AWN Headline News

Headline News

Nintendo Reveals 'Revolution'-ary Controller

As the cornerstone of his speech at the Tokyo Game Show's annual event, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata elaborated on the theme of the company's aim and proven ability to broaden the population of videogame players. Two shining examples highlighted in his keynote include the smash-hit sales of the highly innovative NINTENDOGS game for the portable Nintendo DS and the new controller that will be central to the company's upcoming console system, code-named Revolution.

In Interactive, Games, Interactive | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia

Series Headline News

Planet Nemo Pitches Bali Series at Cartoon Forum

Indie kids media company Planet Nemo has announced details of its first production. The company has teamed up with Canada-based Subsequence Ent. to co-produce a new preschool series called BALI, which will be pitched at Cartoon Forum Kolding, Sept. 21-24, 2005.

In Television, Television | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Europe, North America

Headline News

Sony Releases Expansion Packs for EverQuest I & II

Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE) has just released the first expansion pack for EVERQUEST II and the 10th for the original EVERQUEST.

EVERQUEST II DESERT OF FLAMES, marking the game's first introduction to player-versus-player combat, is available now for the suggested retail price of $29.99. This expansion is in addition to regular updates subscribers have received throughout the past 10 months at no additional cost.

In Interactive, Games, Interactive | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Festival Headline News

Animation Block Party Awards Prizes

On Sept. 15, 2005, Animation Block Party ended the sweltering NYC summer with a festival that featured more than 60 short films in three September screenings at BAM Rose Cinemas in Brooklyn. Animations from Canada, Australia and Europe meshed well with the top festival films from the U.S. The genres featured were diverse, ranging from stop-motion to experimental films, personal narrative work, music videos and gross-out humor.

In Awards, Awards | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Australia, Europe, North America

Film Headline News

Restored Cinderella Premieres in Hollywood

With a jewel-encrusted carriage parked outside the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, Walt Disney premiered the digitally restored print of CINDERELLA. The celebration was in anticipation of the two-disk DVD release of the film, retailing for $29.99, on Oct. 4, 2005. On the same day, Disney will also release a special platinum collectors edition of the film, featuring addition special features and a special booklet on the film for $49.99.

In Films, Films | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, South America

Film Headline News

DC’s Losers Get Lucky with Feature Deal

DC Comicss THE LOSERS has been selected for a big screen adaptation from Warner Bros. Pictures, reports VARIETY. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS helmer Peter Berg and Akiva Goldsman will produce the film, with Berg to write the script and possibly directing. John Cameron and Sarah Aubrey of Berg's Film 44 will also produce along with Kerry Foster for Goldsman's Weed Road.

The film chronicles the adventures of a highly skilled CIA team as they are attacked by their own agency and left for dead. The title was recently revived under the Vertigo label after a 30-year hiatus.

In Films, Visual Effects, Films, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Awards Headline News

Key Dates Set for 4th Annual VES Awards

The 4th Annual VES Awards presented by the Visual Effects Society (VES) will be held on Feb. 15, 2006 at 7:00 pm at the Hollywood Palladium.

Submissions for the 4th Annual awards competition began being accepted online at the VES Awards website (www.vesawards.com) on Sept. 1. The deadline for all submissions is Dec. 2, 2005.

In Awards, Visual Effects, Awards, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Production Headline News

Gene-Fusion Animated Feature Gets Underway in Ireland

Pre-production has begun on the animated action/adventure feature, GENE-FUSION, it was announced today, Sept. 15, 2005, by producers Banjax Studios, pop 6, and Beckett Entertainment Inc. announced today. The film for TV/DVD and theatrical release in selected territories will be delivered in late 2006 with a 26x30 series to following 2007.

