Michael Bay Death Threats, Wanted: 10K Animators, & A Imagineer Retires

Cowboys & Aliens to Hit the Big Screen

(Variety)        DreamWorks and Universal Pictures are teaming to turn
the graphic novel Cowboys & Aliens into a live action feature.

Imagine partners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard will produce along with
Platinum Studios chairman-CEO Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and Alex
Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Ervin Rustemagic and Rich Marincic
co-produce.

The script will be written by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby.

The graphic novel mixes Western and science fiction genres. Set in
1800s Arizona, a skirmish between cowboys and Apaches is interrupted
by the crash landing of a space ship. The alien commander plans to
tame the Old West and enslave everyone, but the cowboys and Native
Americans turn their six-guns against the alien invaders.

Rosenberg, who ran Malibu Comics when Men in Black transferred from
graphic novel to hit film, created the concept for Cowboys & Aliens
and published the graphic novel in 2006.





Death Threats Towards Michael Bay -  From Transformers Fanbase

(seibertron.com)           The sadder side of the Transformers fanbase
has come to light in a short comment Transformers Movie director
Michael Bay gave to Starpulse News Blog. According to Bay in that
article, he has received death threats from "fans" while working on
the movie.

"I did get a lot of flak from fans on the internet. They'd be like,
'Michael Bay wrecked my childhood. Michael Bay, you suck. We're gonna
protest this at your office.' Some did - they protested at my old
office, apparently. But it was the death threats that really freaked
me out".




Jerry Seinfeld Previews Animated `Bee Movie'

(wtopnews.com)        NEW YORK (AP) - Jerry Seinfeld continues to
pollinate the public about "Bee Movie," his first major project since
"Seinfeld."

Thirty minutes of clips from the animated "Bee Movie" were shown
Tuesday evening at the Museum of Modern Art, at a screening hosted by
Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief executive of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.
He was joined by Seinfeld, co-director Steve Hickner and actors Renee
Zellweger, Chris Rock and Matthew Broderick, all of whom lend their
voices to the film.

Seinfeld, who wrote "Bee Movie," has been working on it for four
years. It's due in theaters Nov. 2 and has been promoted with a
presentation at the Cannes Film Festival in May and a live-action TV
commercial that featured Seinfeld in a giant bee costume.

As the preview clips showed, much animation work is still needed if
the film will be completed by the release date, but it's clearly been
a project of particular meaning to Seinfeld. Since "Seinfeld"
concluded in 1998, the 53-year-old comedian has focused on standup;
his only film of note was the 2002 documentary "Comedian."

"After the TV series, I didn't really want to do anything _ and I
still don't," Seinfeld said Tuesday. "I wanted to work in a medium I
hadn't worked in before."

"I wanted to see if I could be funny in this way," he added.

Seinfeld said he got the idea for the movie simply by noticing the pun
of "Bee Movie" and B-movie. The film follows a young bee named Barry
B. Benson (voiced by Seinfeld) who discovers that humans are stealing
honey from bees.

When Katzenberg asked Seinfeld, "Why bees?" the comic replied that he
has long been impressed by their "organizational society."

He added: "There's no other insect that produces something that people
care about."





Visual Effects Maven Builds "Hotel for Dogs"

(The Hollywood Reporter)          DreamWorks has hired visual effects
maven Thor Freudenthal to direct Hotel for Dogs.

Based on Lois Duncan's novel, the story revolves around two orphaned
teenagers who hide dozens of stray dogs in an abandoned hotel. Jeff
Lowell penned the screenplay.

Lauren Shuler Donner, a renowned dog lover who has more than a dozen
pet canines, is producing alongside Jack Leslie.

Freudenthal, a former CG artist who worked on the "Stuart Little"
films, is attached to direct 20th Century Fox's They Came From
Upstairs.





India Needs 10,000 Animation Experts

(economictimes.indiatimes.com)          AHMEDABAD: India needs at
least 10,000 professional animators of international standards if it
wants to survive the competition from countries such as Philippines,
Korea and Taiwan, said director of the animation movie Hanuman VG
Samanth.

He was in Ahmedabad to inaugurate a training campus of Digital Asia
School of Animation association with Lakhotia Institute of Art &
Design, a division of Lakhotia Computer Centre (LCC). Set up at an
investment of Rs 50 lakh, the institute claims to churn out around 125
trained animators every year.

