DANCING PIXEL FESTIVAL calls for entries
Animation Magazine and Brilliant Digital Entertainment, Inc., a producer of3-D animated content on the Internet and a developer of animation tools andtechnology, have announced that they will co-host the Dancing PixelFestival. Dancing Pixel will be the first all 3-D real-time animationfestival on the Internet. Animators, both professionals and aspirants, areinvited to submit their work for public viewing and judging on the festivalsite. Submissions will be taken from October 1, 1999 to December 31, 1999.
MIPCOM announcements
On Monday, October 4 at 4 pm Jean-Marie Messier, president of Vivendi, aFrench multimedia, communications and power company, will deliver thekeynote address for the special three day forum on convergence, TV Meetsthe Internet @ MIPCOM. The address will be entitled "21st CenturyTelevision: Visions for Next Generation Broadcasting.". . . Rome,Italy-based RAI TRADE will offer BROTHER JACOB, an animated edutainmentseries for children about a storytelling monk, as well as GONE WITH THE
BLUE SKY promotes BURROWS and SPELTZ
Harrison, New York-based BLUE SKY STUDIOS has promoted CHRIS BURROWS andTIM SPELTZ to technical directors. Since beginning as a technical assistantat Blue Sky Studios in 1998, Burrows has worked on a variety of projects,including lighting and rendering for Blue Sky's Oscar award-winning short,BUNNY. Speltz has been with Blue Sky Studios since he graduated from BrownUniversity in 1997. Since then, he has excelled at effects, particle work,and lighting. He was credited as technical assistant and technical directoron BUNNY.
DISNEY CONSUMER PRODUCTS hires SUSAN GARELLI
Burbank, California-based DISNEY CONSUMER PRODUCTS has hired SUSAN GARELLIas vice president of human resources. Garelli joins Disney from Pasadena,California-based Avery Dennison, a worldwide manufacturer of self-adhesivematerials and consumer products, where she was also vice president of humanresources.
INFOGRAMES appoints new management team
INFOGRAMES, a global publisher of interactive entertainment software, hasappointed a new management team. STAN ROACH, formerly executive vicepresident of marketing, will take on the role of COO overseeing sales,marketing and product development. YVES LEGRIS, formerly with Infogrames'headquarters in France, will become COO responsible for finance, businessdevelopment, legal affairs, studio operations, information technology andhuman resources.
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION hires FABRICE MAUREL as Design Director
New York City-based SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION has named Flame Artist FABRICEMAUREL as Design Director. Maurel comes to Spontaneous Combustion from LosAngeles, California-based Novocom where he contributed to the artdirection, design, implementation and special effects compositing oftelevision shows, commercials and music videos.
GRAPHITI MULTIMEDIA completes spots for Limca soft drink
Mumbai, India-based GRAPHITI MULTIMEDIA has completed two :15 spots forLimca soft drink. In one of the spots, an animated version of Indian moviestar Shah Rukh Khan is chased by a dog while on a date with his girlfriend.In the other spot, a cricket player is taunted by a duck. In both spots,the characters are encouraged to "take it easy" with a Limca soft drink.Graphiti used Cambridge Animation Systems' Animo software to composite thehand-drawn characters with the backgrounds, which were created using AdobePhotoshop.
SIMEX DIGITAL completes Dunlop Tires spot
Santa Monica, California-based SIMEX DIGITAL STUDIOS has completed "IceCliff," a spot for Dunlop Tires and agency Dentsu, Inc. of Tokyo, Japan. Inthe spot, five luxury sport cars race on rapidly eroding, digitallygenerated, ice covered cliffs. The camera moves back to reveal that thecliffs are created by a giant digitally created Dunlop tire. CGI ArtistJeff Chung used Alias Power Animator and Maya Media Illusion to create theeffects.
MANGA releases MACROSS PLUS DVD
Manga Video is releasing MACROSS PLUS on DVD on October 12, 1999. MACROSSPLUS, directed by Shoji Kawamori, is a DTV (direct-to-video) which is basedon the original Japanese TV series SUPERDIMENSIONAL FORTRESS MACROSS, whichwas used as the basis for the 1980s American TV series ROBOTECH. MACROSSPLUS is set approximately thirty years after the original MACROSS and justbefore the events in the Japanese TV series MACROSS 7. In MACROSS PLUS, theuniverse's most popular virtual reality singer, Sharon Apple, comes alive
Van Eaton Galleries and ASIFA-Hollywood present THAT '70s - '80s CARTOON SHOW!
Tom Sito will host THAT '70s - 80s CARTOON SHOW! on Friday, September 17, at 7 pm. Meet Filmation directors Tom Tataranowicz and Ed Friedman; Lou Scheimer, Filmation's founder; Hanna-Barberas Jerry Eisenberg, designer of THE BANANA SPLITS and PETER POTAMUS; and Iwao Takamoto, designer of Scooby Doo and Penelope Pittstop. The evening will include screenings, plenty of stories and a chance to ask the creators about your favorite shows and characters. Admission is $5 at the door for ASIFA-Hollywood members and full time students, $8 at the door for all others.
A Closer Look: Miyazaki's "Princess Mononoke" Hits US Theatres
Two years after its release in Japan, Hayao Miyazaki's top-grossinganimated film "Princess Mononoke" will be released theatrically in the U.S.on October 29, 1999. It is noteworthy that the film is being released byMiramax Films, a Disney company. "Princess Mononoke" is one of the fewanimated features which can compare with Disney's in terms of audience andbox office. The film earned its spot as the all-time highest grossing filmin Japan, bringing in sell-out crowds, long lines at theaters and over $150
A Closer Look: Puppet Animation - Archaic or Avant-Garde Technique?
