ILM Talks Transformers, Disney Cheapquels Die, & Shatner is Pissed
ILM Gives Their Take on Transformers!
(canmag.com) We've seen national monuments blow up, animals
speak and every unfathomable superhero come to life with the help of
computer generated imagery. Nowadays, hack filmmakers try to turn in
sloppy work and it doesn't pass muster. But when ILM brought all our
favorite Transformers toys to life, it still wowed us. The film's
visual effects supervisor, Scott Farrar, shared how he made the
Autobots and Decepticons the real deal.
Transformers Effects with Scott Farrar
"I come from a photographic background," said Farrar. "I started as a
DP, visual effects photographer. It's been a tough crossover going
from photochemical days where you photograph either shots on set or
you shot miniatures or you shot real elements and you composited them.
Okay, now we enter the world of computer graphics. What is that? Well,
it's a compositing tool, put the thing together, but it's also a
method of creating all kinds of things, simulations, dirt, debris,
objects, what have you. But a lot of the stuff has not quite looked as
good as what you could just go out and photograph. So the attempt in
this movie was to ratchet up a little bit higher, hit a little bit
higher watermark of making, in this case, hard body surfaces look
real. I was kind of surprised it really hadn't been done before,
especially like a giant robot movie kind of lends itself to that kind
of a thing."
Luckily, Michael Bay still shoots a lot of practical footage, so
Farrar had that to work with. But making a car turn into a robot was a
purely digital assignment. "It's actually physical pieces moving. This
all is very complex. This toy [the original Optimus Prime action
figure] has 51 pieces. Our Optimus Prime in the movie has 10,108. So
what you're talking about, and all that has to be chained. Chained
means it's all got to be hooked together so it all travels along
together as it moves, whether it's an arm move or a body movement or a
transformation. That means it's complex, yes, of course. There's a lot
of firepower that has to be in the computers to have all that
information travel on, not only the pieces but all the information.
The paint, the detail, the colors, the dirt, all the things that are
textured onto it."
Yet Transformers isn't pure animation. There are a few moments where
practical models were able to achieve the illusion. "I'll tell you the
times when it was a puppet. Soundbite in Air Force One when he's close
up, a couple of little head turns and things like that. When he's
walking and prancing and all that sort of thing, that's us. A couple
shots where they had a Soundbite puppet attached to Shia when he was
struggling in the parking lot, but that's like quick stuff. Bumblebee
when he's tied down to the train car with the net over him, that's a
16 foot model built by John Frasier's group. KNB built the Soundbite
model by the way. The Scorpinoc tail rising up when the guys are
examining him, that was a puppet piece. The Bumblebee model then was
used for a couple of shots when the helicopters are trying to hogtie
him and he's next to the river. What was that, 12 shots out of 600?"
Transformers opens to theatres on July 2nd.
Intel Spends $8M To Promote 'Ratatouille' & Their Dual-Core Tech
(informationweek.com) The semiconductor maker is spending $8
million to promote a Pixar movie it hopes will encourage consumers and
IT managers to buy its dual-core products.
What do computer chips and the new Pixar movie "Ratatouille" have in
common? More than you might think, according to Intel.
The semiconductor maker is spending $8 million on movie tie-in
marketing and advertising promotions in hopes that the film's slick
graphics and cool animation effects will inspire consumers to expect a
similar high-end multimedia experience at home on their Intel-powered
computers. Intel rival Advanced Micro Devices saw breakout success in
2001 when it partnered with Hewlett-Packard to promote DreamWorks'
animated comedy "Shrek." Intel is hoping for the same. The difference
between then and now is that while AMD wanted to prove to the IT
community that it had first-class server processors, Intel is focused
primarily on consumer products.
Intel's "Ratatouille" campaign will consist of online, print, and
retail display advertisements including presentations of the movie at
Circuit City as well as demonstrations on Toshiba computers.
"Disney allows us to use the content, characters, and brand of the
movie to leverage our visuals and our brand," Heather Dixon, Intel
Digital Home & Mobility Manager told InformationWeek. "We've partnered
with OEMs, national retailers, and studios before, but this is the
first time we are promoting a movie from awareness to preference at
purchase."
Pixar and Intel have been working together since 2001, when the chip
company secured a partnership with the movie studio based around
Intel's NetBurst architecture and Hyper-Threading technologies. The
relationship has spanned three films: "The Incredibles," "Cars," and
now "Ratatouille."
Opening this weekend, the latest Pixar/Disney creation centers on the
story of a French rat that helps whip up fantastic creations behind
the scenes of a Paris kitchen. Intel is telling a similar story about
how it is helping Pixar behind the scenes. The difference though is
that while the cartoon rat throws in a pinch of oregano here and
there, Intel supplied Pixar animators with enough hardware support and
software tools to launch a rocket to Mars.
"We have one primary application lead that works with Pixar's Render
Man team and there are three or four helpers assisting who are in
charge of changing firmware," Thomas Metzger, Intel HPC Solutions
Architect told InformationWeek. In addition to helping the Pixar team,
Metzger said a separate team of engineers works with Disney on the
studio side with data center optimization for distribution.
More: http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=199906142
Lord of the Rings In, Close Encounters Out on New AFI 100 List
(news.awn.com) The American Film Institute has released the
10th anniversary edition of its 100 Years...100 Movies list of the
greatest American movies determined by AFI's jury of experts.
