Sci Fi Channel has ordered a second season of its hit series BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, with the number of episodes to be produced, timing for the new season and which cast members will return, to be announced.
BATTLESTAR GALACTICA has been a ratings winner for Sci Fi since its Jan. 14, 2005 premiere.
The 7th edition of Cartoon Movie will be held March 10-12, 2005, at Babelsberg studios in Potsdam, Germany. The intimate conference is for filmmakers and professionals involved in the financing, production, distribution or the exploitation of European animated feature films.
It was at Cartoon Movie that the first images of BELLEVILLE RENDEZVOUS, THE LITTLE POLAR BEAR, STRINGS, LAURAS STAR and EL CID, among others, were unveiled.
Brenda Freeman joins VH1 as vp of consumer marketing, overseeing all off-channel marketing for the company. She will work closely with many facets of VH1 including the integrated marketing, ad sales, research and press groups to maximize consumer awareness of VH1's networks, platforms and initiatives.
Bob Picunko has been promoted to director, business development and production for Buena Vista Games, Inc. (BVG), the interactive entertainment arm of The Walt Disney Co.
Reporting to Michael Ryder, vp of worldwide production for BVG, Picunko will be responsible for strengthening relationships with videogame developers and content creators as well as focus on assessing new game concepts for the company and drive the process of identifying, developing and growing new strategic business relationships with independent developers.
Anima 2005, the 24th Animation Festival drew to a close on February 13, 2005, in Brussels with an awards ceremony for Anima 2005's national and international competition. The award winners were chosen by the public, via attendance and voting at the official competition screenings and there were juried categories.
With 13 feature films in competition, Anima reflected Europes important role the boom in animated films.
Anima 2005 Feature Film Grand PrixRENART, THE FOX by Thierry Schiel (Luxembourg)
Prix Be TV Feature Film Prize
DONNIE DARKO, Richard Kellys disturbing 2001 indie cult about teen angst, time tripping and a giant demonic rabbit, hit a little too close to home with its eerie 9/11 parallels. Plus its confusing, elliptical narrative polarized moviegoers. Still, this 88 treatise on urban legends starring Jake Gyllenhaal became an instant one itself, prompting further elaboration in this expanded cut. Released theatrically last year and released on DVD Feb.
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF A SPOTLESS MIND was one of last years most intriguing movies, fashioned from the wild imaginations of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Michel Gondry. Erasing a love from ones memory shook Jim Carrey and Oscar nominated Kate Winslet to the very core of their existence, and this new two-disc collectors edition DVD (Universal Home Ent., $27.98) offers more than an hours of bonus features. Vfx provided by Buzz Image Group and Custom Film Effects. However, as Gondry illustrates, he definitely prefers old fashioned, in-camera tricks to CGI.
Turbo Squid, which touts the largest collection of royalty-free 3D products available for download, announced that the 100,000th 3D product has been posted for sale.
Tulay Tetiker presents an overview of the many companies competing in the growing German visual effects industry.
Three NBA players are touched by the hand of the Creator and made to perfection in Method Studios latest work for Adidas and TBWA Chiat/Day. The spot, aptly titled MADE TO PERFECTION, was lensed by Rupert Sanders of Omaha Pictures and began airing Feb. 7, 2005.
Animac is a non-competitive film exhibition intended to show the best animated cinema productions of all time, highlighting those which have best enriched and promoted animation cinema's expressive skills. Animac is also a creative space where artists can meet and show their work; a place where not only the filmmaker can find meaning to his work but also the inspiration to develop projects which will define the future of animation. Animac seeks to be a tool to promote the most committed and passionate animated films. For any further information, visit www.animac.info.
Digital-Tutors offers the worldwide availability of FUNDAMENTALS OF MAYA: POLYGON AND SUB-D MODELING training kit, the latest release in a library of industry leading training resources for digital artists. In more than 3.5 hours and two discs of leading edge training methods, FUNDAMENTALS OF MAYA: POLYGON AND SUB-D MODELING, guides users though the fundamentals of modeling an original concept monster in Maya.
The Foundrys Furnace proved to be an invaluable set of tools when Mumbai-based vfx studio VCL (Visual Computing Labs, a division Tata Elxsi) recently provided the 3D elements and compositing for the forthcoming Yash Raj feature, DHOOM. Led by VCLs creative director and vfx supervisor, Pankaj Khandpur, the team consisted of around eight compositors with the remainder working in 3D who, in less than eight weeks, completed 553 vfx shots, with Furnace being used on more than100 of them, for rig and wire removal.
