Star Trek XI In Iceland, Gino's Prosthetics Class & Coraline Show & Tell
'Star Trek XI' May Film In Iceland
Paramount is already scouting for locations.
(syfyportal.com) Its script may only have been completed recently, but according to
TrekToday, it looks like "Star Trek XI" is getting the express
treatment as Paramount Pictures has already begun looking for
locations to begin filming.
The Reykavik-based newspaper DV confirmed that representatives of
Paramount are actively working with the local Icelandic film company
Sagafilm in order to find suitable filming locations for the 11th
movie outing of the franchise. The company has previously collaborated
with MGM in order to find locations for the James Bond series and also
assisted with "Tomb Raider" and "Batman Begins."
Over the last few years, Iceland has become a very popular location
for film studios to carry out production due to a tax break introduced
by the Icelandic government which entitled production companies to
claim back up to 14 percent of their production costs. Much of the
landscape also remains unspoiled by modern construction meaning it has
become an ideal location for large-scale sweeping scenes that many
blockbuster movies tend to go for.
"Star Trek XI" will reportedly relive the earliest adventures of Capt.
Kirk and Spock, however what those adventures entail has not yet been
announced. Casting decisions on the project are set to be announced at
San Diego Comic Con next month and the movie is already slated for a
December 2008 launch.
While it might seem a bit early to be scouting locations, filming for
the next Star Trek feature is expected to begin in November, so this
is about the right time to be scouting new locations.
Bold Films pairing with VFX House Orphanage to produce "Legion"
(FrightWire.com) Bold Films is pairing with visual effects
house the Orphanage to produce "Legion," a supernatural thriller that
marks the directorial debut of Scott Stewart. Shooting begins in the
fall.
Stewart is the co-founder of the Orphanage, whose recent visual
effects resume includes "Live Free and Die Hard," "Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End," "Superman Returns" and "Sin City." Bold
Films will finance the film, with Michel Litvak and David Lancaster
producing and Gary Michael Walters exec producing.
Story follows a group of strangers stranded in a desert truckstop who
must band together to stop an army of demonic creatures out to fulfill
an ancient prophecy that opens the gates of hell.
"Scott's vast cutting-edge experience will give the film a highly
stylized visual quality," said Bold's Litvak.
Velvet Octopus is selling foreign at Cannes.
Scott Stewart on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0829820/
Ratatouille - Disney / Pixar's First Real Box Office Disappointment
(stuff.co.nz) A rat chased millions of moviegoers into US
theatres, but the furry star of Ratatouille also whipped up one of the
worst openings in the history of Walt Disney Co's cartoon powerhouse
Pixar Animation.
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, Ratatouille about a
rat who aspires to become a gourmet chef sold $US47.2 million worth of
tickets during its first three days. It took the No. 1 slot ahead of
the new Bruce Willis movie Live Free or Die Hard with $US33.2 million.
It was the lowest opening for a Pixar-produced release since the
studio's second effort, A Bug's Life, launched with $US33.3 million in
1998 on its way to a $US163 million total.
By contrast last year's Pixar entry, Cars, drove off with $US60.1
million - a figure regarded as something of a disappointment - and
finished with $US244 million.
If Ratatouille follows the same pattern as Cars, it will gross about
$US189 million, becoming the third consecutive Pixar release to
underperform its predecessor. But Disney was confident Ratatouille
would easily pass $US200 million
.
Opening weekend predictions among financial analysts for Ratatouille
had ranged from $US50 million to $US65 million. But movie industry
polling had a more realistic target in the low $US40 million range,
according to Chuck Viane, Disney's president of domestic theatrical
distribution.
TOUGH COMPETITION
Viane said the competition was unprecedented, with Ratatouille boxed
in by Live Free or Die Hard, which got a two-day head start by opening
on Wednesday, and by the Monday night release of the hotly anticipated
Transformers.
Still, with a little help from the July 4 holiday, he predicted that
Ratatouille would be as successful, if not more successful, than most
Pixar films.