In Films, Films | Headline News | Special Events: MIPCOM | Geographic Region: All, Europe

Entertainment Headline News

Patricia Wyatt Named President, HIT North America

Patricia Wyatt has been named president, HIT North America, based in the companys New York City office where she will be responsible for expanding the existing consumer products and home entertainment businesses for HITs classic preschool brands, including Bob the Builder, Thomas & Friends, Barney, Pingu and Angelina Ballerina, as well as launching new content. She will also serve on HITs executive management board.

In People, People | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia, North America

Digital Headline News

Disney Embraces Christie Digital Projection System

The Walt Disney Studios' distribution arm, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (BVPD), and Access Integrated Technologies' (AccessIT) Christie/AIX unit have entered into a groundbreaking non-exclusive agreement to supply feature films from Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone Pictures to DCI-compliant digital projection systems to be deployed by Christie/AIX. Christie/AIX will install between 2,500 and 4,000 systems throughout the United States and Canada over the next two years.

In Business, Business | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, North America

Services Headline News

Alias Introduces ‘Creative Bridge’

Alias introduced Creative Bridge, a services program designed to assist senior business managers and marketing professionals effectively exploit design and engineering data in their efforts to develop branded materials that are visually engaging, product correct, and can be created in significantly less time on increasingly tighter budgets.

In Technology, Visual Effects, Technology, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Game Headline News

Activision Releases Poker, Hunting & Pool Games

Activision has a host of sporting games with WORLD SERIES OF POKER, CABELA'S OUTDOOR ADVENTURES and THE HUSTLE: DETROIT STREETS.

WORLD SERIES OF POKER is the official videogame of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament. Set around the main table at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas, the game authentically captures all of the high-stakes action from the likeness and play styles of renowned pros like Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and 14 other top poker players to the accurate recreation of the WSOP poker room, down to the carpet and the wallpaper.

In Interactive, Games, Interactive | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America

Headline News

Walden Media to Animate Tortoise and Hippo

Walden Media has optioned the animated the animated pitch, TORTOISE AND HIPPO, according to VARIETY. SHREK co-writer Roger S.H. Schulman will write the script. The film will be a combination of live action and photo-real CGI animation.

In Films, Visual Effects, Films, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

India Headline News

MAAC To Conduct Animation Career Seminar

Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics today (Sept. 14, 2005) that it will be conducting a seminar on careers in the animation industry on Sept. 17, at the Music Academy in Chennai, India, it was reported in India Infoline News.

Jesh Krishna Murthy, who is a renowned Hollywood animator, conduct the seminar. The Computer Graphic department of Maya Entertainment will also be showcasing MAAC involvement in visual and special effects, used in Ketan Mehtas latest film, The Rising.

In Education and Training, Education and Training | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia

Shorts Headline News

Soup2Nuts Creates New Shorts Division

Animation production company Soup2Nuts, is launching a new state-of-the-art division, Condensed Soup, dedicated to producing commercials, animated shorts, webisodes and network branding.

Best known for cable hits HOME MOVIES (Adult Swim), OGRADY (Noggin/ The N) and DR. KATZ: PROFESSIONAL THERAPIST (Comedy Central), Soup2Nuts decided it was timely to take the studios unique humor and animation style into the world of animated shorts and commercials.

In Business, Business | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Headline News

Susan Fleishman New Corp PR EVP for Warner Bros. Ent.

Susan Fleishman has been named evp, corporate communications, Warner Bros. Entertainment, responsible for overseeing and coordinating all corporate communications strategies and activities on a worldwide basis, including media relations (entertainment, business and general), employee communications (working with the Studios human resources team), governmental relations and executive communications. She will assumes her new post on Sept. 26, 2005.

In People, People | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Headline News

Spielberg’s War of the Worlds to Invade DVD on Nov. 22

The WAR OF THE WORLDS remake by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, which grossed $582 million worldwide, is bound for DVD on Nov. 22, 2005 (DreamWorks Home Ent., $30). The limited edition, two-disc set will include interviews with Spielberg and Cruise recounting their on-set experiences and revealing their approach to telling the personal story at the heart of this epic odyssey.

