Ad agency Carol H. Williams Advertising (CHWA) recently commissioned the VFX and post-production talent of Spy Post for a new campaign for GMC. The two spots, LUXURY BOX and STADIUM, promote the newly redesigned 2007 Yukon Denali and feature sports commentator James Brown.
Steven Spielberg is teaming up with FOX to help develop an untitled time travel TV series, reports VARIETY. Spielberg will partner with writer Scott Gemmill on the project.
DreamWorks TV and 20th Century Fox TV will produce the series. DreamWorks TV heads Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank will exec produce.
The project came about when Spielberg expresses interest to Fox in do a series with time travel elements. Fox then hired Gemmill, who has a deal with the studio, to flesh out an idea.
Sam Raimi is set to produce, and possibly direct, a new version of THE SHADOW for Columbia Pictures, VARIETY reports. Raimi will work with Josh Donen of his Buckaroo Ent. on the project.
Created by Walter B. Gibson, THE SHADOW started life as a pulp novel series in the 1930s, which adapted into the now legendary CBS radio show, which starred Orson Welles. The superhero who can bend the minds of his enemies has since been featured in comics, books, television and multiple film versions, including Universal's 1994 rendition with Alec Baldwin.
On Dec. 12, 2006, the Los Angeles Professional Chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH is holding The Hair and Fur CG Fashion Show with music by Atom Smith. The event is being sponsored by Autodesk and moderated by Mar Sorell.
Taking place at the Knitting Factory Club in Hollywood, food and three bars will be available. Doors will open and hors d'oeuvres will be served starting at 6:30 pm with the program beginning at 7:30, followed by the party, which will run until 11:00 pm.
Andrew Hardaway of Boxer Films has directed a new spot for Lexus and Team One Advertising that highlights a new feature of the 2007 LS while paying homage to one of the most admired car commercials of the past 20 years.
Digital-Tutors announced the availability of INTRODUCTION TO REALFLOW4 -- a comprehensive guide to the creating realistic fluid and dynamic simulations with RealFlow4. Containing nearly four hours of project-based training, INTRODUCTION TO REALFLOW4 includes a trial version of RealFlow4. In addition, Next Limit is providing all INTRODUCTION TO REALFLOW4 customers with a promotional offer to save 15% on an educational license of RealFlow4.
In front of investors at the CSFB media conference, Viacom ceo Philippe Dauman confirmed that J.J. Abrams has signed a deal to direct the next big screen STAR TREK adventure for Paramount, reports VARIETY.
"We're revitalizing it in a new and interesting way," Dauman said.
Abrams will also co-write the script with MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE III scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The story will focus on the early days of James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer space mission.
NewTek Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading 3D animation and video products, has released a free trial of LightWave 3D version 9.0 for Windows 32-bit, 64-bit and Mac. This free trial version of NewTeks award-winning software provides all of the capabilities of the software unencumbered for a full 30 days.
Gnomon Online, the Internet-based division of Gnomon School of Visual Effects, has opened registration for its online courses.
Individuals interested in taking online courses focused on the development of the skills needed to do digital effects, animation and game development may register online at www.gnomononline.com.
Classes will be begin Monday, Jan. 8, 2007. Information and courses can be found on the site. Registration and payment will be done online.
After a successful collaboration on the critically acclaimed INTO THE WEST, TNT is teaming once again with DreamWorks Television and exec producer Steven Spielberg for an epic, six-hour adaptation of Stephen King and Peter Straub's mystical adventure, THE TALISMAN. The limited series about a boy on quest through parallel worlds is slated to premiere on TNT in summer 2008
With VFXWORLD editor Bill Desowitz in France for e-magiciens, it is my pleasure to update our readers on what's been going on at VFXWORLD. Christopher Harz closed out the November gaming theme with his piece of the language-teaching serious game, TACTICAL IRAQI. Moving into December, it looks like a packed month full of vfx feature film coverage. Starting off the month, Renee Dunlop chronicles the Biblical-sized task presented to Hammerhead's visual effects artists on THE NATIVITY STORY.