FANTASIA, which ranked 58th on the list in 1998, fell off the list,
while SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS moved up to #34 from #49.
Pixar's groundbreaking CG feature, TOY STORY, made the cut this time
around coming in at #99.
As for visual effects films, LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE
RINGS joined the prestigious list at #50, with other newcomers
including SAVING PRIVATE RYAN at #71, TITANIC at #83, THE SIXTH SENSE
at #89 and BLADE RUNNER at #97. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND was
the only effects film to fall from the list. It was previously ranked
#64. Other effects films to return include THE WIZARD OF OZ (#10),
STAR WARS (#13), 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (#15), E.T.: THE
EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (#24), KING KONG (#41), JAWS (#56), RAIDERS OF THE
LOST ARK (#66), FORREST GUMP (#76) and BEN-HUR (#100).
DreamWorks Buys Children of the Lamp
(Variety) DreamWorks has bought he film rights to British kids
book series "Children of the Lamp," and set it up with Nina Jacobson
to produce, reports Variety. Screenwriter Lee Hall will adapt.
The first three books in author P.B. Kerr's fantasy series have sold
more than one million copies worldwide. Next book, "The Day of the
Djinn Warrior," is due out in September.
The series follows the international adventures of a family of djinn
-- or genies -- who pass for human, but have the power to grant
wishes.
Jacobson is no stranger to children's stories. When president of the
Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, she oversaw the "Chronicles of
Narnia," "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Princess Diaries" franchises.
Podcasts For VFX Commuters
(xsi-blog.com) If you're commuting, spending time on the
treadmill, or otherwise have some activity that doesn't really require
your full attention, there might be something different to put on your
MP3 player.
The one Podcast that is definitely not to be missed by anyone working
in high end VFX, is the fxPodcast, by Mike Seymour and John Montgomery
of fxguide. fxguide started primarily as a Discreet
Flame/Flint/Inferno user resource, but it has expanded to covering
Shake, Nuke and high end post in general. They have expanded into
high-end visual effects education with fxphd.
The Podcast is very high quality and deep, and can be a little
overwhelming for 3D artists not acquainted with the slang of digital
intermediates, but it's to my knowledge the best way to stay on top of
what's going on in the world of Post, from everything from the Red
camera, to the behind-the-scene of the compositing industry. Look for
the great interview with Stu Maschwitz of The Orphanage on linear
color space workflows in AfterFx, their NAB analysis, and find out why
one VFX shot in NBC's "Heroes" was code-named "Krispy Claire". Expect
40 minutes interviews with some of "the people behind the shot".
More: http://www.xsi-blog.com/archives/242
Art Institute Professor To Bring Star Wars to the Classroom
(ocweekly.com) Scott Essman looks like you'd expect an academic
to look: thick glasses, graying beard, vaguely hippie-ish hair and a
dress style that's a step up from casual slob but a notch below
business attire. You could easily imagine him at an antiwar rally, or
possibly opining on the works of Shakespeare.
But Essman is no stuffy lecturer. Rather, this is the man who's about
to school a bunch of teenagers in the art of Star Wars.
From June 26 to 29, high school juniors and seniors will "awaken their
creative force" at the Art Institute of California-Orange County
Summer Studio Workshop, using officially licensed Star Wars elements
and images to create video-game projects, magazines, and set and
character replicas. Even the culinary students will get in on the
action, creating an R2-D2 dessert.
A cynic might call this a clever marketing move by Lucasfilm, which
Essman thinks is a fair comment and may be part of the reason the
company agreed to participate. But the Art Institute is, after all, a
commercial art school. "This is stuff that industry professionals are
using," Essman says, referring to the materials and computer programs
the students will be working with, as well as their practical
application with the familiar franchise. "And if these guys are
getting a functional knowledge of this, they can walk into an
animation studio in LA or here in Orange County and work."
More: http://www.ocweekly.com/culture/arts/use-the-force/27345/
First Look: 'Where The Wild Things Are'
(moviesblog.mtv.com) Over the past day or so, an image from
Spike Jonze's upcoming (10/3/08) adaptation of the classic children's
novel "Where the Wild Things Things Are" has been floating around the
'net. The photo in question was taken at Warner Bros.' booth at the
Licensing Show here in NYC. Well, we went the extra mile and dug up
the actual high-res image of the young boy flanked by two enormous
creatures.
Take a look: http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/movies/movies_blog/062107_wildthingsare_big.jpg
Disney Anim "Cheapquel" President Resigns In Post Catmull / Lassetter Era
(awn.com) Sharon Morrill, president of DisneyToon Studios, has
stepped down from her post, where she had been responsible for
producing direct-to-video sequels of the Disney Co.'s animated
features. She will do special projects for Disney.
ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE reported on March 28, 2007, that it was the
end of the line for Disney direct-to-video sequels and how the studio
was moving forward under the new corporate climate with Ed Catmull and
John Lasseter at the helm.
The sequels used to cost around $10 million and earn at least $100
million. But costs have steadily increased while profits went down.
Lassetter reportedly also has called into question the creative merits
of sequels.
ILM, The "Go To" VFX House
(animationguildblog.blogspot.com) Back when Disney was working
on Dinosaur at Disney Feature Animation North (next to the Burbank
Airport), a Wise Old Computer Supervisor said to me:
"There's just no profit margin for effects studios who specialize in
just digital visual effects. The studios ask for bids from all the
different houses, and they all cut each others' throats under-bidding
each other..."
