AWN Headline News

CG Academy has just released a second 3ds max training DVD in its MAXScript Fundamentals 2 series. Borislav Bobo Petrov continues his exploration of the wonderful world of MAXScript. In this DVD Petrov applies MAXScript to many real-world tasks where doing things by hand would be slow and laborious, bringing to bear the power of MAXScript on the masses of objects, lights and materials found in a typical 3dsmax scene.

!mpossible Pictures has promoted editor James Frazier to director of operations and welcomes a new addition, designer/editor Heather Arment, to the team.

James has been an integral part of the company and our clients have expressed enthusiasm seeing him move to the next level in handling day-to-day operations, said Steve Urbano, !mpossible Pictures vp/director. Heather makes a terrific addition to our team with her great energy and originality. Shes one-of-a-kind and brings unique experiences in design, filmmaking, and editing.

Continuing to grow its directorial roster, Thomas Winter Cooke has signed two of the U.K.s best young commercial directors, Seamus Masterson and Elliot Hegarty, as well as well known documentarian and commercial filmmaker Martin Brierley, for exclusive representation in the U.S.

Cdigix, an online movie and music service for college students, has inked its first studio content deals, acquiring movies and TV shows from the Walt Disney Co. and Turner Broadcasting, reports VARIETY.

With distribution deals with 21 colleges and universities, Cdigix will offer Disney films including THE INCREDIBLES and THE VILLAGE once they enter the video-on-demand. In addition, it will have programs from Disney-owned ESPN like WORLD SERIES OF POKER.

The Turner deal will see Cartoon Networks Adult Swim programming enter the Web.

Sony Pictures is in talks with Marvel Ent. to adapt Marvel's lesser-known comicbook KILLRAVEN into a sci-fi tentpole feature, reports VARIETY. Sony is already in talks with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Robert Schenkkan (THE KENTUCKY CYCLE) to adapt the 1970s series. If the film goes forward, Marvel's head Avi Arad would produce with Angryfilms' Don Murphy. Marvels Kevin Feige would exec produce.

Moscow's Central House of Business, which houses the 35MM cinema, will start its Animation Project on April 3, 2005, with screenings of five cartoons by the city's Animos cartoon studio, reports HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Each weekend the theater will screen homegrown toons.

The first program includes Maria Muat's 13-minute PRO MISHONKA (ABOUT A MOUSE), which was voted Russia's best children's cartoon at the 10th Open Russian Animation Festival in Suzdal.

Animation Project was created due to the success of 10 hours of new animation screened at the Suzdal festival.