Lasseter Flubs, Animation Mentor Graduates, & Pirates 3 Water VFX...
Cars, Happy Feet Win Golden Globes
(news.toonzone.net) The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has awarded the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film to Disney/Pixar's Cars, and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song to "The Song of the Heart" from Warner Brothers' Happy Feet.
Event Shows VES Trends To Great Effect
(hollywoodreporter.com) The fifth annual Visual Effects Society Awards nominees showcased their prowess during Show and Tell 2007 -- essentially the VES counterpart to AMPAS' visual effects bake-off -- Saturday at Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.
The event allowed the presenters to explain their work to VES membership before final voting. The Show and Tell also underscored industry VFX trends, notably the extensive use of synthetic environments and the creation of increasingly sophisticated digital characters. These trends were evident in the presentations of the nominees for outstanding visual effects in an effects-driven motion picture, which featured a behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," "Charlotte's Web" and "The Fountain."
Industrial Light + Magic visual effects supervisor John Knoll related that the big step in "Pirates" was the realistic performance of the CG Davy Jones and crew. This was accomplished using an ILM technique called iMoCap, which allowed the effects team to shoot and reproduce the actors' performances used as the basis for the CG characters on set during the actual shoot, rather than separately on a motion capture stage. Knoll also placed emphasis on digitally enhanced backgrounds, from Cannibal Island to the sea.
Visual effects supervisor John Andrew Berton Jr. described "Charlotte's Web" as a "tremendous example of how visual effects can be used most powerfully. The story could be told the way the author wanted it to be told. ... It takes place in a live-action world." He also said the digital characters, including the fully CG spider Charlotte, represented a "notable move forward in more realism in synthetic surfaces. The faces of the animals that speak are much more complex than they would have been previously. The animation was very subtle because it had to match the live action."
The team from "Fountain" described a massive compositing job to create painterly environments that began with the microphotography of Peter Parks combined with CG and practical elements. The goal was to create a unique "outer space" that looked timeless and served as the emotional core of the film.
VES members will participate in final voting for the VES Awards online from Monday-Feb. 6. The competition includes 21 categories for outstanding work in features, broadcast television, commercials, music videos and games.
The VES Awards will be presented Feb. 11 at the Kodak Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland, where the society also will bestow its lifetime achievement award on visual effects pioneer Dennis Muren.
The VES Show and Tell kicked off a big week for the visual effects community. AMPAS' bake-off is set for Wednesday. "Pirates" was the only VES finalist in the visual effects-driven motion picture category to also make the Academy's shortlist. The VES finalists do not typically mirror Academy Award nominees, though in three of the past four years the same film won each.
Get In The Video Game Industry
(geconf.com)
Game Employment Education Cofernece Feb 24th
Meydenbauer Center Bellevue, WA (near Seattle).
$45 in Advance - $60 On Day of Show
1) Learn the steps to enter the game industry
2) Get resume & interview tips to land game jobs
3) Expert educational speakers with 10-15 years of game industry experience each
4) Network with fellow gamers, game reviewers, and independant game companies
5) 'Cause... Y'know, there's going to be free stuff, contests,
& games.
Register today: http://geconf.com/
Lasseter Leaves Disney Sucking Pixar's Dust
Lasseter, the new chief creative director of both Pixar and Burbank-based Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios, doled out thanks to the voters, his Pixar pals, his wife and five kids, voice actors Tony Shalhoub and Paul Newman, producer Darla K. Anderson, recently deceased creative partner Joe Ranft, songwriter Sheryl Crow and composer Randy Newman.
But not a mention of Disney, the embattled Burbank division he now oversees and where he has worked two to three days a week since the studio acquired Pixar in April. (Disney's historic 'toon division, where Lasseter got his start as a young animator in the early '80s, has recently seen a production slowdown and a spate of pink slips.)
"I want to share this with everyone at Pixar Animation Studios, the greatest filmmaking environment in the entire world," Lasseter said, noting that "Cars" had been a passion project for six years.
Lasseter's boss, Walt Disney Studios President and Chief Executive Bob Iger, who was in the audience, was also left off Lasseter's lengthy list.
"This is for everybody at Pixar," Lasseter crowed. "Hooray!"
Earlier, Lasseter's fiercest competition, George Miller's "Happy Feet," danced home with original song for Prince's "The Song of the Heart." (The performer was reportedly stuck in traffic. Justin Timberlake accepted on Prince's behalf.)
In the heat of the kudo season, Lasseter has energetically made the awards rounds while Australia-based Miller has spent his time off the awards grid, vacationing in India.
Maya 8.5 Ships - Feature Packed
(macworld.co.uk) It's the latest version of the industry
standard 3D modelling, animation
and rendering software. The software offers numerous improvements on
version 8, mainly faster rendering and animation task completion speeds.
