Techno Chaplin, Dambusters Damn Close, & Renderman for Watchmen...

Rhythm and Hues Seeks Partners for Co-Productions

(dnaindia.com)                MUMBAI: Rhythm and Hues, an academy award winning animation studio having large-scale outsourcing operations in India, is foraying into production of original content.

The Hollywood-based company, with operations in Mumbai and Hyderabad, will raise $100 million. The amount will then be used in various animated co-productions.

Prashant Babu Buyyala, managing director, Rhythm and Hues India, told DNA Money "We are currently putting together several ideas for original content. In the meanwhile, we are also taking to various studios in Hollywood as well as independent funds."

According to Buyyala, creating a full-length animation feature is expensive as it costs around $75-125 million. This makes it difficult for the company to independently finance a movie.

Currently, Rhythm and Hues gas 250 employees in its India facilities. The move to produce original content may see the company increasing its head count in the country.

Animation films have been doing well in the global box office in the past few years. According to Nasscom, the global animation market will be worth about $80 billion by 2010. This phenomenal growth will see vying for a significant slice of the outsourcing pie in animation and visual effects.

Rhythm and Hues is recognised internationally as one of Hollywood's top visual effects and animation facilities and has more than 100 feature films to its credit. It was awarded an Oscar for Achievement in Visual Effects at the 80th Annual Academy Awards in February for its animation and effects work for "The Golden Compass." It has done the VFX work for summer movies including The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and the Incredible Hulk. A large chunk of the special effects for these movies were carried out in its Indian studios.

Indiana Jones Top $700 Million Worldwide

(comingsoon.net)            Paramount Pictures and Lucasfilm Ltd.'s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, directed by Steven Spielberg, produced by Frank Marshall and executive produced by George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy, crossed the $300 million mark domestically yesterday -- and topped $400 million overseas last Friday. With a cumulative gross of more than $713 million to date it is the highest grossing worldwide release of 2008.

"Indy" gave Paramount's distribution arm its second $300 million plus release for summer 2008, joining Marvel Entertainment's Iron Man, which has grossed more than $309 million so far domestically (and almost $250 million overseas). Paramount becomes the first studio in movie history to release two back-to-back $300 million plus grossing films two years in a row. In 2007, two consecutive Paramount releases, DreamWorks Animation's Shrek the Third and DreamWorks/Paramount's Transformers, both surpassed $300 million domestically.

Who is BURN-E?

(slashfilm.com)              The DVD release of WALL-E will include a short film would be "very connected to WALL-E."

Pixar has done this in past releases with Mike's Car on Monster's Inc, Jack Jack Attack on The Incredibles, Mater and The Ghostlight with Cars, and Your Friend The Rat on Ratatouille. The short film on WALL-E will be titled BURN-E.

In the feature film there is a sequence where Eve and WALL-E fly around the Axiom Starliner, and enter through a door locking a poor welder bot on the outside of the ship. The bot bangs his fists against the door after he realizes that he has been locked out. You can watch a clip of the sequence here. Apparently the welder bot is actually named BURN-E, complete with a logo on the side of his head. If I were to guess, I would say the short film will follow BURN-E on his journey to break back into the Axiom.

BURN-E footage:  http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/06/25/burn-e-details-revealed/

Sony Pictures Imageworks Announces 2008/2009 Projects

(news.awn.com)             Sony Pictures Imageworks, the award-winning digital production company whose most recent project HANCOCK opens July 2, announced six major motion picture projects that are currently in production at the facility.

The films include:
--Action thriller EAGLE EYE for DreamWorks Pictures
--Mystery adventure WATCHMEN for Warner Bros. Pictures
--Dramatic thriller UNTITLED RIDLEY SCOTT FILM for Warner Bros. Pictures
--Family adventure G-FORCE, a Jerry Bruckheimer Production for Walt Disney Pictures
--Suspense thriller VALKYRIE for United Artists
--Animated comedy CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS for Sony Pictures Animation and Columbia Pictures

Earlier this year, Sony Pictures Imageworks completed work on the live-action SPEED RACER for Warner Bros. Pictures. In this high-octane family film, Imageworks created three racing sequences; the Desert Rally, Mountain Switchback and Snake's Demise.