Puppet Animation is often associated with late Eastern European animatorssuch as Jiri Trnka, one of the greatest puppet animators ever, orsurrealist directors like Jan Svankmajer. Puppet animation is mainlyhonored at local events -- the "Deep End Puppet Theatre Happening," whichinvolves live puppet theatre performances and puppet film screeningsthroughout the region of Northern England -- academic conferences -- aSociety for Animation Study Conference's paper on "Puppet Animation Film in
A Closer Look: The Television Market
While we just launched our annual Television issue, let's look at someof the trends in the animation television market. Ten years ago, it wasoften the case that American producers cared little about the internationalmarket for TV shows. While they did not ignore it, the amount of revenuesthe global market generated seemed insignificant compared to what was generatedby licensing fees to US networks and syndication sales to independent stations.However, with the proliferation of new television outlets around the world,
Check out the new Animation on the Sunset Strip!
Animation World Network co-founder and president OF ACME FILMWORKS RonDiamond has begun curating "animation art" to be presented on Los Angeles'Sunset View Plaza Electronic Video Billboard on the world famous SunsetStrip. The video billboard provides all Sunset Boulevard west-boundtravelers an eyeful sampled from the world's most beautiful and evocativeanimation. Premiere, featured animation filmmakers are Aleksandra Korejwo,Poland; Raimund Krumme, Germany; Susan Loughlin, United Kingdom; Bill
September Acrobat Issue of Animation World Magazine Now Online!
It's fall and that means new TV! In this month's issue, Amid Amidi tells usabout the newest shows hitting the air. Sharon Schatz gives us insight intothe world of interactive television. Interactive television has beenavailable around the globe for years, but has only just come to the UnitedStates. We also go behind the scenes of Bob Clampett's "Time for Beany,"one of television's first daily live puppet shows, Japan's Toei AnimationStudios and one of France's hottest pilots, "Fats and Moe." We also have a
AWN welcomes new Affiliate - animation desk manufacturer AllenWood
Since 1994, AllenWood has been addressing the needs of the animationindustry, developing and manufacturing Animation Desks and Specialty WorkStations...
SAFO '99 Schedule and Workshop Program Now On-Line!
The 2nd annual Ottawa Student Animation Festival, scheduled for October21-24, 1999, has announced its schedule of events and workshop program...
DHIMA fall classes announced
The Fall semester starts October 6, 1999 at Santa Monica, California-basedDH Institute of Media Arts. Classes include: "3D Character Design(Sculpture)," "Basic Painting," a professional presentation: "Sell Yourself In Presentation," and "Storyboarding."...
Ecards.com is looking for FLASH DESIGNERS!
Set your own hours. Work on your own projects. Be your own boss. Becreative. This company is taking greeting cards to a new level of artistryand interactivity. Ecards.com utilizes Macromedia Flash technology toproduce the most dynamic and exciting electronic greeting cards on the Net!If you are proficient in Flash and can artistically conceptualize, here isa variety of creative jobs for you. Ecards.com offers freelance FlashDesigners the creative freedom to design compelling and entertaining
Plympton's Comic of the Week: "Samurai Clientele"
This week's comic is about the dangers of having a Samurai clientele...
This week's Animation Trivia Quiz: Animating Women
This week's AWN Animation Trivia Quiz features questions about animating women...
Store Special: Videos from Renowned Brazilian Animator
Now available in the AWN Store are two exclusive videos from renowned Brazilian Animator Marcos Magalhaes....
A.D.V Films releases more anime for fans
A.D.V. Films is releasing the following anime titles in the US. On November9: MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO VOLUME 1 - INVASION! - An unorthodox crewfights to save Earth from annihilation by Martians; COMPILER 2 - It'sCompiler versus Compiler in deadly showdown!; and ORIGINAL DIRTY PAIRVOLUME 4 - Kei and Yuri stumble upon a child who is the sole survivor of amass murder committed over twenty years ago. November 23: BUBBLEGUM CRISISVOLUME 2 - TRIAL BY FIRE - Sylia's brother Mackey joins the team as the
SONY FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT GROUP appoints five
SONY PICTURES FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT GROUP has appointed five key developmentexecutives. BOB HIGGINS has been promoted to Senior Vice President ofCreative Affairs; STACEY ATTANASIO has been named Senior Vice President ofProduction; JOE D'AMBROSIA has been named Executive Director of CreativeAffairs; TARA POLACIK has been promoted to Director of Creative Affairs andGRACE BENN has been named Creative Executive. Prior to his new appointment,BOB HIGGINS served as Vice President of Creative Affairs for Columbia
CARTOON NETWORK promotes MARK NORMAN
CARTOON NETWORK has promoted MARK NORMAN to senior vice president ofbusiness operations for Cartoon Network USA and BOOMERANG. Norman will beresponsible for long range strategic planning and forecasting, includingnetwork investments in original programming and program acquisitions. Hewill also oversee all business and operational aspects of the new CartoonNetwork Studio in Los Angeles, as well as orchestrate the launch and manageall operation of Boomerang, the network's new classic animation channelwhich will launch on April 1, 2000.
