Category: Visual Effects

Cate Blanchett will be the Maid Marian to Russell Crowe's Robin Hood in Ridley Scott's epic for Universal Pictures, according to VARIETY. Originally called NOTTINGHAM, the film will have a new title and is set to begin production in early April in the U.K.

Producers include Brian Grazer (Imagine Ent.) with Scott under his Scott Free banner. The film was originally written by Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, then rewritten by Brian Helgeland as the project morphed into a GLADIATOR-like version of the Medieval legend.

Big Stage Ent., a media technology company that lets consumers project themselves photo-realistically into the digital realm, has named digital media industry veteran Patrick Barry to the role of vice president, content alliances. In this newly created role, Barry will focus on growing partnerships with media and entertainment companies interested in developing both new digital revenue opportunities and deep consumer engagement.

Marvel reported a Q4 2008 profit of $63 million, compared to $27.6 million for the same period in 2007, driven principally by DVD sales of IRON MAN.

For all of 2008, Marvel's profit grew 47 percent: $205.5 million, up from $139.8 million in 2007. The revenue and net income growth principally reflects the contribution from Marvel Studios which released its first two feature films, IRON MAN and THE INCREDIBLE HULK, in the summer of 2008.

Rhino Creative Director/Visual Effects Supervisor Vico Sharabani collaborated with director Iain Mackenzie of Paydirt and Merkley+Partners to develop two spots introducing the Mercedes 2009 GLK model, a new smaller, sleeker SUV.

THE DARK KNIGHT and THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON won awards from the Motion Picture Sound Editors on Saturday in Los Angeles, including Best Sound Editing for Music and Sound Effects and Foley for THE DARK KNIGHT and Best Sound Editing: Dialogue and ADR for BENJAMIN BUTTON.

The winners are as follows:

Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Music, Dialogue and ADR Animation in a Feature Film

WALL-E

Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR in a Foreign Feature Film

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Autodesk has launched Autodesk Softimage 7.5 software for visual effects and game production, renaming the SOFTIMAGE|XSI software -- acquired from Avid Technology, Inc. -- Autodesk Softimage. The 7.5 version offers timesaving new features, such as UV unfolding technology, a multithreaded Syflex cloth simulator and an integrated mental ray 3.7+ renderer. Artists have used Softimage to create numerous movies, commercials and video games, including the Oscar-winning film HAPPY FEET, Coca Cola's HEIST Super Bowl ad, and the FABLE II videogame.

The Visual Effects Society (VES) this evening announced the recipients of the 7th Annual VES Awards in a black-tie event at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The annual event recognizes outstanding visual effects in over a dozen categories of film, animation, television, commercials and video games. Filmmakers, producers and guests joined more than 1,100 professionals from the visual effects industry for the gala.

These days, with the creative process, artists need to move at maximum speed in order to tackle incredible deadlines, demanding work and high expectations. Using LightWave either exclusively or in a pipeline, makes it possible for an individual, a small team or a major facility to see their dreams and ideas come to life with award-winning quality work on time and on budget. Artists all over the world say the speed, flexibility, value and control they gain with LightWave throughout the creative process lets them get it done.

Paramount Pictures has extended its agreement with The Montecito Picture Company and Cold Spring Pictures to run through February 2012. The arrangement gives the studio an exclusive first look at Montecito's diverse productions, as well as the non-exclusive opportunity to co-finance films through Montecito's financing facility, Cold Spring Pictures.

Littleloud's latest Flash game delivery for the upcoming WATCHMEN movie has just gone live at www.minutemenarcade.com.

It’s a web-based 1980s-style arcade game to promote the movie release. The cabinet is stationed inside the Gunga Diner, in 1986, where you can play as the Minutemen and enter your high score onto a global leader board.

The game was made over a six-week period from scratch and all of the assets from the 3D build of the diner through to the character sprites were created in-house.

Design and production studio Imaginary Forces has named Anita Olan to the position of exec producer/general manager of its New York office.

The move is a homecoming for Olan. One of the company's longest-tenured employees, she spent over a decade with IF, both in its Hollywood and New York offices. During this time she worked on every aspect of the company's business, from leading its production department and developing strategy and creative for major network rebranding efforts to producing innovative entertainment content for such clients as Animal Planet and Lexus.

Paramount Home Ent., for the first time, will release all the original STAR TREK films from the '70s and '80s and the original 1960s-era TV show to Blu-ray.

The releases begin April 28 with the seven-disc, 29-episode Blu-ray set of "STAR TREK: The Original Series" from CBS Home Ent. and Paramount Home Ent.