HP introduced the 64-bit xw9300 Workstation, the first to include AMD Opteron processors and support for NVIDIA Quadro SLI dual PCI Express graphics, built for customers with intensive computing demands, including 3D animation.
Sony held the first three spots on the box office chart for the Valentines Weekend ended Feb. 13, 2005, with the Will Smith-starrer, HITCH, breaking the record for romantic comedy bows with $43.1M. Screen Gems BOOGEYMAN followed with $10.2 and a two-week cume of $32.7M and Sonys ARE WE THERE YET? picked up $8.2M and $61.2M. Clint Eastwoods Oscar contender, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, moved up to fourth with some big mo, knocking down another $7.4M and $44.9M so far.
Alias has scheduled the second annual Maya API Developers Conference for June 6-8 in Santa Barbara, California. For three days, Alias offers a unique learning opportunity for software developers in the games and film industries to network with industry peers and gain insight into the Maya API (Application Programming Interface). In-depth seminars and hands on classes provide a rare chance to hear from Alias software developers and customers working in film and games.
Toronto-based Nelvana Ltd. has completed a series of broadcast and home entertainment deals for its popular library series CARE BEARS in Scandinavia, Greece, Israel, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania.
Nelvanas Scandinavian agent Kidz Entertainment has completed deals for the first 49 episodes in Sweden (Channel 5), Denmark (TV Danmarks) and Norway (TV2), while Greece-based Alter Channel and Kazakhstans Channel 1 & 2 have also picked up the same 49. Meanwhile, EUROCOM TV in Romania has acquired episodes 1-26 of the 1980s 2D series.
Ohm:tv has been licensed its latest animation series, BJORN BEAR, to U.K.-based Discovery Kids.
The 7x39 series, produced by Swedish Animation House Happy Life, is co-produced with WDR, which holds the rights for German-speaking territories and Swedish SVT, which holds the Scandinavian rights.
Daniel Taylor has been appointed president of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., following completion of the sale of MGM to the consortium now acquiring the film/TV studio and its library. The investor group consists of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, DLJ Merchant Banking, Sony Corp. of America and Comcast Corp.
Atari Inc. is developing and publishing THE MATRIX: PATH OF NEO, an interactive console and PC game based on the blockbuster motion picture trilogy THE MATRIX, THE MATRIX RELOADED and THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS from Warner Bros. Pictures for a 2005 holiday release on PS2, Xbox and PC.
Love is on the air with TELETOON, Canadas 24/7 animation broadcaster, airing especially romantic episodes for viewers to watch on Feb. 14, 2005 their favorite characters get struck by Cupid.
The network aired a special Valentines Day episode of JOHNNY BRAVO on Feb. 12 at 7:30 pm with rebroadcasts on Feb. 14 at 7:30 am and 6:00 pm. In it, Mama sets Johnny up on a blind date where Johnny finally meets the girl of his dreams and it turns out to be a night shed soon forget.
Warner Home Video Inc. (WHV) and Mattel Inc. have entered into a worldwide home entertainment distribution agreement for the companys new HOT WHEELS ACCELERACERS property. Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, WHV will have exclusive distribution rights to four HOT WHEELS movies promoting the new ACCELERACERS animated property in all territories throughout 2005 beginning with the debut release of the first installment of the four-part movie saga, ACCELERACERS: IGNITION, on March 22, 2005.
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz.
THE AVIATOR has won four BAFTAs at the Feb. 12, 2005, Orange British Academy Film Awards. Martin Scorseses Howard Hughes biopic received awards in the categories Film, Actress in a Supporting Role for Cate Blanchett, Make-Up & Hair and Production Design. The effects on the film were done by Camera e-Motion, New Deal Studios and Sony Pictures Imageworks.
This week in AWN's Forums, theres a thread raging about contracts and companies not paying for work completed. Others are discussing the new MADAGASCAR trailer. Other posts are looking for animators to work on various projects. Other members are posting their sketches, animation and shorts are other to check out and critique. More people are chiming in on the meaning of anime debate. Others are still discussing FOSTERS HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS.