The most successful of Pixar's seven previous releases was 2003's
Finding Nemo, with sales of $US340 million. It opened to $US70.3
million. A year later, The Incredibles kicked off with $US70.5
million, but lost steam and settled at $US261 million.
Both Ratatouille and The Incredibles were directed by Brad Bird. His
latest effort revolves around a Parisian rat named Remy who dreams of
gourmet stardom.
As usual with Pixar releases, critics heaped superlatives on the film.
But it was no secret that Disney faced a marketing challenge with the
movie: A rat in the kitchen raises hygiene concerns for some people.
Disney is still proving to investors that last year's acquisition of
Pixar is worth its $US7.4 billion price tag. Ratatouille is the first
Pixar film to be released that was still in production when the
Disney-Pixar deal was sealed.
UK Unit Launches New Visual Effects Division
(broadcastbuyer.tv) UNIT, one of the UK's leading
post-production and creative services companies, has launched UNIT
Effects, a new in-house visual effects division, which provides a full
range of 2D and 3D effects across all genres from commercials and HDTV
productions to 2k or 4k resolution films.
The division will be overseen by UNIT co-founder Roland Woolner,
formerly joint-MD of VFX company Split Image, who becomes Head of UNIT
Effects. Split Image was recently acquired by UNIT as part of a
six-figure Venture Capital investment, which has also enabled the
company to double its post-production and creative services operation,
making it the UK's leading Final Cut finishing house.
UNIT also announces the appointment of Charlie Cassidy as the
company's lead Visual Effects Artist. Cassidy will be responsible for
overseeing all of the division's visual effects projects. He joins
UNIT from Triangle Post Production where he led a team of designers
and animators creating idents and graphics for a number of broadcast
and advertising clients including MTV, Carlsberg and T-mobile.
AvP 2 TitleAannounced
(moviehole.net) Twentieth Century Fox has unveiled the new
title for the "Alien Vs. Predator" sequel.
According to Superhero Hype, it's….. "Aliens Vs. Predator" ('Aliens'
as opposed to 'Alien').
It took 'em twelve months to come up with that baby?
'Beowulf' Posters Rise
(cinematical.com) After reading the ancient tale of Beowulf in
school, let's just say that the old line from Annie Hall pretty much
sums it up for me. So, the new animated film from Robert Zemeckis
doesn't have to do much to improve my opinion. The Dutch film site
Film Focus now has a first look at the billboard and three posters for
the film. But, unfortunately there is not all that much to see.
Although even I can recognize Angelina Jolie at 20 paces -- plus the
pose seemed to have a touch of Tomb Raider. Based on the medieval epic
about a warrior king, the film has an all-star cast that includes Ray
Winstone as the warrior Beowulf, Robin Wright Penn, John Malkovich,
Anthony Hopkins, and Crispin Glover as the monster Grendel. The script
was written by author Neil Gaiman who definitely knows his way around
a mythical battle.
Zemeckis seems to have been bitten by the animation bug in general,
having just set up an animation shop at Disney for a series of
animated family films that will probably be a little more kid-friendly
than what he has in store for Beowulf -- Grendel's looking pretty
creepy and Jolie's curves seem to be venturing into Jessica Rabbit
territory. The 3-D film was set to premiere at the Venice film
festival before WB announced that they were bowing out of the festival
because the film was not finished yet. Hopefully Zemeckis can keep the
film on track for release on November 16th as promised.
Take a look: http://www.filmfocus.nl/specials/item3.php?id=9337
'Titanic' Movie Studio Sinks
(thelog.com) ROSARITO BEACH, MEXICO - The sprawling Baja
California movie studio that was the 1996 production site of "Titanic"
has been sold by 20th Century Fox to Baja Acquisitions, a private
investment firm.
Once home to several Hollywood-style blockbuster movies, Fox Studios
Baja has not been used in recent years for any movie productions,
large or small.
Instead, under the name Foxploration, it has been promoted as a
tourist attraction, drawing from its connection to "Titanic," which
won 11 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director and ranks as
the most successful film of all time domestically.
The large water-based production facility was built specifically for
director James Cameron's $200 million filming of "Titanic." The studio
created a financial boon for Northern Baja California and San Diego
during the movie's two-year shoot. Several thousand extras, production
aides and a wide range of vendors and service providers were employed
during that time.
