Northern Lights Post has added noted comedy/lifestyle editor John Laskas to its roster of talented editors and named Rich Schafler of Schafler Artist Management, New York, as its east coast commercial sales rep.
Well, we kick off a new year at VFXWORLD with the topic of previsualization. The first in the series this month is Alain Bieliks look at the previz work that went into brining Jean-Pierre Jeunets WWI set romance epic, A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT, to the screen.
Walt Disney's Touchstone Pictures has hired director Gregor Jordan (BUFFALO SOLDIERS) to rewrite and direct the adaptation of John Christopher's THE TRIPODS TRILOGY, reports VARIETY. Disney has had the properties rights since 1997 and both Darren Lemke and Terry Hayes have written scripts based on the series.
THX Ltd. announced that it will be demonstrating a new visual equalization (EQ) technology for videogame consoles at CES. The technology was created to enhance how gamers experience the visual quality of games content played on their favorite console. Demonstrations will be available to the public at booth # 20533 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center during regular exhibit hours.
Intergraph Corp. has shipped SmartPlant 3D 5.0. The new version delivers many enhancements for structural modeling and design, 3D model exportation, global worksharing and system support. Intergraph's current customers, including some of the world's largest owner/operators and engineering companies, drove the development of SmartPlant 3D 5.0. The software provides the capabilities needed to design and maintain process, power and marine facilities and keep them "as-built" throughout the life cycle.
Curious Pictures announced that it has joined forces with Grand Large, the Paris-based commercial production company, and will be working with Grand Larges new award-winning French director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director and writer of AMELIE and A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT.
Grand Large has a compelling group of feature directors, and I am really excited about them and their work, said David Starr, exec producer/marketing director for Curious Pictures. If there is one director that I have always wanted to work with, it is Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
The summer blockbusters continue to roll out on DVD with Warner Home Videos release of TROY ($29.95) on Jan. 4, 2005.
Perforce Software now allows integrations between Perforce SCM, its software configuration management system, and three popular graphics applications: Discreets 3ds max, Adobes Photoshop and Alias Maya. The new integrations encourage collaboration during the creative process and enable artists and developers to version, store and manage their code and digital assets more efficiently.
THE ULTIMATE MATRIX COLLECTION (Warner Home Video), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING SPECIAL EXTENDED EDITION (NEW LINE HOME ENT.), THE STAR WARS TRILOGY (Fox Home Ent.) and MARY POPPINS 40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (Buena Vista Home Ent.) have scored major nominations for the Fourth Annual DVD Exclusive Awards.
The 2004 DVD Exclusive Awards, sponsored by DVD EXCLUSIVE magazine, a sister publication to VARIETY, will be presented on Feb. 8, 2005, at the Annenberg Building at the California Science Center near the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
CaféFX used its CG skills to recreate the 1935 world speed record-setting flight for THE AVIATOR, as well as additional shots of Howard Hughes reviewing a fleet of Lockheed Constellation aircraft.
CaféFX artists additionally used NewTeks LightWave 3D in the production of content and shots for FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX and BLADE: TRINITY.
The Original STAR TREK series continues to live long and prosper on DVD in newly remastered and complete series box sets. Paramount Home Ent. recently released the second and third season collections in time for the Holidays ($129.99 each).
Now that I, ROBOT is in the running in the vfx bakeoff, its a good opportunity to check out this underrated action film with Will Smith on DVD (Fox Home Ent., $29.98), particularly Digital Domains first foray into 3D characters.
We close 2004 at VFXWORLD with a wide array of informative coverage: Mary Ann Skweres speaks with a number of prominent insiders about the very hot topic, Getting Respect for Invisible VFX; Andy Stout reports back with highlights from the inaugural UK CGI Festival in London; and The Digital Eye discusses The Promise & Peril of VFX Jobs b
SCI FI celebrates 2004, with the channels highest-rated and most-watched year yet. This is the third consecutive year SCI FI has garnered recor- breaking primetime ratings. The channel also delivered its best-ever primetime rating, with 1.0 HH rating/1.2 million P2+ average for the year. Now fully-distributed to 84 million homes, SCI FI scored with viewers in nearly every key demographic, ranking within the Top 10 of all basic cable nets for ratings among P25-54, M25-54, P18-49, M18-49 and F25-54.