Imageworks is also working on OPEN SEASON 2, Sony Pictures Animation's sequel to the $190 million hit OPEN SEASON for Sony Pictures Home Ent.

Each of these films presents unique stories and characters that challenge and inspire Imageworks artists.

Academy to Visit Modern Times With 'Techno Chaplin'

(vfxworld.com)             A screening of a digitally restored 35mm print of Charlie Chaplin's MODERN TIMES (1936) and an examination of rare behind-the-scenes photographs that reveal the techniques used in creating the film's special effects will be featured in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' "Techno Chaplin" program hosted by visual effects supervisor Craig Barron and silent film author John Bengtson on Thursday, July 24, at 8 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.

Presented by the Academy's Science and Technology Council, the program will examine Chaplin's significant use of technical effects such as matte shots, process shots, miniatures and rear projection to complement real-life industrial settings. The presentation also will include a multimedia tour of 1930s Los Angeles, offering a visual journey of the city that served as a backdrop in Chaplin's work.

Written, produced and directed by Chaplin, MODERN TIMES marks the final appearance of the Little Tramp and arguably the culmination of the silent film era. In the film, Chaplin portrays a factory worker struggling to adapt to life in a burgeoning industrial world.

Barron is a veteran of ILM and currently heads the Marin-based effects company Matte World Digital. He also serves on the Academy's Board of Governors (Visual Effects Branch).

Bengston, a lawyer and film historian, is the author of SILENT TRACES: DISCOVERING EARLY HOLLYWOOD THROUGH THE FILMS OF CHARLIE CHAPLIN AND ITS BUSTER KEATON COUNTERPART, SILENT ECHOES.

Established in 2003 by the Academy's Board of Governors, the Science and Technology Council provides a forum for the exchange of information, promotes cooperation among diverse technological interests within the industry, sponsors publications, fosters educational activities and preserves the history of science and technology of motion pictures.

Tickets to "Techno Chaplin" are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets are available for purchase by mail, at the Academy box office, or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open at 7 p.m. All seating is unreserved.

The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available through the entrance on Homewood Avenue (one block north of Fountain Avenue). For additional information, visit www.oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.

"Dambusters" Filming Set for Next Year

(stuff.co.nz)            Tintin and Dambusters are in Peter Jackson's sights - now that he has finished shooting The Lovely Bones.

The first of the three Tintin movies Jackson will make with Steven Spielberg will begin shooting in September, and filming is likely to begin on Dambusters early next year.

Actor Andy Serkis, who will play Captain Haddock in the Tintin films, told BBC radio that filming will begin in September in Los Angeles, with Spielberg as director and Jackson as producer.

Serkis, best known for Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, said Jackson will direct the second Tintin adventure, and Jackson and Spielberg may jointly direct the third.

A spokesman for Jackson told The Dominion Post shooting Dambusters was "likely to commence early next year".

Jackson's The Lovely Bones was in post production and would be released some time between September and November next year, he said.

Plans for Jackson's $US40 million movie about the the famous assault were announced in September 2006. Jackson, who is producing the Christian Rivers-directed film, has said shooting was possible this year.

British actor and writer Stephen Fry had written the script, a remake of the 1955 film The Dam Busters, but the cast still had to be announced.

At least a half-dozen other films made or partly made in New Zealand are due to be released later this year.

Vincent Ward's Rain of the Children, Simu Urale's Apron Strings and Gregory King's A Song of Good premiere in the Wellington and Auckland film festivals.

At least another six, including Titanic director James Cameron's Avatar, are due to be released next year.

Other films likely to be shot later this year included one on champion weightlifter Precious McKenzie and Wellington film-maker Taika Waititi's second feature The Volcano.

However, plans to start shooting Under the Mountain have been delayed after British company Capitol Films withdrew substantial funding for the project at the last minute.

The film version of Maurice Gee's novel, tipped to star Sam Neill and directed by Black Sheep's Jonathan King, was to have started shooting in Auckland last month and was then delayed till August.

But plans were now on hold while the writers and producers approach the Screen Production Investment Fund for more money.

