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Category: Visual Effects

Awards Headline News

Dinotopia: The Series Wins Bronze Medal at New York festivals

An episode of the fantasy series DINOTOPIA has won a Bronze World Medal in the 'Action/Adventure' category at the International Film & Video Awards, part of the New York festivals. The awards were presented on January 30, 2004 along with the Television Programming and Promotions Awards. Framestore CFC created the digital VFX for the episode.

A list of winners in every category can be found at: http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/main.taf?p=3,1

Comics Headline News

Shazam Flick Gets Dozen Writers

New Line Cinema have tapped writers Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow (CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN) to pen the screen adaptation of DC Comics' SHAZAM!. William Goldman (PRINCESS BRIDE) had been working on the script previously. The film would chronicle the easygoing Billy Batson and his superhero alter ego Captain Marvel. Batson changed by saying the word "shazam," giving the attributes to six Greek gods. The character appeared in DC Comics in the 1970s and originally appeared in the 1940s as a Fawcett Comics title.

Digital Headline News

Stargate to Re-do Highlander 2 VFX for Upcoming DVD

Stargate Digital, which recently opened a new facility in London, is currently revamping of all the visual effects for Highlander 2, to be released on DVD this spring through Artisan Home Ent.

Headline News

Psyop Creates Unique Ball Town in Lotto Spot

Creative collective Psyop recently completed LOTTOLAND, a :30 CG animated spot for the Colorado State Lottery via Karsh & Hagen, Denver. The spot began airing late January 2004.

Psyop collaborated with designer Justin Fines to anthropomorphize lotto balls and give them their own parallel world -- a unique ball town. They experimented with different looks and shadings to create a unique dimensional feel and in the end came up with a fresh style of 3D animation and rendering.

Digital Headline News

Discreet Ships New fire and smoke

Discreet has begun shipping worldwide its non-linear editing and finishing systems, fire 6 and smoke 6. Discreet's editing systems are shaping a new generation of powerful data-centric workflows for digital film, high definition television (HDTV) and standard definition television projects.

Headline News

Alias to License Diva

First Alias furthered its continuing strategic partnership with Weta Digital, now the 3D graphics technology powerhouse has formed a stronger alliance with Los Angeles-based motion capture production company House of Moves. Alias will develop and integrate House of Moves' Diva software into future versions of Maya.

Headline News

eyeon Releases Courseware Edition 2 for Digital Fusion/DFX+

eyeon Software Inc. announced the availability of its latest courseware series, Edition 2, an integrated system-based learning experience, exploring the tools within Digital Fusion/DFX+ while outlining features, benefits and varying degrees of application. Edition 2 is a valuable resource for anyone looking to broaden their compositing foundation.

Company Headline News

Company 3 Hires VFX Editor Doolittle

Extending its capabilities in feature film post-production, Santa Monica-based Company 3 has hired visual effects editor and artist Rob Doolittle. Doolittle, who previously collaborated with Company 3 on BAD BOYS II, has broad experience in designing and executing VFX for features. Formerly an applications specialist with visual effects hardware manufacturer Quantel, Doolittle also is a leading expert in that company's Generation Q projects used in on-lining for film and high resolution video projects.

Headline News

Shrek 2 Director To Do Live-Action/CGI Imaginary Children

Southpaw Entertainment has announced that it has hired SHREK 2 and SPIRIT director Kelly Asbury to write and direct a live-action/CGI fantasy adventure, titled IMAGINARY CHILDREN, reported VARIETY. Southpaw's Richard Lewis and Scott Peters came up with the concept, which follows a cartoonist whose characters consume his life's so much that he is estranged from his real child. Lewis will finance the project on his own with investments from his Southpaw partner eBay co-founder Jeff Skoll.

Software Headline News

Videogame Sales Hold Steady High In 2003

Retail sales of U.S. videogames, which includes portable and console hardware, software and accessories, remained largely unchanged over the previous year's record-breaking performance, according to a leading marketing information provider, the NPD Group. The console industry saw sales figures fall 2.7% to $10 billion in 2003, compared to $10.3 billion in 2002.