The San Francisco Film Society announced that George Lucas will be the recipient of the one-time-only Irving "Bud" Levin Award to be presented at the 50th San Francisco Int'l Film Festival, which runs from April 26 - May 10, 2007.
For a very limited time, Walt Disney Home Ent. presents THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE FOUR-DISC EXTENDED EDITION available on DVD Dec. 12, 2006. This four-disc DVD edition will only be available for seven weeks over the holidays.
NVIDIA Corp. announced the NVIDIA Quadro FX 3500M, a high-performing mobile workstation graphics solution for CAD, digital content creation and scientific visualization.
Walt Disney Home Ent. has released the studio's biggest box office success -- PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST -- on DVD. The film is being released as both a deluxe two-disc Special Edition DVD set ($34.99) and as a single-disc DVD ($29.99).
Clive Barker and Walden Media are partnering to create an original young-adult thriller featuring the ghost of Edgar Allan Poe, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Barker will develop the story and produce. Anthony DiBlasi and Joseph Daley are set to exec produce via Barker's Seraphim Films.
The story will follow a group of teenagers who, when trying to discover what happened during the last two weeks of Edgar Allen Poe's life, accidentally unleash Poe's nightmares on Earth.
"Managing Digital Workflow: A Case Study: SUPERMAN RETURNS Benefits & Tradeoffs in a Fully Integrated Digital Pipeline" will be sponsored by Sony Pictures Imageworks and presented by the Producer Guild of America's Workflow committee on Dec. 2 (10:00 am -1:00 pm) at Sony's Ince Theater, 10202 West Washington Blvd., Culver City, California.
Fee: PGA Members: free; non-Members: $50; RSVP: http://seminars.producersguild.org.
VFXWORLD closes out November with our gaming coverage. J. Paul Peszko examines how Eyetronics hit a home run with its scanning solutions for two MLB videogames. Janet Hetherington talks to vfx experts about how various videogame technologies are driving 3D content for movies and TV. And Karen Raugust looks at the rapidly growing 3D mobile market and how it's poised for success once consumer demand finally takes off.
Artist owned-and-operated effects boutique Brickyard VFX has hired lead 3D artist Julian Sarmiento to join the CG division. He joins co-heads of the CG department, Robert Sethi and Yafei Wu.
Visual effects luminaries Eric Hanson and Greg Downing have launched XRez.com (www.XRez.com), a new website site of gigapixel panoramas shot around the world and a service that offers greater dimensionality to visual effects companies, national parks and filmmakers.
HBO is developing a one-hour series based on the popular 1990s Vertigo comic series, PREACHER, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Mark Steven Johnson (director of DAREDEVIL and GHOST RIDER) is penning the pilot, with Howard Deutch set to direct. Johnson and Deutch will also exec produce along side Michael De Luca, George Agusto, Chris Bender and JC Spink.
As part of the SUPERMAN celebration on DVD this week (Nov. 28, 2006), compiled in the SUPERMAN ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION (Warner Home Video, $99.98), comes the holy grail: SUPERMAN II: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT (also sold separately for $24.98).
Bryan Singer's SUPERMAN RETURNS, which takes its inspiration from the two Richard Donner classics with Christopher Reeve, bows Nov. 28, 2006, on DVD, HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc (Warner Home Video: $28.98 for single-disc DVD with no bonus features, $34.99 for two-disc special edition DVD, $39.99 for HD-DVD/DVD combo and $34.99 for Blu-ray).
VFXWORLD is pleased to provide an early review of Mudbox, the eagerly awaited brush-based, full 3D modeling app from Skymatter. Even though it's still a work in progress, Fred Galpern explores the many benefits. In terms of movies, we have two time-trippers opening today: Darren Aronofsky's THE FOUNTAIN (from Warner Bros.) and Tony Scott's DÉJÀ VU (from Buena Vista). You can read how they grew chemical elements in a Petri Dish, which Intelligent Creatures then turned into special space backgrounds for the former, and how Asylum created cutting edge work for the latter.
THE DA VINCI CODE blockbuster (with noteworthy vfx from Rainmaker UK and MPC) hits DVD shelves on Nov. 14, 2006 (Sony Pictures Home Ent., $29.96), just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday and pivotal Black Friday shopping spree.
