Winston Studios Lives On, Host 2 Funded, & Pixar Builds "Burn-E"...
Stan Winston Studios To Live On (aintitcoo.com)
Two days after Stan Winston passed we at AICN were
contacted by Shane Mahan and Lindsay Macgowan, two of Stan Winston's
partners in Stan Winston Studios. They had read the initial report and
obituary that I wrote and were following along with our tribute as
stories about Mr. Winston came in. It
turns out they wanted to talk to one of us in order to give their
thoughts of Stan, share some memories and let all of you in on what
will happen with Stan Winston Studios from here on out. Lindsay Macgowan: So the studio is going to continue.
We are not stopping, because as we said in an announcement that went
out yesterday, that before Stan passed away, we had been talking for
quite a long time, a number of years actually, about becoming partners
with him. Now of course, the plan has slightly changed, but we are
continuing the studio with his blessing. It's now going to be called
The Winston Effects Group that will be a partnership between Shane,
John Rosengrant, Alan Scott, and myself. Quint: Great. You guys I assume will be continuing with the same kind of dedication obviously that Stan would have imposed. Lindsay Macgowan: Absolutely. The sort of work that we have done in the past, we have absolutely every intention of…
Shane Mahan: I actually wanted to start slacking off a bit, but the boys won't let me. [Everyone Laughs] Shane
Mahan: The thing is, is that in actual fact, Stan has been out of the
pressure pot of filming for some time now… When he got ill obviously, I
think A.I. was the last time he had been on set under work requirements
.We have been doing all the things he used to do anyway and he wanted
to… You know, he didn't want to admit that he couldn't be a part of
great projects anymore. It's a very hard thing to admit your own
mortality and give up something that you love to do, but he also wanted
to have a legacy of work and the great artists and look, there are
great artists all around the world, but we really feel like we are
lucky. The team that is here at the studio, which is sometimes up to a
hundred people, depending on how many projects are happening at once,
There are tremendous artists that are here and so it's a very creative
hub and there's no reason to have it stop.
Quint: Definitely. I remember when ILM closed up it's practical
effects division, it just felt like there are only a few shining
examples of practical effects work left and I think that that is still
incredibly important to film. Some of the comments for people were like
"Great, now that Stan is gone that means that CG is really going to
overtake filmmaking as that tool." Shane
Mahan: You are always going to have different levels of the
participation of what types of effects are in them. When you have big
blockbuster movies, obviously larger portions of the budget are going
to go to visual effects, just naturally. All
we can do is contribute to what grounds and makes those visual effects
seem more realistic, and do what we can to make that leap. The
commercial world, on the other hand, relies almost entirely on physical
effects and you would be surprised at how many really creative
directors in the commercial world that prefer and like to do things in
camera still, which is a nice thing to have. Phil Joanu is one of them.
We work with him a lot and he does a lot of things… he loves to do in
camera effects. It's really a matter of still just being able to help
producers and directors tell great stories. We are never going to be
gluttons for punishment and take on more than we know we can do. I
couldn't make an Iron Man really fly. I wouldn't even try to, but the
construction and the building and sort of setting the… Lindsay Macgowan: The reality of it. Shane
Mahan: Yeah, you ground it in the reality and just coming up with the
initial construction, because that stuff is still really valuable. Lindsay
Macgowan: We have all been taught by Stan, and to try and do something
that wouldn't honor the work that we had done in the past, it's just
not something that we would do. We are completely committed to
continuing doing as much ground breaking work as Stan had done in the
past and we will continue doing it. Full article: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37190
Korea's CG Monster Rises Again: Host Sequel Moving Forward (Variety)
Korean production company Chungeorahm and China's Stone Man
Films will co-produce a Chinese sequel to Korean hit The Host that will
be directed and scripted by China's Ning Hao (Crazy Stone), reports
Variety. The trade says the story will concern a calamity caused when people ignore a monster due to their desire for money. Production
credits are shared by Chungeorahm president Choi Yong-bae and Daniel
Yu, who produced Crazy Stone while at Hong Kong's Focus Films. About half the $12 million production money will come from China and half from Korea and Hong Kong. Shooting is expected to start early next year for a release at the end of 2009.
