U.K. global media group Entertainment Rights has teamed with Digital Stores to launch a dedicated online store for its key properties, including RUPERT BEAR, POSTMAN PAT, BASIL BRUSH and JIM JAM & SUNNY. The new online store further strengthens ER's multiplatform strategy and will enable licensees to further extend their product reach, presence and profile in an online environment.
300 screenwriter Michael Gordon has been hired by Sony to pen a screen adaptation of the popular online game EVERQUEST, according to VARIETY. Avi Arad, the former head of Marvel Studios, is the producer. Columbia Pictures has had the project in development for years, however Gordon is the first writer tapped to put his spin on the material.
Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group announced the promotion of digital executive Jason Root to SVP, Digital, Nick.com and Nickatnite.com. The announcement was made by Steve Youngwood, Executive Vice President, Digital Media for Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, to whom Mr. Root will continue to report.
Leading Korean game developers NCsoft, Webzen and Gravity are relying on Autodesk's 3ds Max and Maya to deliver some of the most-anticipated massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs). MMOGs enable millions of players to simultaneously interact in an online game. Thus, characters, objects and entire worlds for the AION, HUXLEY and RAGNAROK ONLINE II upcoming MMOG titles are being shaped with Autodesk products.
This year's lineup for the Ottawa Animation Festival's Television Animation Conference will give producers a "tool box" for success. The event is already 70% sold-out and attendees only have until Aug. 27, to sign up if they want to get in the delegate guide.
Caligari Corp., the producer of award-winning 3D modeling, rendering and animation software, announced Thursday Night Live!, a weekly online discussion hosted by Caligari. These informal meetings are open to all members of the 3D community worldwide to encourage an atmosphere of camaraderie, foster collaboration and spark discussion on any 3D topic. In addition, Caligari CEO Roman Ormandy will join these sessions to provide his insights on the future of 3D technology. The next Thursday Night Live! session will take place on Aug. 16, 2007 at 5:00 pm PT.
ZeniMax Media Inc., parent company of Bethesda Softworks, has created ZeniMax Online Studios. The division, to be headed by online gaming expert Matt Firor, will focus on the Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMO) market segment. ZeniMax Online Studios is located in Hunt Valley, Maryland.
Platinum Studios hosts the 2007 Comic Book Challenge (www.ComicBookChallenge.com), a yearly contest for aspiring comic book writers and artists worldwide.
Accredited-Online-Colleges.com has just added three new online colleges and universities to its database, offering online degrees in everything from 3D animation to nursing in this diverse mix.
Accredited-Online-Colleges.com maintains up-to-date info. on the latest online degree programs from respected higher institutions of learning from all over the U.S.
Students searching to expand their knowledge and skills or to change the direction of their careers can find degree programs, training, and certification through Accredited-Online-Colleges.com.
AnimationMentor.com, the online animation school, is holding its second graduation concurrent with SIGGRAPH 2007. Sony Pictures Imageworksâ David Schaub (SURFâS UP, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE) will present the inspirational address at the San Diego ceremony. Students from 17 countries will graduate from the online school, which propelled more than 60% of its first class into coveted studio animator positions.
Gnomon Online, the web-based division of Gnomon School of Visual Effects, has announced a new and expanded version of its previously released online training portal. Several new features have been added to Gnomon Online to extend it's usability, enhance the user's personal experience and take online training to a whole new level for students.
Nerd Corps Ent.'s first original property, STORM HAWKS, is making both its online and on-air worldwide launch this week.
Following a successful Friday night sneak peek of a one-hour special episode, STORM HAWKS began airing Mondays, as part of Cartoon Network's new summer programming lineup at 7:00 pm (ET, PT). Other broadcasters that will be debuting the series this summer or fall include YTV in Canada; Cartoon Network in the U.K., France and Latin America; terrestrial broadcaster France 3 and Canadian French-language broadcaster VRAK.
Sony Online Ent. today (May 15, 2007) announced that it has completed a transaction to purchase key assets of Sigil Games Online Inc. SOE now owns VANGUARD: SAGA OF HEROES, Sigil's tentpole property, a highly-successful massively multiplayer online game.