King said they were waiting on a "key funding decision".

Films in various stages of development included Land of the Lost, Radio Pirates, Dominion Post cartoonist Tom Scott's Separation City and a film on race car champion Bruce McLaren.

Producer Tim Sanders (Whale Rider and Perfect Creature) earlier this year said he was working on six potential projects, including a $US100 million sci-fi film and a $20 million feature on the life of Jean Baptiste Pompallier, the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Auckland.

George Lucas Will Change The Way Hollywood Works — Again

(io9.com)                 Welcome to Hollywood Slavebots, a new column where I'll uncover the seedy underverse of scifi Hollywood to show you how money-grubbing studios, bad contracts and bickering execs will change your scifi entertainment future. Thirty years ago, George Lucas changed Hollywood forever, with the original Star Wars. Now he's trying to do it again, with a new animated Star Wars series, Clone Wars, which broke all the studios' rules for how TV and movies are created. Click through for details, plus a gallery of new Clone Wars concept art.

It's no secret that Star Wars is a cash machine. You slap a picture of a light saber on a box of Ritz crackers or a footie pajamas and you can bet I will buy (or already own it). So what happens when you take all that reputation and hard earned merchandising money and start to throw your weight around? You get your own television show that will air it's first three episodes on the big screen, called Clone Wars.

Lucas did just that with his new Star Wars baby, Clone Wars. In an article in the New York Times Lucas described how he bypassed the usual studio system for greenlighting projects.

    "It's much easier for me to just do the show I want, say, 'Here it is, do you wish to license it or not?' " Mr. Lucas said. "That's it. There's no notes, no comments. I don't care what your opinion is. You either put it on the air or you don't."

So he got exactly what he wanted, but the only catch was he had to finance it all himself. Still he managed to get his own television series (which is appearing on the Cartoon Network and TNT next fall) and a movie premiere for the first three episodes. The President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it best,

    "He does it in a way that might begin as self-serving and then of course is a bonanza for the whole industry," [he has an]"an intuition that he stubbornly sticks by."

What is going to happen if this business model becomes a trend? It's got positive and negative sides. On the positive side, had this been institutionalized early on Blade Runner would never have had that god-awful voice-over. Same goes for loads of other scifi movies. No more tacked on studio-sappy happy endings or changing the race of a character to reach a particular demographic group. for example, Jurassic Park: The Lost World's sassy black daughter of Ian Malcolm, who was white in the book.

But then you get the flip side of this argument, like CGI gophers. You know no one else wanted CGI gophers in the new Indiana Jones just Lucas, they served no purpose other than to show people his fancy new technology. And sure I'm excited for Watchmen, no I don't want to see 3 hours of it. But if Zack Snyder imposed a "take it or leave it" clause, you can bet your last pair of Star Wars jammies studios would take it.

Source:  http://io9.com/5020886/george-lucas-will-change-the-way-hollywood-works--again

Both 'Hobbit' Films May Not Be Shot At Once

(scifiwire.com)               Even though pre-production for the motion picture based on "The Hobbit" hasn't even begun, rumors have been flying that there will be not be one, but two films based on the classic work of J.R.R. Tolkien, according to SciFi Wire.

However, Guillermo del Toro, who will direct the franchise film (or films), considers this speculation to be premature.

"We believe there is a second movie," he said during a recent appearance while promoting "Hellboy II: The Golden Army." "If there isn't, there will not be. If we find it, we will shoot it, but by God, if we do not find it, we will not shoot it."

If there are two films, the chances of them being shot back-to-back like Peter Jackson did with the Lord of the Rings earlier in the decade is unlikely.

"I am anxious to shoot the book, and I'm willing and able to dedicate myself to shooting the second film," del Toro said. "It is too early right now to say."

According to published reports, the first film will bring to life the events in Tolkien's original book published in 1937, "The Hobbit, Or There and Back Again." Del Toro said that this is his favorite of all Tolkien's books.

If there is a second movie, it is expected to link "The Hobbit" to the first part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "The Fellowship of the Ring."

"Four books are in the domain of the copyright, and there are appendices and ideas and things that can be traced without risk, but I have to be careful not to overstep," del Toro said. "We believe there is a way to create this film and make it interesting, but it's too early."

