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Category: Visual Effects

Headline News

Digital-Tutors Releases Basics: Introduction to RealFlow

Digital-Tutors announced the worldwide availability of the highly awaited BASICS: INTRODUCTION TO REALFLOW training kit the first in-depth training resource for RealFlow. An evaluation version of RealFlow 3, is included with the training kits, allowing users immediate access to the software and training.

Headline News

Gothika Director Headed for Babylon

Twentieth Century Fox and Canal Plus will co-finance BABYLON A.D., a big-budget futuristic thriller to be directed and written by GOTHIKA helmer Mathieu Kassovitz, reports VARIETY.

Inspired by Maurice Dantec novel BABYLON BABIES, tale is set in the near future where genetic manipulation occurs. In the book, a mercenary charged with bringing a young woman from Russia to Canada learns that she has been infected with a synthetic virus, which could wipe out all humans on Earth.

Motion Headline News

Vicon Forms Feature Unit

Vicon, developer of Academy Award-winning motion capture technology, the Vicon Feature Unit (VFU), a new Los Angeles-based entity devoted to on-site consulting, custom service, development and pipeline building for its film, videogame and TV clientele. VFU will be able to provide everything from purchasing and setup advice, pre-production, capture and post-production services through to custom hardware and software to rapidly deliver on unique studio requirements and project demands.

Films Headline News

Spiderwick Author’s Valiant Bought by MTV Films

MTV Films has acquired the film rights to VALIANT, a teen novel about fairies by THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES author Holly Black, according to the trades. Chuck Roven and Alex Gartner will produce through their Mosaic Media Group in conjunction with MTV Films. Paramount Pictures will distribute.

Published by Simon and Schuster on June 1, the book follows on a 17-year-old runaway who joins a group of squatters living in the New York subways. She soon discovers that her new friends hold the dark secret that many New Yorkers are actually a species of fairy.

Headline News

AWN & VFXWorld Sponsor VES’ eDwards

Animation World Network and VFXWorld are proud to announce that we will be a media sponsor for the Visual Effects Societys eDIT 8.Filmmakers Festival in Frankfurt, Germany, Oct. 9-11, 2005. We will be sponsoring eDward VI, which celebrates the work of talented artists under the age of 30. The theme for this years competition is Artificial Humans. The top finalists will be showcased in a gallery of AWN. For more information on the event, visit http://www.edit-frankfurt.de.

Headline News

Digital Musings From the Editor:

Continuing our focus this month on education and jobs, Karen Raugust looks at how Indian animation and vfx programs are teaming up with studios and software providers such as Alias to expand their workforce and grow their 3D industry. Meanwhile, later on this week and next, Alain Bielik explores the cutting edge vfx in both BEWITCHED and HERBIE: FULLY LOADED, which are also part of the programming lineup this weekend at the 2005 VES-VFX Festival of Visual Effects, June 24-26 at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.

Effects Headline News

2005 VES-VFX Festival Bows This Weekend at the Aero

The latest in visual effects artistry will be on display this weekend, as the Visual Effects Society presents the 2005 VES-VFX Festival of Visual Effects, June 24-26 at the newly renovated Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. The festival boasts 15 events, including chats with Academy Award- winning visual effects artists, screenings of topical vfx films, panels with the leaders of vfx used in television, commercials, games and more. Tickets can be purchased online at www.vesfestival.org and are also available by calling the Visual Effects Society office at (310) 822-9181.

Headline News

Marvel/Fox Zoom Lawsuit Against Sony/ Revolution

Marvel Enterprises and 20th Century Fox have filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Revolution Studios and Sony Pictures Ent. over the production of sci-fi comedy ZOOM, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The case claims that the film, which stars Tim Allen and Chevy Chase and is based on Jason Lethcoe's graphic novel ZOOM'S ACADEMY FOR THE SUPER GIFTED, copies too much of the X-MEN mythology.

The lawsuit filed June 20, 2005, in U.S. District Court, Central District of California is seeking injunctive relief and monetary damages.

Work Headline News

Level 3 Hires Artist Hight and Colorist Beveridge

Fire/Inferno artist O.T. Hight and colorist Randy Beveridge, both from episodic TV, have joined Level 3 Post. Hight and Beveridge will handle post work for the ABC series GREYS ANATOMY as well as other episodics and long-form TV projects. Both will also be involved in remastering work.

O.T. and Randy are very capable artists who have broad experience at the highest level of the television industry, said Level 3 Post managing director Darrell Anderson. We plan to take full advantage of their talents.

Disney Headline News

SIGGRAPH 2005 Special Sessions Announced

SIGGRAPH 2005 Special Sessions offer a unique glimpse into the past, present and future of digital technologies, with experts providing insights into the current state of computer graphics and interactive techniques.

SIGGRAPH 2005, the 32nd International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, will take place July 31-Aug. 4 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Film Headline News

Need to Fear? Underdog Live-Action Film is Here

Walt Disney Pictures and Spyglass Ent. are currently not fearing the potential for a possibly transforming the classic TV cartoon UNDERDOG into a live-action franchise, reports VARIETY. Spyglass' Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber and Jonathan Glickman are producers on the project, along with Jay Polstein (FRIDA), who initiated the deal. Spyglass optioned the rights from Classic Media three years ago with a preemptive bid of mid-six figures against north of $2 million.

