On the heels of the HULK movie release, Marvel Enterprises Inc. and X3D Technical Corp. have united in a strategic licensing agreement that grants X3D exclusive three-dimensional publishing rights to past and future Marvel comic books in CD-ROM formats Marvel ComX3D. For the first time, the agreement expands Marvel Comics' publication portfolio to be viewed in 3D on virtually any PC screen.
21st Century Media will supply the video encoding services for the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), held June 23-27, 2003 in San Francisco, relying on Discreet cleaner 6 software to encode the 180 conference sessions. The WWDC sessions will be streamed in QuickTime MPEG-4 format from the Apple Developer Connection Television site, and will also be made available in a DVD-ROM box set.
COWBOY BEBOP THE MOVIE makes its eagerly awaited DVD debut on June 24, 2003 (Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, $26.95) in a worthy special edition. Based on the popular anime TV series, the feature couldn't be more topical with the unleashing of a deadly viral infection by terrorists. The film not only looks striking in this widescreen anamorphic transfer (the production companies include Bandai Visual Co.
THE HULK came out slugging last weekend with the highest June opener ever at $62.1M, despite mixed reviews about the content of Ang Lee's heady adaptation of the Marvel comic and ILM's execution of the CG monster. Universal's latest entry in the comic book genre overtook AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME for the best June debut, and tied MONSTERS, INC. as the 17th best opener of all time. It also marks the seventh consecutive straight number one opening for Marvel. THE HULK comes in third right behind SPIDER-MAN'S $114.8M opening and X2: X-MEN UNITED's $85.6M last month.
Bill Desowitz talks to Blue Skys Chris Wedge about his second feature, Robots.
It only took Disney/Pixar's FINDING NEMO 20 days to hit the $200 million mark at the box office, which it did Wednesday, June 18, 2003, placing it number 10 on the all-time list. So far, the latest computer-animated blockbuster from the Emeryville, California studio has amassed $203,263,253 in North American theaters. That's good enough for fourth on the list of computer-animated box office champs. DreamWorks/PDI's SHREK is first with $267, 665,011; Disney/Pixar's MONSTERS, INC. is second with $255,873,250 and Disney/Pixar's TOY STORY 2 is third with $245,852,179.
RadioShack's Broadcast Communications division has been using MotionStar Wireless from Ascension Technology in the production of three 60-second spots for Shack TV. The motion capture system (used in JAY JAY THE JET PLANE and STARSHIP TROOPERS) allows animations to be mixed with live-action scenes featuring Battery Man and Charge Boy, two informational characters that help customers find the right accessories for their RadioShack products. The spots are shot on 35mm film and produced in-house at the Broadcast Communications Center. They are used internally and by agency clients and corporations nationwide.
The decision to go with MotionStar was based on the system's capabilities and onsite training, according to Ed Delaney, senior director of broadcast. "After looking into other systems with software interface and what the motion picture industry was using, it was a clear choice to go with MotionStar. Also, the support from Ascension, with onsite training, allowed us to produce a spot to see how it worked. That was a great selling point." Delaney adds that the MotionStar system is now "another great tool" for the talented animators at the Circle R Group.
Universal Pictures' HULK opens June 20, 2003, offering a more heady take on the comic book genre, given director Ang Lee's interest in martial arts and existentialism (CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON).
Freely adapted from the '60s Marvel comic book by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, which was also a hit TV series starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, HULK features not one but two Oedipal plot lines. Eric Bana (BLACK HAWK DOWN) co-stars with last year's Best Actress Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly (A BEAUTIFUL MIND). Sam Elliott and Nick Nolte play the troublesome dads.
After premiering at Universal Studio's Hollywood theme park in May 23, 2003, the SHREK 4D attraction opened June 16 at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando, continuing DreamWorks' Oscar-winning blockbuster with "OgreVision" animation and "sensory immersion."
Former Disney and Warner Bros. animator Jason Lethcoe is very hot. DAILY VARIETY reports that Revolution Studios has optioned his HARRY POTTER-like graphic novel, ZOOM'S ACADEMY FOR THE SUPER GIFTED, which concerns an unpopular high school girl who enrolls in a superhero academy, with the help of her mysterious father. Screenwriters are now being wooed for the live-action feature.