Speaking to the media after the inauguration, Mr Samanth said,
"Barring one or two films, I am not happy with the quality of animated
movies being made in the country. People are entering into the
business just to make quick money. They produce low cost, low quality
animation movies."

However, he said, this will change with the professional production
houses like Yash Raj Films, Adlabs and others entering into this
space, the quality of the films will improve. Future is very bright
for Indian animation industry," he said.
Indian animation industry is predicted to reach $869 million by 2010,
representing a CAGR of 25% over 2006-2010.

Currently, 300 small, medium and big animation companies employ
approximately 12,000 people in India. Nasscom estimates that India
could use 3,00,000 professionals in content development and animation
by 2008, up from 27,000 in 2001. A lot of foreign companies have
started outsourcing their films to India.

More:  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment__Art/India_needs_10k_animation_experts_for_global_play/articleshow/2137350.cms





Spielberg to Film War Epic in Queensland

(theage.com.au)            A north Queensland council has given the
green light for Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks to film their next
major war epic in its picturesque surrounds.

Filming on the $140 million World War II mini-series, The Pacific,
will begin next month in Mossman, west of Port Douglas, after the
Douglas Shire Council yesterday gave its final approval to the
project.

Parts of the series will also be filmed in Melbourne and regional
Victoria, with Melbourne Central City Studios the main production
site.

Produced by the Hollywood heavyweight pairing of Spielberg and Hanks,
and made by the same team behind the blockbuster 2001 mini-series Band
of Brothers, The Pacific will tell the story of three US Marines
during World War II.

Filming in Queensland is expected to continue until at least December,
Douglas Shire deputy mayor David Egan said today.

"They have already started rocking in here to set up some of their
infrastructure," Mr Egan said.

About 400 crew members will live in Mossman, a town of 2,500, during
the height of filming.





Sheridan College Sets Up Animation School In Singapore

(todayonline.com)         One of the world's leading animation schools
is investing $2.8 million to set up a campus here in September next
year. The Sheridan College from Canada, which is receiving support
from the Economic Development Board, boasts students who have gone on
to work for major animation studios such as LucasFilms, Pixar and
Disney. — Channel NewsAsia  Source:
http://www.todayonline.com/articles/195615.asp





A Movie With 90 Different Endings?

Joel Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment has just signed a fresh deal
with Warner Bros. home video department.

The first production out of the gate will be the the aforementioned
Return to House on Haunted Hill, which stars Jeffrey Combs and Cerina
Vincent, and will allow you to pick through over 90 different
story-line possibilities.

Mr. Silver also aims to branch out just a little bit and produce a few
action flicks under the Dark Castle banner.





Digital Domain Updates Their Website

Check it out:  http://www.digitaldomain.com/





Will Knowing the Ending Keep 'Harry' Fans From Theaters?

(jroller.com)        Warner Bros., the studio behind the "Harry
Potter" blockbusters, could find itself in an awkward position when
author J.K. Rowling lets the black cat out of the bag next month about
the ultimate fate of her characters. Ten days after the fifth
installment, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," hits
theaters July 11, the world will know what happens to the bespectacled
boy wizard and the rest of his Hogwarts gang with the release of
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," Rowling's seventh and final
book in the series.

Last year Rowling revealed in interviews that she would kill off two
characters and that one character "got a reprieve," never
acknowledging whether Harry is among them. Potter fans have been
rigorously debating on websites whether the British author will dare
terminate the beloved star of what has become the biggest-selling
series in literary history.

Warner doesn't expect any spoilers to hurt box-office sales of its
upcoming film. Indeed, the flurry of publicity surrounding the release
of a new movie and book could feed sales for both of them. But there
are two "Harry Potter" sequels to go over the next three years. Could
knowing how it all ends dissuade moviegoers from turning out to see
them? Warner President Alan Horn said he wasn't worried. "Whatever
happens to Harry Potter, I would not anticipate it hurting the movie
or future movies in any way," he said. Horn said that four months
before the fourth film, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was
released in 2005, moviegoers had already learned in Rowling's sixth
book that Albus Dumbledore — headmaster of Hogwarts School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry — had died. "And he was a beloved character,"
Horn said. Horn also noted that James Cameron's 1997 "Titanic" was a
blockbuster even though it was well known that the luxury liner sank,
killing most of its passengers. And, Horn said, fans of J.R.R.
Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" knew the ending of the trilogy but still
turned out in force for the films. "Harry Potter" has been a global
juggernaut for the Burbank studio.