All except for one. Which Daily Variety profiles here:
ILM is lead shop or a major contributor to four of the summer's
biggest tentpoles, all opening between Memorial Day and late July:
Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," Universal's "Evan
Almighty," DreamWorks' "Transformers" and Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter
and the Order of the Phoenix." The effort has to be one of the most
prodigious technical accomplishments in the history of the biz...
"We were booked to just over 100% of capacity," says ILM topper
Chrissie England of the push to get the quartet of summer films done.
ILM had to turn down some "Pirates 3" shots, and warned all clients
that the f/x house didn't have excess capacity for any large, late
additions.
There are a myriad of effects shops that can execute big, complicated
shots studded with collapsing bridges, or giant marauding robots, or
waves of attacking fighter planes. But studios want a comfort level
that they only get by going with a big-name supplier who they believe
can guarantee results. (No hot-shot director wants his big, special
effects-laden action sequence loused up by some no-name operation in
the San Fernando Valley.)
Funny thing is, a year or two after my conversation with that Wise Old
Supervisor, Disney (with much fanfare) put together its very own
internal special effects house called The Secret Lab, designed to do
Disney's live-action features and also bid for outside work.
But do you think that Disney used its sparkly new TSL effects division
for the money shots in the Disney big-budget extravaganza Pearl
Harbor? Noooo. That gig went to ILM.
I mean, there are effects houses. And then there are EFFECTS HOUSES.
Source: http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/go-to-vfx-house.html
Shatner Out of Trek Prequel?
(moviehole.net) Bill is pissed. Bill is very pissed.
William Shatner is considering using his phaser gun on the
powers-that-be over at Paramount. Apparently they've decided to leave
him out - despite rumours that he'd appear at the start of the film,
briefly, as Kirk – of the forthcoming "Star Trek" prequel movie.
Funnily enough, Leonard Nimoy has been offered a role.
Strange Indeed. Spock but no Kirk? What's gone on here ya think? Did
Bill insist to provide a song for the soundtrack ya think?
Shatner "is very upset," an insider tells The New York Post, "and has
been lobbying for a role."
Unless the role he was lobbying for was that of 'young' Kirk? Heh.
Dunno. All I can suggest is that he find himself a good lawyer… I hear
'Boston Legal' is good.
CG Animated Beowulf a "Catagory Changer"
(moviecitynews.com) Interestingly, aside from animation,
majors Disney and Fox really don't even have films in the Oscar game
this year (though Miramax and Searchlight do), while Paramount sans
DreamWorks has only the would-be-surprising potential of Beowulf in
the Oscar race.
And then there are the big freak movies. Will Beowulf be the adult
version of the 300 phenomenon and will Bob Zemeckis get rewarded for
that?
Check "The Chart":
http://www.moviecitynews.com/columnists/poland/2008_oscar/070621_Picture.html
Sleeping Through VFX Dailies: Director Talks Evan Almighty
(movieweb.com) The new Steve Carell film Evan Almighty is
rumored to be one of the most expensive comedies in the history of the
medium. That doesn't really seem to bother its director, Tom Shadyac,
though.
Shadyac is extremely proud of both the film, and the work his
extraordinary cast put in. He feels that the money is evident on
screen, and that the budget isn't any different than what you'd see
thrown at your average summer action flick. He's okay with the expense
allegations.
We recently got a chance to sit down with Tom over at Universal
Studios and chat about his new film. Here is what he had to say about
the whole ordeal:
Tom Shadyac: (Looking around the Universal Amphitheater the interview
is taking place in) This is so surreal. We used to screen our effects
shots in this room, checking to see if the water shots were real, or
the animals' shots were coming together. I have fallen asleep in this
room many times.
Hopefully you wont fall asleep today.
Tom Shadyac: I hope not. I don't think so. Are you kidding me? I have
to empty my pockets whenever I do work like this. I can hardly see you
guys. First question...
How are you doing?
Tom Shadyac: Fantastic.
This movie is rumored to have cost $200 million dollars.
Tom Shadyac: Really? Wow. That's kind of expensive.
How do you spend $200 million on Evan Almighty? Also, was the look
that Steve Carell had in this movie influenced by your own look?
Tom Shadyac: Just the hairdressing alone was like $98 million. The
budget thing kind of makes me smile because Spider-Man 3 just cost
around $300. We're $170 million. I think that is the official figure,
although I don't even know what it was. We're one of the cheaper
summer movies, and yet we're a comedy so it's unique. But we're much
more than a comedy. As you know we're a Biblical epic. We had an ark,
we had thousands of animals, and we had a flood, which helped. If you
look at the screen, I can point you specifically to where the money
went. CG generation of water, composite shots that are hundred layers
thick and deep. The good news is, ticket prices aren't going up
because of this movie. People will get more for their money, and in
this very competitive summer climate we're glad that we can offer a
lot for the dollar. I'm also glad that a comedy is being given this
kind of belief by a studio. That a comedy is being taken this
seriously. Again we're a Bible story, too. We're a Bible parable,
we're not just a comedy. It's not two guys on a road trip behind the
wheel of a Pinto. Although I think I may do that movie, it sounds
good. What was the other question? The look, you answered your own
question, okay.
More: http://www.movieweb.com/news/21/20621.php
Mocap Without the Embarrassing Blue Suits
(fxguide.com) Motion capture has forced actors to don blue
lycra to provide animators with artistic interpretation of characters.
