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Category: Visual Effects

Headline News

Captain Jack Is Back, BBC America Acquires Torchwood Season Three

BBC America will air the highly anticipated season three of hit sci-fi series, TORCHWOOD. The highest rating show in the history of BBC AMERICA will return to the channel with five all-new episodes in 2009.

TORCHWOOD is a BBC production distributed by BBC Worldwide.

The award-winning show, which received huge critical acclaim for seasons one and two, will premiere on BBC America shortly after the U.K. premiere.

Effects Headline News

Brickyard VFX Makes History For TAG Body Spray

Artist owned-and-operated bi-coastal effects boutique Brickyard VFX completed work on GHOSTRIDE, the new spot from TAG Body Spray promoting the newly-launched record label TAG Records. Directed by Paul Hunter for ad agency Arnold, Boston, and starring rap artists Q and Jermaine Dupri, the spot broke nationally on July 17, 2008.

Story Headline News

Headlight Reinterprets A Classic With Wolfie

From New York-based Design + VFX house Headlight comes WOLFIE, an inventive interpretation of the classic THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF fable. This animated two-minute short was stylishly crafted for the second annual Twenty 120 film collection. The 2008 Twenty120 collection features works from renowned commercial directors, designers, television creatives, art directors and fine artists; spanning from Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, London and Cologne, Germany. This year's theme: "Truth vs. Deception."

Headline News

Image Metrics' Facial Animation Makes Music Video Debut With Gnarls Barkley

Image Metrics, the leading provider of facial animation solutions to the entertainment industry, has projected life onto a photo-real CG heart that sings about its loss of love in Gnarls Barkley's latest video, WHO'S GONNA SAVE MY SOUL, from the recently released album, THE ODD COUPLE. RADICAL MEDIA, producers of the video, turned to Image Metrics because its unique facial animation solution was the only one able to exactly capture lead singer Cee-Lo's lips for translation onto the digital heart.

Headline News

Okino Ships New Version Of PolyTrans For Adobe Director

Okino Computer Graphics is now shipping its updated PolyTrans for Adobe Director plug-in system, compatible with the new Adobe Director version 11 software.

PolyTrans for Adobe Director is a native Xtra plug-in for Director (versions 8.5 through 11) which allows all supported Okino 3D import converters to be accessed directly from within the Director user interface. Converted 3D assets can either be embedded into a Director cast member or linked to external Shockwave-3D files.

Headline News

Ultimate Superhero Costume And Prop Auction Coming Soon

An original TIE fighter filming miniature from STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE, ($150,000-$200,000) and 35 lots of original screen-used visual effects creatures from Stan Winston Studios highlight just some of the 1,000 iconic pieces of Hollywood history that Profiles in History will offer in their 32nd Hollywood auction, to be held July 31 and August 1.

Worldwide bidding begins at 11 a.m. (PDT) both days. Bids can be placed either in person, via mail, phone, fax or live on the Internet via eBay Live Auctions (www.ebayliveauctions.com) or (www.LiveAuctioneers.com).

Halloween Headline News

Universal Studios Invites Filmmakers To Have Nightmares

"Where Nightmares Come Alive" is the theme for Universal Studios Hollywood's first Halloween short film competition, a virtual film festival timed to coincide with the launch of the annual Halloween Horror Nights event that will invade the Entertainment Capital of L.A. for 13 nights this October.

Disney Headline News

Alice Found Not In Wonderland, But In Australia

Director Tim Burton has found his Alice for a big-budget ALICE IN WONDERLAND pic from Disney, per THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

Australian actress Mia Wasikowska is in final negotiations to star as the title character in Burton's take on the Lewis Carroll fantasy novel, ending a long search.

Linda Woolverton (THE LION KING) penned the script for the film, produced by longtime Burton collaborator Richard Zanuck, former Disney chair Joe Roth and Jennifer and Suzanne Todd.

Headline News

Sci-Tech Applications For 2008 Academy Awards Due July 31

The submission deadline for the 2008 Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards is Thursday, July 31. A completed online entry form must be submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by 5 p.m. PT.

In late May, the Academy mailed more than 850 "call for entries" letters to individuals and companies around the world specializing in motion picture science and technology.

Production Headline News

Digit Helps Drive School Bus; Branding Spot Invites Viewers To Explore PBS

SCHOOL BUS is a 70-second spot about a young boy's extraordinary journey -- first to the southernmost side of the globe, then to an uplifting moment in history, on to the Broadway stage and finally into the far reaches of our solar system - fueled by compelling content offered exclusively on PBS.

SCHOOL BUS was brought to life by a uniquely talented group that includes Elias Merhige of Independent Media, vfx studio Digit, and DP Januz Kaminski.

Imax Headline News

The Dark Knight Shatters IMAX Opening Box Office Records

Warner Bros.' THE DARK KNIGHT, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, and directed by Christopher Nolan, shattered opening box office records on 94 IMAX screens during its debut. The IMAX release contributed $6.3 million of the $158.4 million that the film grossed at the domestic box office, on a total of 94 North American screens this weekend.

