Summer's over and audiences predictably stayed home. For the weekend that concluded Sept. 7, 2003, the box office top 10 couldn't even muster $50M. Paramount's DICKIE ROBERTS: FORMER CHILD STAR debuted at number one, collecting $6.6M. UA's JEEPERS CREEPERS 2 came in second place (featuring vfx by The Orphanage and Makeup and Monsters) with $6.5M and $27.2M to date.
Magnet Media Inc., as part of its award-winning Digital Media Training Series, has shipped self-paced training DVDs for Apples Final Cut Pro 4 and Adobes After Effects 6.
Greenworks Xfrog organic modeling system has been rewritten from scratch for the release of Xfrog 4. With the new version, all parameters in Xfrog 4 can be animated and combined with the objects in MAXON's CINEMA 4D, allowing artists to create trees or other plants, which grow and follow the sun as well as leaves and branches, which move in the wind. Additionally CINEMA 4D XPresso diagrams can be combined with Xfrog to create photoreal parameter-driven organic effects.
Kids WB! has signed a deal with MilkMedia, the in-school milk carton side panel sponsorship program, to be the newest national childrens account for the fall 2003 season. Titled Toon In To Schools, Kids WB!s characters from ¡MUCHA LUCHA!, OZZY & DRIX and XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN will lend their likenesses to milk containers.
HP has announced the HP Workstation zx2000 now includes the new low-voltage Intel Itanium 2 1.0-gigahertz processor with 1.5 megabyte L3 memory cache. The enhanced workstation provides up to a 10% increase in application performance. In addition, HP plans to introduce entry-level servers with the new low-voltage Intel Itanium processor in early 2004.
Considered one of the most difficult festivals to get into, the 30th edition of the Telluride Film Festival took place on August 29 September 1, 2003. Unlike the redheaded stepchild treatment that animated films get at other live-action focused festivals, the non-competitive Telluride gave three lucky animated entrees the same worthy reception that other more high profile live-action films received.
The partners behind the summers surprise hit 28 DAYS LATER, Fox Searchlight Pictures and DNA Films have announced a five-year, $50 million joint production and distribution deal, reported the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. DNA Films operates on unused U.K. lottery funds and first needed approval by the U.K. Film Council before the agreement could be signed. The new joint venture will remain with the name DNA Films and producer/exec Andrew Macdonald has been hired to head up the company.
Animation talent and instructor extraordinaire Jules Engel passed away Sept. 6, 2003 in Simi Valley, California at the age of 94. He had experienced complications from a recent fall.
With him at his death, former student and colleague (and marvelous animator/instructor in her own right), USC Animation's Christine Panushka, said, My heart is heavy with the news that Jules passed today [Sept. 6] at 5:15 pm, at a Simi Valley Hospice. The end was peaceful and Jane Ann Dill was at his side as he slipped away.
ABC finally, officially, released its new ABC Kids fall lineup, which starts Sept. 20, 2003 with two new series, LILO & STITCH, THE SERIES, a spin-off of last summers highly successful animated feature, as well as Disney Channels hit sitcom, THATS SO RAVEN. Commenting on the new additions, Jonathan Barzilay, gm/svp of ABC Kids and Toon Disney said, These distinctive series will add new dimension to the popular ABC Kids lineup.
ABC Kids Saturday Morning Line-Up (all times are ET):
Method recently collaborated with Fredrik Bond/MJZ, renowned character designer company Stan Winston Prods. and Goodby Silverstein San Francisco to create the visual effects in a new spot for HP and the United States Postal Service, IL POSTINO.
Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution has promoted Cristina Mancini to the newly created position of exec director, marketing, promotion and publicity, responsible for the publicity group within the marketing department reporting to Michael Bessolo, svp of marketing, promotion and publicity.
ASIFA-Hollywood is currently accepting entries for the 31st Annual Annie Awards. Deadline to receive entries is Friday, October 3, 2003. Every year, ASIFA-Hollywood, the Los Angeles area-based branch of the International Animated Film Society, honors the best in film, television, game and Internet animation with the Annie Awards. The awards ceremony will take place at the Alex Theater in Glendale, California on Saturday, February 7, 2004.
David Miercort joins Miramax Films in Los Angeles as svp of acquisitions and business affairs. Reporting to both Agnes Mentre, head of Miramaxs acquisition group, and co-president of production, Bob Osher, Miercort will be involved in motion picture acquisitions activities from a business affairs/legal perspective and help facilitate agreements for promotions initiatives.
