First Alias furthered its continuing strategic partnership with Weta Digital, now the 3D graphics technology powerhouse has formed a stronger alliance with Los Angeles-based motion capture production company House of Moves. Alias will develop and integrate House of Moves' Diva software into future versions of Maya.
eyeon Software Inc. announced the availability of its latest courseware series, Edition 2, an integrated system-based learning experience, exploring the tools within Digital Fusion/DFX+ while outlining features, benefits and varying degrees of application. Edition 2 is a valuable resource for anyone looking to broaden their compositing foundation.
Extending its capabilities in feature film post-production, Santa Monica-based Company 3 has hired visual effects editor and artist Rob Doolittle. Doolittle, who previously collaborated with Company 3 on BAD BOYS II, has broad experience in designing and executing VFX for features. Formerly an applications specialist with visual effects hardware manufacturer Quantel, Doolittle also is a leading expert in that company's Generation Q projects used in on-lining for film and high resolution video projects.
Southpaw Entertainment has announced that it has hired SHREK 2 and SPIRIT director Kelly Asbury to write and direct a live-action/CGI fantasy adventure, titled IMAGINARY CHILDREN, reported VARIETY. Southpaw's Richard Lewis and Scott Peters came up with the concept, which follows a cartoonist whose characters consume his life's so much that he is estranged from his real child. Lewis will finance the project on his own with investments from his Southpaw partner eBay co-founder Jeff Skoll.
Retail sales of U.S. videogames, which includes portable and console hardware, software and accessories, remained largely unchanged over the previous year's record-breaking performance, according to a leading marketing information provider, the NPD Group. The console industry saw sales figures fall 2.7% to $10 billion in 2003, compared to $10.3 billion in 2002.
Viewers around the world watching the animated simulations of the Mars rovers mission are watching the work of a young, lone animator, using LightWave, to make the mission come to life when communications and cameras arent cooperating. He is Dan Maas, operating out of his own studio, Mass Digital in Ithaca, New York, far from NASA in Texas, JPL in Pasadena and Mars, where the two rover explorers are now carrying out their missions.
Avid Technology has acquired Munich-based NXN Software, the leading provider of asset and production management systems specifically targeted for the entertainment and computer graphics industries, in a cash transaction valued at approximately EUR35 million.
Ron Scalpello of BBC Broadcast has directed a series of trailers (1 x 60 secs, 1 x 40 secs and 3 x 20 secs and 3 x 5 secs) for Abbott Mead Vickers promoting the new BBC One drama HUSTLE. Visual effects and postproduction were carried out at Moving Picture Co. (MPC).
The series concentrates on a group of charismatic confidence tricksters in the business of making money. The trailers themselves introduce the five main characters: Albert, Stacie, Ash and Danny, with each persons particular traits being described by Mickey, their colleague, during the :60 trailer.
HBO hired Venice, California-based design/production house twothousandstrong (www.2000strong.com) to produce an elegantly designed :60 retrospective promo spot. YEAR-END PROMO, broke during the premiere of ANGELS IN AMERICA, focuses on HBO's acclaimed series' THE SOPRANOS, SIX FEET UNDER, SEX & THE CITY and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM.
Alias is continuing to foster a strategic business relationship with Weta Digital beyond THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, as it looks forward to working together on KING KONG.
Using 165 seats of primarily Maya Unlimited, Maya proved invaluable as the core 3D animation software utilized in the production of THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.
The Writers Guild of America, West and East announced its nominations for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen on Jan. 22, 2004.
Four of the seven features vying for the Best Visual Effects Oscar -- MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (Asylum Visual Effects), PETER PAN (Digital Domain), THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (
USA Network has ordered production to begin on a new TV series, DEAN KOONTZ'S FRANKENSTEIN. Best-selling author Koontz will write the series and exec produce along with legendary film director Martin Scorsese and Flame Television's Tony Krantz. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake director Marcus Nispel will helm the project.
