David L. Simon has been named executive consultant at BFC Berliner Film Companie. Simon will act as the companys U.S. liaison, facilitating the development of new projects and overseeing the expansion of the core business between BFC and the production community, studios and broadcasters. He will also be responsible for creating new relationships for BFC with the business and creative communities worldwide.
The Writers Guild of America West reached an agreement with IATSE Local 839 Animation Guild requiring producers to tell animation writers whether a prospective job falls under the WGA agreement or the producers contract.
some animation writers found out too late that they were working on a Local 839 show they had assumed was covered by WGA terms and lost their position to negotiate for higher wages and health care benefits before taking the job.
Buena Vista Intl. Japan will invest in the CGI feature, BRAVE STORY, produced by Fuji Television and Gonzo Digimation, it was reported by VARIETY and confirmed by the Walt Disney Co. This marks BVIJs first foray into local production and distribution, planning to distribute it locally in summer 2006.
BRAVE STORY, based on the best-selling novel by Miyuki Miyabe, features a 10-year-old who enters a magical world to find a cure for his mother's illness.
To be directed by Koichi Chigira, production will cost an estimated one billion yen ($9 million).
Alias announced its full lineup of new Maya Learning Tools to accompany Maya 6, the latest version of its 3D animation and special effects software. Maya Learning Tools are books and DVDs that offer self-paced learning for 3D professionals, students and enthusiasts. Alias will release dozens of DVDs and books in the coming months for a variety of learning levels, many in time for SIGGRAPH (Aug.
Sony's SPIDER-MAN 2 web blasted its way to two more records over the Fourth of July weekend ended July 5, 2004: the best Independence holiday grosser yet with $115.8M and the fastest six-day opener in history, with a cume of $180M.
Rushes has recently completed the opening title sequence for Touchstone Pictures' KING ARTHUR (opening July 7). Loosely based on the true story that inspired the legend of King Arthur, the film focuses on the history, politics and warfare at the time of the Roman Empire's collapse in 476 AD. The title sequence sets the background from where the films narrative begins. Rushes composited sequences reflecting the passage of the Roman conquest from Samaria in Palestine, throughout Europe and reaching Britannia.
Curious Software has released version 2.5 of Curious gFx Pro and gFx Pro+, its powerful raster paint, rotoscoping and retouch software packages.
4th Annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival and Screenplay CompetitionUniversal City, California, USAOctober 15 24, 2004Deadline: August 15, 2004
Marco Island Film FestivalMarco Island, Florida, USANovember 3-8Deadline: August 15, 2004
Cuppa Coffee wrapped up two :30 promos for the launch of the third season of the Cartoon Network's CODENAME: KID'S NEXT DOOR. The spots, based on an original Cartoon Network concept, see the characters preparing for their third season by staking out their opposition from the interior of their school bus and submarine. To realize this vision, the creative team at Cuppa Coffee led by creative director Warren Brown came up with a 2-1/2D mixed media approach, adding dimension and lighting to the original 2D designs.
Austin Game Conference's LivePitch 2004Austin, Texas, USASeptember 9-10, 2004Deadline: August 15, 2004
Ronald "Gillie" Potter, the man who revolutionized digital effects in U.K. advertising, passed away May 25, 2004, reports THE GUARDIAN. He was 80 years old. Potter invented the device of having live-action sequences taking place on a moving product shot. He was involved in the production of more than 2,000 ads, including classic commercials for Rolo, Vicks Vapour Rub, Quaker Oats, Nesquick and Shredded Wheat. His special effects work can also be seen in feature films such as THE LAST EMPEROR, SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE and JURASSIC PARK.
Malaysian animation and post-production company, Side FX Sdn Bhd (Side FX), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Jeddah Saudi Arabia-based animation and production house, Ella Animation (Ella), to produce an animated feature, reports THE UTUSAN EXPRESS. The film is expected to be released in August 2005 in South East Asia and the Middle East. The story will focus on Malaysian history and the influence of Islam during the reigns of the first Moslem ruler of Malacca, Iskandar Shah.
Edmonton's Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital's Syncrude Centre for Motion and Balance has used motion-capture software to help a six-year-old boy walk, reports THE GLOBE AND MAIL. Using the same technology that was used to create Gollum from THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, the hospital's "gait lab" helped doctors determine a surgical strategy to help Quinn Kozlowski, who suffers from cerebral palsy, walk.