IOMEDIA Inc. teamed with MTV On-Air Promotions to create the motion graphics for a 15-second promotional spot for the mtv.com online game, FANTASY MUSIC TYCOON. Airing on MTV2, the spot was customized to fit MTV's needs within a three-day timeframe. Followed by a montage of video footage and images, a graphics sequence features $100 bills raining down until one bill sweeps past the camera, wiping into the final shot of the FANTASY MUSIC TYCOON logo.
Toy Play LLC has signed a deal making it the master toy licensee for MR. BEAN. Created by comedian Rowan Atkinson, MR. BEAN, THE ANIMATED SERIES follows the day-to-day mishaps of the quiet and clumsy Mr. Bean. The toy line is set to hit the U.S. and Canada, beginning fall 2004. This announcement comes on the heals of The Sharpe Company being granted the merchandising rights for the MR. BEAN character throughout North America.
Soho-based Clear has won the Best Special Effects Award at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards for their work on the Queens of the Stone Ages GO WITH THE FLOW. Directed by Shynola through the Director's Bureau LA, video is set in a desert with trucks playing chicken while a party of sex, drugs and rock n roll rages. This is the second time in three years that Clear has won this award, previously winning for Robbie William's ROCK DJ. The awards ceremony took place in New York City on August 25, 2003.
Big Idea Prods has announced an agreement with Classic Media LLC to purchase the companys assets. As required by the deal, Big Idea has filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy case in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
AWN is proud to announce the upcoming creation of our new Educators Forum...
In response to reader demand, AWN is going to make it easier for you to get all your important MIPCOM news in one concise place. AWN will be publishing four special MIPCOM newsletters, in Acrobat format, that will be emailed to all subscribers of the Animation Flash and AWN Spotlight. We're putting out a call for all your news related to MIPCOM, so that you won't be left out. The first edition will arrive Tuesday, September 23, 2003. Send all information to editor@awn.com.
Opponents of the FCC approved changes in media ownership regulations got a reprieve Sept. 3, 2003 when a federal judicial panel temporarily blocked the rules from taking effect as they were scheduled to the following day, Sept. 4. A three-judge panel of the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania issued a stay order preventing the regulatory agency from loosening ownership rules pending further proceedings.
Strata, the trail-blazing company dedicated to adding a creative new dimension to the designers toolset, plans to publish ANGELMAN, a children's book completely illustrated using Strata 3Dpro. French artist Matthieu Roussel once worked in traditional materials until he discovered Strata.
ANGELMAN concerns a retired superhero who longs to take to the skies again and the young boy who discovers and inspires him. Like Mr. Angel, Roussel also found his wings, but in the form of 3D graphics software from Strata.
USC Animation's Christine Panushka reports that Cal Arts founding director of experimental animation, Jules Engel, is critically ill in a hospital in Los Angeles. Engel was also a co-founder at UPA and Format Films. Panushka reports his condition came on very quickly as a result of a fall. If you'd like to send Jules a message, e-mail messages are preferred. Messages should be sent to: panushka@usc.edu and she will read them to him.
or faxes may be sent to:Jules EngelSchool of Film /Video661-252 7824
eyeon Software has endorsed Oregon3D as the premier, professional training center for Digital Fusion, eyeon's 2D compositing and special effects solutions. The first training center in the U.S. to offer continuing courses on Digital Fusion, Oregon3D's 10,000-square-foot facility provides the working surroundings and equipment used by professional creative artists in the film, game, TV and visualization industries. Oregon3D's first series of eyeon classes will start by winter of 2003.
In conjunction with its upcoming DVD/home video release of Goro Taniguchis epic space drama, INFINITE RYVIUS, Bandai Ent. has launched www.infiniteryvius.net. The Website will showcase the world of RYVIUS, story settings, background, character profiles, image gallery, DVD information and the INFINITE RYVIUS trailer.
A jazz musician blows a note, the horn extends and his body language projects the coolness of the moment. A man and woman sit listening. He pulls out a package of Dentyne Fire and pops a piece into his mouth. Suddenly the club, the music and the mood transition from Cool Blue Jazz to Red Hot Salsa. The transformation is subtle. The crowd is not shocked or surprised. In fact, perhaps this happens every time they chew Dentyne Fire.