Discreet announced that Ultimate (Ultimate Video Int.), The Netherlands, has installed high-performance digital color correction and digital intermediate (DI) capabilities based on lustre, Discreet's award-winning, realtime color grading system.
Patricia Beckmann, chair of the animation department at Savannah College of Art and Design, has been named Education Chair for SIGGRAPH 2005. In addition, Matthew Munn, a second-year graduate student in animation from Calymont, Delaware, won the 10 Second Club monthly Character Animation Competition for the month of November 2003. This online international competition posts a 10-sec sound clip at the beginning of each month.
Vicon announced Vicon iQ 1.5, a new release of the companys intelligence-based motion data processing application. Now shipping, the new software encompasses a number of production-critical capabilities to enable automated handling of motion data from capture through to animation.
Brazilian magazine, SET, has posted an interview with THE LORD OF RINGS actor Sean Astin, where he mentions being in the running to direct the FANTASTIC FOUR feature. Upon the success of his short film, THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT, which he filmed while making LORD OF THE RINGS, he has had interviews to direct 20th Century Fox's feature adaptation of the Marvel comic classic. The article quotes the budget between $100 to $130 million.
Digital Anarchy announced the availability of Primatte Chromakeyer 2.0, a chromakey compositing plug-in for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Primatte allows users to use blue and greenscreen masking technology with Photoshop and digital still images to create complex layered effects.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival Presents the 6th Annual Digital Days, an interactive showcase and forum featuring screenings, presentations, seminars and classes to be held Feb. 7, 2004.
Stargate Digital, the visual effects studio based in Pasadena, Californa, has opened a new facility, Stargate Digital UK, at London's historic Pinewood Studios.
The new high-speed, deep storage digital facility is modeled after Stargate's growing and groundbreaking Los Angeles and Vancouver studios. All three studios will be linked via a state-of-the art high-speed, high-resolution digital network and will be able to quickly and efficiently work on projects and pool talent.
Turbo Squid's Stitch has been updated and renamed clothfx as a new Discreet-certified 3ds max plug-in. clothfx provides users with a multitude of advanced tools necessary to create realistic fabrics and tailor-made clothing for their characters and creatures.
TeamWorks Digital recently completed work on Warner Bros.' TORQUE, the hyper-real motorcycle racing film that opens Jan. 16. "TORQUE is a project that enabled us to provide constant input to the visual effects of the show," says TeamWorks Digital owner David Allen. "We contributed in such a way that translated the director's unique style and vision to the screen." TORQUE is directed by music video honcho Joseph Kahn, making his first feature film debut.
Pixologic's ZBrush 1.5 software received GAME DEVELOPER magazine's sixth annual Front Line Award for Excellence and Innovation in Tools for Game Development. Selected by a panel of industry-leading game developers, ZBrush 1.5 receives this award in the art category based on criteria such as utility, innovation, value and ease of use.
Sci Fi Channel and Tribune Ent. Co. have entered into a program license agreement for the GENE RODDENBERRY'S ANDROMEDA, starring Kevin Sorbo. In addition to presenting the fifth and final season of ANDROMEDA (with VFX by Northwest Imaging & FX, Rainmaker Digital Pictures and Lost Boys Studios) next fall as an original series, Sci Fi will also have the television rights to the series' first four seasons. The Tribune deal also includes all 66 episodes of BEASTMASTER, starring Daniel Goddard and Monika Schnarre, which will begin airing sometime in 2004 exclusively on Sci Fi.
Guy Hudson, who worked on the visual effects for such notable projects as ALIEN, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, JURASSIC PARK and the DINOTOPIA TV series, passed away suddenly on Dec. 24, 2003 from a brain hemorrhage. He was 45 years old.
Hudson first came to Northern California in 1987 to work for Chris Walas Inc. Since then he has worked for such facilities as Disney, Henson Prods., Industrial Light & Magic and Western Images.