Animation Headline News

Animator Helps World See Mars Rovers

Viewers around the world watching the animated simulations of the Mars rovers mission are watching the work of a young, lone animator, using LightWave, to make the mission come to life when communications and cameras arent cooperating. He is Dan Maas, operating out of his own studio, Mass Digital in Ithaca, New York, far from NASA in Texas, JPL in Pasadena and Mars, where the two rover explorers are now carrying out their missions.

Digital Headline News

Avid Acquires NXN and Expands Leadership in Digital Asset Management

Avid Technology has acquired Munich-based NXN Software, the leading provider of asset and production management systems specifically targeted for the entertainment and computer graphics industries, in a cash transaction valued at approximately EUR35 million.

Moving Headline News

MPC Does the ‘Hustle’

Ron Scalpello of BBC Broadcast has directed a series of trailers (1 x 60 secs, 1 x 40 secs and 3 x 20 secs and 3 x 5 secs) for Abbott Mead Vickers promoting the new BBC One drama HUSTLE. Visual effects and postproduction were carried out at Moving Picture Co. (MPC).

The series concentrates on a group of charismatic confidence tricksters in the business of making money. The trailers themselves introduce the five main characters: Albert, Stacie, Ash and Danny, with each persons particular traits being described by Mickey, their colleague, during the :60 trailer.

Headline News

HBO Taps twothousandstrong for 'Year-End Promo' Spot

HBO hired Venice, California-based design/production house twothousandstrong (www.2000strong.com) to produce an elegantly designed :60 retrospective promo spot. YEAR-END PROMO, broke during the premiere of ANGELS IN AMERICA, focuses on HBO's acclaimed series' THE SOPRANOS, SIX FEET UNDER, SEX & THE CITY and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM.

Digital Headline News

Alias and Weta Digital Extend Strategic Alliance

Alias is continuing to foster a strategic business relationship with Weta Digital beyond THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, as it looks forward to working together on KING KONG.

Using 165 seats of primarily Maya Unlimited, Maya proved invaluable as the core 3D animation software utilized in the production of THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.

Series Headline News

Koontz, Scorsese Team for Frankenstein TV Series

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 21, 2004 at 12:00am

USA Network has ordered production to begin on a new TV series, DEAN KOONTZ'S FRANKENSTEIN. Best-selling author Koontz will write the series and exec produce along with legendary film director Martin Scorsese and Flame Television's Tony Krantz. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake director Marcus Nispel will helm the project.

Grading Headline News

Discreet's Digital Intermediate Drive Continues with New lustre Purchase

Discreet announced that Ultimate (Ultimate Video Int.), The Netherlands, has installed high-performance digital color correction and digital intermediate (DI) capabilities based on lustre, Discreet's award-winning, realtime color grading system.

Animation Headline News

Savannah College’s Beckmann named Education Chair for SIGGRAPH 2005

Patricia Beckmann, chair of the animation department at Savannah College of Art and Design, has been named Education Chair for SIGGRAPH 2005. In addition, Matthew Munn, a second-year graduate student in animation from Calymont, Delaware, won the 10 Second Club monthly Character Animation Competition for the month of November 2003. This online international competition posts a 10-sec sound clip at the beginning of each month.

Tools Headline News

Vicon Advances Mo-Cap Workflow with New Vicon iQ Update

Vicon announced Vicon iQ 1.5, a new release of the companys intelligence-based motion data processing application. Now shipping, the new software encompasses a number of production-critical capabilities to enable automated handling of motion data from capture through to animation.

Headline News

Samwise Gamgee to Direct Fantastic Four Feature?

Brazilian magazine, SET, has posted an interview with THE LORD OF RINGS actor Sean Astin, where he mentions being in the running to direct the FANTASTIC FOUR feature. Upon the success of his short film, THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT, which he filmed while making LORD OF THE RINGS, he has had interviews to direct 20th Century Fox's feature adaptation of the Marvel comic classic. The article quotes the budget between $100 to $130 million.

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