Discreet has announced combustion 2, the latest version of its award-winning paint, animation and 3D compositing software. combustion 2 will support new multi-format project capabilities, including video, HDTV, and 64-bit color, offering enhanced image quality and performance.
AtomShockwave has relaunched its Websites AtomFilms and Shockwave.com. The move is in hopes to quell rumors that the company is about to join the long list of dot-com disasters. New programming includes new games and an animated comedy series from Jim Belushi called THE GREEDY SHOW. The 2.0 versions of the sites will focus on AtomShockwave's long-term advertising and sponsorship deals with brand companies. These deals make up 70% of the company's revenue stream. An example of these deals is the one with Ford, where Ford's Focus automobile makes appearances in the Shockwave game, DJ FU.
Cartoon Network has named Jim Samples the new executive VP and general manager of Cartoon Network Worldwide. He will remain as the general manager of Cartoon Network's online division, which he took over in March 2000. He will succeed Cartoon Network founder, Betty Cohen, who moved over to AOL Time Warner to develop new shows for teens and young adults. Samples takes over a channel whose advertising revenues are speculated to grow from US$133.6 million in 2000 to $162.5 million this year.
Studio B Productions has launched a new television commercial production department. The Vancouver-based animation firm specializes in traditional 2D and 3D animation techniques. Michael van den Bos will serve as the head of the new commercial department. Prior to working with Studio B, van den Bos was producer at International Rocketship and worked with clients such as Levis, Nintendo and Nickelodeon. In addition to in-house directors, Marv Newland and Dieter Mueller of International Rocketship will be working as freelancers for the Studio B commercial department.
Due to its increasing debt, the International Museum of Cartoon Art will be leaving Mizner Park in Boca Raton, Florida. Its US$3.8 million building will be put up for sale to pay off the museum's $2 million debt and preserve its collection of more than 200,000 pieces of comic strips, editorial cartoons and other works. The museum is looking into several locations for a new home, including New York and Connecticut, where it was originally founded in 1972 by BEETLE BAILEY creator Mort Walker.
Random House Inc. and Classic Media Inc. have purchased, through a bankruptcy court auction, the assets of children's book publisher Golden Books Family Entertainment Inc. for US$84.4 million and the assumption of most of its debt. Industry sources estimate Golden Books' debt is close to $50 million. The Golden Books portfolio features over 500,000 titles including characters like Pat the Bunny and Poky Little Puppy, a vast comic book collection and 3,000 movies, television specials and cartoons.
Santa Monica, California-based R!OT has wrapped on the visual effects and post-production for "Rexall," the first video from Jane's Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers' guitarist Dave Navarro's debut solo album "Trust No One." R!OT artists, headed by visual effects supervisor Deak Ferrand, created a 180-degree pan of a fire engulfed city. "We mapped the matte painting onto a sphere so that we could reframe it and match the angles of the live shots," Ferrand explained. "That gave us the freedom to move the camera through it in any way that we wished.
Spontaneous Combustion has created computer-generated environments for a pair of 15-second spots for Johnson & Johnson's battery operated REACH Powerbrush. In "Braces," the camera flows down a roller coaster, which spells out "braces." Once the word is revealed, a cartoonish balloon pops up with a live-action close-up of white teeth in braces. In "Professional Clean," a dental mirror probes a CG mouth as portions of the word, "professional" are laid out like a curved row of teeth.
San Francisco-based Western Images has created a completely CGI spot entitled "Balloon Art" for Cingular Wireless and ad agency BBDO South. The commercial opens with the sound of stretching rubber and an expanding blue toy balloon. The following scene reveals the orange Cingular "X" logo named Jack blowing air into the balloon. At the end, Jack whips out a remarkable likeness of George Washington crossing the Delaware. The spot was directed by Mark Dippé, of Pandemonium, SF.
Believe it or not, but model Fabio has formed an animation company. The yet untitled firm is producing a feature based on the Marvel comic, THOR: GOD OF THUNDER. "To me, the future of TV and movies is going to be 3D animation," said Fabio to PEOPLE magazine. "Sad to say, but I think actors are going to be out of jobs." The 42-year old former romance novel cover model currently works out of his six-room Los Angeles home.
Cartoon Network U.K. has acquired 26 episodes of X-MEN: EVOLUTION from Warner Bros. The Film Roman-produced series follows the exploits of the X-Men as teenagers. The series will hit U.K. airwaves in September. Finn Arnesen, VP of programming, development and acquisitions for Cartoon Network Europe, said, "This series will appeal to X-MEN fans as well as drawing in new viewers with the strong story lines and an updated take on the X-MEN franchise. X-MEN popularity is building; X-MEN The Movie came out last year, there's a second movie coming in 2002.
Dave Barry, comedian and voice over actor, has passed away. He died on Thursday, August 16 at his Beverly Hills home. He was 82. Barry began his voice over work for Warner Bros. cartoons in the 1940s. He played Humphrey Bogart in BECALL TO ARMS (1946), SLICK HARE (1947) and 8 BALL BUNNY (1950). In 1958, Barry took over as the voice of Elmer Fudd after the death of Arthur Q. Bryan. He also voiced Bluto in POPEYE and also served in several PINK PANTHER shorts. He is survived by his wife, Ginny; a daughter, Wendy; and four sons, Alan, Dana, Kerry and Steve.
Riding on the success of SHREK, DreamWorks' Jeffrey Katzenberg has announced that two CGI films will go into production simultaneously at PDI/DreamWorks. Three films are currently in pre-production, and once solidified, will go into production. The first project is TUSKER, which has been floating round the studio for years. The action-adventure story is set in Southeast Asia and will follow a herd of elephants.