"We weren't too surprised (at the sale)," said Cathy Anderson of the
San Diego Film Commission. "When you looked at Fox's project list, you
knew there simply wasn't enough production to sustain the property,
especially given the magnitude of the studio."
Known as Fox Studios Baja, the 46-acre facility is located on valuable
oceanfront property, several miles south of the resort town of
Rosarito Beach. It was also the home of "Master and Commander: The Far
Side of the World" starring Russell Crowe, as well as "Pearl Harbor"
and the James Bond saga "Tomorrow Never Dies."
The reported cash transaction was listed as being in the "eight
figures." No other financial details were available.
Anderson estimated the studio generated $70 million for the Baja
California and San Diego economies during the studio's prime years.
As for the property's future, "nobody knows," she said. "We hope it's
for increased (film) production, but I'm guessing it's a real estate
deal."
Transformer Mountain Dew Commercial by Digital Domain
(forums.cgsociety.org)
http://stashmedia.tv/feed/DD_DewToaster.mov
'Superman' Sequel Pushed Back Even Further
(cinematical.com) If you're one of the people who enjoyed
Bryan Singer's version of the Man of Steel story and were anxiously
awaiting his next trip to Metropolis for a sequel to Superman Returns,
your wait may have gotten a bit longer. According to Rotten Tomatoes,
producing partners Neil Meron and Craig Zadan are moving forward with
Singer directing their pet project, a biopic of slain gay right
activist Harvey Milk called The Mayor of Castro Street, as soon as
Singer finishes with his current film -- the WWII story Valkyrie.
According to them, their film could be Singer's next project, no
matter what may have been announced previously. So, what about a
Superman sequel? "The next Superman, that's a ways off," claimed
Meron, with Zadan adding. "Don't worry about it. Trust me." As for
Singer, as we previously reported, he has maintained he would direct
the sequel to Superman Returns, currently titled Superman: The Man Of
Steel, and that it would be his next project after Valkyrie. But he
has also been attached to a Logan's Run remake and has apparently also
been attached to The Mayor of Castro Street for two years already.
So, with the director being so busy and apparently being pulled in
several directions at once, the question has to be asked: is he going
to try and do them all? If so, that's a tall order to be sure and
something that would undoubtedly take a great deal of time and effort.
Although, with Singer possibly off the Logan's Run remake, that does
free up some time in his schedule. Maybe he feels he can now squeeze
in the smaller Harvey Milk biopic between Valkyrie and a Superman
sequel? Whatever he ends up doing, I just hope he remembers to find
some time to sleep.
Sunshine Behind-the-Scenes VFX
(shocktillyoudrop.com) July is upon us and Danny Boyle's
superb sci-fi thriller Sunshine is just around the corner to heat
things up. Fox Searchlight has taken some care to intellectually
associate the film's sun fixation with the pyrotechnics team Sam and
Richard Conway in a brief making-of featurette that looks at
Sunshine's snap, crackle and pop FX.
Take a look: http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=685
Near Death Optioned
(scifi.com) Fox Searchlight has optioned Carter Blanchard's SF
spec script Near Death, with Aaron Kaplan and Sean Perrone attached to
produce, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The story is described as a psychological thriller set in the world of
near-death experiences.
Becoming King Kong - Weta Workshop : Workshop Weekend
(kongisking.net) 1.30 – 4pm Prosthetics Seminar – Gino Acevedo
A prosthetics presentation aimed at those with a special interest in
make-up for film. Weta Workshop's Senior Prosthetics Supervisor and
Visual Creature Effects Art Director Gino Acevedo will take a seminar
in special make-up, prosthetics. Gino designed the prosthetic make-ups
for Skull Island Natives on King Kong he also oversaw the special
makeup requirements that Weta Workshop provided for The Lord of the
Rings trilogy. This intensive presentation is aimed at those with a
special interest in make-up for film. Cost NZ$35 dollars. Numbers:50
maximum.