In Home Entertainment, Visual Effects, Home Entertainment, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Headline News

Small Tree’s Gigabit Card Increases Productivity at Luma Pictures

When youre a top visual effects company working on multiple projects simultaneously, network speed is critical to meeting client deadlines. For Luma Pictures, creators of vfx for THE CAVE, UNDERWORLD, UNDERWORLD 2, and SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW, bandwidth necessity is at a maximum, with 50 to 60 employees concurrently accessing multiple servers throughout the firms Santa Monica production facility. To increase system performance, Luma turned to Small Tree Communications, designers and manufacturers of high-performance networking equipment for the Mac OS X.

In Technology, Visual Effects, Technology, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Studio Headline News

Free DAZ Studio 3D Animation Software Package Launched

DAZ Prods. Inc. has launched DAZ Studio, a free, feature-rich 3D animation software package that puts a complete virtual photo and motion picture studio at your fingertips. With pre-configured 3D scenes, poseable characters, animals, environments, clothing and accessories, DAZ Studio is the easiest way to quickly create high-quality digital images and animation for games, multimedia, illustration and photography applications.

In Technology, Visual Effects, Technology, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Animation Headline News

DreamWorks Animation Roars With Madagascar 2

DreamWorks Animation ceo Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that the studio will produce a sequel to MADAGASCAR, which has now passed the $500-million mark at the worldwide box office, making it the companys most successful original movie ever.

Katzenberg also announced that Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith will be reprising their roles. He said he was looking forward to other original cast members returning to their roles for the sequel.

The sequel will once again be produced by Mireille Soria and co-directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath.

In Films, Films | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Animation Headline News

UNICEF Helps Egyptian Kids to Produce Toon

REBELLION OF THE CANES is an animated short documentary, which was recently produced by 25 Minya children in Egypt with the financial add of UNICEF, reports EGYPTTODAY. The children spent five days making a series of short animation films on topics relating to childrens rights. The resulting film screened at the Lebanon International Film Festival.

In Education and Training, Education and Training | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Animation Headline News

Chinese Cartoon Festival Invites U.S. Participation

The Changsha Cartoon Art Festival, which serves as the Academy Awards for Chinese animation, and a growing annual gathering of international animation companies and festivals, is welcoming American participation.

Sander K. Johnson, president of International Television for Asia (ITA) and American Television in China (ATC), has been authorized by the Organizing Committee of the Changsha Cartoon Art Festival to help facilitate North American participation in the festival taking place Nov. 5-7, 2005, in Changsha, China.

In Event, Event | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia, Europe, North America

Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

With TIM BURTONS CORPSE BRIDE opening in limited release this Friday, VFXWORLD has a special set report on the making of the groundbreaking stop motion animated feature at 3 Mills Studios in London. You will hear from director Mike Johnson, character maintenance supervisor Graham Maiden, director of photography/vfx supervisor Pete Kozachik and art director Nelson Lowry, along with several key animators.

In Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia

Motion Headline News

MPC Delivers Corpse Bride VFX and DI

TIM BURTONS CORPSE BRIDE, Warner Bros. Pictures stop motion animated feature directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton, utilizes the visual-effects services of London-based Moving Picture Co. (MPC) on 460 shots, supervised by MPCs Jessica Norman. The picture was color graded by Max Horton in the MPC DI lab.

In Films, Visual Effects, Films, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Company Headline News

New York’s Quiet Man Celebrates 10 Years of VFX

In many respects, Quiet Man functions much as it sounds. The New York visual effects company is decidedly low-key and casual, reflecting the comfortable confidence with which they ply their craft. However, Since opening their doors a decade ago, the creative studio has enjoyed a, for the most part uninterrupted, growth in status and reputation in the advertising industry, in which they are renowned for the high level of aesthetic and technical finesse they bring to their visual effects work.

In Business, Visual Effects, Business, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All