The sixth "Potter" is set to begin production in September for release
in November 2008. The seventh film is scheduled for theaters in either
the summer or the fall of 2010. China commodity china imitation
jewelry Daun Taubin, Warner's domestic marketing president, said that
though devoted Potter fans, including her 15-year-old daughter, are
sad that Rowling's popular fantasy stories are coming to an end, they
can take solace that there's life beyond the books.Export from china
wow gold yiwu shipping agent China fair yiwu export agent "The movies
allow the stories to live on," Taubin said. "So fans can relive the
experience in a different way." Diane Nelson, who has overseen "Harry
Potter" brand management at Warner for the last eight years, said fans
have always known much of the story lines and which characters die
before they've seen the screen version, and that hasn't lessened their
enthusiasm for the movies.





Prince Caspian at Comic-Con 2007

(narniaweb.com)        There have been rumors floating around on the
web for some time now that Prince Caspian would be featured at
Comic-Con this year. However, when the preliminary list was released
on the official Comic-Con 2007 website, Prince Caspian was not listed.

However, Disney has confirmed today on their official website that
Prince Caspian will indeed be featured at Comic-Con this year.

Disney official website:  http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/narnia/





Transformers Confirmed at PG-13 - No Change To VFX

(canmag.com)         If you have been keeping up with the Transformers
updates here at CanMag, you may remember the little story claiming
that Spielberg personally sat down with the MPAA to convince them that
Transformers should be rated PG-13 instead of R; which was where
things were supposedly heading.

When you blow millions upon millions finishing intense special
effects, nobody can afford to lose part of a target market -
especially since costly scenes can't be changed easily. Though
Paramount hasn't announced anything to us as of yet, 'Bradley' has
alerted us that Transformers has received the official stamp of
'PG-13' from the MPAA with proof.

MovieTickets has got the inside track on Transformers. If you check
out this webpage, you will see that Transformers has been rated PG-13
for intense sequences of sci-fi action violence, brief sexual humor,
and language. 'Brief' sexual humor? Paramount has been flaunting Megan
Fox since the beginning and now all they will give us is some brief
sexuality.

Transformers opens to theatres on July 2nd.






27 Years As A Disney "Imagineer"

(sanluisobispo.com)       Karen Armitage left a 27-year job with
Disney to move to the Central Coast and start a conceptual design and
rendering business

Q: What was the Walt Disney Co. like as an employer?

A: I spent 27 years as an "imagineer" with Walt Disney Imagineering,
Disney's architectural engineering company that designs and builds the
theme parks and attractions, resorts, hotels and cruise ships. I
experienced the company under many regimes and therefore many changes
in the corporate culture.

I was hired in 1977 as a designer for Epcot Center. We worked long
hours and played hard. We all wore nametags with our first names only,
and we were not allowed to sign any artwork we did. We all were
family.

Subsequently, after a painful layoff which I survived— the company
went from 2,800 down to 500 and a near closing of its doors — Michael
Eisner and Frank Wells arrived (in 1984) to revitalize and run the
whole thing. The animation division had a rebirth with "Aladdin,"
"Beauty and the Beast," "Little Mermaid" and "Lion King."

During these later years, we were allowed to finally sign our artwork,
but all the divisions became incredibly competitive. The focus was no
longer family but individual. We were encouraged to continue to think
outside the box but make sure it did not cost money. Disney's
California Adventure was born out of that change in mindset. It was
depressing and frustrating. Tokyo DisneySea in Japan was the total
exception, as the Japanese embraced the original Disney credo.

More:  http://www.sanluisobispo.com/business/story/72612.html





The Real Blockbuster Stars: Special Effects Teams

(forbes.com)            Summer's here, and so are the blockbuster
movies, each one jampacked with things you've never been able to see
onscreen before.

Not only can Spidey swoop from building to building in Spider-Man
3--look carefully and you'll see his face contort with the effort. And
those enormous pirate ships that wowed us in earlier versions of
Pirates of the Caribbean? In the series finale, they now swirl through
an end-of-the world maelstrom.

So no offense to Johnny Depp or Tobey Maguire; on the big screen this
summer, the real stars of these films are the special effects teams
that work behind the scenes, from tiny workshops to huge companies
like George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). And they're
getting paid accordingly: Producers are increasingly willing to pony
up 25% to 40% of their film budgets to make it happen, says Eric
Hanson, University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts
professor.

