NZ Work Visas, "Second Life" To Be Taxed, & The VFX Bakeoff...
Werewolves, Ghosts and Monsters Kick Off 2007
(canada.com) It's a new movie year, and before it gets to its main course, made up of new Shrek and Spider-Man movies, the long-awaited Simpsons movie, and more, there are many thrills and chills to negotiate. There are also some promising, off-beat entries -- the hit-man extravaganza Smokin' Aces, for instance, or the Jim Carrey drama The Number 23, about an obsession with that number. And who isn't excited by the idea of Will Ferrell as a figure skater or John Travolta as a motorcycle hood or, for the younger crowd, the long-delayed reprise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
This is the potpourri that is the first quarter of 2007. Remember, dates are subject to change by studios.
Jan. 26
Blood & Chocolate: Agnes Bruckner from 24 stars in this horror/love story as a werewolf who falls in love with an outsider.
Epic Movie: A satire of epic films from the folks who brought you Scary Movie.
Feb. 2
The Messengers: In this thriller, a family moves to a secluded farm where the children begin seeing ghosts that no one else can see.
Feb. 9
Hannibal Rising: Author Thomas Harris, creator of Hannibal Lecter, wrote the screenplay (based on his new novel) for this prequel that tells how the world's favourite serial-killing cannibal got that way.
Norbit: Eddie Murphy plays three roles in this comedy about a baby left on the steps of a Chinese restaurant-cum-orphanage and raised by Mr. Wong (Murphy), who grows up into a man (Murphy) who is forced into a marriage with a junk food addict (Murphy.)
Feb. 16
Bridge To Terabithia: The film version of Katherine Paterson's novel tells the story of two public school students who discover a magical fantasy kingdom in the forest where they become king and queen.
Ghost Rider: In the film version of the Marvel Comics adventure, Nicolas Cage plays Johnny Blaze, a motorcycle stunt rider who makes a deal with the devil to protect his sweetheart Eva Mendes.
Feb. 23
The Astronaut Farmer: A former astronaut (Billy Bob Thornton) builds his own rocket in this comedy from the Polish brothers.
March 2
Zodiac: David (Seven) Fincher directs this thriller based on the true story of the serial killer who terrified San Francisco. The cast includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr.
March 9
300: Based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, this epic tells the story of the Battle of Thermopylae, in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fought against the entire Persian army.
March 16
Premonition: Sandra Bullock stars in this psychological thriller about a woman who has a dream -- or something more than a dream -- that her husband has died in a car accident.
March 23
TMT: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles return with a new, computer-generated look.
March 30
The Host: In this Asian horror movie, a chemical discharge into a Korean river produces a terrifying monster.
Meet The Robinsons: In this CG animated movie, based on the William Joyce book, a 12-year-old boy travels to the future to discover the secret of his family.
The
Reaping: Hilary Swank stars in this thriller about a disillusioned
missionary who investigates a town suffering from Biblical plagues.
CG Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Revealed
(filmthreat.com) These are stills from the upcoming "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" film, though they do look like pretty, pretty paintings:http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=headlines&Id=3544&archive=&match=&page=0
Happy Birthday John Lasseter
(upcomingpixar.blogspot.com)
Digital Effects Push Fox Over $3.5 Billion In '06
(animationmagazine.net) According to Fox Filmed Entertainment, 2006 saw the studio earn approximately $3.5 billion in movie ticket sales, the biggest worldwide box-office gross for any slate of films in the history of the movie business. The success was led by the animated sequel Ice Age: The Meltdown from Blue Sky Studios, which grossed more than $644 million and was particularly potent overseas.
Despite getting the cold shoulder from many critics, Ice Age: The
Meltdown
enjoyed a huge $68 million opening in March and went on to take in $195
million domestically and approximately $452 million in foreign markets,
having record-breaking runs in a number of countries. In Mexico, for
example, the pic made $28 million to surpass DreamWorks’ Shrek 2
as the top-grossing film in the nation’s history. The prehistoric
comedy was just nominated for the Producers Guild Award for Best
Animated Feature and is eligible for Oscar contention.
Other releases contributing heavily to Fox’s bully year include the trilogy completer X-Men: The Last Stand, which made $458 million worldwide.