George Lucas Testifies in Washington D.C. -- Yes, Really! On
Tuesday, George Lucas testified before the House subcommittee on
telecommunications and the Internet. His intentions were really very
admirable, as he was arguing in favor of reforming the universal
service fund, which provides Internet and telephone access in rural,
low-income, and high cost areas of the country. Lucas is passionate
about education reform, and he testified in favor of making Internet
access "a digital civil right," that is free to schools and libraries. While
his intentions were good, the saga of Lucas and the subcommittee
quickly became downright goofy. Several lawmakers took advantage of
Lucas' appearance to crack Star Wars jokes. Rep. Mike Doyle declared
"The universal service fund needs to be blown up like the Death Star,"
while Rep. Lee Terry compared himself and fellow Representative Rick
Boucher to Luke Skywalker, and their opponents to Darth Vader. Our tax
dollars at work, people.
(darkhorizons.com)
Pixar is doing a short film entitled "Burn-E" about
a robot with that name which will be included as an extra on the
"Wall-E" DVD.
(costar.com) DreamWorks Pictures Leases 15,000 SF as Movie
Production Rolls into Philadelphia
DreamWorks Pictures leased 15,000 square feet in The Wanamaker
Building in downtown Philadelphia, where the movie studio filmed
scenes this month for the sequel to last year's "Transformers".
According to reports, the film's director, Michael Bay, is shooting
scenes at several Philadelphia locations, including Rittenhouse Square
and the University of Pennsylvania, as well as other Pennsylvania and
New Jersey locations such as Princeton University and the Bethlehem
Steel site in Bethlehem, PA.
The historic, 12-story Wanamaker Building totals 1.4 million square
feet of office and retail space at 100 Penn Square East, at the
intersection of Chestnut, Market and 13th streets. Behringer Harvard
acquired the building last year in its buyout of IPC US REIT.
Les Haggett of Binswanger represented DreamWorks in the lease, while
William Finnegan of GVA Smith Mack represented the landlord.
(comingsoon.net) An interesting post was made on the TAG Blog:
Every building of the DW campus is bursting with activity. Monsters and Aliens, Shrek, Madagascar Deux, and on and on. DreamWorks' Lakeside Building is getting enlarged, and the administrative staff is gone from the upper floors.
But down on the lower levels, artists are working. A story crew has started early work in Kung Fu Panda, the Sequel, even while animators are hand-drawing new material for the DVD of Kung Fu Panda, the original.
It's not surprising considering the DreamWorks Animated hit has made about $230 million in 19 days of release worldwide. The film cost about $130 million to make.
Pixar Writes Ailing Paul Newman Into 'Cars 2'
(cinematical.com) Two weeks ago, we learned that Paul
Newman has lung cancer (or may have lung cancer). And my first
reaction was: will he still be able to do A Walk in the Woods with
Robert Redford? Or whatever that long-ago confirmed final film is, if
not that Bill Bryson adaptation? A couple years back the Oscar-winning
actor said he's retiring after one "last hurrah," and it was
speculated that he'd be re-teaming with Redford (his partner in both
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting). Unfortunately, the
last we heard about A Walk in the Woods, there was no mention of
Newman being involved.
Over at MTV Movies Blog, meanwhile, Shawn Adler's first thought was
more like: "Is Cars really going to be his last acting role?" And
thanks to MTV News, he somewhat received the answer. Apparently, the
fine folks at Pixar (who are releasing their latest, Wall-E, this
Friday) are including Newman's character, "Doc Hudson", in the script
for Cars 2, which is set to hit theaters in 2012. Cars
co-writer/director John Lasseter says they're "just waiting to see" if
Newman will be able to reprise the role. If Newman can't do it,
though, the sequel will be doubly sad, since it will also be missing
Joe Ranft, who co-wrote, co-directed and voiced two characters in the
first movie. The longtime Pixar collaborator died tragically in a car
accident the year before Cars came out.
Spielberg Lost In "Maze Of Bones"?
