Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment has launched an interactive PDA-based game to promote Revolution Studios & Columbia Pictures' new feature film THE ONE. This is first time that a studio has created a PDA-based game on behalf of a major motion picture release. "The thematic elements of THE ONE fit perfectly with the idea of a PDA-based game," said Geoffrey Ammer, President of Marketing for Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Activision, Inc. has acquired Treyarch Invention, LLC., a leading console software developer with a focus on action and action-sports video games. The acquisition further enables Activision to implement its multi-platform development strategy by bolstering its internal product development capabilities for the next-generation console systems, strengthening Activision's position in the action and action-sports genres.
Vivendi Universal Publishing (VU Publishing) and Interplay Entertainment Corp. have entered into a North American distribution agreement which grants VU Publishing the exclusive rights to distribute Interplay's PC and video game console products through 2003 with the exception of NEVERWINTER NIGHTS. The first titles expected to be released under the distribution agreement will be BALDUR'S GATE: DARK ALLIANCE and GIANTS: CITIZEN KABUTO for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system. These titles are scheduled for release in fall 2001.
So! Animation, a creative, cross-platform design shop, has joined forces with John Lovelace, So!'s new partner and executive producer/director of new business development. Former executive producer and director of new business development for the New York division of Click 3X, Lovelace brings the skills and knowledge gained at Click 3x to So! and will lead the company in their commitment to target commercial spots as well as long-form. Coinciding with the addition of Lovelace, So!
Plympton's new series of comics is extracted from the comic book "Polls Apart - How To Tell A Democrat From A Republican..."
Test your skills and challenge your brain with AWN's Animation Trivia Quiz. This week, we're asking more questions about feature year of release. Back in 1981, which films were released? 1973 saw the release of which memorable features? Good luck...you'll need it!
Sunbow Entertainment and Nickelodeon have signed a co-development deal for SKELETON KEY, a contemporary comedy adventure series targeted at 8 to 13 year olds. SKELETON KEY is based on the popular Slave Labor Graphics comic books by British writer Andi Watson. The animated series centers on small town teenager Tamsin Mary Cates who holds a magic key with the ability to move her in and out of another world. Pending development, the initial series of 13 half hours is scheduled for delivery to Nickelodeon in 2003. Although Sunbow Entertainment has worked with Nickelodeon U.K.
As reported on October 4, 2001 by THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, Square Company Ltd., warning of losses of up to 13.9 billion yen (USD $115M) for the year's first half from weaker-than-expected revenues from its feature film FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN, had ceased funding of their Honolulu-based studio Square Pictures. Allowed to continue operations, Square Pictures has indicated that they will continue to develop CGI projects with funding from other studios, and plans to possibly develop a FINAL FANTASY sequel or prequel.
Honkworm International, a creator of online branded entertainment, has partnered with multimedia presentations developer Renaissance iMedia, to begin operations in Japan. The new office is located in Tokyo and will operate under the Honkworm name. Both parties in the joint venture anticipate rapid growth, and plan to provide services to Japanese consumer brands looking to include rich media into their campaigns and promotions.
Canadian computer animation studio Mainframe Entertainment, Inc has appointed Mark Fleischer president of its Los Angeles-based subsidiary, Mainframe, U.S.A. In this newly-created position, Fleischer will spearhead the expansion of the companys presence in Los Angeles, with the goal of positioning Mainframe to more effectively pursue opportunities within Los Angeles and the U.S. Fleischer first began working with Mainframe while he was president of Fleischer Studios, Inc. in Los Angeles.
The Board of Directors of Teletoon has appointed veteran broadcasting executive Len Cochrane as president of the Teletoon television network, which operates 24-hour English and French animation services across Canada. Cochrane replaces John Riley, recently named president of Astral Television Networks. Cochrane served as president of The Family Channel Inc. for the past 11 years, and led that network's growth as a premium service with over 309,000 subscribers to one of the most successful television channels with over 4.3 million subscribers.
Visual effects company Cinesite photographed and composited specially bred and trained roller pigeons for the Warner Bros. Pictures feature film TRAINING DAY, starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. In one scene, Hawke is driving down a street and sees pigeons out the window. The two birds separate and come tumbling down directly toward the camera and then catch themselves. In another scene, the camera angle is above, looking down at a street as the birds tumble down.
In its KIDS' WB! debut, the new Japanese anime series YU-GI-OH! ranked No. 1 among the broadcast competition in its time period in Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11, Boys 2-11 and Boys 6-11. The Japanese anime series follows the adventures of a young boy named Yugi, who morphs into a monster-fighting hero after piecing together the "millennium puzzle" given to him by his grandfather. YU-GI-OH! is represented world-wide outside of Asia, by 4Kids Entertainment.
ASIFA-Colorado:- Wednesday, October 17th, 2001 ASIFA Colorado welcomes Sayoko Kinoshita, director of the Hiroshima International Animation Festival. Kinoshita will be presenting "The Best of Hiroshima Festival," a show produced as part of the Denver International Film Festival. For more information contact Edward Bakst at ASIFA-Colorado, RMCAD, 6875 E. Evans Ave., Denver, Colorado 80224, U.S.A.; Tel.: (800) 888-ARTS; or E-mail: EBakst@RMCAD.edu.
