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Category: Visual Effects

Visual Headline News

VES Has Plenty to Show and Tell

The Visual Effects Society (VES) hosted its annual Show and Tell on Jan. 13 at the Skirball Cultural Center, as nominees discussed the making of their projects.

Here are just a few highlights at the all-day event:

Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture

Color Headline News

D2 Software Offers NUKE v4.6

Integrated Truelight color management, optical flow re-timing and support for Intel-based Mac systems highlight the latest version of the NUKE high-end compositor. Like previous versions, 4.6 includes cutting edge technologies developed to solve particular production problems faced by NUKE users and makes the tools available to artists everywhere.

Highlights include:

Films Headline News

Pan's Labyrinth On the Foreign-Language Oscar Shortlist

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 17, 2007 at 12:00am

For the first time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences released a shortlist of contenders for the foreign-language Oscar. The Mexican visual effects spectacle PAN'S LABYRINTH, which features effects from Café FX, is among the short-listed films. The other eight films include: DAYS OF GLORY (Algeria), WATER (Canada), AFTER THE WEDDING (Denmark), AVENUE MONTAIGNE (France), THE LIVES OF OTHERS (Germany), BLACK BOOK (The Netherlands), VOLVER (Spain) and VITUS (Switzerland).

Marvel Headline News

Gwyneth Paltrow Signs Onto Iron Man

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 17, 2007 at 12:00am

Marvel Studios announced that it has signed Academy Award winner Gwyneth Paltrow to join the cast of the summer 2008 tentpole, IRON MAN. Paltrow will take on the role of Virginia "Pepper" Potts, personal secretary and confidant to Tony Stark aka Iron Man, who is being played by Robert Downey Jr. The film is slated to hit theaters May 2, 2008.

Paltrow joins Downey Jr. and Terrence Howard as Jim "Rhodey" Rhodes, Stark's best friend. Jon Favreau is set to direct.

Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

Tonight's the VFX Bakeoff at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and best of luck to the participants involved in CASINO ROYALE, ERAGON, NIGHT AT THE MUSUEM, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, POSEIDON, SUPERMAN RETURNS and X-MEN: THE LAST STAND. VFXWORLD will have extensive coverage on Friday with lots of great clips. Meanwhile, this month we turn our attention to the business side of the industry and begin with Adrian Pennington's report on Autodesk's roadmap for future development.

Animation Headline News

Qube! Supports Digital Media Education Programs

PipelineFX's Qube! render farm management system has gained continued market momentum, as seven universities from the U.S., China, the U.K. and Canada have adopted Qube! for render farm management for their digital media and animation education programs.

Post Headline News

Post Logic Studios New York Hires Peter Bavaro

Post Logic Studios has appointed Peter Bavaro to the post of exec director, sales and marketing.

"It's great to have Peter on board with us," said Larry Birstock, ceo, Post Logic Studios. "Peter's depth of production experience will be an invaluable asset in supporting our growth strategy. Post Logic Studios continues to be well positioned to build on its present success and become recognized as one of the industry's most creative, professional and highest-quality providers of visual effects, post-production and DI for film and televisions projects."

Universal Headline News

NBC Universal Cable Ent. To Launch Chiller Network

NBC Universal Cable Ent. announced the launch of Chiller, a 24-hour entertainment cable channel dedicated to the horror genre. DIRECTV will be the first affiliate to carry the new network, which starts March 1, 2007.

"We continually look at our options for launching new networks," said Jeff Gaspin, president, NBC Universal Cable Ent., digital content and cross network strategy.. "Horror is one of the most reliably successful genres in entertainment today and Chiller seems like a well-timed addition to our portfolio."

Series Headline News

Lost Creators Talk About Series End

With the series returning from hiatus on Feb. 7, 2007, the makers of LOST have begun talks with ABC about when the series will end, reports THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. This doesn't mean the series is coming to a close soon. The discussion is part of an effort to help the series writers lead the show toward a fixed ending in the future.

"Once we figure out when that will be, a lot of the questions will go away," said exec producer Carlton Cuse.

Digital Headline News

Brian Simpson Appointed CEO of Keyframe Digital Prods.

Brian Simpson joins Keyframe Digital Prods. as its new ceo. Reporting to Keyframe Digital's founders, Darren Cranford and Clint Green, Simpson's mandate is to assume responsibility for the strategic direction and implementation of Keyframe's productions. He will be operating from the head office located in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada.

Headline News

MGM Greenlights New Stargate Movies for TV & DVD

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) has extended the STARGATE SG-1 franchise with two movies based on the popular series. Titled STARGATE: THE ARK OF TRUTH and STARGATE: CONTINUUM, the movies will both be made available to TV and home entertainment by MGM.