IMPORTANT: To reserve your place please email mary.kibblewhite@huttcity.govt.nz
VFX Crunch Time: Insane Hours A "Badge of Honor" ?
(fxguide.com) It started as almost a joke, before it became
the current nightmare. Artists are expected to work insane hours and
have no time off or weekends, all to produce incredibly cool work.
Lack of sleep and loss of weekends were proudly joked about - even
held up like some badge of honor that their project was so important
and so cool that the team did not sleep to get it done. There was more
than a hint of indestructible youth showing off, that one was fueled
on caffeine, red bull and never seeing daylight. It was cool to be in
post and this was a rite of passage. However, a rite of passage is a
ritual that marks a change , a coming of age, a transition to having
earned the next level of respect.
A decade or so later and still no respect has been forthcoming. The
hours are long, the pay seems to be going down, not up, and there
appears to be less respect for the heroic efforts required to meet
these post schedules. As Cohen explains to fxguide's Jeff Heusser,
artists that started with the advent of digital effects are now
entering their late 30s and 40s and they want a normal life. There are
no longer content to have no private life and nomadically move from
continent to continent for 6 month at a time of grueling work.
Especially as the reason people got into the business was to produce
exceptional work, and increasingly the concern is that these
unrelenting schedules are adversely effecting the quality of the
actual shots.
More: http://www.fxguide.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=439
Does Disney Still Have A Friend In Pixar?
(dealbreaker.com) Is an incremental $300mm in revenue and
under $200mm in net income a year worth $7.4bn, and is this
performance even sustainable? That's the question many analysts are
asking about Disney and Pixar after Ratatouille raked in (a mere?)
$47mm on opening weekend.
The movie debuted #1 in domestic box office and faced competition from
Bruce Willis' titanium-enhanced musculoskeletal system (if you catch
Live Free or Die Hard you'll know what I'm talking about) and Steve
Carell's giant career mistake, but still turned out to be Pixar's
worst opening weekend in 9 years. Also, at a projected domestic gross
of under $200mm, Ratatouille will be the 3rd straight Pixar movie to
fall short of its predecessor.
Analysts like Merrill's Jessica Rief Cohen were bullish on Disney's
post-Pixar prospects at the time of the acquisition in January 2006,
even though many thought the move wouldn't be accretive until 2008. In
retrospect, almost everyone agrees that the Pixar deal was pricey, and
that Jobs cashed out at Pixar's peak valuation, but there are
lingering disagreements as to whether Pixar amounts to a net positive
as a Disney brand.
Seeking Alpha concedes that the Pixar deal was expensive, but that the
unit focuses the mouse's media division more on content and less on
distribution. The argument here is that it's much tougher for a giant
like Disney to remain on the forefront of ever changing distribution
methods, but valuable content is indispensable regardless of how it's
delivered to the masses. The intellectual property/content business
also takes maximum advantage of Disney's scale.
Snow White and Coraline: Animation's Past and Future
(blog.oregonlive.com) Friday night found a goodly crowd in
the Newmark theater for a screening of "Snow White and the Seven
Dwarves" introduced by historian (and Oscar-winning animator) John
Canemaker. The film was absolutely gorgeous: a carefully and
respectfully restored print with luxurious color that brought out all
the amazing detail of the drawings (paintings, really) and the vivid
animation (particularly of the forest animals who befriend the
heroine). Afterward, Marge Champion, the spry 88-year-old dancer,
choreographer and actress, sat with Canemaker to reflect on what it
was like when, as a 13-year-old, she was selected by Walt Disney to be
the live-motion model for the animators working on the Snow White
character. You couldn't help but be charmed.
Saturday I finally managed to collapse and took in only one event, but
it was a doozy: Henry Selick, who moved here three years ago to become
the chief creative force at Laika, showed a reel of his career
highlights ("A Nightmare Before Christmas," "James and the Giant
Peach," MTV promo clips, the animated fishies from "The Life Aquatic")
and then walked the audience through the development of the lead
character of "Coraline," which is set to be Laika's first feature.
Selick was interviewed by Portland writer and filmmaker David Walker,
and the current king of local animation was funny and interesting,
enthusiastic about his career ("I get to see miracles every day") and
about the festival and his relatively new home town.