(comingsoon.net) DreamWorks Studios has acquired the movie
rights from Scholastic Media to the multi-platform adventure series,
"The 39 Clues," it was announced today by Stacey Snider, Co-Chairman
and CEO of DreamWorks Studios and Deborah Forte, President of
Scholastic Media.
Forte will produce and Steven Spielberg is eyeing to direct.
"The 39 Clues," due to launch globally in September, is a fully
integrated multi-media adventure that spans across 10 supercharged
books, 355 collectible cards, and a dynamic online game where kids can
uncover information, play skill based games and collect cards to
compete for prizes. The story revolves around the Cahills - the most
powerful family the world has ever known - the source of whose power
is a mystery that can only be unraveled by assembling 39 clues hidden
around the world throughout history. Combining reading with online
gaming and collecting, this breakthrough concept is uniquely
positioned to reach millions of young people who are readers, gamers,
collectors, or all three, and encourage them to participate in the
hunt for the 39 clues. The initiative will roll out over a 24-month
period starting in September 2008 – with the web site serving as the
home base for kids to participate in The 39 Clues experience. The
first book in the series, "The Maze of Bones," is written by Rick
Riordan, a #1 New York Times best-selling author, who also outlined
the series' 10-book story arc.
ILM Takes Best VFX Saturn Award
(shocktillyoudrop.com) Last night in Universal City,
California, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror's 34th
Annual Saturn Awards ceremony took place at the Universal Hilton.
Best Make-Up:
Ve Neill, Martin Samuel (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End)
Best Special Effects:
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl,John Frazier (Transformers)
Best Animated Film: Ratatouille
Best Science Fiction Film:
Cloverfield
Best Fantasy Film:
Enchanted
Best Horror Film:
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet St.
Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film:
300
The complete list: http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=6703
100% Photorealism For CG Tintin?
(letintinmovie.com) Tintin movie news has gone quiet
with filming on the first Tintin movie due to start in September.
Spielberg himself is a fan and now feels that the look of the albums
with the ligne claire illustrations can now be translated to the big
screen. This is where Peter Jackson will come in providing valuable
technological expertise. Jackson along with his partners as the Weta
Workshop will use technology developed for Lord of the Rings. The
character Gollum was created by Weta using motion capture techniques
on actor Andy Serkis then using key frame animation and subsurface
scattering rendering techniques enabled the first completely
convincing portrayal of an animated humanoid in a feature film. This
technology will bring a realistic portrayal of Tintin to the big
screen. Jackson said "We're making the character look photorealistic –
the fibres of their clothing, the pores of their skin and each
individual hair. It is possible that the work, certainly the first one
will start next year".
batintin.jpgThe people at Weta devoted one whole year to make sure the
look of the Tintin albums were translated to the screen and the 20
minute demo they produced wowed the backers of the Tintin Movie
trilogy. It is this dedication to detail and the story telling ability
of these two titans of film (Spielberg and Jackson) that should ensure
a Tintin movie is made that will please devoted Tintin fans and movie
goers in equal measure.
METROPOLIS TURNS 80
(showbizdata.com) Fritz Lang's classic 1927 epic
Metropolis, for years available only on home video only as a scratchy,
washed-out print, has been painstakingly restored frame by frame and
is due to be released on high-definition Blu-ray disc in 2009,
according to Kino International, the New York-based distributor of
art-house-type home videos. The film was restored to mark the 75th
anniversary in 2002 of the silent movie's original release and
included a new soundtrack based on the original score created for the
movie.
ACTORS' IMPASSE COULD AFFECT COMIC-CON
(showbizdata.com) Steven "Frosty" Weintraub, who runs the
Collider entertainment website, has warned that if the Screen Actors
Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are
unable to reach an agreement by early next month, actors would likely
disappear from the July 24 Comic-Con convention in San Diego. "Most
people go to Comic-Con to get a glimpse of some of the biggest actors
working in the entertainment industry," Weintraub wrote. "Where else
can a fan from Colorado show up and know their favorite actors will be
there and they'd actually have a chance to get an autograph or ask
them a question?" Weintraub, who says he was a "staunch supporter" of
the Writers Guild strike is clearly opposed to the actors' tactics. If
the writers and directors were able to work out a deal with the
studios, he comments, "I'd like to think [a precedent] has been set
over new media money and other residuals."