But the race is on to make this process easier, faster, cheaper and
less awkward for the actor. One such advance is the recent showing of
markerless motion capture from Organic Motion.
Recently Organic Motion announced a huge advance in motion capture at
The Games Developers conference. The system is remarkable as it is the
first markerless full body motion capture system. Organic Motion's
technology improves the motion capture workflow by producing
immediately usable clean data that can be imported into Autodesk's
leading real time character animation application, Autodesk
MotionBuilder software, as well as any custom software applications.
It does this without the need for special suits or special markers. As
such the system is designed to allow animators themselves or
performers in costume to perform and either be motion captured or
interact with digital characters, props and environments.
More: http://www.fxguide.com/article433.html
VFX Shops Team with Military To Create Realism
(af.mil) When the DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures
live-action film "Transformers" opens at movie houses nationwide July
4, the scenes with the F-117 Nighthawk, the CV-22 Osprey and Airmen
running across the scene will look so convincing, viewers will swear
the scene is the real deal.
And they'll be right.
Much of the action for the film, in which dueling robots from outer
space bring their battle to Earth, was filmed months ago at Edwards
Air Force Base, Calif., and Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands
Missile Range in New Mexico. About 300 Airmen and Soldiers whose
images will dot the screen are real servicemembers. And the action
will take place alongside real-life military aircraft, including the
Osprey and F-22 Raptor, both making their Hollywood debuts.
Based on the animated 1980s TV series of the same name, the
"Transformers" movie will showcase the latest in computer-generated
imagery -- and a level of realism filmmakers say they couldn't get
without Defense Department support.
The 1927 film "Wings" set the standard for that cooperation, said Phil
Strub, who heads the department's film and TV liaison office at the
Pentagon. In that classic silent-movie production, filmmakers used
actual Army aircraft, Soldiers, and real estate to reenact World War I
training and combat operations.
The result was so authentic that the picture became a big box office
hit and the first movie to win an Oscar for best picture.
The production was a win-win situation, Mr. Strub said. As Hollywood
got realism, the military got the chance to show the American public
something important about military people, equipment and missions.
That is the same reason filmmakers keep asking for military
cooperation to this day and why, in many cases, the Defense Department
supports their requests, Mr. Strub said.
In another recent example of that cooperation, Edwards Air Force Base
hosted movie director Jon Favreau.
As he spent three days at Edwards filming "Iron Man," which Marvel
studio hopes will become its next superhero blockbuster; Mr. Favreau
raved about the realism the base's array of aircraft brought to his
fantasy story. "This is the best back lot you could ever have," he
said. "Every angle you shoot is authentic: desert, dry lake beds,
hangars."
Some of the most popular TV series, including the Fox Broadcasting
Company thriller "24," tap into this realism, too.
Fans of "24" might remember the scene when a military honor guard
attended President Palmer's coffin in the Season 5 finale, or when
Jack Bauer frantically worked to foil a terrorist plot involving a
nuclear submarine.
Robert Cochran, the program's cofounder, said the military support
used to create these and other military-related scenes lends a
tremendous dimension to the program. "It makes it bigger. It makes it
more interesting. It makes it more real," he said.
Meanwhile, Cochran said, it underscores the "high-stakes" theme of the
program. "When you see an F-18 streaking across the sky and dropping a
bomb on an enemy helicopter, that visually tells you this is real,
this is important, this is big stuff," he said.
Howard Gordon, lead writer for the show, said he's often amazed just
how far the military will go to support storylines he and his fellow
writers come up with. "I'll say, 'There's no way they are going to do
this, but we will negotiate a way to do something like it, but much
more modestly'," he said. "Then, they come back with a 'yes.'"
But before giving that "yes," officials from the Pentagon and the
military services portrayed get a chance to review the script, Mr.
Strub said. They negotiate to increase the realism and historical
accuracy of the military scenes, recognizing the leeway needed for
artistic license. Sometimes they require script changes as a condition
of providing support.
Whether they provide support, and how much, depends largely on what is
needed in the production and how available it is in light of
real-world requirements, Mr. Strub said. Movie and TV producers
reimburse the government for the cost of supporting a production. One
of the biggest costs comes from reimbursing squadrons for flight
operations specifically for a movie production, as in the movies "Top
Gun" and "Black Hawk Down."
The DoD's support for a production boils down to something less
tangible than hardware: how the production portrays the military and
the men and women in uniform, said Mr. Strub.
When reviewing a script, Mr. Strub said, he tries to put himself in
the place of a servicemember who would see the movie. "I try to
imagine myself sitting in a theater or the big screen, and how it
makes me feel seeing how I'm being portrayed," he said.
Air Force Capt. Christian Hodge, who has served as the Defense
Department's project officer on both "Transformers" and "Iron Man,"
said military people typically enjoy seeing their services on screen.
"It's good for morale," he said.
Hodge said there's no way to measure the true impact Hollywood
productions have on recruiting. But he said it's hard to dismiss the
message a big-screen production like "Iron Man" sends.
"This movie is going to be fantastic," he said. "The Air Force is
going to come off looking like rock stars."
Mr. Strub said he hopes audiences viewing these programs see past the
action and high-tech hardware to fundamentals that make the military
stand apart from much of society. "We're talking about self-sacrifice,
duty and commitment to something beyond oneself," he said. "These are
values that we hope come through."