(syfyportal.com) Its script may only have been completed recently, but according to
TrekToday, it looks like "Star Trek XI" is getting the express
treatment as Paramount Pictures has already begun looking for
locations to begin filming.
The Reykavik-based newspaper DV confirmed that representatives of
Paramount are actively working with the local Icelandic film company
Sagafilm in order to find suitable filming locations for the 11th
movie outing of the franchise. The company has previously collaborated
with MGM in order to find locations for the James Bond series and also
assisted with "Tomb Raider" and "Batman Begins."
Over the last few years, Iceland has become a very popular location
for film studios to carry out production due to a tax break introduced
by the Icelandic government which entitled production companies to
claim back up to 14 percent of their production costs. Much of the
landscape also remains unspoiled by modern construction meaning it has
become an ideal location for large-scale sweeping scenes that many
blockbuster movies tend to go for.
"Star Trek XI" will reportedly relive the earliest adventures of Capt.
Kirk and Spock, however what those adventures entail has not yet been
announced. Casting decisions on the project are set to be announced at
San Diego Comic Con next month and the movie is already slated for a
December 2008 launch.
While it might seem a bit early to be scouting locations, filming for
the next Star Trek feature is expected to begin in November, so this
is about the right time to be scouting new locations.
Bold Films pairing with VFX House Orphanage to produce "Legion"
(FrightWire.com) Bold Films is pairing with visual effects
house the Orphanage to produce "Legion," a supernatural thriller that
marks the directorial debut of Scott Stewart. Shooting begins in the
fall.
Stewart is the co-founder of the Orphanage, whose recent visual
effects resume includes "Live Free and Die Hard," "Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End," "Superman Returns" and "Sin City." Bold
Films will finance the film, with Michel Litvak and David Lancaster
producing and Gary Michael Walters exec producing.
Story follows a group of strangers stranded in a desert truckstop who
must band together to stop an army of demonic creatures out to fulfill
an ancient prophecy that opens the gates of hell.
"Scott's vast cutting-edge experience will give the film a highly
stylized visual quality," said Bold's Litvak.
Velvet Octopus is selling foreign at Cannes.
Scott Stewart on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0829820/
Ratatouille - Disney / Pixar's First Real Box Office Disappointment
(stuff.co.nz) A rat chased millions of moviegoers into US
theatres, but the furry star of Ratatouille also whipped up one of the
worst openings in the history of Walt Disney Co's cartoon powerhouse
Pixar Animation.
According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, Ratatouille about a
rat who aspires to become a gourmet chef sold $US47.2 million worth of
tickets during its first three days. It took the No. 1 slot ahead of
the new Bruce Willis movie Live Free or Die Hard with $US33.2 million.
It was the lowest opening for a Pixar-produced release since the
studio's second effort, A Bug's Life, launched with $US33.3 million in
1998 on its way to a $US163 million total.
By contrast last year's Pixar entry, Cars, drove off with $US60.1
million - a figure regarded as something of a disappointment - and
finished with $US244 million.
If Ratatouille follows the same pattern as Cars, it will gross about
$US189 million, becoming the third consecutive Pixar release to
underperform its predecessor. But Disney was confident Ratatouille
would easily pass $US200 million
.
Opening weekend predictions among financial analysts for Ratatouille
had ranged from $US50 million to $US65 million. But movie industry
polling had a more realistic target in the low $US40 million range,
according to Chuck Viane, Disney's president of domestic theatrical
distribution.
TOUGH COMPETITION
Viane said the competition was unprecedented, with Ratatouille boxed
in by Live Free or Die Hard, which got a two-day head start by opening
on Wednesday, and by the Monday night release of the hotly anticipated
Transformers.
Still, with a little help from the July 4 holiday, he predicted that
Ratatouille would be as successful, if not more successful, than most
Pixar films.
The most successful of Pixar's seven previous releases was 2003's
Finding Nemo, with sales of $US340 million. It opened to $US70.3
million. A year later, The Incredibles kicked off with $US70.5
million, but lost steam and settled at $US261 million.