The studio finished out the year strong with the success of the vfx-laden Ben Stiller comedy Night at the Museum, which has grossed more than $127 million domestically in just two weeks. The pic is proving to be a big hit overseas as well, raking in $60 million in only a few international territories.
VFX In Bollywood Gains Ground
(businessofcinema.com) 2006 has been touted as the best and biggest year for Bollywood. In the year gone past, films not only incorporated novel scripts and concepts, but also executed them well. One factor that assisted immensely in the execution of many films last year was the use of visual effects.
A visual effect isn't a new concept in Bollywood, but its use in Hindi films has transcended traditional requirements and treatment. No more is it about imitating and recreating popular Hollywood scenes, nor is it about shabbily done shots with effects that jar on the senses.
With each passing year, the use of visual effects has been reaching a new level of maturity and raising benchmark levels annually. Today, filmmakers and VFX studios strive to blend CG seamlessly into a film's screenplay. In 2006, films like Rang De Basanti, Fanaa, Krrish, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Don, Dhoom :2 have not only been the biggest money spinners at the box office, but have also pumped in loads of money to enhance the visual look of the film to serve to the audience something more real (and occasionally even the surreal) on reel.
Businessofcinema.com takes an analytical peek into the films of the year gone by and the most memorable visual effects of 2006.
Take a look at before and afters: http://www.businessofcinema.com/2007/12jan/vfx/vfx_2006.htm
Mind Blowing Visual Effects Won't Court Oscar
Dern In The Dark About Return To The 'Jurrasic Park'
(spielbergfilms.com) "Jurassic Park's" Laura Dern is making the press rounds promoting her new film "Inland Empire," and IGN Filmforce had the chance to ask the question that any "Jurassic Park" fan would jump to ask Dern: Will Ellie Satler be returning in the next proposed film in the franchise?Unless she's playing things close to the vest, Dern seems to be as uninformed about "Jurassic Park IV" as the general public.
"I hope you guys can tell me," Dern said. "...People keep telling me I'm in 'Jurassic Park IV,' my character's in it, I'm in it, and I haven't gotten the call yet, but I'm very curious to hear more You never know. It was awfully fun."
IGN then asked, "Do you want to get eaten in this one and get kinda killed off?"
"No! The great paleobotanist can never die!"
"Jurassic Park IV" is currently in development at Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures. To date, no credible sources have confirmed the return of Ellie Satler or any of the series' other characters.
Virtual CG Worlds To Be Taxed
(nzherald.co.nz) The economies of "virtual worlds" created within multi-player computer games, such as World of Warcraft and Second Life, have grown so big they could face regulation and taxation in the real world, US lawmakers have signalled.
As Second Life signed up its millionth "resident" last week, a powerful Congressional committee has decided that the phenomenon can no longer be dismissed as just a game.
Second Life's creators have established a world that looks remarkably similar to our own, where players can trade property and start their own business, and where profits can be converted back into real dollars. The Joint Economic Committee has launched an examination that will examine some of the philosophical problems thrown up by people and corporations conducting valuable business inside a computer game.
Committee chairman Jim Saxton said the development of virtual economies had outpaced the law. "The goal of the forthcoming study is to help lawmakers understand the issues involved and head off any premature attempt to impose a tax on virtual economies," he said.
Second Life is the most sophisticated of all the virtual realities to have been created since role-playing computer games migrated to the internet and began allowing players to interact with potentially unlimited numbers of their peers across the world.
While games such as Vivendi's World of Warcraft and others have concentrated on fantasy worlds and attracted traditional gamers - stereotypically teenage boys - Second Life claims that 43 per cent of its residents are female and their median age is 31.
Because it mainly mimics the real world (albeit with the laws of physics suspended) it has aspects of social networking and chat sites. However, with its 3D graphics, and users' ability to shape their online character - or avatar - to any form they wish, it makes Rupert Murdoch's social networking website MySpace appear positively stone age.
And many residents have an entrepreneurial streak, attracted by Second Life's boast that players can "make real money in a virtual world. That's right, real money".
The virtual world has its own capitalist economy where residents can create virtual goods and services and are able to sell them at various virtual-world venues for the local currency, Linden dollars.
