Battlestar Galactica 2.5 Now on DVD
SCI FI Channels highest rated tale of intergalactic survival continues when BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: SEASON 2.5 debuts on DVD on Sept. 19, 2006 (Universal Studios Home Ent., $49.98).
Tagged With: Studios
Zoic BC Launches in Vancouver
Award-winning visual effects house Zoic Studios has opened Zoic BC. The Canadian-based company is being launched to service Zoic Studios' ever-diversifying client base, and has proven to be a natural step in the company's evolution. Zoic BC has already completed the feature film PATHFINDER for Twentieth Century Fox and is working on two episodics: EUREKA for SCI-FI Channel and BLADE for Spike TV, both of which have proved to be successful for their respective networks.
In Business, Visual Effects, Business, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, North America
Savage Exits GigaPix Studios
John Savage has resigned as president of CGI animation company, GigaPix Studios, according to GigaPix ceo Chris Blauvelt.
"I accept John's decision to move on and wish him the very best in his future endeavors," said Blauvelt. "We have initiated a search for a replacement for John and anticipate an announcement shortly."
Incredible Hulk Leaps with Transporter 2 Helmer
Continuing its strategy to independently develop and produce a new slate of feature films, Marvel Studios has signed director Louis Leterrier (TRANSPORTER 2, UNLEASHED) to helm a new big screen adaptation of THE INCREDIBLE HULK.
Hatchling Studios Premieres The Toll At Comic-Con Film Festival
Portsmouth, New Hampshire's Hatchling Studio's short film THE TOLL is set to premiere July 20, 2006, at the Comic-Con Intl Independent Film Festival in San Diego, California.
Written and directed by Zack Pike, THE TOLL is a computer animated mockumentary featuring a troll that lives under a bridge. As the camera rolls, the troll's comments on work, life and love range from somewhat inappropriate to outrageously delusional, slowly revealing the hilariously tragic figure of a monster in denial.
Platinum Studios & NBC 7/39 Complete Comic Book Talent Search
Platinum Studios has teamed up with NBC 7/39 on a search for the next great comicbook talent. Scott Mitchell Rosenberg will mentor the winner and Platinum Studios will release their comicbook at a major comic event in 2007. Platinum will also work with the winner to develop the property for film, TV, games and other mediums.
William Widmaier Cast Platinum’s President of New Media
Former Earthlink exec William Widmaier has been appointed president of New Media for Platinum Studios to expand the studios presence online.
WIFC Backlot at Resolution Digital Studios
Begins: June 29, 2006
Thursday, June 29, 2006
President of Dominican Republic Visits Game Co. Trilogy Studios
In a meeting on Saturday, June 24, 2006, at Trilogy Studios in Santa Monica, the president of the Dominican Republic Leonel Antonio Fernandez Reyna, along with Trilogy execs, set plans in motion for an outsourcing program that they hope to have in place before the end of the year, beginning with Trilogy's first title, DAYBREAKERS. If all goes well, Trilogy Studios will assist and act as the Dominican's liaison to the entire games industry for future outsourcing initiatives.
Hatchling Studios Expands Into 2D Animation
Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based CG animation studio Hatchling Studios announced the development of MODREDS ISLE and STORE 118, two animated short series targeted exclusively at mobile media distribution.
Hatchling Studios has always looked towards the cutting-edge when providing animation for our clients. Now, we can use this vast new arena of mobile technology to bring digital animation to the next level, said Hatchling Studios ceo/producer Marc Dole.
Maya Master Scot Brew Joins PipelineFX
PipelineFX, makers of Qube!, a leading render farm management system for film production and game development, has hired Scot Brew, former technical art director for LucasArts, as senior pipeline consultant. Brew will assist with film and game studios on pipeline workflow and tools issues and the deployment of Qube! for render farm management and distributed game build functions. Brew will also lead product development and user interface design for Qubic, the GUI by which artists submit jobs into Qube!.
In Anime, People, Visual Effects, Anime, People, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, North America
Apple Wants to Bite into Feature Film Downloads
After conquering the digital music business, Apple is now in talks with the movie studios to make feature films available through its iTunes Music Store, reports various news outlets.
However, the main issue is price. Apple ceo Steve Jobs, who is personally involved in the talks, proposed selling all films at a flat price of $9.99, which the studios flatly rejected.
3D Animation: What Do You Have To Know And Who Do You Have To !#$%?
Begins: May 25, 2006
WIA is hosting a panel of 3D veterans (Geoffrey Kater, author of DESIGN FIRST FOR 3-D ARTISTS and co-owner of S4 Studios; Sande Scoredos, exec director of technical training and artist development for Sony Pictures Imageworks; Brent Young, creative director of Super 78 Studios; Valerie Lettera of DreamWorks and Sherie Pollack, director of Disney's MICKEY MOUSE CLUBHOUSE), moderated by Career Coach Pamela Thompson, will try to answer those questions and give you an idea of what it takes to get hired.
Zoic Helps Tropicana Campaign Make A Splash
The new campaign for Tropicana plunges viewers into the brand's intensely juicy and delicious experience courtesy of a unique collaboration between agency Element 79 Partners, Order's Robert Bryant and Zoic Studios. Capturing the feeling of an orange unfolding and exploding with a cascade of dancing juice is at the heart of this visually refreshing spot duo.