Studio Gets "Watchmen" VFX Preview
(darkhorizons.com) The 34th Annual Saturn Awards took place
last night with numerous filmmakers and celebrities in attendance and
answering questions on the red carpet about their upcoming projects
with Collider.
Most notable is that director Zack Snyder ("300") was there and claims
he's fighting hard to keep as much as he can from the comic in the
final film. From the sounds of it the studio has been concerned with
the edgier elements and the runtime which he's still pretty dead-set
on keeping at 150-180 minutes theatrically.
Snyder confirmed that did show off a 20-30 minute sizzle reel to the
studio with a couple of completed visual effects, but mostly green
screen footage.
The Comic-Con footage will be several minutes long and he seems pretty
ready for the fact that the footage will end up on Youtube soon after
its shown at the Con. Some props may be on display at Comic Con but
its not been confirmed.
Big Bird Costume Creator Dies
(news.awn.com) Costume designer Kermit Love, who helped
puppeteer Jim Henson create Big Bird and other SESAME STREET, has died
at age 91, per the ASSOCIATED PRESS.
Love died from congestive heart failure Saturday in Poughkeepsie, near
his home in Stanfordville, New York, Love's longtime partner,
Christopher Lyall, told THE NEW YORK TIMES.
In addition to his work with Henson, Love designed for some of
ballet's most prominent choreographers, including Twyla Tharp, Agnes
de Mille, Jerome Robbins and George Balanchine. He also created
costumes and puppets for film and advertising, including the Snuggle
bear from the fabric softener commercials.
Before SESAME STREET premiered in 1969, Henson designed the original
sketches of Big Bird, and Love built the 8-foot, 2-inch
yellow-feathered costume.
It was Love's idea to add a few feathers designed to fall off to
create a more realistic look. "The most important thing about puppets
is that they must project their imagination, and then the audience
must open their eyes and imagine," he told THE NEW YORK TIMES in 1981.
Love also helped design costumes and puppets for Mr. Snuffleupagus,
Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster, among others. He appeared on the
show as Willy, the neighborhood's resident hot dog vendor.
Love always insisted Henson's famous frog wasn't named for him,
according to THE NEW YORK TIMES.
Caroll Spinney, who has played Big Bird since SESAME STREET began,
said he knew Love was very ill but did not know he had died until
Tuesday.
"Kermit was definitely a totally unique person," 74-year-old Spinney
said. "He looked very much like Santa Claus but was a little bit more
like the Grinch."
In addition to designing Big Bird, "Kermit really helped me with
dramatic coaching, and he was wonderful at that," Spinney said.
Love, born in 1916, got his start making puppets for a federal Works
Progress Administration theater in 1935. He also designed costumes for
Orson Welles' Mercury Theater, from there working with the New York
City Ballet's costumer.
In his 2003 book, THE WISDOM OF BIG BIRD (AND THE DARK GENIUS OF OSCAR
THE GROUCH): LESSONS FROM A LIFE IN FEATHERS, Spinney recalled that
after a year on SESAME STREET, he felt he couldn't live in New York on
his salary. Love told him to give it a month; the next week, Big Bird
was on the cover of TIME magazine and Spinney couldn't imagine
leaving.
Ultimate Coppertone Model for SPFX Movie Junkies
(waroldpa.e4god.com) History is laden with memorable
games. Analysts baffled by GTA hardware disconnect. The sunscreens
available in the US provide excellent protection, says Beth Lange,
senior director of research and development at Coppertone. Is the
ultimate summer John ashton for special effects movie junkies and
Marvel Comics fans that want to see quot. Video Remembering Journalism
Icon Tim Russert.
Video Ron Paul Drops Out of The tennis players Race. That a videotape
would emerge of Barack Obama. McCain Treat our wives with respect. No
Problems Seen for Shuttle Landing. Campaigns Unable to Agree on Series
of Meetings.
Source: http://waroldpa.e4god.com/blogs/2008/06/13/is-the-ultimate-summer-coppertone-model-for-special-effects-movie-junkies-and-marvel-comics-fans/
