The Producers Guild of America (PGA) and THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER acknowledge Massive Software founder Stephen Regelous as one of the Top 50 New Media Producers and Innovators in the realm of digital storytelling. The list, published in the Oct. 19, 2006, issue of THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, reflects the industrys most talented leaders in digital media.
Fox Animation has revived the languishing toon adaptation of Roald Dahl classic THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX, reports VARIETY. Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach adapted the script with Anderson set to direct as well as produce with Scott Rudin. The film will use multiple animation style, but will primarily use stop-motion.
The book centers on a fox that tries to outwit three stupid farmers, who have resorted to extreme actions to stop the fox from stealing their chickens.
Rogue Pictures has inked a two-picture deal with horror writer Scott Milam, according to VARIETY. Milam has his script WICHITA in development at Dimension with SAW III helmer Darren Bousman attached to helm.
For Rogue, his first screenplay will be an extreme horror set in a gruesome world of sideshow freaks and other carnival horrors. Michael Zoumas will produce.
The second project is a blind script deal.
At LIMA-Gala in Munichs Bayerischer Hof, the EM.TV Group were awarded two LIMA Awards. EM.Ent. GmbH took home Licensing Agent/Licensor of the Year, followed by the prize in the License Theme category for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Licensing Program.
Electronic Arts launched MEDAL OF HONOR HEROES for PSP in North America with the title rolling out worldwide later next month. This release rounds out EAs October lineup, which included BATTLEFIELD 2142, THE SIMS 2 PETS, TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 07 and FIFA SOCCER 07.
Marvel Studios and Vancouver-based production company, No Equal Ent., have entered into an agreement to develop a live-action television series based on Marvel's cult favorite MOON KNIGHT.
First introduced by Marvel Comics in the mid-1970s, MOON KNIGHT presents the story of soldier of fortune Marc Spector. After an encounter with the Egyptian god of vengeance and the moon deity Konshu, he becomes Moon Knight, a superhero who hunts criminals in the night, bringing them to justice.
Universal Pictures has obtained the rights to cult comicbook COBALT 60, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Zack Snyder, helmer of the forthcoming adaptation of Frank Millers graphic novel 300, will direct as well as produce with Debbie Snyder.
Set in a post-apocalyptic landscape filled with mutants, superhero Cobalt 60 sets out to kill Strontium 90, who murdered his parents.
Disney has bought the rights to ANIMATED AMERICAN, a live-action/animation hybrid that deals with the issue of teens trying to fit in, VARIETY reports. Producers will be Bob Cooper's Landscape Ent. and ImageMovers partners Robert Zemeckis and Jack Rapke.
Peter Ackerman (ICE AGE) is set to write the screenplay, which will follow an animated outsider, who lives in a live-action world and must deal with his girlfriend leaving him while hes away at sea.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced the nominees for this year's British Academy Children's Film and Television Awards in association with Electronic Arts. The winners will be announced at the ceremony on Sunday, Nov. 26, 2006 at the London Hilton.
The nominees are:
ANIMATION THE AMAZING ADRENALINI BROTHERS! David Hodgson, Dan Chambers, Claire Underwood (Pesky Ltd., Studio B Prods., CITV)
KING ARTHUR'S DISASTERS Edward Bignell, Julian Scott (Zenith Ent. Ltd./CiTV)
In Ryan Lessers upcoming review of Autodesks 3ds Max 9 this week, he discovers some new animation functionality along with enhanced speed and stability. Meanwhile, Bryan Hoff reviews the latest HP xw9400 workstation and finds its worth updating to this AMD-based system. Scott Dougherty, co-founder of Furious FX, joins Digital Eye to discuss the rise and resilience of smaller facilities.
Electronic Arts put on line today (Oct. 25, 2006) a new studio in downtown Chicago to focus on next generation videogames. Housed at 215 West Ohio Street is the development team is best known for the hit EA SPORT Fight Night franchise. The group is working on three state-of-the-art games for the PlayStation3 and Xbox 360, including the hip-hop lifestyle game, DEF JAM: ICON, as well as a licensed title and a new intellectual property in the fighting videogame genre.
The online character animation school, Animation Mentor, received the preeminent 2006 21st Century Award as well as the 2006 Best Practices in Programming Award Gold Level at the U.S. Distance Learning Awards (USDLA) Celebration of Excellence last evening (Oct. 23, 2006). Presented by the USDLA, a leading distance learning organization, the 21st Century Award salutes a pioneering organization that has changed distance learning through new and innovative solutions and the Best Practices Award recognizes outstanding programming practices.
Iridas, film industry pioneers in metadata-based color grading technologies, and Silicon Imaging, leaders in IT-centric digital camera and RAW workflow solutions, are partnering to develop the first camera system to incorporate live "look" visualization for a color-managed pipeline from acquisition through post and presentation.