Due to the success of Digital Fusion and DFX+, eyeon Software Inc. has opened two new offices eyeon USA and eyeon Europe. Los Angeles-based eyeon USA is lead by Digital Fusion guru and director of business development, Rony Soussan, who has been influential in Digital Fusion's proliferation on the west coast, and has a long history as a digital compositor. Soussan offers expertise with both the product and the pipeline, as well as advanced training.
Anzovin Studio has introduced The Setup Machine for Maya 5.0, a character rigging plug-in fully compatible with the latest version of Alias|Wavefront's Maya animation environment. The Setup Machine for Maya 5.0 is downloadable for $149. Site licenses are available. The Setup Machine for Maya can be ordered from www.anzovin.com/setupmachine/setupmachinemaya.html.
Film director Ridley Scott, whose BLADE RUNNER and ALIEN were acclaimed for their ground-breaking VFX, has launched The Ridley Scott Awards to find Britain's best new creative talent in the field. They are open to anyone not employed in the business who dreams of a career in film, television or computer games.
The awards have been set up by London-based VFX school Escape Studios, Alias|Wavefront and Apple. The competition is comprised of four categories:
The Moving Picture Company (MPC) Awardfor Visual Effects
The Aardman Award
Only two days after its North American TV broadcast, WALKING WITH CAVEMEN hits the DVD shelves on June 17, 2003 (BBC Video, $19.99). The Discovery Channel/BBC co-production breaks the mold of DINOSAURS and PREHISTORIC BEASTS by combining CGI, animatronics and actors dressed in prosthetics in recreating our earliest ancestors.
Discreet has teamed up with Criterion Software to deliver new solutions specifically aimed at improving the game development pipeline between Discreet's 3ds max and Criterion's RenderWare software.
Both companies will collaborate on integrating the 3D content creation process with "on-target viewing" capabilities, allowing game developers to preview content on multiple game console platforms. Artists and developers should benefit from improved efficiencies in the development pipeline for console and mobile games.
THE DIGITAL STUDIO, an iHollywood Forum Inc. summit exploring the impact of digital technologies on film and TV, will be held June 19-20, 2003, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm at the Wyndham Belage Hotel in West Hollywood. Keynote speakers will include Chuck Comiskey, visual effects supervisor for James Cameron's Earthship Prods.; Steve Wright, technical director Cinesite; and Volker Engel, Oscar award-winner for Best Special Effects for INDEPENDENCE DAY.
Don't look now, but Frostbite Falls will be getting closer than you think with the DVD debut of Rocky and Bullwinkle on Aug. 12, 2003. ROCKY & BULLWINKLE & FRIENDS: COMPLETE SEASON 1, a 4-disc set featuring 26 episodes of the classic Jay Ward series, will retail for $39.98 and be distributed by Sony Music. It's the first release from Bullwinkle Studios, a joint venture formed last year between New York-based Classic Media and Jay Ward Prods. (headed by Tiffany Ward).
FINDING NEMO, the Disney/Pixar computer-animated smash, was back atop the box office chart, reeling in $28.3M in its third week. That puts it near the $200M plateau with $191.4M. The other animated opener, Paramount/Nickelodeon/Klasky Csupo's RUGRATS GO WILD, made an impressive debut in the fourth spot with $11.5M.
The bravura freeway chase and all the rest of those mind-bending action stunts in THE MATRIX RELOADED were planned with help of 3D animatics and other services provided by Pixel Liberation Front (PLF). The Venice, California-based company also contributed pre-production and on-set pre-visualization to the upcoming MATRIX REVOLUTIONS.
Macromedia has launched Macromedia Authorware 7, the dedicated solution for creating highly interactive rich media e-learning content. Macromedia Authorware 7 enables e-learning developers to import Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, play back content on Mac OS X, use industry standard JavaScript scripting and easily integrate content with learning management systems. Macromedia Authorware 7 is available for immediate download from the Macromedia Online Store at www.macromedia.com/go/buyaw7/.
