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AWN Headline News

Animation Headline News

AWN Discussion Forums - What's New? for August 8, 2005

This week in AWN's Forums, a member asks whether ToonBoom Studio is worth the price. A student wants to know the pros and cons of the New England Institute of Art versus Ringling or Sheridan. Another student is looking to find a lead animator to interview for a school project. A member asks whether you can do traditional 2D animation in Flash. Others are looking for members to critique their work. As well as, tools for teaching animation, the business of animation and, as always, brand new stuff to check out in show and tell!

Headline News

Dukes Power Hazardous Box Office

Warner Bros. big screen adaptation of THE DUKES OF HAZARD debuted in the top spot at the box office for the weekend ended Aug. 7, 2005, revving up $30.6M worth of ticket sales. New Lines WEDDING CRASHERS, last weeks winner, dropped to second place again with $16M for a cume of $143.6M. Warner Bros. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (with delightful vfx from MPC, Framestore CFC, Cinesite and Digital Domain) dipped to third place with $10.9M for a total of $169.4M.

Services Headline News

Bakers Man Cooks Up Truelight Ent. Headed By Keven O’Donnell

Bakers Man, an industry leader in Internet based technology, marketing communications and digital information management for the entertainment industry, has formed a new production company, TrueLight Entertainment, to provide a wide range of animation production, innovative marketing and e-learning services based on proprietary processes and tools. Industry veteran Kevin ODonnell is president of new media company.

Headline News

DisneyToon Studios Ups Elizabeth Wolfe to Publicity VP

Long time publicity veteran Elizabeth Wolfe has been upped to vp, publicity for DisneyToon Studios, responsible for all areas of publicity for DisneyToon Studios and liaisons with the publicity teams for Buena Vista Pictures Marketing Group and Buena Vista Home Ent. as well as other areas of The Walt Disney Co. Additionally, she oversees talent relations and special projects, which include working with numerous charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Free Arts for Abused Children and Adopt a Family.

Headline News

4Kids Debuts New DVD Product Line

4Kids Entertainment introduced DVDouble Shot, a new line of low-priced, impulse-driven DVDs, during the recent VSDA 2005 in Las Vegas. Each DVD will contain two of the most memorable episodes of a given TV series, as selected by each series original producers and writers, with input from fans. Several 4Kids shows will be featured in the line, including YU-GI-OH!, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, WINX CLUB, SONIC X, CABBAGE PATCH KIDS and KIRBY: RIGHT BACK AT YA!.

Dell Headline News

NVIDIA nForce 4 SLI Supercharges New Dell Desktop PC

NVIDIA Corp. announced that the new Dell XPS 600 desktop PC features NVIDIA nForce4 SLI X16 Intel Edition technology and award-winning GeForce 7800 GTX graphics processing units (GPUs). This marks the first time that Dell has used a chipset enabling dual graphics in their product offerings.

Series Headline News

Noodlesoup Pours Into New Facility

Noodlesoup Prods. has moved into a new facility in New York City at 489 5th Ave., 26th Floor as of Aug. 1, 2005.

Our new, state-of-the-art facility brings together our extraordinary and diverse team of animation professionals and client-devoted project managers with stunning views of Bryant Park. Its a great place to practice the delicate business of creativity, said Noodlesoup ceo Nathan Graf.

Headline News

Time-Warner Plans For $3 Billion Shareholder Settlement

By Guest (not verified) | Friday, August 5, 2005 at 12:00am

Time-Warner (www.timewarner.com) announced a tentative settlement with a group of shareholders who claimed the company had put forth inflated revenue figures and had accounted improperly when it merged its operations with those of AOL in 2000. The company is setting aside $3 billion to settle shareholder lawsuits. It also authorized a program to buy back $5 billion of its shares over two years.

Headline News

Axel Springer Buys ProSiebenSat.1 From Saban

Axel Springer Verlag, the largest German publishing company, has purchased a majority stake in ProSiebenSat.1, Germanys largest commercial broadcasting network, from Haim Saban and an investment group including Quadrangle Group, Hellman & Friedman, Bain Capital and Providence Equity Partners, reports THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

Entertainment Headline News

CCI, Collingwood O’Hare Ent. & Silver Fox Partner on Bucket Full of Animati

By Guest (not verified) | Friday, August 5, 2005 at 12:00am

Two U.K. animation companies are partnering for the first time to produce HARRY AND HIS BUCKET FULL OF DINOSAURS, a 52-episode preschool animation series based on the best-selling books by Ian Whybrow and Adrian Reynolds.

Collingwood OHare Entertainment and Silver Fox Films are joining forces for the production, along with Canadian production and distribution company CCI Entertainment. Directors are Collingwood OHares Tony Collingwood and Silver Foxs Graham Ralph.

Animation Headline News

Zygote Launches Scientific Visualization & Biomedical Animation Site

By Guest (not verified) | Friday, August 5, 2005 at 12:00am

Zygote Media Group, a provider of 3D content for the biomedical, animation and other markets, announced the launch of the 3D Female Anatomy Collection, available at its new online store (www.3dscience.com). The 3D Female Anatomy Collection features 3D content, including scientific models, images and animation, that helps viewers better understand female anatomy.

Animated Headline News

Canemaker Film Screening for Academy Consideration

THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED CONVERSATION, the 28-minute animated short by animation historian/professor John Canemaker, is screening in Los Angeles Aug. 5-7, 2005, for its Academy qualification. The animated autobio pic screens at 11:30 am and 12:10 pm at the Laemmle Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, California.

Dreamworks Headline News

DreamWorks Hangs On To Goodman & Deal With Parkes/Macdonald Prods.

DreamWorks Pictures has extended head of production Adam Goodmans contract term for an additional four years through 2009.