IMAX Corp. and Twentieth Century Fox announced that Night at the Museum, directed by Shawn Levy (THE PINK PANTHER and CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN) and starring Ben Stiller and Robin Williams, would be simultaneously released to both IMAX and conventional theaters on Dec. 22. The adventure comedy with vfx from Rhythm & Hues, The Orphanage, Rainmaker and Gentle Giant marks the seventh IMAX DMR film secured for 2006, the largest number of Hollywood blockbusters slated for release to IMAX theaters in a single year.
On the heels of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS bowing last weekend with an impressive $3.2M in Disney Digital 3-D, comes word that Robert Zemeckis all-CG/performance capture BEOWULF will be released in more than 1,000 theaters worldwide in digital 3-D on Nov. 16, 2007. That marks the largest day-and-date large-format release of all time. The movie is presented in REAL D and other large-format 3-D theaters simultaneous with its conventional release through Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures.
AMD has completed its approximately $5.4 billion acquisition of ATI Technologies Inc. Combining the complementary strengths of the two technology leaders, the new AMD opens for business as a processing powerhouse committed to driving innovation, choice and growth in the technology industry. With approximately 15,000 employees, the company merges AMD's technology leadership in microprocessors together with ATI's leadership in graphics, chipsets and consumer electronics.
Adlabs Films Ltd., a leading Indian media conglomerate, and kids apparel giant Gini & Jony have joined hands to produce an animated feature based on the characters, Gini and Jony.
We are optimistic about the future of Indian Animation content and believe GINI & JONY characters are well established in the Indian kids mind space, said Manmohan Shetty, chairman of Adlabs Films Ltd. We continue our focus on the Indian animation industry and will soon announce more projects.
The fourth Gnomon Workshop: Live! will take place Dec. 2-3, 2006, 10:00 am -7:00 pm, Sound Stage 15, next door to the Gnomon School of Visual Effects, 1015 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood 90038.
The cost is $125. Purchase tickets online and bring a printed copy of your order confirmation and valid driver's license to the event. Please do not select shipping options, as they will not be issuing a printed ticket. Gnomon recommends reserving early.
The spooky, all-CG MONSTER HOUSE comes to DVD, Blu-ray Disc and PSP in time for Halloween on Oct. 24, 2006 (Sony Home Ent., $28.95, $38.95 and $28.95, respectively).
The second Imagemotion performance capture movie, following THE POLAR EXPRESS, MONSTER HOUSE is from first-time director Gil Kenan with a script by Dan Harmon & Rob Schrab and Pamela Pettler, and exec produced by Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg. VFX supervisor for Sony Picture Imageworks was Jay Redd.
Digital Anarchy, a leading provider of cost-effective vfx software for Adobe and Apple products, announced the immediate availability of the ReSizer 2.1 update. ReSizer is a plug-in for high quality scaling of footage or up-converting SD to HD. This gives designers and filmmakers the power to produce high quality SD to HD up-conversions while staying on time and within budget. The plug-in works in Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, and now natively in Apple's Final Cut Pro and Motion using Apple's FxPlug plug-in architecture.
Polhemus, the industry leader of 6 Degree-of-Freedom (6DOF) motion tracking, digitizing, eye-tracking and handheld 3D scanners, has provided its most recent release in tracking technology to Carnegie Mellon Universitys Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) for use in its Building Virtual Worlds (BVW) class this semester at the Pittsburgh campus.
Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation are teaming on possible weekly series based on DreamWorks animated features, KUNG FU PANDA and MADAGASCAR, confirms Nickelodeon. First reported in VARIETY, the MADAGASCAR spinoff will chronicle the adventures of its penguin characters � Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private.
Nick will handle the day-to-day development of the series, but plans to outsource the actual CG production.
Nicktoons Network, Nickelodeon's 24-hour animation network, have launched a new lineup of original content on the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com). Nicktoons Network programming will include SKYLAND, the new animated adventure series, which will be available on iTunes prior to its network debut on Saturday, Nov. 18, 2006, at 9:00 pm (ET), and short-form content from THE NICKTOONS NETWORK ANIMATION FESTIVAL.
Mary Matilyn Mouser, the voice behind Starz Kids & Familys new ELOISE series received the Outstanding Performance Award from the KIDS FIRST! Film and Video Festival at the Los Angeles International Childrens Film Festival on Oct. 14, 2006. Mouser accepted the award for her performance in ME, ELOISE, also available on DVD from Starz Home Ent., at the annual KIDS FIRST! Best of Fest Awards.
GameTap, the first-of-its-kind broadband entertainment network from Turner Broadcasting System Inc., celebrates its first birthday.
On its first anniversary, GameTap currently features:* The largest collection of videogames on-demand with more than 700 titles, including FAR CRY, TONY HAWK PRO SKATER and TOM CLANCY'S RAINBOW SIX 3 GOLD* The worldwide exclusive debut of "SAM & MAX Episode 1: Culture Shock" * More 50 Challenge games including STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3, PAC MAN, DIG DUG, BUST-A-MOVE, COMBAT and PONG