Del Toro and Jackson, who is serving as producer and co-writer for the "Hobbit" movies, are meeting with studio executives to sort out how to proceed.

What Will Happen When Special Effects Aren't Special Anymore?

(ptdmagazine.com)             My son and I went to see The Hulk when the new Marvel Studio film opened in Oklahoma City recently, and we were both impressed with the seamless nature of the CGI elements in the movie. As we drove away from the theater, we started talking about how filming technology has evolved, making films like The Hulk and Ironman possible. I told him about the 'gee-whiz' feeling I had when I saw Star Wars for the first time in a little movie theater in Sugarland, Texas back in the late 70s, and we started brainstorming about the future of film. Soon, popular stars will develop that are completely created - that is, their voices and features will be entirely generated by computers. With the inevitable improvements occurring in CGI, soon movie-goers won't be able to tell the difference between live actors and computer-generated characters. And suddenly, we'll have 'actors' who can look the same for literally hundreds of years. Imagine a storyline that spans a couple of centuries - or even a millennium - it could happen.

But what happens when the 'gee-whiz' wears off? My grandchildren will take CGI technology for granted, because they'll grow up in a time when it's the norm, instead of something that's new and exciting. I'll admit, I've gone to a few films where the only redeeming quality was the power of its special effects. But what will happen when special effects aren't 'special' anymore?

That's easy - writing will become more important again. The story will become more critical to the success of a film than its visuals. Hollywood comes full circle.

Just think about the 'website craze' when the Internet was relatively new to public use. A million sites sprang up that had plenty of flash - but no real content. Predictably, those content-poor websites withered on the vine, and justly so. As the World Wide Web has become more mature, the emphasis has shifted away from sites with scrolling marquees to sites that are content-rich. Only the strong survive.

The same thing will happen in film. Great CGI effects won't be enough to keep an audience's attention. In fact today, the best movie is the one with both: great special effects and a great storyline. Marvel's Spider-man franchise is a good example.

So, I'm excited about the future of film. As a person who would rather read a well-written book than see a poorly-written movie, I'll welcome the soon-to-appear improvement in scripts and dialogue.

And besides, with all this new CGI wizardry, maybe someone will be brave enough to make a movie of the Foundation Trilogy. You could stretch that excellent storyline over a couple of centuries!

Who Renders The Watchmen?

(rottentomatoes.com)                   Zack Snyder won the Saturn award for 300, but all the talk at the Sci-Fi ceremony was of Watchmen. Still battling for his three hour cut, Snyder also revealed how much of the film's visual effects work is completed.

"I think the version I have right now has maybe two real Dr. Manhattan shots in it and they're not even done," said Snyder. "There are two shots that don't look like Billy [Crudup] in the light suit in the movie."

With the movie less than a year away (March 2009), shouldn't they be a little closer? "The visual effects supervisor is totally on it. I mean, exploratory of Manhattan and all that stuff has been happening and it's super cool."

Pixar Animation Studios Presents "New Technologies in Animation"

(stayfamous.blogspot.com)                Imagine a world where anything is possible, a place where everything is imagined, and nothing is beyond the realm of your creativity. When Computer Generated (CG) animation emerged, it revolutionized the way we watched movies. It brought the world of cartoons and 3-D special effects to life with stunning realism. And for filmmakers, it made telling the story a whole new adventure.

On Friday, May 2 representatives from Pixar Animation Studios held the "New Technologies in Animation Forum" at the 2008 Syracuse International Film Festival. The two-hour event, hosted at the Museum of Science and Technology (Syracuse, NY), featured a behind-the-scenes look at some of Disney-Pixar's most memorable feature films. From "Ratatouille" (2007) to the movie trailer for the newly released film "Wall-E" (2008), the forum showed a side of the production process that few people truly understand.

The Event
For the second year in a row, every seat in the Bristol IMAX Omnitheater at the Museum of Science and Technology was filled by area high school students, as well as the general public. Students from Greater Syracuse Area schools including Heninger, Corcoran, Fowler, Nottingham, and Fayetteville Manlius were in attendance. State Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli, who helped bring about the event (with the help of a grant), spoke to the audience saying, "animation is the perfect combination of art, creativity, and technology."