Stage 3 Media Inc., an independent production company, announced the worldwide premiere of SANCTUARY, a new webisodic series created by veteran science fiction writer/producer Damian Kindler and led by actress Amanda Tapping (STARGATE: SG-1, STARGATE ATLANTIS). Featuring stunning visual effects and innovative interactive elements, SANCTUARY takes the viewer into a thrilling world where science meets the supernatural. The first of Sanctuary's eight 15-minute webisodes can be viewed exclusively online at www.sanctuaryforall.com.
The Online Game Development Conference (OGDC) is the interactive game industry
An extended nine-minute sequence from Disney/Pixar's RATATOUILLE (opening June 29, 2007) will debut exclusively May 1 on Disney.com as part of a special cross-media promotion campaign. Disney will launch a daylong TV advertising campaign on May 1, which will be highlighted by a :90 commercial during AMERICAN IDOL, all of which is designed specifically to drive audiences to Disney.com and view the footage.
Turbine Inc. and Midway Games Inc. announced that THE LORD OF THE RINGS ONLINE: SHADOWS OF ANGMAR is now available for purchase across North America. The game is the first and only massively-multiplayer online game based on the books of J.R.R. Tolkien. In development for more than four years, the game opens up the mystical world of Middle-earth and creates the opportunity for endless adventure.
Excuses: "No money." "No school teaches what I want to learn in my city." "I am working and have no time.""How in the heck am I supposed to master that software?"
... and the excuses continue for those that want to take the next step in their careers toward digital animation and visual effects.
Today there is an emerging sub-industry in the animation and visual effects business. It is online digital training that can be done from the comfort of a laptop in any corner of the globe.
Online education is not new. Most colleges and universities for the last several years offer courses for students that are taught in their homes and dorms. Many of these courses are book-learning type subjects, where the topic is lecture based. However, back in the day of CD-ROMs, technical education such as certification in software, had to be taught in a digital method. Today, the online experience is more interactive and the method of teaching is far more comprehensive.
Registration for Gnomon Online will remain open until April 2 (the first day of the spring term). On April 2, registration will close for Gnomon's 10-week courses, but will remain open for the five-week courses, 3D Texture Painting and Advanced Sculpting and Texturing in ZBrush.
Gnomon Online is currently offering six classes:
* Introduction to Maya: with Stephen McClure* Animation and Visual Effects: with Stephen McClure* Lighting and Rendering 2: with Jeremy Engleman (a new class)
Beijing-based CDC Games, creator of the "free-to-play, pay-for-merchandise" model for online games in China, announced it has signed a definitive agreement to make a strategic investment in MGame Corp., one of South Korea's leading developers of online games including YULGANG, the hugely popular licensed free-to-play game in China.
CDC Games will be the company's largest external shareholder and John Lee, president of CDC Games Corp., will serve as a board observer of MGame.
London-based online marketing and creative agency Digital Outlook is launching its own production division to develop, produce and distribute character-based intellectual properties online, as well as across all media, including TV, licensing, retail and publishing.
The new studio seeks production partners and creative talent to work with on content and brand creation. The studio already has an active development slate and plans to develop and exploit up to 10 franchises over the next two years.
The Art Institute Online, a division of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, has opened a student campus in Second Life, a virtual online community, to teach a new Business Communications course. The faculty realized students would be interested in learning in a virtual 3D environment, which would also serve for the course's development.
Sulake Corp., parent company of HABBO, has made February 2007 Teen Online Safety Awareness Month for North America. HABBO will also feature various safety awareness programs on its international sites, which are featured in 29 countries. As part of the effort, HABBO will include special promotions, information sources and interactive activities highlighting online safety awareness.
Animatus Studio's Animation Workshop has leapt into the online video with the launch of its winter 2007 student reel online. Featured on YouTube Flash players, the student films can be viewed at animatusstudio.com/workshops/studentwork.html.
The Animation Workshop's spring workshops begin Saturday, March 3, 2007.
No matter what they are promoting, Janet Hetherington looks into how companies are keeping their websites animated to prompt customers to come back for more.
