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AWN Headline News

Marvel Headline News

Iron Man Jets Home to Marvel

Due to New Lines stalled development of an IRON MAN feature, Marvel has regained the film rights to the comicbook franchise, reports VARIETY. After the project was in development hell for more than two years, the franchises option expired this summer and Marvel opted not to renew with New Line. Now the feature will start from scratch at Marvel with a new script, which will either be produced in-house or licensed to another studio.

Film Headline News

High Tension Director Not Waiting for Next Feature

Rogue Films, the genre arm of Focus Features, has tapped the domestic distribution rights to HIGH TENSION director Alexandre Ajas forthcoming supernatural horror flick, THE WAITING, VARIETY reports. Rogue purchased the film from Gold Circle Films and Craven/Maddalena Films. Mandate holds the international rights.

Film Headline News

Flyaway Wins Animation Award At Bethel Film Festival

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, November 2, 2005 at 12:00am

Juried prizewinners were announced for the 2005 Bethel Film Festival. Taking the Best Animation award was FLYAWAY from director Danny Oakley. The short film was produced by Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Out Of Our Minds Animation Studio, which landed nearly $2 million in funding from private investors for the production of its first feature-length animated film, MAGISTICAL, earlier this summer.

Avid Headline News

GenArts Announces November Discount for Sapphire Plug-ins

GenArts Inc., a leading provider of digital visual effects plug-ins for the film, broadcast and video industry, announced a special price promotion on their Sapphire Plug-ins for Avid AVX products.

Throughout the month of November, the price tag for the full package of Sapphire Plug-ins for Avid is being reduced by 15%. Savings range from $270 on Avid Xpress Pro HD to $720 on Avid DS Nitris. Contact an authorized Avid reseller or visit www.genarts.com for more specific pricing information. To benefit from the promotion, orders must be received by Nov. 30.

Work Headline News

Dave Kiddie Joins Rushes VFX Team

Rushes Postproduction Ltd. has signed visual effects artist Dave Kiddie.

He has built up an impressive list of credits over the last seven years, gaining extensive experience on high-end commercials for the likes of Coca-Cola and Barclays, as well as working on music videos for some of the worlds biggest artists, including Kylies Cant Get You Out Of My Head and The Streets Blinded by the Lights. He has also worked on slick and stylized feature films such as MEAN MACHINE and broadcast work for the BBC.

Headline News

Warner Bros. Lays Off 400

Faced with a revenue slowdown and budget tightening, Warner Bros. Ent. plans to layoff 400 employees companywide in Burbank, 250 of which were notified on Wednesday, VARIETY reports. There are currently 4,550 employed at the Burbank studio.

Each of the studios four divisions is affected: Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Home Ent. Group, Warner Bros. Television Group and Warner Bros. Consumer Products in addition to the studios new specialty division, Warner Independent Pictures, which was slashed by 10%, including production head Michael Andreen.

Series Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

This week Alain Bielik reports on a new, high-profile French feature, LES CHEVALIERS DU CIEL (loosely translated as KNIGHTS OF THE SKY), which is based on a cult TV series from the 60s and a series of graphic novels before that. The action-adventure contains around 700 aerial vfx shots from La Maison, Paris, marking the largest photoreal vfx movie ever made in France.

Game Headline News

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One Launches Epic Invasion on the Retail Front

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, November 2, 2005 at 12:00am

Activision Inc. has shipped CALL OF DUTY 2: BIG RED ONE to stores nationwide. Developed by Treyarch, the game allows players to put on the boots of the highly decorated WWII heroes of the U.S. Army's famed Fighting 1st Infantry Division, known as The Big Red One. In a departure for the CALL OF DUTY franchise, players will get to know their squadmates more than ever before as they fight alongside a single squad to accomplish a variety of missions spanning from Northern Africa to Nazi-occupied Western Europe.

Games Headline News

2K Games Tackles Da Vinci Code Game

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, November 2, 2005 at 12:00am

2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., announced an exclusive worldwide agreement with Sony Pictures Consumer Products to publish and distribute current generation console videogames based on the THE DA VINCI CODE film by Oscar-winning director Ron Howard, which is based on Dan Brown's bestselling novel.

The games are being developed by The Collective, a division of Foundation 9 Ent. Timed to coincide with the film release date, THE DA VINCI CODE games are expected to be available in May 2006.

Award Headline News

VES To Award Lifetime Achievement Honor to Lasseter

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, November 2, 2005 at 12:00am

Visual Effects Society has chosen Pixar founder John Lasseter as its recipient of the 2005 Georges Melies Award for Artistic Excellence, reports the trades.

"The VES is thrilled to have John Lasseter as its lifetime achievement honoree at the fourth annual Visual Effects Awards," said VES exec director Eric Roth. "His genius at creating films that captivate both children and adults alike with their humor, whimsy and intelligence is what makes him a true original. His influence in the field of visual effects is incalculable."

Headline News

EA Says Cowabunga to Simpsons Gaming Rights

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, November 2, 2005 at 12:00am

Electronic Arts, Twentieth Century Fox Television and Gracie Films announced a long-term deal that grants EA development rights to multiple videogame titles based on the FOX hit series THE SIMPSONS. Working closely with the television studios Licensing and Merchandising division, show producers Gracie Films and THE SIMPSONS writers, EA will create original SIMPSONS game content for next generation videogame systems. This deal between Fox and EA is the first development deal between these two entities. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Films Headline News

TCM Announces Ghibli Studio Tribute Lineup

In January, Turner Classic Movies will be highlighting the work of Japans top animation house, Studio Ghibli. Each Thursday, TCM will devote its evening programming to two films from the famed production company. Kicking off the tribute on Jan. 5, 2005, the network will broadcast Hayao Miyazakis masterpieces PRINCESS MONONOKE and SPIRITED AWAY. On Jan. 12, the channel will turn its attention to Miyazakis aerial adventures NAUSICAA OF THE VALLEY OF WIND and CASTLE IN THE SKY. Next, on Jan.