Source: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123056463
(canmag.com) We've seen national monuments blow up, animals
speak and every unfathomable superhero come to life with the help of
computer generated imagery. Nowadays, hack filmmakers try to turn in
sloppy work and it doesn't pass muster. But when ILM brought all our
favorite Transformers toys to life, it still wowed us. The film's
visual effects supervisor, Scott Farrar, shared how he made the
Autobots and Decepticons the real deal.
Transformers Effects with Scott Farrar
"I come from a photographic background," said Farrar. "I started as a
DP, visual effects photographer. It's been a tough crossover going
from photochemical days where you photograph either shots on set or
you shot miniatures or you shot real elements and you composited them.
Okay, now we enter the world of computer graphics. What is that? Well,
it's a compositing tool, put the thing together, but it's also a
method of creating all kinds of things, simulations, dirt, debris,
objects, what have you. But a lot of the stuff has not quite looked as
good as what you could just go out and photograph. So the attempt in
this movie was to ratchet up a little bit higher, hit a little bit
higher watermark of making, in this case, hard body surfaces look
real. I was kind of surprised it really hadn't been done before,
especially like a giant robot movie kind of lends itself to that kind
of a thing."
Luckily, Michael Bay still shoots a lot of practical footage, so
Farrar had that to work with. But making a car turn into a robot was a
purely digital assignment. "It's actually physical pieces moving. This
all is very complex. This toy [the original Optimus Prime action
figure] has 51 pieces. Our Optimus Prime in the movie has 10,108. So
what you're talking about, and all that has to be chained. Chained
means it's all got to be hooked together so it all travels along
together as it moves, whether it's an arm move or a body movement or a
transformation. That means it's complex, yes, of course. There's a lot
of firepower that has to be in the computers to have all that
information travel on, not only the pieces but all the information.
The paint, the detail, the colors, the dirt, all the things that are
textured onto it."
Yet Transformers isn't pure animation. There are a few moments where
practical models were able to achieve the illusion. "I'll tell you the
times when it was a puppet. Soundbite in Air Force One when he's close
up, a couple of little head turns and things like that. When he's
walking and prancing and all that sort of thing, that's us. A couple
shots where they had a Soundbite puppet attached to Shia when he was
struggling in the parking lot, but that's like quick stuff. Bumblebee
when he's tied down to the train car with the net over him, that's a
16 foot model built by John Frasier's group. KNB built the Soundbite
model by the way. The Scorpinoc tail rising up when the guys are
examining him, that was a puppet piece. The Bumblebee model then was
used for a couple of shots when the helicopters are trying to hogtie
him and he's next to the river. What was that, 12 shots out of 600?"
Transformers opens to theatres on July 2nd.
Intel Spends $8M To Promote 'Ratatouille' & Their Dual-Core Tech
(informationweek.com) The semiconductor maker is spending $8
million to promote a Pixar movie it hopes will encourage consumers and
IT managers to buy its dual-core products.
What do computer chips and the new Pixar movie "Ratatouille" have in
common? More than you might think, according to Intel.
The semiconductor maker is spending $8 million on movie tie-in
marketing and advertising promotions in hopes that the film's slick
graphics and cool animation effects will inspire consumers to expect a
similar high-end multimedia experience at home on their Intel-powered
computers. Intel rival Advanced Micro Devices saw breakout success in
2001 when it partnered with Hewlett-Packard to promote DreamWorks'
animated comedy "Shrek." Intel is hoping for the same. The difference
between then and now is that while AMD wanted to prove to the IT
community that it had first-class server processors, Intel is focused
primarily on consumer products.
Intel's "Ratatouille" campaign will consist of online, print, and
retail display advertisements including presentations of the movie at
Circuit City as well as demonstrations on Toshiba computers.
"Disney allows us to use the content, characters, and brand of the
movie to leverage our visuals and our brand," Heather Dixon, Intel
Digital Home & Mobility Manager told InformationWeek. "We've partnered
with OEMs, national retailers, and studios before, but this is the
first time we are promoting a movie from awareness to preference at
purchase."
Pixar and Intel have been working together since 2001, when the chip
company secured a partnership with the movie studio based around
Intel's NetBurst architecture and Hyper-Threading technologies. The
relationship has spanned three films: "The Incredibles," "Cars," and
now "Ratatouille."
Opening this weekend, the latest Pixar/Disney creation centers on the
story of a French rat that helps whip up fantastic creations behind
the scenes of a Paris kitchen. Intel is telling a similar story about
how it is helping Pixar behind the scenes. The difference though is
that while the cartoon rat throws in a pinch of oregano here and
there, Intel supplied Pixar animators with enough hardware support and
software tools to launch a rocket to Mars.
"We have one primary application lead that works with Pixar's Render
Man team and there are three or four helpers assisting who are in
charge of changing firmware," Thomas Metzger, Intel HPC Solutions
Architect told InformationWeek. In addition to helping the Pixar team,
Metzger said a separate team of engineers works with Disney on the
studio side with data center optimization for distribution.
More: http://www.informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=199906142
Lord of the Rings In, Close Encounters Out on New AFI 100 List
(news.awn.com) The American Film Institute has released the
10th anniversary edition of its 100 Years...100 Movies list of the
greatest American movies determined by AFI's jury of experts.
FANTASIA, which ranked 58th on the list in 1998, fell off the list,
while SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS moved up to #34 from #49.