Monthly subscribers to Second Life are also able to rent plots of land, so property development and speculation is rife.
Residents who have amassed lots of Linden dollars are matched at a currency exchange with new players who want to buy Linden dollars for use in the game.
At the current exchange rate, 270 Linden dollars converts to about US$1 and the most successful entrepreneurs are on course to make more than US$200,000 a year.
Without a doubt, something of real-world economic consequence is going on, and that is why it has attracted the attention of lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
It does not take too much imagination to see how individuals and corporations might one day use a virtual world to conduct transactions that would otherwise attract taxation. But if governments start to foresee a threat to their income from sales taxes, capital gains tax or stamp duty, it is far harder to work out what on earth they might do about it.
The economics of these online worlds is becoming steadily more sophisticated. World of Warcraft long ago spawned a class of professional players - usually in the developing world, and notably China - who amass gold for use in the game, or who progress through the game to win advanced powers for their avatars before selling them to lazier players in the West.
Second Life's Linden dollars are already tradeable on third party exchanges - and on eBay, where it is only a matter of time until some bright traders spot an arbitrage opportunity.
Now Second Life has attracted dozens of companies looking to market or even sell their wares. Toyota is giving away virtual cars; Starwood Hotels has built a virtual model of its new chain; Duran Duran have bought an island where the band will perform an online concert; companies from adidas to Reuters have a presence.
Sony BMG sells music from its stable of artists for users to listen to within the game. And already companies such as Amazon - whose founder, Jeff Bezos, is an investor in Linden Lab, the company behind Second Life - are considering how to use the virtual world as a marketplace for real-world goods.
Silicon Valley-based Linden Lab created Second Life in 1999 and sees itself as a technology platform rather than as a media company in its own right.
It makes its money mainly from leasing land within the virtual world and, although it keeps its finances secret, is said to be close to profitability.
David Fleck, vice president, says that lawmakers should proceed with caution and see how the virtual economy develops. By instinct, he believes that the income derived by virtual entrepreneurs should be taxed in the country in which they convert them back into real-world currency.
"We want to be good corporate citizens, and we are being pro-active and working with the Joint Economic Committee, not just sitting back waiting for something to be handed down.
"But the Linden dollar is not a real currency, it is not recognised by any banking system in the world and the legalities are unclear."
As for commercial transactions within Second Life and other virtual worlds, a way of taxing them will emerge in the same way as it did for e-commerce transactions, Mr Fleck says. Eventually.
The Congressional investigation is aiming for "clarification, not taxation".
Dan
Miller, chief economist for the Joint Economic Committee, said last
week that it would start with a blank slate and be completed by the end
of the year.
Pixar Going Backwards?
So what do I do with this? Pixar is about to hedge all their bets on an upcoming rattish film by the name of Ratatouille. Fair enough. But now there are at least two books coming out based on the film and they don't.... well... okay, so they don't look bad.
According to the blog Cartoon Brew, " TOO MANY COOKS is a counting book for preschoolers which is notable because it was illustrated by one of Pixar's in-house artists, Nate Wragg ... WHAT'S COOKING: A COOKBOOK FOR KIDS is technically a cookbook but it looks to have some airy light-hearted illustrations ... No idea who the illustrator is here, but I think it's commendable that they're allowing artists to give their personal takes on these characters instead of following bland licensing guide models."
Boy oh boy. This isn't your standard CGI movie adaptation where they just lift images from the film and then slap some random narration in for kicks. Someone actually looks like they worked on these. Trend? And if so, does it disturb you or relieve you?
VFX Boutique Buys VFX Boutique
(equitybulls.com) Prime Focus Ltd has announced that the Company is in an advanced stage of talks with Hyderabad based Suresh Productions Pvt Ltd, for the buyout and takeover of its post production arm branded 'Spirit DI'. This is a part of the Company's domestic expansion plan outlined in the IP0 completed in June 2006.The current move is aimed at providing quality post production services to the Telugu film industry, which has a significant number of movies now involving and budgeting for Visual effects (VFX) and Digital Intermediate (DI).
The Company also commissioned its Chennai facility catering to the Tamil film industry in September 2006.