Nickelodeon Headline News

Nicktoons Characters Unite for THQ Videogame

THQ Inc. and Nickelodeon announced NICKTOONS UNITE! for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance has shipped to retail outlets throughout North America. NICKTOONS UNITE! allows players to interact with the stars from some of the most popular Nickelodeon TV shows, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Timmy Turner (from THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS), Jimmy Neutron and Danny Phantom.

Short Headline News

Asian Filmmakers Still Have Time to Enter Short Shorts Fest

The Short Shorts Film Festival 2006Various Cities, JapanJune 3-11, 2006Deadline: December 20, 2005

The Short Shorts Film Festival is Japans largest festival for short films. The Academy Award accredited festival takes place in nine cities and 13 venues including Yangon, Myanmar and across Japan; Tokyo, Sapporo, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Osaka, Hakodate, Nagoya and Matsumoto.

Home Headline News

Warner Home Video Joins UMD Format

Warner Home Video (WHV) will release THE DUKES OF HAZZARD as the first new Universal Media Disc (UMD) release title on Dec. 6, day-and-date with the DVD. Also available on that date will be AQUA TEEN HUNGER FORCE VOLUME 4 from Cartoon Network.

This will be followed by WHVs second wave of UMD titles on Dec. 20: CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, BATMAN BEGINS, CONSTANTINE, HOUSE OF WAX, THE MATRIX, T3 and ENTER THE DRAGON.

Star Headline News

Sith Completes the Circle on DVD

REVENGE OF THE SITH, the last of the STAR WARS prequels, hits DVD shelves in a two-disc set Nov. 1, 2005 (Fox Home Ent., $29.98). EPISODE III, with stunning vfx from ILM 1,269 shots and more CGI than many animated features is a reference quality disc, thanks to its dense, beautiful, digital imagery.

Creative Headline News

Noodlesoup Founder to Stir up Creative Juices at The Creative Group

Jeff Nodelman, the award-winning director and animator responsible for founding and building Noodlesoup Prods. into a leading independent animation studio in New York City, has joined NYC-based The Creative Group as creative director in charge of animation. Nodelman is charged with the formation of an animation studio infrastructure to develop, produce and market original animated brands for television, film and DVD.

Media Headline News

Michael J. Wolf New MTV Networks President/COO

Michael J. Wolf has been named president/coo of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc. In this newly created senior executive position, Wolf will lead the company's business and technology operations, including Advertising Sales, Affiliate Sales and Marketing, Business and Strategy Development, Business and Legal Affairs, Finance, Information Systems and Technology, and Production Operations. He will also help set and implement MTVs evolving multiplatform strategy to serve its audiences across all screens with the most compelling content.

Films Headline News

2005 American Film Market Sets 44 Films For Public Preview Screenings

The 2005 American Film Market (AFM) has set 44 independent feature films to be featured in the Public Previews screening program that offers free badges to all individuals working in the entertainment industry, as well as Santa Monica, California residents.

Headline News

AJA Ships KONA LHe For New Power Mac PCI Express G5

AJA Video, a leading manufacturer of professional video interface and conversion solutions, has begun shipping KONA LHe, the first PCI Express HD capable device for the new Power Mac PCI Express G5s. AJA is now shipping a total of four products that support the PCIe G5 systems: the award-winning Io family of video converters, Io, IoLA, IoLD along with KONA LHe. Underscoring its commitment to future-safe products, the AJA Io product line has been compatible with the last three generations of Mac G4, G5 and PowerBooks systems.

Maps Headline News

Pixologic Adds Displacement Exporter and Multi-Displacement 2

Pixologic Inc., makers of the award-winning modeling, texturing and painting application, ZBrush, announced the release of two new plug-ins: Displacement Exporter and Multi-Displacement 2.

Universal Headline News

Universal Joins Christie/AIX Digital Alliance

Universal Pictures became the third major movie studio to support digital distribution with Christie/AIX, following similar agreements with Twentieth Century Fox and The Walt Disney Co.s Buena Vista Pictures.

Universal will make its future feature films available to the DCI-compliant digital projection systems deployed by Christie/AIX, the subsidiary of Access Integrated Technologies Inc. (AccessIT), which is launching a nationwide rollout of 4,000 systems. Christie/AIX expects to install the first 150 systems in multiple exhibitor locations by Dec. 31.

Headline News

Saw II Powers Past Zorro

Lions Gates SAW II (with vfx from C.O.R.E.) carved up a surprising $31.7M at the box office for its Halloween weekend bow ended Oct. 30, 2005. Sonys THE LEGEND OF ZORRO (with vfx from Peerless Camera Co. and Digiscope) debuted in a distant second with $16.3M. Universals PRIME followed in third, as another newcomer, with $6.2M. Slipping to fourth was DreamWorks DREAMER: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY (with vfx by Hammerhead), which brought in $6.1M for a two-week cume of $17.3M.

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