Both Ratatouille and The Incredibles were directed by Brad Bird. His
latest effort revolves around a Parisian rat named Remy who dreams of
gourmet stardom.
As usual with Pixar releases, critics heaped superlatives on the film.
But it was no secret that Disney faced a marketing challenge with the
movie: A rat in the kitchen raises hygiene concerns for some people.
Disney is still proving to investors that last year's acquisition of
Pixar is worth its $US7.4 billion price tag. Ratatouille is the first
Pixar film to be released that was still in production when the
Disney-Pixar deal was sealed.
UK Unit Launches New Visual Effects Division
(broadcastbuyer.tv) UNIT, one of the UK's leading
post-production and creative services companies, has launched UNIT
Effects, a new in-house visual effects division, which provides a full
range of 2D and 3D effects across all genres from commercials and HDTV
productions to 2k or 4k resolution films.
The division will be overseen by UNIT co-founder Roland Woolner,
formerly joint-MD of VFX company Split Image, who becomes Head of UNIT
Effects. Split Image was recently acquired by UNIT as part of a
six-figure Venture Capital investment, which has also enabled the
company to double its post-production and creative services operation,
making it the UK's leading Final Cut finishing house.
UNIT also announces the appointment of Charlie Cassidy as the
company's lead Visual Effects Artist. Cassidy will be responsible for
overseeing all of the division's visual effects projects. He joins
UNIT from Triangle Post Production where he led a team of designers
and animators creating idents and graphics for a number of broadcast
and advertising clients including MTV, Carlsberg and T-mobile.
AvP 2 TitleAannounced
(moviehole.net) Twentieth Century Fox has unveiled the new
title for the "Alien Vs. Predator" sequel.
According to Superhero Hype, it's….. "Aliens Vs. Predator" ('Aliens'
as opposed to 'Alien').
It took 'em twelve months to come up with that baby?
'Beowulf' Posters Rise
(cinematical.com) After reading the ancient tale of Beowulf in
school, let's just say that the old line from Annie Hall pretty much
sums it up for me. So, the new animated film from Robert Zemeckis
doesn't have to do much to improve my opinion. The Dutch film site
Film Focus now has a first look at the billboard and three posters for
the film. But, unfortunately there is not all that much to see.
Although even I can recognize Angelina Jolie at 20 paces -- plus the
pose seemed to have a touch of Tomb Raider. Based on the medieval epic
about a warrior king, the film has an all-star cast that includes Ray
Winstone as the warrior Beowulf, Robin Wright Penn, John Malkovich,
Anthony Hopkins, and Crispin Glover as the monster Grendel. The script
was written by author Neil Gaiman who definitely knows his way around
a mythical battle.
Zemeckis seems to have been bitten by the animation bug in general,
having just set up an animation shop at Disney for a series of
animated family films that will probably be a little more kid-friendly
than what he has in store for Beowulf -- Grendel's looking pretty
creepy and Jolie's curves seem to be venturing into Jessica Rabbit
territory. The 3-D film was set to premiere at the Venice film
festival before WB announced that they were bowing out of the festival
because the film was not finished yet. Hopefully Zemeckis can keep the
film on track for release on November 16th as promised.
Take a look: http://www.filmfocus.nl/specials/item3.php?id=9337
'Titanic' Movie Studio Sinks
(thelog.com) ROSARITO BEACH, MEXICO - The sprawling Baja
California movie studio that was the 1996 production site of "Titanic"
has been sold by 20th Century Fox to Baja Acquisitions, a private
investment firm.
Once home to several Hollywood-style blockbuster movies, Fox Studios
Baja has not been used in recent years for any movie productions,
large or small.
Instead, under the name Foxploration, it has been promoted as a
tourist attraction, drawing from its connection to "Titanic," which
won 11 Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director and ranks as
the most successful film of all time domestically.
The large water-based production facility was built specifically for
director James Cameron's $200 million filming of "Titanic." The studio
created a financial boon for Northern Baja California and San Diego
during the movie's two-year shoot. Several thousand extras, production
aides and a wide range of vendors and service providers were employed
during that time.