Pixar's groundbreaking CG feature, TOY STORY, made the cut this time
around coming in at #99.
As for visual effects films, LORD OF THE RINGS: FELLOWSHIP OF THE
RINGS joined the prestigious list at #50, with other newcomers
including SAVING PRIVATE RYAN at #71, TITANIC at #83, THE SIXTH SENSE
at #89 and BLADE RUNNER at #97. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND was
the only effects film to fall from the list. It was previously ranked
#64. Other effects films to return include THE WIZARD OF OZ (#10),
STAR WARS (#13), 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (#15), E.T.: THE
EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (#24), KING KONG (#41), JAWS (#56), RAIDERS OF THE
LOST ARK (#66), FORREST GUMP (#76) and BEN-HUR (#100).
DreamWorks Buys Children of the Lamp
(Variety) DreamWorks has bought he film rights to British kids
book series "Children of the Lamp," and set it up with Nina Jacobson
to produce, reports Variety. Screenwriter Lee Hall will adapt.
The first three books in author P.B. Kerr's fantasy series have sold
more than one million copies worldwide. Next book, "The Day of the
Djinn Warrior," is due out in September.
The series follows the international adventures of a family of djinn
-- or genies -- who pass for human, but have the power to grant
wishes.
Jacobson is no stranger to children's stories. When president of the
Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, she oversaw the "Chronicles of
Narnia," "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Princess Diaries" franchises.
Podcasts For VFX Commuters
(xsi-blog.com) If you're commuting, spending time on the
treadmill, or otherwise have some activity that doesn't really require
your full attention, there might be something different to put on your
MP3 player.
The one Podcast that is definitely not to be missed by anyone working
in high end VFX, is the fxPodcast, by Mike Seymour and John Montgomery
of fxguide. fxguide started primarily as a Discreet
Flame/Flint/Inferno user resource, but it has expanded to covering
Shake, Nuke and high end post in general. They have expanded into
high-end visual effects education with fxphd.
The Podcast is very high quality and deep, and can be a little
overwhelming for 3D artists not acquainted with the slang of digital
intermediates, but it's to my knowledge the best way to stay on top of
what's going on in the world of Post, from everything from the Red
camera, to the behind-the-scene of the compositing industry. Look for
the great interview with Stu Maschwitz of The Orphanage on linear
color space workflows in AfterFx, their NAB analysis, and find out why
one VFX shot in NBC's "Heroes" was code-named "Krispy Claire". Expect
40 minutes interviews with some of "the people behind the shot".
More: http://www.xsi-blog.com/archives/242
Art Institute Professor To Bring Star Wars to the Classroom
(ocweekly.com) Scott Essman looks like you'd expect an academic
to look: thick glasses, graying beard, vaguely hippie-ish hair and a
dress style that's a step up from casual slob but a notch below
business attire. You could easily imagine him at an antiwar rally, or
possibly opining on the works of Shakespeare.
But Essman is no stuffy lecturer. Rather, this is the man who's about
to school a bunch of teenagers in the art of Star Wars.
From June 26 to 29, high school juniors and seniors will "awaken their
creative force" at the Art Institute of California-Orange County
Summer Studio Workshop, using officially licensed Star Wars elements
and images to create video-game projects, magazines, and set and
character replicas. Even the culinary students will get in on the
action, creating an R2-D2 dessert.
A cynic might call this a clever marketing move by Lucasfilm, which
Essman thinks is a fair comment and may be part of the reason the
company agreed to participate. But the Art Institute is, after all, a
commercial art school. "This is stuff that industry professionals are
using," Essman says, referring to the materials and computer programs
the students will be working with, as well as their practical
application with the familiar franchise. "And if these guys are
getting a functional knowledge of this, they can walk into an
animation studio in LA or here in Orange County and work."
More: http://www.ocweekly.com/culture/arts/use-the-force/27345/
First Look: 'Where The Wild Things Are'
(moviesblog.mtv.com) Over the past day or so, an image from
Spike Jonze's upcoming (10/3/08) adaptation of the classic children's
novel "Where the Wild Things Things Are" has been floating around the
'net. The photo in question was taken at Warner Bros.' booth at the
Licensing Show here in NYC. Well, we went the extra mile and dug up
the actual high-res image of the young boy flanked by two enormous
creatures.
Take a look: http://www.mtv.com/shared/promoimages/movies/movies_blog/062107_wildthingsare_big.jpg
Disney Anim "Cheapquel" President Resigns In Post Catmull / Lassetter Era
(awn.com) Sharon Morrill, president of DisneyToon Studios, has
stepped down from her post, where she had been responsible for
producing direct-to-video sequels of the Disney Co.'s animated
features. She will do special projects for Disney.
ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE reported on March 28, 2007, that it was the
end of the line for Disney direct-to-video sequels and how the studio
was moving forward under the new corporate climate with Ed Catmull and
John Lasseter at the helm.
The sequels used to cost around $10 million and earn at least $100
million. But costs have steadily increased while profits went down.
Lassetter reportedly also has called into question the creative merits
of sequels.
ILM, The "Go To" VFX House
(animationguildblog.blogspot.com) Back when Disney was working
on Dinosaur at Disney Feature Animation North (next to the Burbank
Airport), a Wise Old Computer Supervisor said to me:
"There's just no profit margin for effects studios who specialize in
just digital visual effects. The studios ask for bids from all the
different houses, and they all cut each others' throats under-bidding
each other..."