(nzherald.co.nz) New Zealand is approving more people
for temporary work permits and
permanent residency as the Government looks to plug worker shortages.
A detailed analysis of who came here and why in the year to June 30, 2006, was released yesterday in the form of the annual Migration Trends report from the Department of Labour.
It paints a picture of a rapidly rising number of temporary work permit approvals, while permanent residency numbers have also increased after suffering a sharp fall in 2003/04.
Almost 100,000 people were issued temporary work permits in the 2005/06 year, up 21 per cent from the previous year, and continuing a steady rise from just 34,000 in 1999/2000.
The expansion of working holiday schemes with several other countries played a key role in the increase.
New schemes with Norway and Thailand began during the year, and caps were removed on how many people could take up working holiday permits from Britain, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.
There are signs that the number of working holiday-makers coming to New Zealand will increase even further, with the total number of places available set to rise to 40,000 in 2006/07 from 36,000 in 2005/06.
Temporary permit numbers were also boosted during the year by an increase in those issued to people for specific purposes or events - such as sporting activities, entertainment, or film and production crew work.
And as temporary work permits rise, permanent resident approvals were also higher in 2005/06 than a year before.
Just over 51,000 people gained approval to be a permanent resident in New Zealand in 2005/06, up from almost 49,000 in 2004/05.
The number is flat when compared with 2001/02, but shows a recovery from 2003/04, when approvals slipped to 39,000.
In terms of permanent and long-term migration, which covers people who arrive in New Zealand intending to stay for 12 months or more, there has been a shift in the main source countries people are arriving from.
The number of arrivals from Asia has decreased, largely because of falling international student numbers.
Conversely, numbers from Europe and particularly the United Kingdom, have increased.
In recent years the number of New Zealand citizens departing long-term has been consistently greater than the number returning from overseas, meaning there has been a steady loss of New Zealand citizens over time.
Immigration Minister David Cunliffe yesterday said that the high number of work permit approvals and other statistics presented in the latest report show New Zealand is successfully attracting the migrants it needs.
The increases were a reflection of the need of employers to get overseas staff, because of low unemployment and a shortage of local workers.
"It shows the Government is responding well with effective
immigration measures," Mr Cunliffe said.
Welsh VFX Company Delivers Crime Fighting Moose
(icwales.icnetwork.co.uk) THE Welsh animation sector is brimming with talent – but must look beyond these shores if it is to thrive.
These are the views of Aron Evans, managing director of Cardiff-based Dinamo Productions.
The company has ventured outside the domestic market and attended landmark industry events in Cannes and Toronto. Its staff of 20 are now working on special effects for a Los Angeles-produced horror film and have signed a deal with a Canadian distributor for an animated series about a crime-fighting moose.
Father-of-four Mr Evans said, “The most important thing is for us not to be scared by the international market – get your faces known. It’s very important to get to meet buyers; it’s such a huge global market now.”
Notable Welsh animation success stories include The Miracle Maker – portrayal of the life of Christ – and iconic children’s series SuperTed.
However, in recent years the industry experienced a lull. The founding of Dinamo was a deliberate effort to push the development of the industry further to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
Mr Evans is convinced the sector has a unique opportunity to establish itself on the world stage.
He said, “There’s no end to the talent base here in Wales. The most difficult thing in the international market is the lack of skilled animators but that isn’t a problem in Wales.”
He added, “The Welsh animation sector is relatively small and we, alongside our competitors, are constantly striving to create a larger, globally recognised industry. To do this we all work closely together, providing support in different areas of expertise from cartoons, TV series, feature films, computer games, short films, commercials and web-based animation.”
Dinamo is based in the same building as Calon, whose team pioneered programmes such as SuperTed and Fireman Sam.
Both companies have received major investments.
As reported in the Western Mail yesterday, Calon has secured £600,000 from the Assembly Government subsidiary Finance Wales. With the help of business support agency Venture Wales, Dinamo has received £200,000. International Business Wales subsidised their travel to Cannes and Canada, and they are now pursuing an Assembly Investment Grant. In five years time, Dinamo aims to have turnover of between £6m and £8m.
“We have the capability to do that,” Mr Evans said.
