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Animator Joanna Priestley Celebrates 20 Years on DVD Set

Acclaimed animator Joanna Priestley celebrates 20 years as filmmaker with a two-DVD collection of her work. The self-released two discs, entitled FIGHTING GRAVITY and RELATIVE ORBITS, cull 16 of her animated short films with many bonus features, including four documentaries providing behind-the-scenes glimpses into the animation process.

Film Headline News

Red Star Studio Raises Banner for Film Revolution

Red Star Studio has opened its doors in Sheffield. The new company will produce high-end digital effects and animation aimed at independent film and television. Situated in the burgeoning film community of Sheffield in the north of England and with a base in London, Red Star has been founded by the award-winning duo Benjamin Smith and Jan Rogowski. Their previous credits include Chris Morris' BAFTA award-winning 35mm short film MY WRONGS 8245-8249 AND 117, for which they created all the visual effects.

Film Headline News

The Incredibles, South Park, Spider-Man 2 Make AFI’s Top 10s of 2004

American Film Institute's annual AFI Awards has named THE INCREDIBLES and SPIDER-MAN 2 amongst its top 10 films of the year and SOUTH PARK one of its top 10 TV shows. Other films in the top 10 included: THE AVIATOR, COLLATERAL, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, KINSEY, MARIA FULL OF GRACE, MILLION DOLLAR BABY and SIDEWAYS, which will be honored during a ceremony in Beverly Hills on Jan. 14, 2005.

Artists Headline News

Gnomon Workshop Releases First ZBrush Titles

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 12:00am

The Gnomon Workshop released three DVD titles on Dec. 15, 2004, dedicated to understanding the complexity and power of Pixologic's ZBrush. Accomplished artists Meats Meier and Zack Petroc take the artist through the basics and intricacies of this remarkable digital sculpting tool.

Imax Headline News

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Get IMAX Summer Release

Hot on the heels of the record-setting THE POLAR EXPRESS: AN IMAX 3D EXPERIENCE, IMAX and Warner Bros. Pictures will next bring Tim Burtons CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY to IMAX theaters, day-and-date with conventional theaters on July 15, 2005. The event marks the seventh IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) collaboration between IMAX and Warner Bros.

Headline News

Maxon Helps Keep Polar Express on Schedule

Sony Pictures Imageworks used Maxons BodyPaint 3D and Cinema 4D software in the development of Warner Bros.' THE POLAR EXPRESS. The grand landscapes, the beautiful digital environments and scenery were created utilizing Maxon's award-winning 3D programs.

Film Headline News

Ryan Makes Canada’s Top 10

Chris Landreths RYAN was the only animated film named in Canada's Top Ten 2004 and will receive this honor at The Toronto International Film Festival Group to be held Jan. 28 Feb. 5, 2005 at the Cinematheque Ontario.

Established in 2001, Canada's Top Ten celebrates the finest in Canadian cinema and is selected by an independent panel of filmmakers, programmers, academics, journalists and industry professionals from across the country.

Headline News

The Pixel Farm Launches PFHoe

The Pixel Farm released PFHoe, an extremely cost effective DV tracking application, for the Mac and Windows platform, aimed at DV hobbyists and budding CG artists. For the first time it is possible for those wanting to learn about match moving or experiment with matching computer graphics to video footage, to use cutting edge tools without the price tag to match.

Headline News

Earthsea Earns Sci Fi Channel Top Spot In Cable

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 12:00am

The premiere of Sci Fi Channel's original miniseries LEGEND OF EARTHSEA averaged a 3.2 HH rating/3.677,000 P2+ over two consecutive nights. Sci Fi was the top network in cable prime (Monday-Tuesday 8:00-11:00 pm average) for HH ratings, P2+, P18-49s and P25-54s for entire run of the miniseries.

Headline News

Yun-Fat in Pirates of the Caribbean Sequels

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 12:00am

CROUCHING TIGERs Chow Yun-Fat is in negotiations to play the villain in the upcoming PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN sequels, reports APPLE DAILY. The actors wife, Jasmin Chan Wui-nin, said the actor will play the famous 19th century Chinese pirate Cheung Po Tsai for the second and third installments of the franchise. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley are expected to return in their roles.

Headline News

Ford to Star in Iraq War Drama

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, December 16, 2004 at 12:00am

Harrison Ford is set to star in the feature film version of the forthcoming Iraq War book, NO TRUE GLORY: THE BATTLE FOR FALLUJAH, reports VARIETY. Universal-based Double Feature partners Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher have optioned the book, which will be published by Bantam in May. Carla Santos Shamberg will produce with Shamberg and Sher.

Series Headline News

Barker’s Hellraiser Pins Itself TV Series

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 15, 2004 at 12:00am

Clive Barkers horror series, HELLRAISER, has pinned a hour-long TV deal, reports VARIETY. Panacea Ent., Park Avenue Ent. and Blueprint Ent. will produce the project. New Worlds Larry Kuppin will exec produce with Eric Gardner. Dimension films still holds the feature rights, but Kuppin has repped the series since 1991.

The plot will follow a tabloid journalist who stumbles onto a diabolical plot between Pinhead and a zillionaire software exec.