The SIGGRAPH 2004 Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques Presentations DVD-ROM set is now shipping. This highly anticipated six-disc box set features more than 400 presentations totaling more than 250 hours of content. Recorded sessions include: Papers, Sketches, Courses, Special Sessions, Web Graphics, Panels and Keynote and Awards. New features include: a custom search engine, links to additional online research and all live demos. For more information, visit www.siggraph.org/soma/s2004dvd/.
With the help of The Mill, VCCP developed a strong, simple strategy to show off Hyundais broad range of cars: a car first, a badge second. The campaign comprises seven executions, each showcasing a different car and a different brand message. The cars zip around abstract black-and-white landscapes until it is revealed, through large scale camera zoom-outs, that the cars are in fact tackling terrain provided by giant type spelling out brand messages.
German director Roland Emmerich will be president of the international jury for the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival. Emmerich is best known for his blockbusters INDEPENDENCE DAY, GODZILLA and THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW.
In other vfx and animation news from the festival, THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU will compete in the official competition. The 55th Berlin International Film Festival runs Feb. 10-20.
These days vampires dont merely poof away with a fabled stake through the heart, they combust into bits and vaporize away. At least thats what happens when vampires are vanquished in New Line Cinemas BLADE: TRINITY, thanks to scanning technology from Eyetronics.
Mt. Sierra College, a leading media arts and design, business and technology college in the San Gabriel Valley, California has been selected to participate in the Howard Schaefer Pasadena Angels BTC Business Competition along with nine other Southern California colleges and universities. The competition, co-sponsored by the Business Technology Center of Los Angeles (BTC) and the Pasadena Angels, challenges teams of Southland students to develop a business plan, feasibility study or marketing plan to raise funds for an early-stage technology company.
InterActual has supplied an embedded virtual key that unlocks a special Website filled with exclusive online features THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING Special Extended DVD Edition (New Line Home Ent., $39.99). Called DVDKey, the technology from InterActual grants viewers access to content online when the DVD is placed in a PC and played back using an InterActual-compatible DVD player.
The online bonus features include:
Its moving day at VFXWorld and AWN. To celebrate, we have some great articles for you to check out. Ellen Wolff explores how ILMs Stefen Fangmeier mixed cutting edge technology with a bit of old cinema magic to help conjure the retro look of LEMONY SNICKETS A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS. Youll be amazed by the big steps forward ILM has made in photoreal human characters. Mary Ann Skweres takes a look at the f/x that went into bringing the mega-hit stage play THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA to the silver screen.
Avid Technology announced the SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool -- a free version of its award-winning 3D animation software designed for gamers who are interested in modifying the content of popular video games.
As part of the company's 3-Democracy plan -- to make the most advanced 3D content creation software accessible to all levels of CG professionals -- the SOFTIMAGE|XSI Mod Tool is available immediately from the Softimage Website (www.softimage.com), and enables users to generate material for HALF-LIFE 2, the recently released action video game by Valve.
On Jan. 13, 2005, Sony Pictures will present the first-ever showing of a major studio movie using Sony's new 4K digital projection system at a screening of Columbia Pictures' blockbuster SPIDER-MAN 2. The uncompressed 4K digital cinema content for the projection system will be powered by advanced visualization and shared storage systems from Silicon Graphics.
ATI Technologies and Avid Technology/Softimage Co. unveiled a complete graphics hardware and software solution for 3D artists and students. Both companies are now offering SOFTIMAGE|XSI Foundation software with the FireGL T2-128 AGP 8X workstation graphics accelerator in a single cost-effective package for $599.
KING ARTHUR: THE EXTENDED UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT bowed on DVD (Buena Vista Home Ent., $24.99) Dec. 21, 2005. From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Antoine Fuqua, KING ARTHUR has been called BRAVEHEART light, with reluctant Roman leader (Clive Owen) having to go against the invading Saxons in England before he can peacefully return to Rome. A red-hot Guinevere (Keira Knightley), stripped down to S&M leather garb, adds to the revisionist fun. VFX were done by Cinesite (Europe).