All except for one. Which Daily Variety profiles here:
ILM is lead shop or a major contributor to four of the summer's
biggest tentpoles, all opening between Memorial Day and late July:
Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," Universal's "Evan
Almighty," DreamWorks' "Transformers" and Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter
and the Order of the Phoenix." The effort has to be one of the most
prodigious technical accomplishments in the history of the biz...
"We were booked to just over 100% of capacity," says ILM topper
Chrissie England of the push to get the quartet of summer films done.
ILM had to turn down some "Pirates 3" shots, and warned all clients
that the f/x house didn't have excess capacity for any large, late
additions.
There are a myriad of effects shops that can execute big, complicated
shots studded with collapsing bridges, or giant marauding robots, or
waves of attacking fighter planes. But studios want a comfort level
that they only get by going with a big-name supplier who they believe
can guarantee results. (No hot-shot director wants his big, special
effects-laden action sequence loused up by some no-name operation in
the San Fernando Valley.)
Funny thing is, a year or two after my conversation with that Wise Old
Supervisor, Disney (with much fanfare) put together its very own
internal special effects house called The Secret Lab, designed to do
Disney's live-action features and also bid for outside work.
But do you think that Disney used its sparkly new TSL effects division
for the money shots in the Disney big-budget extravaganza Pearl
Harbor? Noooo. That gig went to ILM.
I mean, there are effects houses. And then there are EFFECTS HOUSES.
Source: http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/go-to-vfx-house.html
Shatner Out of Trek Prequel?
(moviehole.net) Bill is pissed. Bill is very pissed.
William Shatner is considering using his phaser gun on the
powers-that-be over at Paramount. Apparently they've decided to leave
him out - despite rumours that he'd appear at the start of the film,
briefly, as Kirk – of the forthcoming "Star Trek" prequel movie.
Funnily enough, Leonard Nimoy has been offered a role.
Strange Indeed. Spock but no Kirk? What's gone on here ya think? Did
Bill insist to provide a song for the soundtrack ya think?
Shatner "is very upset," an insider tells The New York Post, "and has
been lobbying for a role."
Unless the role he was lobbying for was that of 'young' Kirk? Heh.
Dunno. All I can suggest is that he find himself a good lawyer… I hear
'Boston Legal' is good.
CG Animated Beowulf a "Catagory Changer"
(moviecitynews.com) Interestingly, aside from animation,
majors Disney and Fox really don't even have films in the Oscar game
this year (though Miramax and Searchlight do), while Paramount sans
DreamWorks has only the would-be-surprising potential of Beowulf in
the Oscar race.
And then there are the big freak movies. Will Beowulf be the adult
version of the 300 phenomenon and will Bob Zemeckis get rewarded for
that?
Check "The Chart":
http://www.moviecitynews.com/columnists/poland/2008_oscar/070621_Picture.html
Sleeping Through VFX Dailies: Director Talks Evan Almighty
(movieweb.com) The new Steve Carell film Evan Almighty is
rumored to be one of the most expensive comedies in the history of the
medium. That doesn't really seem to bother its director, Tom Shadyac,
though.
Shadyac is extremely proud of both the film, and the work his
extraordinary cast put in. He feels that the money is evident on
screen, and that the budget isn't any different than what you'd see
thrown at your average summer action flick. He's okay with the expense
allegations.
We recently got a chance to sit down with Tom over at Universal
Studios and chat about his new film. Here is what he had to say about
the whole ordeal:
Tom Shadyac: (Looking around the Universal Amphitheater the interview
is taking place in) This is so surreal. We used to screen our effects
shots in this room, checking to see if the water shots were real, or
the animals' shots were coming together. I have fallen asleep in this
room many times.
Hopefully you wont fall asleep today.
Tom Shadyac: I hope not. I don't think so. Are you kidding me? I have
to empty my pockets whenever I do work like this. I can hardly see you
guys. First question...
How are you doing?
Tom Shadyac: Fantastic.
This movie is rumored to have cost $200 million dollars.
Tom Shadyac: Really? Wow. That's kind of expensive.
How do you spend $200 million on Evan Almighty? Also, was the look
that Steve Carell had in this movie influenced by your own look?
Tom Shadyac: Just the hairdressing alone was like $98 million. The
budget thing kind of makes me smile because Spider-Man 3 just cost
around $300. We're $170 million. I think that is the official figure,
although I don't even know what it was. We're one of the cheaper
summer movies, and yet we're a comedy so it's unique. But we're much
more than a comedy. As you know we're a Biblical epic. We had an ark,
we had thousands of animals, and we had a flood, which helped. If you
look at the screen, I can point you specifically to where the money
went. CG generation of water, composite shots that are hundred layers
thick and deep. The good news is, ticket prices aren't going up
because of this movie. People will get more for their money, and in
this very competitive summer climate we're glad that we can offer a
lot for the dollar. I'm also glad that a comedy is being given this
kind of belief by a studio. That a comedy is being taken this
seriously. Again we're a Bible story, too. We're a Bible parable,
we're not just a comedy. It's not two guys on a road trip behind the
wheel of a Pinto. Although I think I may do that movie, it sounds
good. What was the other question? The look, you answered your own
question, okay.
More: http://www.movieweb.com/news/21/20621.php
Mocap Without the Embarrassing Blue Suits
(fxguide.com) Motion capture has forced actors to don blue
lycra to provide animators with artistic interpretation of characters.