"We weren't too surprised (at the sale)," said Cathy Anderson of the
San Diego Film Commission. "When you looked at Fox's project list, you
knew there simply wasn't enough production to sustain the property,
especially given the magnitude of the studio."
Known as Fox Studios Baja, the 46-acre facility is located on valuable
oceanfront property, several miles south of the resort town of
Rosarito Beach. It was also the home of "Master and Commander: The Far
Side of the World" starring Russell Crowe, as well as "Pearl Harbor"
and the James Bond saga "Tomorrow Never Dies."
The reported cash transaction was listed as being in the "eight
figures." No other financial details were available.
Anderson estimated the studio generated $70 million for the Baja
California and San Diego economies during the studio's prime years.
As for the property's future, "nobody knows," she said. "We hope it's
for increased (film) production, but I'm guessing it's a real estate
deal."
Transformer Mountain Dew Commercial by Digital Domain
(forums.cgsociety.org)
http://stashmedia.tv/feed/DD_DewToaster.mov
'Superman' Sequel Pushed Back Even Further
(cinematical.com) If you're one of the people who enjoyed
Bryan Singer's version of the Man of Steel story and were anxiously
awaiting his next trip to Metropolis for a sequel to Superman Returns,
your wait may have gotten a bit longer. According to Rotten Tomatoes,
producing partners Neil Meron and Craig Zadan are moving forward with
Singer directing their pet project, a biopic of slain gay right
activist Harvey Milk called The Mayor of Castro Street, as soon as
Singer finishes with his current film -- the WWII story Valkyrie.
According to them, their film could be Singer's next project, no
matter what may have been announced previously. So, what about a
Superman sequel? "The next Superman, that's a ways off," claimed
Meron, with Zadan adding. "Don't worry about it. Trust me." As for
Singer, as we previously reported, he has maintained he would direct
the sequel to Superman Returns, currently titled Superman: The Man Of
Steel, and that it would be his next project after Valkyrie. But he
has also been attached to a Logan's Run remake and has apparently also
been attached to The Mayor of Castro Street for two years already.
So, with the director being so busy and apparently being pulled in
several directions at once, the question has to be asked: is he going
to try and do them all? If so, that's a tall order to be sure and
something that would undoubtedly take a great deal of time and effort.
Although, with Singer possibly off the Logan's Run remake, that does
free up some time in his schedule. Maybe he feels he can now squeeze
in the smaller Harvey Milk biopic between Valkyrie and a Superman
sequel? Whatever he ends up doing, I just hope he remembers to find
some time to sleep.
Sunshine Behind-the-Scenes VFX
(shocktillyoudrop.com) July is upon us and Danny Boyle's
superb sci-fi thriller Sunshine is just around the corner to heat
things up. Fox Searchlight has taken some care to intellectually
associate the film's sun fixation with the pyrotechnics team Sam and
Richard Conway in a brief making-of featurette that looks at
Sunshine's snap, crackle and pop FX.
Take a look: http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=685
Near Death Optioned
(scifi.com) Fox Searchlight has optioned Carter Blanchard's SF
spec script Near Death, with Aaron Kaplan and Sean Perrone attached to
produce, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The story is described as a psychological thriller set in the world of
near-death experiences.
Becoming King Kong - Weta Workshop : Workshop Weekend
(kongisking.net) 1.30 – 4pm Prosthetics Seminar – Gino Acevedo
A prosthetics presentation aimed at those with a special interest in
make-up for film. Weta Workshop's Senior Prosthetics Supervisor and
Visual Creature Effects Art Director Gino Acevedo will take a seminar
in special make-up, prosthetics. Gino designed the prosthetic make-ups
for Skull Island Natives on King Kong he also oversaw the special
makeup requirements that Weta Workshop provided for The Lord of the
Rings trilogy. This intensive presentation is aimed at those with a
special interest in make-up for film. Cost NZ$35 dollars. Numbers:50
maximum.
IMPORTANT: To reserve your place please email mary.kibblewhite@huttcity.govt.nz
VFX Crunch Time: Insane Hours A "Badge of Honor" ?