In Pictures: The Greatest Special Effects In Movie History

"We're in a green-light phase for effects right now because of the
success from Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Spider-Man and Pirates,"
says Hanson. "We have a lot of golden eggs right now making studios
happy to invest."

It wasn't always so. In the early days of digital effects, nobody knew
how much cash a few computer-generated scenes could produce at the box
office. George Lucas made the original Star Wars film on a shoestring
budget of about $11 million. The groundbreaking digital effects scenes
ate up only 10% of that budget.

"Translated into today's dollars, Lucas got an incredible bargain,"
says Jeff Okun, a freelance visual effects supervisor and board
chairman of the Visual Effects Society. Before digital effects
existed, "practical effects" took up an even smaller portion of film
budgets, but by the 1980s and 1990s, visual effects teams on top
action films garnered 20% of a film's budget.

More:  http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/06/07/shrek-pirates-effects-tech-cx_rr_0606movietech.html





John Knoll On The Future of Creative Technologies

(gregchiaramonti.wordpress.com)           I recently returned from Los
Angeles where I attended Star Wars Celebration IV. I had a great time
- it was the first sci-fi convention I've ever attended. Really had a
lot of fun seeing all of the amazingly detailed costumes people were
wearing, getting Carrie Fisher's and Anthony Daniels' (C-3PO)
autographs, and attending many cool presentations. I mostly followed
the visual effects track, and I got to see interviews with masters
such as Dennis Muren, Phil Tippet, Ben Burtt, and John Knoll. John is
an Oscar-Winner for Visual Effects and co-creator (with his brother)
of Photoshop. His solo presentation consisted mostly of his personal
behind-the-scenes photos and videos from all three Star Wars prequels,
providing some great and often humorous insight into the chaos of
working on these epic productions, like how entire sets were built and
then not used or completely changed into something different as the
script was rewritten on-the-fly by Lucas.

During the "VFX Rock Stars" presentation, someone in the audience
asked Mr. Knoll the question that I intended to ask: Where do you see
the future of creative technologies heading?

He answered that usually they don't just sit around and think of new
types of technologies or techniques just for the sake of inventing
them. New directions develop as needed for specific shots in the
films. When he goes through the storyboards for a film, he realizes
what they don't have the capability to do (as was the case in almost
every scene of Star Wars Episode 1) and then they work on solutions,
and develop technologies along the way to solve the problems. This is
where the innovation usually comes from.

Source:  http://gregchiaramonti.wordpress.com/2007/06/11/john-knoll-discusses-the-future-of-creative-technologies/





Anim Execs Take Studio Experience To Launch Competition

(mag.awn.com)      Over the last five years or so, a number of
independent studios have entered the animation business. Headed and
staffed by people who formerly worked at the major studios or the
larger independents, these new entities are light on their feet and
flexible enough to weather the ebbs and flows of the business.
Improvements in technology have driven this trend, at least in part.
Software and hardware have become less expensive, more sophisticated
and more accessible to all. In fact, studios can come close to
emulating many of the features of the larger studios' proprietary
systems with off-the-shelf products. "The cost of technology is so
much lower now to set up a studio for high-end graphic work than even
five years ago," says Rick Mischel, president of Vancouver-based Reach
Games.

Mischel is the former ceo of Mainframe, a 300-person-strong, publicly
held 3D animation company. When Rainmaker Ent. purchased Mainframe
from IDT Ent., Mischel spun out Mainframe's 12-person games division,
which did service work for other companies. The new firm's goal is to
be a North American source for high-quality, timely service work.
"Everyone thinks of Asia for outsourcing, but with the right overhead
structure and the incredible talent we have in Vancouver, we can
provide high-quality work at only a slight premium over the cost in
Asia," Mischel explains. Reach produces mobile, casual and handheld
games from beginning to end, and provides animation and modeling work
for console titles.

More:  http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=pageone&article_no=3324






Kiwi Tries For Pixar - Lands At Google

(computerworld.co.nz)         Now "thirty-ish", Josh Bailey's Kiwi
accent is barely detectable. The San Francisco-based employee of
internet behemoth Google says if you don't pronounce the letter R the
American way "they won't understand you".

After having seen The Incredibles he applied for a job at Pixar. He
was called to three interviews at the company, and the last one lasted
for two days.

"That is what they do, they leave you in a room and then send people
in that will just hammer you for days," he says with a twinkle in his
eye.

Bailey didn't make it further with Pixar but was not discouraged. A
couple of years ago he went to Sun Microsystems' JavaOne conference in
San Francisco, where he started talking to the people at Google's
stand. He applied for a job with the company but "fully expected never
to hear back from them", he says.