Universal Headline News

Star & Director Attached to Alice Game Adaptation

BUFFY star Sarah Michelle Gellar and director Marcus Nispel (THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake) have signed on for the film adaptation of American McGees videogame ALICE for Universal Pictures, reports VARIETY. Collision Ent. originally secured the rights to the game, which then when to joint venture partner Dimension after their partnership was ended. Dimension shopped the project, which landed at Universal. Electronic Arts is the publisher of the game.

Universal Headline News

Kong Teaser Debuts on TV June 27

NBC Universal will present an unprecedented motion picture preview as all nine of its networks simultaneously telecast the world premiere of the first trailer for Universal Pictures' KING KONG, on Monday, June 27, 2005, from 8:59:30-9:02 pm ET.

Silver Headline News

AFI Silver Theatre to Present a Tribute to George Lucas

To honor the artistry of director George Lucas, AFI's 33rd Life Achievement Award recipient, AFI Silver Theatre will present a special tribute to George Lucas hosted by the Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore, Her Excellency Chan Heng Chee, on June 29, 2005, in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Film Headline News

Warren Franklin Joins Rainmaker as President of Animation & VFX

Warren Franklin joins Rainmaker LP as president of Animation & Visual Effects. He will be responsible for expanding the award-winning television effects team, to continue Rainmaker LP's growth in vfx for feature film and in building a feature animation studio to handle production of computer-generated animated films.

Imax Headline News

Record Viewers Flock to IMAX Batman Begins

IMAX saw its biggest five-day opening ever with last weekends estimated $3.16M debut of BATMAN BEGINS: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE. The opening day gross of approximately $754,000 proved to be an IMAX record as well for a Hollywood simultaneous release.

Digital Headline News

Double Negative Creates ‘Real’ Gotham for Batman Begins

In its largest project, London-based Double Negative has created nearly 300 vfx shots for Warner Bros. BATMAN BEGINS, opening June 15. Production vfx supervisors Janek Sirrs and Dan Glass challenged Double Negative to tackle work that would require the team to completely revamp its design facility, creating a new working pipeline and installing new infrastructure to accommodate the huge workload.

Headline News

More Actors Going Down with Poseidon

Wolfgang Petersen's remake of THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE is gaining actors quicker than the doomed shipping takes on water. Mia Maestro (TVs ALIAS), Freddy Rodriguez (TVs SIX FEET UNDER), Kevin Dillon (TVs ENTOURAGE), Jacinda Barrett (LAST KISS) and Jimmy Bennett (THE AMITYVILLE HORROR) have all joined the star-studded cast for the Warner Bros. tentpole, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

Maestro will play a stowaway. Rodriguez will play a member of the crew. Dillon plays a blowhard poker player. Barrett and Bennett will play a mother and son.

Disney Headline News

National Treasure 2 Uncovered

Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films have started development on NATIONAL TREASURE 2, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Jon Turteltaub will return as direct from a script by Gregory Poirier (forthcoming SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON remake). The studios are keeping the plot on the down low and as of yet none of the original cast has been resigned. Jason Reed shepherd the project for Disney with Chad Oman, Mike Stenson, Aviv and Segars are exec producing.

Motion Headline News

RE:Vision Offers Twixtor 4.5 and ReelSmart Motion Blur 3.2

RE:Vision Effects has released a major update to its Shake version of Twixtor, the popular retiming solution, and a minor update to ReelSmart Motion Blur (RSMB), which adds and removes motion blur based on per-pixel calculated motion.

Nick Brooks, Academy Award and Emmy Award winner for visual effects, says, "Twixtor 4.5 represents a new touchstone in retiming. The difference in accuracy means that retiming artifacts are either drastically reduced or disappear on the hardest to retime footage. "

Technology Headline News

Realizm 800 to Power NEC Express Workstation

Wildcat Realizm 800 graphics technology from 3Dlabs has been selected by NEC to be incorporated in the TE6 ultra high-end graphics accelerator that powers the NEC Express workstation. The inclusion of Wildcat Realizm 800 graphics into the new TE6 graphics accelerator marks the first time that NEC has integrated third-party graphics technology into its TE-branded line of products. The Express workstation for CAD and broadcast video professionals will be available from NEC in Japan later this month.

Future Headline News

Ray Bradbury Future Fest This Weekend!

Ray Bradbury Future Fest is a celebration organized by California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) School of Film/Video faculty member E. Michael Mitchell, in association with J.R. Smith, alumni and select advanced students from School of Film/Video Program in Character Animation. The event presents artwork and film exploring the writings of sci-fi master Ray Bradbury, who will make several unscheduled appearances at the event.

Films Headline News

Bidding To Begin on Star Wars Films TV Rights

Lucasfilm has sent out a letter to potential network buyers inviting bids for the TV broadcast rights to the STAR WARS film franchise, reports VARIETY. The price tag for the six-film series could go as high as $50 million.

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