Shop Headline News

Platinum Brings Italian Comic to the Big Screen

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 15, 2004 at 12:00am

Platinum Studios and Relativity Management have signed a deal with Vancouver-based the Shop Animation Studios to develop and co-produce a CG feature based the Italian comicbook series DYLAN DOG: THE FOURTH KINGDOM. Production will begin in March and Relativity will handle all foreign sales. The Shop co-founder Ian Pearson will direct, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Gavin Blair. Producers include Aaron L. Gilbert, president/co-founder of the Shop, and Platinum Studios chairman Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. Relativity ceo Ryan Kavanaugh will exec produce with Ervin Rustemagic.

Headline News

Writers Guild Awards TV & Radio Nominees Announced

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 15, 2004 at 12:00am

The Writers Guild of America, East and West announced the nominations for outstanding achievement in television and radio writing during the 2004 season.

In the Animation category, THE SIMPSONS garnered four of the five nominations. The nods went to:

* Today I Am A Clown (THE SIMPSONS), Written by Joel H. Cohen; Fox * Fraudcast News (THE SIMPSONS), Written by Don Payne; Fox* Starcrossed (JUSTICE LEAGUE), Written by Rich Fogel, John Ridley, Dwayne McDuffie, Story by Rich Fogel; Cartoon Network

Headline News

Guinness Names Scooby-Doo the Most Cartoon Episodes Aired on TV

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 15, 2004 at 12:00am

The Mystery Inc. gang has entered the Guinness Book of World Records with the most cartoon comedy episodes aired on television. A total of 349 episodes of SCOOBY-DOO have aired in 160 different countries worldwide since its debut Sept. 13, 1969. The series will be listed in Guinness' 2006 edition.

The series has spawned a number of different cartoon series, including: SCOOBY AND SCRAPPY DOO (1979); THE NEW SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERIES (1984); THE 13 GHOSTS OF SCOOBY DOO (1985); A PUP NAMED SCOOBY DOO (1988) and the current WHAT'S NEW SCOOBY-DOO? (2002).

World Headline News

Porchlight To Develop Baxter Series

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 15, 2004 at 12:00am

PorchLight Ent. has added BAXTER to its 2005 animation development slate. Always curious and bounding with energy, Baxter the puppy interacts with nature like a child, in environments that are readily accessible to children for example, backyards and parks. Its a world that children can touch and feel through the eyes of their lovable friend and outside their back door.

Digital Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

As part of VFXWORLDs continuing international coverage Gianluca Dentici reports on The Virtuality 2004 Conference about the current state of the Italian visual effects industry, where they strive for invisibility. On the other hand, Italians wouldnt be Italians without some sort of ode to carnal lust, so the winner of the first Miss Digital World contest, Katty Ko, designed by Flavio Parra from Chile, was recognized as the best icon of virtual beauty by the online jury.

Headline News

Maltin Discusses Disney Treasures Wave Four DVDs

With the recent release of the WALT DISNEY TREASURES Wave Four DVD titles (Disney Home Ent., $32.99 each), MICKEY MOUSE IN BLACK AND WHITE, VOLUME TWO, THE MICKEY MOUSE CLUB and THE COMPLETE PLUTO, VOLUME ONE, consultant Leonard Maltin help put them in perspective.

As far as Mickey is concerned, the second black-and-white volume and fourth volume altogether completes the legendary mouses oeuvre.

Years Headline News

Robert Harper Named Vice Chairman of Fox Filmed Ent.

Robert Harper, vice chairman of Twentieth Century Fox, has been promoted to vice chairman, Fox Filmed Ent. With his promotion, Harper assumes new global strategic, creative and managerial responsibilities for all of Fox Filmed Ent., concentrating particularly on interdivisional synergy.

Harper's promotion reflects the studio's success, growth and management stability. Fox has had three consecutive, record-breaking years, with over $2 billion in worldwide box office in 2004.

Point Headline News

Weitz Steps Down from His Dark Materials

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, December 15, 2004 at 12:00am

Director Chris Weitz has stepped down as director on HIS DARK MATERIALS: THE GOLDEN COMPASS, citing the expansive technical challenges. New Line will launch a search for a new director immediately. The ABOUT A BOY helmer made it clear that the move was not due to creative differences, thus heading off rumors that the move was over the recent announcement that the film would secularize the Philip Pullman novel in an effort to make the film not seem anti-religious. Weitz penned the screenplay, which will be used by the new director.

Headline News

Send Your Shorts to Sea at the Key West IndieFest

Key West IndieFest 2005Key West, Florida, USAApril 7 - 10, 2005Deadline: December 31, 2004

Key West IndieFest 2005 is an international event that showcases the best independent films and screenplays in the world by the sea. ALL selected artists will have the opportunity to have their entry presented to some of the most-respected Hollywood talent agencies, production companies and film distributors. The event also holds a screenwriting competition. For addition information, visit keywestindiefest.com.

Headline News

Win Mentorship with Grudge Writer Stephen Susco

The Stephen Susco Screenwriting Mentorship CompetitionWorld Wide WebJune 30, 2005Deadline: April 30, 2005

The Writers Room of Bucks Countya not-for-profit writers center providing writing workshops, publishing and editorial services is sponsoring The Stephen Susco Screenwriting Mentorship Competition. Three budding screenwriters will receive one year of personal mentoring by THE GRUDGE writer Susco on the business and craft of screenwriting.

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