Television Headline News

SCI FI Announces New Flash Gordon and Other Programming

SCI FI Channel announced at the Television Critic's Assoc. Tour that it has greenlit production on FLASH GORDON, based on the popular comic strip franchise. Production on the 22 one-hour episodes begins in Canada in early 2007. The series, produced by Reunion Pictures, is slated to debut on SCI FI this July, with a broadcast syndication window to follow.

Under an agreement with property owner King Features Syndicate, the new series is being produced by RHI's Robert Halmi Sr. and Robert Halmi Jr. (TIN MAN, LEGEND OF EARTHSEA, THE TEN COMMANDMENTS).

Headline News

Murphy Journeys to The Other Side

Brittany Murphy will star in the long-in-development writing and directing debut of veteran producer and story editor David Michaels titled THE OTHER SIDE, reports SCI FI WIRE. The film will take place on a weird, remote island where nothing is as it seems.

"It's very intriguing," Murphy said in an interview while promoting her new film, THE DEAD GIRL. "It has an awesome cast. Giovanni Ribisi is signed on, and there's Ryan Gosling and Anjelica Huston and all sorts of really neat people."

Animation Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

Last December, VFXWORLD was invited to visit the northern France region of Valenciennes, home of the superb Supinfocom animation school and the annual E-magiciens student festival. You can read my report of the delightful DCC going on there this week. Meanwhile, Alain Bielik explores the animation of Passion Pictures and its seamless integration into live-action plates by Cinesite on MISS POTTER (opening Jan. 12 from The Weinstein Co.).

Bill DesowitzEditor

Brickyard Headline News

Brickyard VFX Takes Hummer H2 into Hyperspace with Star Trek Cues

Brickyard VFX has completed of a new :30 second spot for Hummer's H2 via ad agency Modernista, Boston. The spot boldly goes where no Hummer has gone before, playing off of iconic STAR TREK music and visual cues.

Film Headline News

Rob Cohen To Helm Mummy 3

By Rick DeMott | Wednesday, January 10, 2007 at 12:00am

Universal Pictures is negotiating with Rob Cohen (XXX) to helm THE MUMMY 3, reports VARIETY. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have penned the screenplay, with a plot that is being kept secret at this point. Stars Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz have had talks in the past about coming aboard a third installment.

Channel Headline News

Masters Of Horror Screams Again on Showtime

The MASTERS OF HORROR series continues on Showtime in Jan. 2007 with WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE SCREAM, directed by Tom Holland (FRIGHT NIGHT, CHILD'S PLAY) to debut Jan. 12 at 10:00 pm with repeats through the following Tuesday.

Headline News

NVIDIA GeForce Delivers for Microsoft Windows Vista

NVIDIA GeForce graphics processors have been selected to deliver the ultimate visual experience in innovative touch-enabled HP entertainment PCs designed for Microsoft Windows Vista.

Unlike standard PC processors, NVIDIA GeForce graphics processors are designed to deliver smooth HD video, vivid pictures and realistic 3D animation while increasing overall system performance in Microsoft Windows Vista and an increasing number of mainstream software applications, such as Apple iTunes, Adobe Acrobat 8.0, Google Earth, Google Picasa and Cyberlink PowerDVD.

Headline News

MPC To Tour North America in Search of VFX Talent

MPC (The Moving Picture Co.), the award-winning visual effects facility, will be touring North America to expand its London-based team through 2008, having secured lead vfx vendor status for THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN. MPC is also experiencing growth on such projects as Tim Burton's SWEENEY TODD, the Vince Vaughn-starrer FRED CLAUS, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX and Roland Emmerich's 10,000 BC.

Visual Headline News

Dead Man’s Chest Nabs Six VES Nominations

The Visual Effects Society (VES) announced the nominees for the 5th Annual VES Awards recognizing outstanding visual effects, with Disneys PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MANS CHEST leading the pack for Industrial Light & Magic with six nominations, including Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture and Best Visual Effect of the Year.

Avatar Headline News

Avatar to Begin Principal Photography in April

It's finally official: James Cameron begins principal photography on Twentieth Century Fox's AVATAR -- his first feature since the Oscar-winning TITANIC -- in April for a summer 2009 release, the studio announced. THE NEW YORK TIMES additionally reports that the budget will be $200 million.

Dark Headline News

His Dark Materials 2 Gets Scribe

Hossein Amini (THE WINGS OF THE DOVE) has been hired to adapt THE SUBTLE KNIFE, the second book in Phillip Pullman's HIS DARK MATERIALS series, according to VARIETY. Chris Weitz is in production on the $150 million adaptation of the first book, THE GOLDEN COMPASS, which is set to hit theaters in time for the holidays.

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