In Commercials, Visual Effects, Commercials, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All
THQ Acquires Vigil Games
Interactive entertainment software publisher/developer THQ Inc. has acquired Austin, Texas-based, game developer Vigil Games. The Virgil team will be led by David Adams, previously creator/director of several projects for NCSoft and famed comic artist Joe Madureira, best known for his work on Marvel Comic's Uncanny X-Men and his creator-owned comic series, BATTLE CHASERS. Vigil is currently working on new content for next-gen scheduled for release in 2008.
Golden Age Premieres on Comedy Central's Motherload
Comedy Central has ordered 10 episodes of Augenblick Studios' GOLDEN AGE, the first adult animated series to be produced by a major television network for broadband. The series premiered May 8, 2006 and will show weekly on its broadband channel, Motherload (www.comedycentral.com/motherload).
This animated dark comedy reveals the shocking true stories of the worlds strangest cartoon characters. Each episode uses a blend of mixed media to satirize classic cartoons from the past.
In Flash, Interactive, Flash, Games, Interactive | Headline News | Special Events: Annecy | Geographic Region: All
Ray Harryhausen Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Stop-motion animation legend Ray Harryhausen was given a lifetime achievement award at Universal Studios on April 30, 2006, by a new honorary society of motion picture character designers called Cinerouge.
Harryhausen, 86, who hails from Los Angeles but now lives in England, is on a book tour for THE ART OF RAY HARRYHAUSEN. Paul Davids, director of the new documentary, THE SCI FI BOYS (a Best Buy DVD exclusive from Universal Studios Home Ent.), which was screened at the event, presented Harryhausen with his award.
WIA NY April Meeting
Begins: April 19, 2006
WIA will host its April meeting with Bill Janczewski to discuss animation and videogames. He co-founded and served as ceo of Unbound Studios during the heyday of the Internet revolution, creating and producing dozens of online games and interactive sites for Nickelodeon, Disney, the BBC, Scholastic, Sony, Mattel, Jim Henson, 20th Century Fox, and Warner Bros. With offices and studios in Los Angeles, New York and London, Janczewski directed his creative visions towards handheld entertainment, persistent online worlds, interactive television, broadcast design, and animation.
Production Begins on Next
Filming has begun in Los Angeles on Revolution Studios' NEXT, a science fiction thriller starring Academy Award winner Nicolas Cage, Julianne Moore and Jessica Biel. NEXT, which is being directed by Lee Tamahori (XXX: STATE OF THE UNION and DIE ANOTHER DAY), will be released domestically by Columbia Pictures in 2007. IEG Virtual Studios, an affiliate of Initial Ent. Group, holds the international distribution rights.
In Films, Visual Effects, Films, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, South America
S4 Studios & Sunwoo to Get Wild Baby on Direct-To-DVD Series
S4 Studios Llc. has teamed with Sunwoo Ent. to produce six half-hour episodes of WILD ANIMAL BABY, a mixed-media 3D animation, Flash animation and live-action series for the non-profit Washington, D.C.-based National Wildlife Federation. The 12x11 preschooler-targeted series will be distributed on home video via the NWF website (www.nwf.org/wildanimalbaby).
In Flash, Home Entertainment, Flash, Home Entertainment | Headline News | Geographic Region: All, Asia
PipelineFX Partners with Hollywood’s RFX
PipelineFX has signed RFX as a North American reseller. Under this agreement, RFX will market Qube! software and PipelineFX consulting services to its customers in California and across the U.S. RFX is a leading software solutions provider and serves a clientele that includes some of the industrys top film studios, post-production facilities and vfx houses.
In Anime, Technology, Visual Effects, Anime, Technology, Visual Effects | Headline News | Geographic Region: All
Ice Age: The Meltdown Powered by Angstrom Titan64 Computing Solutions
Blue Sky Studios exclusively used Angstrom Titan64 SuperBlade rendering servers and Titan64 Creator workstations for ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN. Blue Sky is using the Angstrom Titan64 computers to enable significantly more complex imagery and faster generation of animated features.
King Kong DVD Amasses $100 Million in First Week
KING KONG provided blockbuster numbers in its first six days in release, selling more than 6.5 million DVDs, generating $100 million in consumer spending, the largest six-day performance in Universal Studios history.
KING KONG ranks as the studio's fourth-highest grossing film in the studio's 94-year history. To date, the film has amassed approximately $550 million in ticket sales worldwide, following on the heels of JURASSIC PARK, E.T. and THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK.
Experimenting with Animated VOD
Karen Raugust looks into how a number of recent video-on-demand initiatives by the studios show their interest in this still-problematic but potential-filled distribution method.
Gnomon Announces Spring Semester Lineup
Spring term for Gnomon School of Visual Effects begins April 3 through June 11. New classes include:
* Digital Sculpting and Texturing in ZBrush. This course is a comprehensive look at ZBrush's complete toolset for high-end 3D modeling and texturing. Instruction introduces a complete ZBrush workflow beginning with a base mesh and taking it to a complete ZBrushed finish. Instructor: Scott Spencer.
In Education and Training, Machinima, Education and Training, Machinima | Headline News | Geographic Region: All