(fxguide.com) It started as almost a joke, before it became
the current nightmare. Artists are expected to work insane hours and
have no time off or weekends, all to produce incredibly cool work.
Lack of sleep and loss of weekends were proudly joked about - even
held up like some badge of honor that their project was so important
and so cool that the team did not sleep to get it done. There was more
than a hint of indestructible youth showing off, that one was fueled
on caffeine, red bull and never seeing daylight. It was cool to be in
post and this was a rite of passage. However, a rite of passage is a
ritual that marks a change , a coming of age, a transition to having
earned the next level of respect.
A decade or so later and still no respect has been forthcoming. The
hours are long, the pay seems to be going down, not up, and there
appears to be less respect for the heroic efforts required to meet
these post schedules. As Cohen explains to fxguide's Jeff Heusser,
artists that started with the advent of digital effects are now
entering their late 30s and 40s and they want a normal life. There are
no longer content to have no private life and nomadically move from
continent to continent for 6 month at a time of grueling work.
Especially as the reason people got into the business was to produce
exceptional work, and increasingly the concern is that these
unrelenting schedules are adversely effecting the quality of the
actual shots.
More: http://www.fxguide.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=439
Does Disney Still Have A Friend In Pixar?
(dealbreaker.com) Is an incremental $300mm in revenue and
under $200mm in net income a year worth $7.4bn, and is this
performance even sustainable? That's the question many analysts are
asking about Disney and Pixar after Ratatouille raked in (a mere?)
$47mm on opening weekend.
The movie debuted #1 in domestic box office and faced competition from
Bruce Willis' titanium-enhanced musculoskeletal system (if you catch
Live Free or Die Hard you'll know what I'm talking about) and Steve
Carell's giant career mistake, but still turned out to be Pixar's
worst opening weekend in 9 years. Also, at a projected domestic gross
of under $200mm, Ratatouille will be the 3rd straight Pixar movie to
fall short of its predecessor.
Analysts like Merrill's Jessica Rief Cohen were bullish on Disney's
post-Pixar prospects at the time of the acquisition in January 2006,
even though many thought the move wouldn't be accretive until 2008. In
retrospect, almost everyone agrees that the Pixar deal was pricey, and
that Jobs cashed out at Pixar's peak valuation, but there are
lingering disagreements as to whether Pixar amounts to a net positive
as a Disney brand.
Seeking Alpha concedes that the Pixar deal was expensive, but that the
unit focuses the mouse's media division more on content and less on
distribution. The argument here is that it's much tougher for a giant
like Disney to remain on the forefront of ever changing distribution
methods, but valuable content is indispensable regardless of how it's
delivered to the masses. The intellectual property/content business
also takes maximum advantage of Disney's scale.
Snow White and Coraline: Animation's Past and Future
(blog.oregonlive.com) Friday night found a goodly crowd in
the Newmark theater for a screening of "Snow White and the Seven
Dwarves" introduced by historian (and Oscar-winning animator) John
Canemaker. The film was absolutely gorgeous: a carefully and
respectfully restored print with luxurious color that brought out all
the amazing detail of the drawings (paintings, really) and the vivid
animation (particularly of the forest animals who befriend the
heroine). Afterward, Marge Champion, the spry 88-year-old dancer,
choreographer and actress, sat with Canemaker to reflect on what it
was like when, as a 13-year-old, she was selected by Walt Disney to be
the live-motion model for the animators working on the Snow White
character. You couldn't help but be charmed.
Saturday I finally managed to collapse and took in only one event, but
it was a doozy: Henry Selick, who moved here three years ago to become
the chief creative force at Laika, showed a reel of his career
highlights ("A Nightmare Before Christmas," "James and the Giant
Peach," MTV promo clips, the animated fishies from "The Life Aquatic")
and then walked the audience through the development of the lead
character of "Coraline," which is set to be Laika's first feature.
Selick was interviewed by Portland writer and filmmaker David Walker,
and the current king of local animation was funny and interesting,
enthusiastic about his career ("I get to see miracles every day") and
about the festival and his relatively new home town.