Chorion plans to produce two new animated television series based on the work of international best-selling childrens authors Roger Hargreaves and Enid Blyton. The London-based rights holder is looking for experienced animation companies to animate the properties.
These include a new animated series based on Roger Hargreaves MR. MEN and LITTLE MISS books and an animated series based on childrens characters created by Blyton
Five European short films have been selected to compete for the 14th Cartoon d'Or award to be handed out at the awards ceremony September 25 2004 at Cartoon Forum, which takes place Sept. 22-25 in Santiago de Compostella, Spain.
The films were chosen from prizewinners at Cartoon's partner European festivals: - Biennal of Animation - Bratislava (Slovakia)- Cinanima - Espinho (Portugal)- I Castelli Animati - Genzano di Roma (Italy)- Anima 2003 - Brussels (Belgium)- Internationales Trickfilm Festival - Stuttgart (Germany)
Friedman 3D wants to introduce its new classes and new instructors. First of all, Friedman 3D is a non-profit school for computer animation that is co-hosted by Studio Arts and the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz.
This week in AWN's Forums, a post debates Michael Eisner's statement: "The 2D business is coming to an end, just like black and white came to an end."
VisionFest Student Animation Festival Indianapolis, Indiana, USAJune 2 5, 2005Deadline: February 11, 2005
ADV Films has announced its July 6, 2004 street dates. The releases include EXCEL SAGA: IMPERFECT COLLECTION, FINAL FANTASY: UNLIMITED - PHASE 7, NADIA THE SECRET OF BLUE WATER: COLLECTION 2, ALL PURPOSE CULTURAL CAT GIRL NUKU NUKU TV: NINE LIVES, THE DEVIL LADY: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION and THE SUPER MILK-CHAN SHOW: 100% WHOLE.
Originally planned to kick off the summer 2005 season, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3 will now open in theaters on June 29, 2005. Paramount Pictures' move is likely in response to SPIDER-MAN 2's huge box office receipts leading up to the Independence Day holiday in the States. The Tom Cruise starrer will now go head to head with 20th Century Fox's THE FANTASTIC FOUR, which is set to open July 1. Whether Fox will move F4 is yet to be seen, however Fox will be happy that it will now have May 6 all for itself for its Ridley Scott-directed Crusades epic, KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
Impact Pictures has announced that its next videogame-turned-feature will be DRIVER, based on Atari's top franchise, reports VARIETY. Impact co-founders Jeremy Bolt and Paul Anderson will produce the film along with Constantin Film's Bernd Eichinger. The script was written by James DeMonaco, Todd Harthan and James Roday. Constantin's L.A. head of production Robert Kulzer will exec produce.
Impact previously translated the RESIDENT EVIL videogame franchise into a film in 2002 and will be following up with the sequel RESIDENT EVIL APOCALYPSE this September.
![LightWave 3D [8] Offers New Character Animation Tools](https://www.awn.com/sites/default/files/styles/small_featured/public/image/featured/15297-lightwave-3d-8-offers-new-character-animation-tools.jpg?itok=GeuZkL7H "LightWave 3D [8] Offers New Character Animation Tools")
![LightWave 3D [8] Offers New Character Animation Tools](https://www.awn.com/sites/default/files/styles/tiny_featured/public/image/featured/15297-lightwave-3d-8-offers-new-character-animation-tools.jpg?itok=dA__q02w "LightWave 3D [8] Offers New Character Animation Tools")
NewTek Inc. has just released LightWave 3D [8], the latest edition of its Emmy-winning 3D software package. LightWaveÆ [8] adds a wide range of new character animation tools and dynamics to the robust modeling, animation and rendering capabilities that have made LightWave a leading production tool in film, broadcast, print, game development and Web development.
NVIDIA Corp. announced that its GeForce 6800 series graphics processing units (GPUs) will equip the competition PCs featured at the rendering invitational worldwide finals of the Imagine Cup 2004, a multi-faceted technology competition sponsored by Microsoft Corp. The Imagine Cup challenges student teams of programmers and digital artists from around the globe to extend their artistic affinity beyond the classroom using the latest software development tools from Microsoft.