Dinamo was formed in 2004 by Mr Evans and fellow managing director Owen Stickler, who had been a friend since primary school.
Last year the team of artists and designers won a contract with S4C for 20-episode children’s cartoon Happy Valley/Cwm Teg.
Praising the Calon team, Mr Evans said, “They have been around for years and years and years. There are basically three medium-sized animation companies in Wales.”
The third is Griffilms, led by Hywel Griffiths, famed for its computer animation.
Predominantly Welsh-speaking Dinamo plans to recruit further staff and targets students at the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport.
Mr Evans said, “We are successfully competing with the best in Wales by employing only highly experienced, trained staff who are specialists in traditional animation, digital 2D design, computer generated imaging and special effects.”
Dinamo is now in the process of raising further capital for a purpose-built studio to house all employees and equipment.
Cheryl Bass, their business advisor and Venture Wales mentor, said, “Being able to provide secure employment for upwards of 20 people in the creative media industry in only two years is phenomenal.
“Wales is really holding its own when it comes to tourism, food, music and the arts, and with animation taking off here too, there are huge opportunities for Dinamo to expand both in Wales and internationally.”
She
added, “It’s easy to see their passion and drive for success and we
will be doing all we can to make sure they go all the way.”
CGI Films To Drive 2007
Box Office Up 7%
(medialifemagazine.com) 2007 is looking even
stronger. “I would expect
this year there to be a number of all-time records broken in terms of
box office,” says Michael Gubbins, editor at Screen International, an
international film magazine. Box office revenue could top $10 billion for the first time ever.
“We currently think that the full year will see about a 7 percent
increase, which would be very strong,” says Charlotte Jones, cinema
analyst at Screen Digest, a London media research firm. “That would be
a strong landmark for the U.S. box office.” Driving that growth: a raft of blockbusters set to reach moviehouses
this summer. It looks to be a year chock-a-block with brand-name
sequels on a level that experts say is almost unheard off. Among the big-name sequels out in May alone are “Shrek the Third,”
the final Pirates movie, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”
and
"Spider-Man 3," all of which Jones believes have the potential to gross
over $300 million at the box office. Then out later in the summer are the fifth of the giant Harry Potter
franchise, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix,” and a movie
that is not a sequel but comes with big brand recognition, “The
Simpsons Movie,” based on the popular “Simpsons” TV show. “All of those five are extremely successful brands, and none have
shown any signs of dropping off yet,” says Gubbins. “I can’t see any of
them failing.” There are also strong expectations for “Bourne Ultimatum,” the third
movie in the “Bourne Supremacy” series, the “Transformers,”
based on
the popular toys and cartoons, and “Ratatouille,” a Disney/Pixar
movie
about a rat who wants to become a chef. The one worry, with some many movies coming out back to back, is
cannabalization: movie-goers choosing to skip some they might otherwise
see in order to see others, reasoning that they can always catch them
on DVD. If is this past summer is an indication, that is not a major worry.
Movie-goers found the time, and Screen Digest's Jones says they've been
trained do so. “People are used to the idea that the summer represents
the best of the movies." Another interesting trend to watch for this year, beyond the big
brand releases, will be 3D movies, which the big studios are looking to
as the next big thing as home cinemas get more sophisticated. This
year, “Meet the Robinsons” is set to be released March at 500
digital
3D movie houses. Then in November comes “Beowolf,” to be seen on
1,000
3D screens.
The Bakeoff Is Coming, The Bakeoff Is Coming!
(theenvelope.latimes.com) The visual effects "bakeoff"
takes over the academy's
Samuel Goldwyn Theater on January 17th. The evening has similarities to
the best song
presentation, but while the music branch hates the term "bakeoff," the
visual effects branch embraces it. Seven 15-minute film clips, followed
by Q&A sessions, help voters narrow the field down to the three
nominees.
A few years back, one voter stood in the aisle before the
bakeoff began and said, "Why don't they just give [eventual winner]
'Lord of the Rings' a special achievement award, and everybody else can
go home?" It'd be premature to make the same suggestion about "Pirates
of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," but that film's combination of
zombie pirates, a remarkable and totally computer generated character
in Davy Jones, and lots of water effects (which often play well at the
bakeoff) make it hard to beat.
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