“Our goal is to give digital artists choice and flexibility in their 3D tools and platforms,” said Marc Petit, Autodesk's media and entertainment vice president. “This multi-threaded software leverages the latest multi-core workstations from Apple. Maya 8.5 equips digital artists with innovative new technologies such as Maya Nucleus, a unified simulation framework, as well as greater productivity.”
“Mac OS X is an outstanding 3D graphics platform, with legendary power and stability,” said Ron Okamoto, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. “The combination of our blazing fast Intel-based Macs and new Maya 8.5 functionality, such as Maya Nucleus and Maya nCloth, makes it easier than ever for digital artists to realise their most creative ideas."
Maya Nucleus features technology developed by Autodesk's Academy Award-winning principal research scientist Jos Stam. The unified simulation framework allows artists to create elements that interact, in a 3D animation, with other dynamic objects such as fluids, cloth and rigid bodies.
Maya 8.5 includes Maya nCloth, which is the first module of Maya Nucleus. With Maya nCloth, artists can direct and control a range of simulations, including cloth, plastic, metal and other materials.
Python scripting also debuts in the release. An open-source programming language, Python helps speed-up script development and plug-in prototyping.
Kevin Smith, Like, Helps Out CG Turtles
(comingsoon.net) Kevin Smith is voicing a
character in the CG-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
"Harvey Weinstein called me up and wanted to know if I wanted to do a voice in 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'; 'cause Weinstein has a piece of it. And I was like, 'Absolutely.' The dude that lobbied, and didn't get the part, was Jason Mewes. 'Cause Jason Mewes was like, 'What are you doing today?' I'm like, 'I'm going to do a voiceover for 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' they're doing the CG cartoon.' 'What are you talking about?' I showed him the trailer, and he was like, 'Oh, I want to f**kin' be in that.' I was like, 'Well, dude, you've been in Weinstein movies; call them up, they'll put you in the picture.' And he called them mercilessly, especially after he found out I got paid to do it. He kept calling and they were like, 'We don't have anything left, dude;' they were like, 'I'm sorry.' He was like, 'Add a character;' he was like, 'Can't I be the girl turtle?' But, he just said there was something they wanted to re-voice, and they brought me in; it took maybe an hour, or something like that. But no, I want to see that movie; I lobbied to see the footage, which they finally showed me when I did a voice over."
An Open Letter
To Harrison Ford
(roanoke.com) Dear Harrison or Indy:
I see by the papers that you are going to make a new "Indiana Jones" movie at the age of 66 -- which is really neat if you're sure you're on Medicare and have a good supplemental policy with an insurance company.
There are certain changes you may want to consider in the way you go about making certain bad guys wish they had never been born.
You will notice you can't whip your whip the way you used to. That is to say, you may aim it at an enemy, and it may not whip like it should whip.
Indeed, when you attempt to use your whip, you may get shocking pains in your shoulders and neck.
This is nothing to worry about and is probably a mere bad rotator cuff, which can be cured by surgery if you're sure your heart is all right.
Harry Potter Movies Boost UK Economy
(news.bbc.co.uk) Beatrix Potter and Harry Potter helped spark a huge increase in spending on movies in the UK last year, according to figures from the UK Film Council.
More than £840m was spent on producing 134 feature films - 50 of them entirely home-grown - in the UK in 2006.
"These figures show that the UK is a great place to make a film," said film minister Shaun Woodward.
"Two Potters - Harry and Beatrix - a Golden Compass and a bit of Stardust have helped the UK's film industry have one of its best years ever."
Of the 134 films made, 50 of those were UK feature films, 27 inward investment films and 57 UK co-productions.
Although there was an increase in the number of indigenous films made last year - from 37 in 2005 - total UK spend on such films was 11% down on the 2005 figure.
Films with more than 50% finance from outside the UK include the movie version of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials; Stardust, starring Sienna Miller; and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Animation Mentor Holds
Graduation Ceremony In S.F.
The ceremony recognized graduates from the school's September and December graduating class. One hundred forty-four from 15 countries, ages ranging from 21-56, earned a diploma in Advanced Studies in Character Animation recognized by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education. Many have already found jobs at such widely recognized film and gaming studios as Industrial Light & Magic, DreamWorks/PDI, Sony Pictures Imageworks and Electronic Arts.
Director Eric Darnell (MADAGASCAR, ANTZ) delivered the inspirational address at the fun and emotion-filled ceremony. Mentor Choice, Best Forum Ninja, Most Supportive Personality and other awards were given, in an event that embraced the school's roots in social networking, Internet technologies and one-on-one, mentor-focused education.