ASIFA-San Francisco:
Metreon Festival Of Anime: Saturday, October 27 - Sunday, October 28, 2001, San Francisco, California USA. Metreon-A Sony Entertainment Center in downtown San Francisco will host the first annual Metreon Festival of Anime the weekend of October 27-28 inside Metreon's Action Theatre attraction. The Metreon Festival of Anime will take place in conjunction with the Big Apple Anime Fest scheduled for the same weekend in New York City. Throughout the two-day event, fans will have a chance to watch Sony Pictures' "The Making of Metropolis", Bandai Entertainment's "Love Hina" and the U.S.
Each week, Animation World Magazine offers new articles, special features and theme-based coverage of the art, craft and industry of animation. New this week:
- Vampire Hunter D Comes to AmericaFred Patten takes us inside the latest super-cool anime feature, VAMPIRE HUNTER D: BLOODLUST, now being shown in select U.S. theatres.
- The SIGGRAPH 2001 Computer Animation Festival: A Digital Odyssey
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust: Friday, October 05 - Thursday, October 11, 2001, Los Angeles, San Francisco, California USA. Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is currently playing in theaters in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. Theaters and showtimes: The Showcase, Los Angeles, 323.934.2944. Showtimes: 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm, 10:00pm. The Laemmle Playhouse 7, Pasadena, 626.844.6500. Showtimes: Noon, 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm, 10:00pm. Edwards University 6, Irvine. 949.854.8811. Showtimes: 2:30pm, 5:00pm, 7:30pm, 10:00pm. Encino Town Center, Encino, 818.940.1136. Showtimes: 10:15pm.
Here is the complete documentation of possibly my greatest creative loss...
Durango Film Festival: Friday, March 01 - Sunday, March 10, 2002, Durango, Colorado USA. Entry Deadline: Saturday, December 01, 2001. The Durango Film Festival, after its successful 2001 premiere, is in the works for 2002. This juried 10-day festival will present independent feature films, documentaries, animated films, shorts, experimental, and new media works. In addition, the festival will offer educational salons, VIP panels, filmmaker discussions and host a variety of parties and receptions. On Saturday, March 9, 2002, the winners of the Golden Quakie Awards will be announced.
Animindia is looking for an ANIMATION DIRECTOR and KEY ANIMATORS for its Hyderabad, India-based studio . . . Detroit, Michigan's BIG GAME PRODUCTIONS is looking for a WRITER . . . Portland, Oregon's cartoonmonkey studio is looking for a ANIMATION AGENT . . . Melbourne, Australia's Glen Art Productions, a stop-motion animation studio, is looking for an AGENT / REPRESENTATIVE . . . Detroit, Michigan's KPC ANIMATION STUDIO is looking for a 2D/3D ANIMATOR and a STORYBOARD/ILLUSTRATOR . . . The Ninjai Gang, an online & offline content creation group is looking for a KEY ANIMATOR . . .
Kinetica 3: Friday, August 17, 2001 - Wednesday, December 31, 2003, Touring, USA and Canada. KINETICA is the iotaCenter's annual travelling film/video exhibition celebrating the art of abstraction in the moving image. KINETICA 3 is touring the US and Canada, dates include San Francisco Cinematheque (Oct 12-13), New York's Museum of Modern Art (October 29-30), Harvard Film Archive (November), Cinematheque Ontario (Dec), please visit website for full calendar and 2002 dates. There are two programs in this third edition in the KINETICA series.
Affiliate animator Jean Detheux will be hosting "Animated Abstract Expressionism: A Digital Jam Session" at the 2001 International Student Festival Ottawa...
For their November event, the Toronto Animated Image Society (TAIS) welcomes Derek Lamb, former filmmaker and executive producer of animation at the National Film Board of Canada. He will present an evening of screenings and insights into independent filmmaking. Derek Lamb is the Academy award-winning producer of EVERY CHILD, and dean of film at Harvard University. He has worked on episodes of SESAME STREET, collaborated with Edward Gorey on the PBS MYSTERY!
This week's updates to the Calendar of Events include: Metreon Festival Of Anime: Saturday, October 27 - Sunday, October 28, 2001, San Francisco, California USA . . . Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust: Friday, October 05 - Thursday, October 11, 2001, Los Angeles and San Francisco, California USA . . . Durango Film Festival: Friday, March 01 - Sunday, March 10, 2002, Durango, Colorado USA . . . Kinetica 3: Friday, August 17, 2001 - Wednesday, December 31, 2003, Touring, USA and Canada.
Plazmic, creator of the Mobile Media Platform, which enables the creation and distribution of rich mobile media to wireless devices worldwide has partnered with Walt Disney Internet Group Japan to launch an enhanced rich mobile media entertainment service on NTT DoCoMo's i-mode network. Disney-i customers can access a graphically enhanced, interactive and animated version of the entertainment service Magical Fortune using the Plazmic Media Engine, an interactive wireless media player based on Java technology.