However, Google called and he was summoned for a series of interviews,
which included solving problems under pressure and being put in very
stressful situations, he says. This time he was successful.

Google is known for its employee perks such as unlimited amounts of
free chef-prepared food at all times of day, a climbing wall, a
volleyball court and two lap pools, according to a recent story in The
New York Times.

Employees also enjoy onsite haircuts, free doctor checkups, car washes
and oil changes, says the newspaper. But the biggest perk of all could
be Google's bus service, which Bailey uses.

Bailey is not coming back to New Zealand in the foreseeable future, he
says. To him, one of the benefits of living in the Bay Area is the
"tech-friendly" culture.

"I'm definitely a city person, and San Francisco has so much
diversity," he says. "I'd be seen as too enthusiastic and too pushy if
I went back to work in New Zealand," he adds with a smile.

Work culture is different in New Zealand and the US, he says. You will
be pushed to work long hours in the US, but the rewards are great and
the corporate structure is flatter than in New Zealand.

"The tech companies will work you hard but the benefits are fantastic;
you'll have people behind you and resources available" he says.
"Nobody here is afraid of hard work."

Source:  http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/netw/4DF8892963170DD4CC2572F40009DD20





Breakdown of the 'Blade Runner' Mega-Super Edition

(cinematical.com)        A while back we heard that Warner Bros. was
planning a long overdue super-special edition of Ridley Scott's Blade
Runner -- and it was news that had the hardcore sci-fi fanatics
drooling in anticipation. Now we get word from DavisDVD.com regarding
the complete specs on that package. Fair warning, though, before you
get all excited: The contents listed below represent what will be on
the Australian-release DVD set, although it's assumed that the
American version will be pretty much identical. Here's what we've got:

Disc 1 -- The Final Cut -- Ridley Scott's "definitive" version of the
film, complete with new footage, extended scenes and upgraded special
effects.

Disc 2 -- Older Versions -- Here you'll find the 1982 theatrical cut,
the 1982 international cut and the 1992 director's cut, which is most
likely what's in your DVD collection right now.

Disc 3 -- Dangerous Days: The Making of Blade Runner -- A brand-new,
feature-length documentary that looks to be the "definitive" piece on
the film. Cast and crew, critics and colleagues will share their
thoughts on the production, the film and the long-lasting impact of
Blade Runner.

Disc 4 -- Enhanced Bonus Content -- A whole disc full of featurettes
that will focus on six distinct areas: Inception, Pre-Production,
Production, Post-Production, Release, Legacy

Disc 5 -- Work Print -- A rough-cut version of the film, plus a
52-minute BBC documentary that's generally considered one of the
coolest looks at the film.

Plus the thing will come in a really slick silver briefcase (!) that
houses a lenticular mini-poster, a collectible "model spinner," an
origami unicorn, a bunch of photos and a letter from Sir Ridley Scott
himself. Wow. We don't have a release date locked in yet, but
September seems to be the month. Can't wait.






Happy Birthday To Star Wars Celeb & VFX Artist....C. Andrew Nelson?

(theforce.net)          Ok, so who is C. Andrew Nelson? For those that
don't recognize his name, Mr. Nelson has played Darth Vader for the
Star Wars Special Edition, Rebel Assault 2, Dark Forces, and various
television commercials.

He was also a visual effects artist at Lucasfilm for the Prequels and
at LucasArts. He celebrates his Birthday June 22nd. Thanks to Olson
for the info.

You can check out a more detailed biography at C. Andrew Nelson's website here:

http://www.candrewnelson.com/

Experpt:  Active as well behind the camera, Andrew spent four years as
a visual effects artist at Industrial Light & Magic.  His credits at
ILM include Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Galaxy Quest,
Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, The Perfect Storm, The Time Machine,
Jurassic Park III, and Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

Prior to joining ILM, Andrew spent nearly six years at LucasArts
Entertainment Company where he served as a visual effects supervisor
helping to create such popular games as Dark Forces, Rebel Assault II,
Full Throttle, The Dig, Jedi Knight, Curse of Monkey Island, Masters
of Teras Kasi, Shadows of the Empire, and Indiana Jones & the Infernal
Machine.  He has worked extensively with sister companies Lucasfilm
Ltd., Lucas Learning, Lucas Licensing, and THX.  Andrew is also a
member of the Visual Effects Society.