But the race is on to make this process easier, faster, cheaper and
less awkward for the actor. One such advance is the recent showing of
markerless motion capture from Organic Motion.
Recently Organic Motion announced a huge advance in motion capture at
The Games Developers conference. The system is remarkable as it is the
first markerless full body motion capture system. Organic Motion's
technology improves the motion capture workflow by producing
immediately usable clean data that can be imported into Autodesk's
leading real time character animation application, Autodesk
MotionBuilder software, as well as any custom software applications.
It does this without the need for special suits or special markers. As
such the system is designed to allow animators themselves or
performers in costume to perform and either be motion captured or
interact with digital characters, props and environments.
More: http://www.fxguide.com/article433.html
VFX Shops Team with Military To Create Realism
(af.mil) When the DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures
live-action film "Transformers" opens at movie houses nationwide July
4, the scenes with the F-117 Nighthawk, the CV-22 Osprey and Airmen
running across the scene will look so convincing, viewers will swear
the scene is the real deal.
And they'll be right.
Much of the action for the film, in which dueling robots from outer
space bring their battle to Earth, was filmed months ago at Edwards
Air Force Base, Calif., and Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands
Missile Range in New Mexico. About 300 Airmen and Soldiers whose
images will dot the screen are real servicemembers. And the action
will take place alongside real-life military aircraft, including the
Osprey and F-22 Raptor, both making their Hollywood debuts.
Based on the animated 1980s TV series of the same name, the
"Transformers" movie will showcase the latest in computer-generated
imagery -- and a level of realism filmmakers say they couldn't get
without Defense Department support.
The 1927 film "Wings" set the standard for that cooperation, said Phil
Strub, who heads the department's film and TV liaison office at the
Pentagon. In that classic silent-movie production, filmmakers used
actual Army aircraft, Soldiers, and real estate to reenact World War I
training and combat operations.
The result was so authentic that the picture became a big box office
hit and the first movie to win an Oscar for best picture.
The production was a win-win situation, Mr. Strub said. As Hollywood
got realism, the military got the chance to show the American public
something important about military people, equipment and missions.
That is the same reason filmmakers keep asking for military
cooperation to this day and why, in many cases, the Defense Department
supports their requests, Mr. Strub said.
In another recent example of that cooperation, Edwards Air Force Base
hosted movie director Jon Favreau.
As he spent three days at Edwards filming "Iron Man," which Marvel
studio hopes will become its next superhero blockbuster; Mr. Favreau
raved about the realism the base's array of aircraft brought to his
fantasy story. "This is the best back lot you could ever have," he
said. "Every angle you shoot is authentic: desert, dry lake beds,
hangars."
Some of the most popular TV series, including the Fox Broadcasting
Company thriller "24," tap into this realism, too.
Fans of "24" might remember the scene when a military honor guard
attended President Palmer's coffin in the Season 5 finale, or when
Jack Bauer frantically worked to foil a terrorist plot involving a
nuclear submarine.
Robert Cochran, the program's cofounder, said the military support
used to create these and other military-related scenes lends a
tremendous dimension to the program. "It makes it bigger. It makes it
more interesting. It makes it more real," he said.
Meanwhile, Cochran said, it underscores the "high-stakes" theme of the
program. "When you see an F-18 streaking across the sky and dropping a
bomb on an enemy helicopter, that visually tells you this is real,
this is important, this is big stuff," he said.
Howard Gordon, lead writer for the show, said he's often amazed just
how far the military will go to support storylines he and his fellow
writers come up with. "I'll say, 'There's no way they are going to do
this, but we will negotiate a way to do something like it, but much
more modestly'," he said. "Then, they come back with a 'yes.'"
But before giving that "yes," officials from the Pentagon and the
military services portrayed get a chance to review the script, Mr.
Strub said. They negotiate to increase the realism and historical
accuracy of the military scenes, recognizing the leeway needed for
artistic license. Sometimes they require script changes as a condition
of providing support.
Whether they provide support, and how much, depends largely on what is
needed in the production and how available it is in light of
real-world requirements, Mr. Strub said. Movie and TV producers
reimburse the government for the cost of supporting a production. One
of the biggest costs comes from reimbursing squadrons for flight
operations specifically for a movie production, as in the movies "Top
Gun" and "Black Hawk Down."
The DoD's support for a production boils down to something less
tangible than hardware: how the production portrays the military and
the men and women in uniform, said Mr. Strub.
When reviewing a script, Mr. Strub said, he tries to put himself in
the place of a servicemember who would see the movie. "I try to
imagine myself sitting in a theater or the big screen, and how it
makes me feel seeing how I'm being portrayed," he said.
Air Force Capt. Christian Hodge, who has served as the Defense
Department's project officer on both "Transformers" and "Iron Man,"
said military people typically enjoy seeing their services on screen.
"It's good for morale," he said.
Hodge said there's no way to measure the true impact Hollywood
productions have on recruiting. But he said it's hard to dismiss the
message a big-screen production like "Iron Man" sends.
"This movie is going to be fantastic," he said. "The Air Force is
going to come off looking like rock stars."
Mr. Strub said he hopes audiences viewing these programs see past the
action and high-tech hardware to fundamentals that make the military
stand apart from much of society. "We're talking about self-sacrifice,
duty and commitment to something beyond oneself," he said. "These are
values that we hope come through."
Source: http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123056463
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