This year's special guest speakers from Pixar, Dylan Brown (Supervising Animator) and Cynthia Slavens (Post Production Supervisor), discussed the process of making animated feature films and working for one of the top studios in the world. They also provided the audience with an amusing slideshow of the company's offices in Emeryville, California.

About Pixar Studios
It doesn't take long to realize that Pixar is a place where anyone in Hollywood would want to work. The company prides itself on having fun and being creative. From a "battle of the bands" competition between departments, to cubicles designed by the animators themselves, they have created a customized office environment that is made for learning and collaboration. They even provide their employees with an assortment of "free cereal," to make their workday feel just a little more like home.

But when it comes to the production process, Pixar isn't playing around. Their high-tech digital projection theater (complete with sound provided by THX Ltd.) is a state-of-the-art facility designed to provide the very best viewing experience for actors, directors, and animators.

The Animation Process
The process of making an animated feature film like "Ratatouilli" can take years to develop. From the initial idea, to the treatment and script, each stage in the process adds a layer of complexity, as the tale makes its way from storyboard to the final rendering of the film for theatrical release and eventually DVD, Blu-Ray, Cable TV, Video-on-Demand, and a host of other formats for international markets.

All along the way, animators are working to ensure that there is the right balance of realism with the creative license to imagine something truly unique, original, and out-of-the-ordinary.

Dylan Brown (Supervising Animator at Pixar) discussed the way filmmakers study movement and the human form. He described the intense research that animators used when creating "Ratatouille," even going so far as observing real chefs in their restaurants to understand the nuances of their work. In the end, he said, "You have to understand it, before you can recreate it."

From the "triangle motif" that runs throughout the film, to the authenticity of the spoons, every detail in the creation of "Ratatouille" was closely scrutinized. Did you know for example that Remy's shape was inspired by the 1990's rapper, M.C. Hammer's parachute pants, or that 15 shots in the theatrical version of "Ratatouille" were modified for DVD release, because the wine bottle wasn't accurately represented in some of the scenes?

The "New Technologies in Animation Forum" at the Syracuse International Film Festival is a fascinating annual event that brings some of the best creative minds in Hollywood, together with people from all over the world, who share a genuine love for cinema.

For more information on the Syracuse International Film Festival and the "New Technologies in Animation Forum," including ticket information and how you can become involved, visit: http://www.syrfilm.com/.

ILM Alumnus Masi Oka Gets Smart at Apple San Francisco Store

(8asians.com)              I just read about Masi Oka in Angry Asian Man, which was on a piece in The San Francisco Chronicle's "Tech Cronicles, "Masi Oka gets smart at the Apple store":

    "Masi Oka, who you may know from the hit NBC show Heroes, made an appearance Wednesday night at the downtown San Francisco Apple store to promote the summer flick "Get Smart." Oka, along with Nate Torrence, also star in a special Get Smart DVD, "Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control," which of course will be available on iTunes. In an interview, Oka, a former programmer for George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic, chatted about how he owns seven Macintosh computers, including a MacBook Pro and G5. He also plans to purchase the new iPhone 3G, although he had hoped it would be available on other cell phone networks besides AT&T."

Too bad I didn't hear about Masi being in San Francisco, since I am big fan of Heroes and of Masi ! I was able to meet James Kyson Lee, Masi's Heroes sidekick, Ando, last year at APA 5's Inspire in San Francisco.

I have a friend who used to work for Industrial Light & Magic who knew Masi when he was a software developer at ILM and remembers him leaving to try to pursue a career in Hollywood. As you know, the chances of breaking out in Hollywood are pretty slim - and a LOT slimmer if you are an Asian American male actor. (and as Survivor winner Yul Kwon has often noted, a lot of Asian American men play foreigners on TV or film - i.e. Asians (who don't speak English or English poorly) rather than Asian Americans).

I haven't seen Get Smart, the movie, yet, but do want to. However, I'm a little concerned that Masi is sort of playing a somewhat stereotypical R&D gadget inventor/scientist. Then again, Masi did get a bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Brown.