Blu-ray Headline News

Iron Man DVD, Blu-Ray Coming Sept. 30

VIDEO BUSINESS has confirmed that the Blu-ray and DVD releases of IRON MAN will be September 30.

Amazon.com is accepting pre-orders for the various editions, which include a two-disc special edition and single-disc DVD and the Blu-ray.

Paramount Home Ent. has not formally announced the home video release date.

Marvel Studios will pass out flash drives at their Comic-Con booth this week with a sneak-peek of the DVD.

As of this past weekend, IRON MAN has grossed more than $314 million at the box office since its May release.

Digital Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

THE DARK KNIGHT broke box office records in its opening weekend, and Alain Bielik has a two-part report on the stunning vfx from Double Negative, Framestore and Buf. In addition, Tom McLean speaks with several vfx experts about the transition to directing. And Seth Rosenthal of Tweak Software appears in "The Digital Eye" this month to discuss the significance of its first package, RV Playback.

Bill DesowitzEditor

Headline News

Rushes Create Mythical Centaur For BANIF Rebrand

This beautiful and dramatic commercial was created for the re-brand of Portuguese bank BANIF.

Rushes' Richie White, lead Flame artist on the project, said, "The guys from Minisiterio Dos Filmes came to us with a script and storyboard, which used BANIF's centaur logo for inspiration. Shot just outside Marrakech in a stunning location, Minisiterio Dos Filmes used a specialist camera which allows hand-cranked filming and double-exposure to create dramatic in-camera effects."

Home Headline News

SMPTE To Establish 3-D Home Entertainment Task Force

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) is establishing a task force to define the parameters of a stereoscopic 3-D mastering standard for content viewed in the home. Called 3-D Home Display Formats Task Force, the project promises to propel the 3-D home entertainment industry forward by setting the stage for a standard that will enable 3-D feature films and other programming to be played on all fixed devices in the home, no matter the delivery channel.

Game Headline News

Sci Fi Channel Announcements

Monday meant a plethora of announcements from the Sci Fi Channel, including new programming on TV and on the Internet, and a new Sci Fi Ventures portfolio.

Sci Fi Channel greenlit three original series at the Television Critics' Association Press Tour on Monday:

Headline News

Animazoo Showcases The Revolutionary Contact Editor At SIGGRAPH

Visit booth #907 at SIGGRAPH where motion capture company Animazoo will be showcasing its most advanced software yet. Animazoo Inertial Contact Editor is the new patent pending software with sophisticated editing and auto-cleaning tools; it delivers 80 percent of post-processing in a point and click, intuitive cleaning mechanism.

Concept Headline News

Learn Conceptual Modeling For Auto Design With Release From Digital-Tutors

Autodesk publisher Digital-Tutors has released CREATING CONCEPT VEHICLES IN MAYA -- the newest release in a growing library of interactive training for aspiring artists using Maya, the award-winning 3D modeling, animation, effects, and rendering solution.

CREATING CONCEPT VEHICLES IN MAYA offers nearly seven hours of project-based training for new and experienced artists learning to design 3D vehicles from initial concept development to achieving the final renders and includes creative techniques to lighting, texturing, and rendering.

Headline News

Finish Post Completes House Of Saddam Promo

Finish Post recently worked on the television mini-series HOUSE OF SADDAM for Red Bee Media, creating a :40 promo for BBC Two's new four-part mini-series.

HOUSE OF SADDAM focuses on the lives of Saddam Hussein's closest family and an elite few and is an intimate portrait in to the world of his inner circle. Charting the rise and fall of one of the world's most terrifying regimes, the series takes place against the backdrop of the larger tragedy of the Iraqi people and draws out the story of the Middle East's relationship with the West.

Dark Headline News

Dark Knight Lights Up Midnight Showings

THE DARK KNIGHT's 12:01 a.m. screenings Thursday night broke a box office record, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

Warner Bros. reported Friday that the late night/early morning screenings earned a record $18.5 million, $640,000 of that coming from IMAX screenings.

And, that $18.5M doesn't count the 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. showings that some theaters booked, only the 3,040 theaters screening at midnight.

November Headline News

Wizards To First Rule In November

Sam Raimi's syndicated series WIZARD'S FIRST RULE is set to debut on November 1, per THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

The hour-long epic fantasy series from Disney-ABC Domestic Television and ABC Studios will start with a two-hour premiere. Raimi exec produces the show with Rob Tapert, Joshua Donen, Ned Nalle and Kenneth Biller, which stars Craig Horner and Bridget Regan.

Headline News

UC San Diego Unveils World's Highest-Res Scientific Display System

As the size of complex scientific data sets grows exponentially, so does the need for scientists to explore the data visually and collaboratively in ultra-high resolution environments. To that end, the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) has unveiled the highest-resolution display system for scientific visualization in the world at the University of California, San Diego.

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