Brilliant Digital Entertainment has named hip-hop publisher Russell Simmons to its board of directors. Simmons' companies include Def Jam Entertainment, Phat Farm Clothing, Rush Communications and D-Rush, a joint venture with Deutsch Advertising. Simmons and his partner Stan Lathan are joint-ventured with Brilliant Digital in Digital Hip Hop, a Los Angeles-based digital production company. In addition, Brilliant Digital has announced that president Kevin Bermeister will also assume the additional role of CEO. Mark Dyne, the former CEO, will remain the company's chairman.
Moving up to 33rd, THE SIMPSONS secured a 5.5 rating/10 share. KING OF THE HILL was crowned in 60th place, garnering a 4 rating/8 share. Holding steady at 66th, FAMILY GUY grabbed a 3.7 rating/6 share. The traditionally high-ranking SIMPSONS Wednesday special only scored 76th place with a 3.4 rating/7 share. Jumping up a slot to finish 77th, FUTURAMA forged a 3.2 rating/6 share. The U.S. universe estimate used for calculating ratings for the broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, UPN, PAX and WB) is equal to 100% of all TV households.
Discreet and Microsoft have signed a second licensing agreement to create, publish and distribute Discreet gmax game packs in another title. The role-playing game DUNGEON SIEGE, developed by Gas Powered Games, is the next confirmed Microsoft game to include support for gmax software. The title is scheduled for delivery in 2002. gmax will allow users to create and modify their game content for unique and extended experiences. "This is the support that mod makers have been waiting for!
Side Effects Software has announced that Walt Disney Feature Animation made a significant purchase of the company's Houdini 3D animation software package. Houdini has been used in many projects at the Walt Disney Company including FANTASIA 2000, GONE IN 60 SECONDS and TARZAN. "Houdini's flexible procedural paradigm helps our artists be more creative, while maintaining an efficient production environment," said John Carey, VP of technology at Disney.
Santa Monica-based Olsen Media has finished production of 13 episodes of SOLVE THE MYSTERY, an interactive Flash-animated crime-puzzle for the Internet. The series has viewers aiding Police Inspector McClue and his dim-witted assistant, Alvin, in their efforts to solve a mystery or crime by mouse-clicking back and forth checking for suspects and clues. The Web series is produced in collaboration with Egmont, a multinational media company headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, and TV2 of Denmark.
The Sydney design and animation studio, alkamy has launched phase 2 of its Website, which includes 8 new works in the interactive section. Netizens can also catch new shorts featuring Dr. Leechfingers, who is the star of a series of short films alkamy has in development. Check it all out at www.alkamy.com Professional British cartoonist/animator Bill Greenhead was launched the new Flash toon CAPTAIN POINTY at his site www.billgreenhead.demon.co.uk Augenblick Studios' DRUNKY can be seen on CampChaos.com.
King Features, the rights holder to many classic characters like Popeye, has hired DMA Animation to bring Betty Boop to a new line of video slot machines. The machines are being scripted by Top Gun Gaming and manufactured under a licensing agreement with Las Vegas-based Bally Gaming and Systems. The new BETTY BOOP game starts off with images of Betty in her dressing room, asking players to help her pick her next movie role. She points to three posters on the wall that illustrate her choices - Circus Extravaganza, Daredevil Betty or Game Show Sweetheart.
Total Training has released WHAT'S NEW IN ADOBE AFTEREFFECTS 5, a new training series covering the new AfterEffects capabilities. Previously, Total Training had produced a complete training study program for the beginning user. In addition, the new series includes tips, techniques, hidden features and tricks. WHAT'S NEW IN ADOBE AFTEREFFECTS 5 stars Brian Maffitt, Total Training chief creative officer, AfterEffects expert and long-time AfterEffects evangelist. "My enthusiasm for AfterEffects is very well known," he said.
Macromedia and Discreet announced a strategic partnership that will accelerate the deployment of interactive 3D content to the Web by uniting the worlds of 3D authoring and Web design. The partnership will bundle Macromedia Director 8.5 within 3ds max. The co-marketing partnership and bundle arrangement will begin in mid-August 2001.
WildTangent has announced that their direct-to-Web exporter for 3ds max will be packaged along with the software. WildTangent's integrated solution gives artists the ability to pull animated scenes directly from 3ds max into a Web page. The encryption options allow artists to pinpoint where Web page assets can be viewed. If someone attempts to copy and paste an artist's page into a new source, they will receive a refuse to load response.
At QuakeCon, the world's premier multi-player gaming event, Discreet unveiled gmax, the company's licensable game development platform and free consumer game-content editor. The consumer version of gmax will be available as a free download to gamers in fall 2001 and will come with 3D modeling, animation, texturing and character building tools. Discreet previously announced that elements of gmax will be bundled with MICROSOFT FLIGHT SIMULATOR 2002: PROFESSIONAL EDITION, shipping in Q3 this year.
Exluna, a new start-up dedicated to developing affordable 3D tools, is releasing Entropy, an advanced 3D rendering product. Entropy is the first offering of Exluna's "Look Development" tools and technologies, which allow digital artists to manipulate the appearance of 3D objects, using shading, lighting, painting and rendering techniques. Entropy will be unveiled at SIGGRAPH 2001 in Los Angeles on August 14-16, along with a first look at Exluna's bridge product for Discreet's 3ds max and 3D Studio VIZ scheduled for release this fall. Entropy will sell for US$1,500.