"Adam Goodman has been an integral part of our production team since the inception of the studio and, over the past year and a half, he has more than proven his capability to lead that team, said DreamWorks principal David Geffen. We are very happy that he plans to continue to spearhead our live-action slate."

Headline News

Food Allergy Topic du Jour on JoJo's Circus

Playhouse Disney is serving up some education and advice about food allergies in and episode of JOJO'S CIRCUS, airing Aug. 8, 2005, at 8:30 am on the Disney Channel. JoJo, star of the Playhouse Disney hit, can't resist eating just a few of the season's best merryberries, although she knows she is allergic to the special summertime treat, in the episode entitled "Tinkled Pink.�

Award Headline News

ACM SIGGRAPH Announces Award Winners

ACM SIGGRAPH presented three awards at this weeks SIGGRAPH 2005 conference (which attracted more than 29,122 participants to Los Angeles) to recognize individuals who made a significant contribution to the computer graphics community:

* Tomoyuki Nishita of the University of Tokoyo received the prestigious Steven Anson Coons Award for Outstanding Creative Contributions to Computer Graphics for his inspirational work on rendering of natural phenomena.

Headline News

Original Kong Bound for DVD on Nov. 22

Warner Home Video announced that its long-awaited DVD debut of the legendary KING KONG (1933) will hit stores on Nov. 22 in multiple sets: a two-disc special edition, a two-disc collectors edition and a four-disc collectors edition along with THE SON OF KONG and MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, reports THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

The two-year DVD project (digitally restored and mastered from the best surviving film elements) coincides with the release of Peter Jacksons remake from Universal Pictures, opening Dec. 14.

Headline News

Alias Opens SIGGRAPH With Big Maya 7 & MotionBuilder 7 Releases

Alias has lots to demonstrate and talk about at its SIGGRAPH 2005 booth #1312 at the Los Angeles Convention Center with the release of its Maya 7 and MotionBuilder 7 software packages.

Maya 7 builds upon the architecture and performance enhancements in Maya 6.5 with new and improved tools for fast, realistic character animation, streamlined modeling and texturing, stunning visual effects and increased productivity. It also incorporates Pixar's patented technology.

Production Headline News

NewTek Announces Upgrade, Emmy Nomination and New Hire

By Guest (not verified) | Thursday, August 4, 2005 at 12:00am

NewTek (SIGGRAPH 2005 booth #1529) has released a free upgrade to its VT [4] integrated production suite. VT [4] version 4.5, which can be downloaded at www.newtek.com, includes new features, production-ready content and maintenance and workflow improvements. Among the many enhancements are technologies for projector output with scaling and software scan converting, which allow input users to capture screen data from remote computers. The product is optimized for a range of Intel processors for better performance.

Headline News

POW! Ent. Licenses High-Tech and Traditional Products

By Guest (not verified) | Thursday, August 4, 2005 at 12:00am

Stan Lees POW! Entertainment forged two deals to further the companys brands in the consumer product arena. One is for a line of high-tech toys and gizmos, starting with digital jewelry, while the other covers apparel and accessories.

Million Headline News

War Of The Worlds Surpasses $500 Million Worldwide

By Guest (not verified) | Thursday, August 4, 2005 at 12:00am

Paramount Pictures announced on Aug. 3, 2005, that its film WAR OF THE WORLDS, starring Tom Cruise and directed by Steven Spielberg, has grossed over $500 million at the worldwide box office, including $218.3 million domestically and $310.7 million worldwide.

The picture has set several box office records for both Paramount and Cruise, including largest opening day, largest single day and largest opening weekend for both star and studio, and has broken several international records. The film is also Cruises biggest hit to date, passing MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE: II.

Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

We turn our attention to technology this month good timing with SIGGRAPH 2005 happening this week in Los Angeles (for those attending, please stop by our booth, #1069). Editor Bill Desowitz is making the rounds of the booths and briefings and will have his take on the proceedings soon. Managing editor Rick DeMott opens up the pages of the new coffee table book, THE CINEMA OF GEORGE LUCAS and Mary Ann Skweres will highlight what played at the SIGGRAPH Electronic Theater.

Turbo Headline News

Turbo Squid Releases Hairtrix for 3ds Max

By Guest (not verified) | Wednesday, August 3, 2005 at 12:00am

Turbo Squid (SIGGRAPH 2005 booth #1051) has introduced Hairtrix, a 3ds Max plug-in for creating hair and fur.

In an unusual collaboration, Turbo Squid, the publisher and worldwide distributor for the Autodesk Certified Animation Plug-In Program, worked with Dimension dESIGN Animation Group and EPHERE to create an integrated product that combines the features of Dimensions hairfx and EPHEREs Ornatrix packages. Hairtrix offers superior rendering times compared to other 3ds Max hair solutions. Hairtrix offers users:

Headline News

Luxology Unveils Modo 201, Outlines Development Plans

By Guest (not verified) | Wednesday, August 3, 2005 at 12:00am

Luxology took the opportunity at SIGGRAPH 2005 to announce the new version of its flagship modeling product, modo 201, as well as outline its future development plans.

modo 201, which is designed for games, films, TV, print, architecture and Web productions, integrates modeling, painting and rendering and allows artists to focus on more on creating and less on process, said company executives. The new version features advanced modeling technology, integrated painting tools, accelerated rendering technology and workflow boosts.

Headline News

MAXON Debuts Three New Products at SIGGRAPH 2005

MAXON has introduced a new MAXON Production Bundle for studio visual effects, along with upgrades to CINEMA 4D (Release 9.5) and BodyPaint 3D (Release 2.5) during SIGGRAPH 2005 at its, booth 913.

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