The event was kicked off by Animation Mentor founders Bobby Beck, Shawn Kelly and Carlos Baena, who gave their sincere thanks to the students and their families for believing in the school.
Are
They Scouting for 'Jurassic Park IV'?
(ropeofsilicon.com) I have a bit of a mystery for you super
slueths out there as 14 curious little images popped into my Inbox
tonight during the Globes presentation.
The Anonymous sender refers to them as on location pictures of, get this, Extinction. Could that be the working title for a Jurassic Park IV? Hmmm, Jurassic Park IV: Extinction, not too bad... That said, that last time I heard any serious discussion about this project was October 2006 when Variety mentioned that Joe Johnston was aboard to direct. Since then - zilch.
To be honest when I first saw "Extinction" I thought of Resident Evil: Extinction, and who knows - maybe Alice is fighting zombie dinos in the third film... that might be cool?
Now I am not yanking your chain here and I wouldn't even be posting these had it not been for the first two pictures which clearly have the "Jurassic Park" logo. However, take these with a grain of salt because I have no proof that these are in fact JP4 location scout photos, but I thought I would share anyway since they are some nice little pictures no matter how you look at it. Can you find the Rhamphorhynchus?
The Pics: http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/news.php?id=5105
Lucas Employees Get French Cuisine
(SFgate) Opening: French fare and flair at Presidio's La Terrasse
The latest Presidio restaurant injects a little bit of France into the onetime U.S. military base.
The cuisine: Laurent Katgely's menu is anchored by technique-driven French cuisine. During the first week, a three-course prix-fixe menu riffed on the classics, such as a silky garlic and potato veloute, and sauteed foie gras atop an "apple tart" with a red wine gastrique. The kitchen also has a way with winter produce, which shows up on almost every plate, from bacon-braised Brussels sprouts and cauliflower puree to the orange vinaigrette and fennel salad.
The vibe: Designer Michael Brennan (Cortez, Tartare and Boca) has created a warm, inviting space that references both the Arts and Crafts movement and France, from the walnut paneling and wooden beams to a zinc-topped bar. A glowing, wood-burning oven lights up a corner of the open kitchen.La Terrasse, 215 Lincoln Blvd. (at Keyes Avenue), Presidio, S.F.; (415) 922-3463. Breakfast, lunch and dinner 7 a.m.- 10 p.m. Monday- Saturday; brunch 10:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Three-course ($58), five-course ($75) and seven-course ($95) prix-fixe menus.
Pirates 3 VFX: Water Itself To Be Costar
(calendarlive.com) DIRECTOR Gore Verbinski has lost track. "I don't know how long it's been," he says of when he started working on the back-to-back "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels. After a few minutes' reflection, Verbinski concludes it's been 2 1/2 years. And on this winter day, he's only just started editing the third film.
If the director's memory is a bit blurry, it's not surprising. With each new "Pirates" movie, the filmmaker's ambitions evolve. At first, Verbinski says, he was simply trying to blend swashbuckling with Monty Python. "We thought they'd never let us make a pirate movie," he says.
But that first movie was a 2003 blockbuster, and Disney seemed to like what Verbinski and writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio were up to. "The second time we thought, 'We're not making them nervous.' And that was scary," Verbinski says. "You're trying to mess with the system, and the system says, 'Right on, brother!' "
So Verbinski promises that the next — but probably not last — installment in his franchise will revert to more storytelling mischief. "We thought maybe we have to scare ourselves in terms of the absurdity and level of funk. We want to destroy the genre that we resurrected. We defined it. And now we want to kill it."
When we saw Jack Sparrow (Depp) last summer in "Dead Man's Chest," he was paying the price for selling his soul to the devil (in the form of Davy Jones), and the fey buccaneer was left stuck inside a giant sea monster when the credits rolled. For the third film, the challenge is to get Sparrow out.
The cast of characters continues to expand. For the third movie, Chow Yun Fat joins as Sao Feng, the pirate lord of Singapore, who is battling the ruthless East Indian Trading Co., headed by Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander). Where computer-generated sea and pirate creatures shared screen time in last summer's film, water itself will have a costarring role in the new sequel.
And if double-crossing was part of every other characters' personality in the second film, it's only natural that triple-crossing would be a mainstay in the third. "It's ridiculous how many people are screwing people over," Verbinski says. "But the subplot is that pirates are actually more trustworthy in a weird way, even though they are vile."
While it's hardly a secret, the added attraction of the third
installment is an appearance by aging Rolling Stones rocker Keith
Richards, who was part of Depp's acting inspiration, as Sparrow's
father. "I think it's singular," Verbinski says. "It's everything I
hoped for."
