AWN Headline News

HD video and VFX editor Bob Williamson has joined Encore Hollywood just in time to complete final post work on the CBS-TV series JAG. He joins a team of senior editors at Encore that also includes Rob Williams, Paul Bonnette, Mark Sherman, Jonathan Slater and Michael Hutchison.

Side Effects Software (SESI), developer of the award-winning Houdini family of 3D software, has made a number of new hires and executive promotions to support what the company says is the rapid growth of the Houdini community.

ASIFA-East has announced the recipients of their 34th annual Animation Festival. Unlike other festivals, all entries are screened and are voted on by the members who attend the screenings. ASIFA-east is the Eastern U.S. chapter of ASIFA international, which was founded in 1960 by a group of animators to increase the visibility of animated films worldwide. Awards were handed out at 6:00 pm May 4, 2003 at the Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street in Manhattan, New York.

The recent eFocus event in Los Angeles highlighted some interesting products and trends that may have been drowned out at the E3 show down the street. In a special invitation party/briefing many exhibitors were brought together to show their stuff to customers and media attending the big gaming conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center May 12-16, 2003.

French studio Onyx Films has sold the U.S. distribution rights to its first animated feature, RENAISSANCE to Buena Vista Pictures, reported SCREEN DAILY. The film is an action/suspense flick with a mixture of CGI and re-worked black-and-white images. French firm Millimages will provide the animation for the $15 million production. Christian Volckman, who was nominated for an Oscar for his 1999 short, MAAZ, will direct the film. The film is still looking for further capital from the U.K., which is being negotiated at the Cannes Film Festival by Paris-based Arsan's Helene Sitbon. Independent producer Jake Eberts handled the deal with Disney. Pathe Distribution holds the French theatrical and video rights. Onyx is headed by Anton Soumache and is developing the live-action comedy LA JUNGLE and recently completed Djibril Glissant's urban live-action film LA BONNE ETOILE.

Los Angeles-based Zoic Studios, along with motion-capture specialists at Motion Analysis Studios (MAS) and Nexus Digital Studios, have created the epic effects for the show finale of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, airing May 20, 2003 at 8:00 pm on UPN. Zoic co-founder Loni Peristere has been working closely with BUFFY creator Joss Whedon since the first season. Along with his Zoic Studios and fellow digital effects supervisor Patti Gannon, Peristere and Whedon have been batting around ideas for the historic last episode for months.

Warner Bros.' THE MATRIX: UNLOADED brought in $134.3M since its release May 15, 2003 to deliver the biggest ever four-day gross. SPIDER-MAN holds the second place record now at $125.8M, but the webbed marvel had the biggest ever three-day opening at $114.8M while UNLOAD did $91.8M over three days. The visual effects feast included work from Amalgamated Pixels, Animal Logic, BUF, Bullet Time, CIS, CFX, ESC Entertainment, Giant Killer Robots, PLF Sony Pictures Imageworks and Tippett Studio. Sony/Revolution's DADDY DAY CARE remained in second place with a another $18.8M for a total of $51M in its first two weeks. Twentieth Century Fox's X2: X-MEN UNITED dropped to third place in its third week, taking in another $17.3M for a take of $174.2M. Contributing VFX to the blockbuster were Cinesite, EYETECH Optics, Frantic Films, Kleiser-Walczak Construction Co. and Rhythm & Hues. Twentieth Century Fox's DOWN WITH LOVE, with VFX by Asylum, shot up the chart with its wide release to place fourth with $7M and a $7.1 cume. Disney's THE LIZZIE MCGUIRE MOVIE slipped to fifth place at $4.7M and a $32.3M total. Rainmaker Digital Pictures did VFX for the film based on the hit TV series about the teen with an animated alter ego. Sony's IDENTITY was in sixth place, taking in $3.7M for a $45M total. K.N.B. EFX Group Inc. did VFX work for the suspense flick. Sony/Revolutions' ANGER MANAGEMENT slipped to seventh place, taking in another $3.5M to rack up a total of $128.3M. Sony Pictures Imageworks and The Orphanage did VFX for ANGER. Buena Vista's comedy family/adventure HOLES dug in at eighth place with $3.2M and a $55.9M cume. Digital FilmWorks and Avtoma of L.A. contributed visual effects for VFX supervisor William Mesa, founder of Flash Film Works, whose studio did the majority of the work for the film from Walt Disney Pictures. Warner Bros./Castle Rocks' A MIGHTY WIND ebbed down to ninth place to take in $1.7M and a total of $12.1M. Searchlight's BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM held in tenth place with $1.4M and a total take of $15M. Miramax's POKÉMON HEROES debuted in 196 theaters, to take in $260,372. The three previous movies faired much better with a much wider release. Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.

New York-based Click 3x recently finished up production on a spot promoting Food Network's "Dine In Dine Out Sweepstakes." The idea for the 30-second spot germinated with the cable net's in-house creative staff, after which Click 3x's Creative Director Iain Greenway and his compatriots were enlisted to design the visuals and produce the ad. The commercial interjects Food Network personalities into a stylized 3D kitchen and/or restaurant setting. The visual concept is reminiscent of architectural blueprints, featuring objects rendered in stroked outlines.

MEGAMAN: NT WARRIOR premieres on the U.S. airwaves May 17, 2003 on Kids' WB! following a special preview at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles May 1416, 2003 where CAPCOM was showcasing the game series. Based on the popular comic book series, MEGAMAN: NT WARRIOR is set in the not-so-distant future during the Cyber Revolution of the year 200X, where virtually all technology is linked to a central computer system. Citizens of ACDC Town interface with this network using their personal "NetNavis" (Net Navigators) via their portable terminals (PETs). The anime/adventure series follows the discoveries and exploits of fifth-grader Lan, whose NetNavi - and alter ego- is a blue-suited, virus-fighting, virtual superhero named Mega Man. Lan and his friends plug in different powerchips to change their personal NetNavis' gadgetry and defense capabilities. These net-warriors unite to expose the darkness within their digital universe. For the latest shows on Kids' WB! check out www.kidswb.com.

CinéGroupe has made its major theatrical project, P3K: PINOCCHIO 3000 available for licensing. Carlton consumer division is already onboard to handle licensing, theatrical, publishing, broadcast and video rights in the U.K.

Go to camp, make a short film, is the mission of the upcoming Oregon3DSM Film Camp, August 17-29, 2003 in Portland, Oregon. Oregon3D Inc., The Center for Visualization Technologies, offers a two-week film school-style camp where the students create a short film as a group under the guidance of award-winning director Mike Wellins and Oregon3D's Discreet-certified flame compositor Phil Guzzo (both previously from Vinton Studios).

John Powers joins TOKYOPOP Inc. in Los Angeles as vp of marketing for North America's leading graphic novel publisher and a growing force in international entertainment with its numerous anime titles.