climactic Jan. 13 episode of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA titled "Resurrection Ship, Part 2," Zoic Studios worked on a scale greater than anything previously imagined for the small screen. Choreographing and executing all the effects for the episode, Zoic relied on a combination of live-action greenscreen and CG animation. The episode airs at 10:00 pm on SCI FI Channel.
Autodesk Inc. announced that it has completed the acquisition of Alias for $197 million in cash. This acquisition extends Autodesk's 3D software leadership in the manufacturing and media and entertainment industries.
DC Comics announced that 10 renowned creators will join the growing roster of celebrities and comicbook creators slated to appear at the upcoming New York Comic-Con. The artists and writers added to the show are:
* Brian Azzarello The writer of Vertigo's award-winning series 100 BULLETS and the new spaghetti western-noir series LOVELESS.* Keith Giffen The layout artist of DC Comics' highly anticipated forthcoming weekly mini-series 52.
The Wubbcast is the world's first video podcast for pre-schoolers. It packages together some of the world's nicest cartoons for pre-schoolers and makes them available for the iPod or PSP each week.
The Wubbcast is free and will launch in March with a 10-minute episode featuring the characters and music from the upcoming Nick Jr. show WOW! WOW! WUBBZY! and two other great cartoons.
Filmmakers submitting shorts to the Wubbcast will keep all the rights and retain complete ownership of their work.
The 37th NAACP Image Awards Nominations were announced during a press conference at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Randy Jackson, Aisha Tyler, Kimberly Elise, James Pickens Jr., and Kevin Frazier joined NAACP president/ceo Bruce Gordon, chairperson, NAACP Image Awards Committee Clayola Brown, and Vicangelo Bulluck, exec producer, NAACP Image Awards to announce 38 categories, which included a new award for Directing.
The Broadcast Film Critics' 11th annual Critics' Choice Awards honored KING KONG with a special Distinguished Achievement in Performing Arts Award to recognize the blend of visual effects with Andy Serkis' motion capture performance. This honor coincides with the VES nominating Kong for Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture, citing Andy Serkis, Atsushi Sato, Guy Williams and Eric Saindon.
BET has hired three new execs, which includes a head for its new animated programming division, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.
Denys Cowan has been hired for the new position of svp animation. Previously, Cowan worked with Hudlin on the Adult Swim series THE BOONDOCKS as producer and supervising director for Sony Pictures Television Animation. Hudlin is one of the exec producers of BOONDOCKS.
AICP Show 2006New York, New York, USAJune 2006Deadline: February 15, 2006
Legendary animator Joe Barbera just directed a brand new TOM AND JERRY theatrical short that will make its world television premiere on Cartoon Network Jan. 27, 2006, at 9:00 pm. The seven-minute cartoon, THE KARATEGUARD, produced by Warner Bros. Animation, has already been submitted for a 2006 Academy Award nomination in the animated short film category, and is the 162nd theatrical short in the 66-year career of the Academy Award-winning cat and mouse duo.
Pixar's Ed Catmull is among the recipients of Technical Achievement Certificates, which will be handed out among the 17 achievements to be honored at the Academy's annual Scientific and Technical Awards dinner on The Beverly Hilton Feb. 18, 2006.
He shares the honor for his original concept with Tony DeRose and Jos Stam for their scientific and practical implementation of subdivision surfaces as a modeling technique in motion picture production.
Subdivision surfaces has become a preferred modeling primitive for many types of motion picture computer graphics.
Wacom Technology Corp.s new Intuos3 12x19 pen tablet is specifically designed for photographers, designers, artists and engineers that use multiple large monitors or large widescreen displays such as the 30 Apple Cinema HD display. Like the recently introduced Intuos3 6x11, the Intuos3 12x19 features an active area with an aspect ratio that is a great match to the screen aspect ratio of either a widescreen display or standard displays used together. This provides optimal pen control and efficient use of the entire tablet.
Alienware is now featuring the new AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 dual-core processor on both the Aurora ALX and Aurora 7500 desktop platforms.
Manu Ittina, who has worked on such films as SHREK 2 and MADAGASCAR, has set up his Ittina Studios in Bangalore, India, with the hopes of bringing high-quality animation to India.
However, he knows the feat will be difficult, because 95% of the work being done in India is outsourced work. Under quick deadlines, studios are forced to produce up to 12 seconds of animation per day, compared to major U.S. studios like Pixar and DreamWorks that produce three to five seconds per week.
Comedy Central is taking original broadband programming to new heights with its development slate for early 2006, which includes an extensive lineup of original programming including animation, live-action narratives, topical stand-up performance and sketch comedies.
Comedy Central MotherLoad, which launched Nov. 1, 2005, is one of the first network broadband channels to premiere original series. To view Comedy Central MotherLoad, log on to www.comedycentral.com/motherload.
Greg Gilhooly joins Cookie Jar Ent. Inc. as vp, business and legal affairs. Based in the companys Toronto head office, his responsibilities will support Cookie Jars dynamic growth as the company continues to introduce several new shows a year, expands its entertainment operations globally and solidifies its new business initiatives.
Imagina 2006, to be held Feb. 1-3 in Monte Carlo, Monaco, has released details of its conference schedule.
Feb. 1* 2:00 pm 3:30 pmKeynote: Ken Perlin (professor, Information Science department), Media Research Laboratory, New York UniversityTHE ILLUSION OF LIFE - REVISITEDProcedural animation has reached a degree of verisimilitude, which enables an interactive virtual actor to express emotions. Videogames are thus gaining access to a type of narration that was previously limited to the cinema.
* 3:45 pm 4:45 pm
