.
It's now official. Imagi, creators TMNT and Astro Boy movie, has closed down their Hong Kong office according to AP. Just a couple weeks ago Imagi closed their US office in Sherman Oaks, California, now this. Another studio closes, sad.
Imagi International Holdings Ltd. said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange that it stopped funding its computer animation studio on Feb. 5 "to further preserve its limited liquidity and shareholder value." The studio will ask a Hong Kong court to name liquidators, the statement issued Monday said.
Read Here
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Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Avatar and Autodesk
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Here's a video of how Autodesk products were intergraded into the production pipeline of Avatar at Lightstorm. Enjoy!
Watch HERE
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Here's a video of how Autodesk products were intergraded into the production pipeline of Avatar at Lightstorm. Enjoy!Watch HERE
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Open Letter to James Cameron.
This has been the internet and has been showing up on a lot of peoples blogs, so I thought I post the letter too. The letter was originally posted on Huffington Post.
To James Cameron,
I'm addressing this letter to you because you and your films have been such an inspiration to so many who either watch or work in the movies. I'm asking for your help in addressing a problem that few in your audience have probably ever given a thought to -- the unfair treatment and working conditions of visual effects artists around the world.
Visual effects films were dominant commercial forces in 2009. Films like Avatar, District 9 and Star Trek all succeeded because they brought together visual effects with great writing, acting, directing and other cinematic elements. There are other films for which the visual effects seem to be the primary audience motivator. Without any slight, the reality is that people did not go to see recent commercially successful films like G.I. Joe or the Transformers movies for the script, music or the acting. They went in droves to see the spectacular visual effects - the "thrill ride."
For all of these films that rely heavily on visual effects, the studios and theater owners made hundreds of millions of dollars. The writers, composers and actors all will receive well-deserved residual payments for decades to come. But the visual effects artists don't receive royalties and residuals. And as one visual effects artist told me, "even in the credits, we're listed after craft services."
Like most people who work in the film, television and video game industries, visual effects artists love their jobs. They enjoy both the work itself and the ability to work on a daily basis with so many smart, creative and talented people. However, visual effects houses can be the best, most fun and high-tech sweatshops on earth. Visual effects artists typically work with no contract, no paid vacation, no benefits, and often no paid overtime. And because of the nature of the work health problems such as obesity, tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome are common.
The thing needed is recognition of the problem and the value of these artists. When I say "value", I'm not using that term abstractly -I mean the bottom line, practical dollars and cents value of visual effects to the film, television and video game industries. Just take a look at a list of the world's top grossing films of all time - of the top 30 films, every single one of them is a visual effects driven or animated film. Visual effects have meant multi-billion dollar business for the studios.
Unlike every other craft in the film industry, there is no union for visual effects artists. This seems to be a matter of timing as much as anything. Modern visual effects techniques are only a few decades old, and the digital side of the visual effects arts really only has about 20 years of history as a popular filmmaking tool. The other filmmaking disciplines such as acting, directing and music composition date back to the very beginnings of the film industry.
This newness has left digital visual effects artists with absolutely no collective bargaining power whatsoever. In this age of weakened unions, many of these artists are understandably leery of the idea of unionization. Additionally, visual effects artist currently work under constant threat from producers of having their work sent off to India or China. (The irony of sending creative work to a country like China that routinely censors communications -- including the announcement of this year's Oscar® nominations -- doesn't seem to bother these bottom-line seeking producers.)
Perhaps some sort of "Union 2.0" structure is needed; a more flexible, modern institution that takes the realities of today's production environment into account , while still giving these artists some of the same basic protections and benefits that other crafts currently receive. But whatever the solution, it's important people become aware of the problem.
Mr. Cameron, you are in a unique position this Academy Awards® season. Your film Avatar has been nominated for nine Oscars. Odds are high that at some point, you'll be up on stage accepting a well deserved award. Just as you took time recently to speak out on behalf of NASA, I'm asking you to consider taking a moment to speak out on behalf of visual effects artists and how they are being treated unfairly.
Even a small statement by you will cause industry and press attention to focus on this issue. The Visual Effects Society is awarding you a well-deserved lifetime achievement award later this month. There's no question that your groundbreaking films such as Titanic, Terminator 2, and now Avatar have all fused visual effects and storytelling into movies that have succeeded both commercially and artistically.
For the sake of all the artists who have both worked for you and been inspired by your work, please allow whatever victories you have on Oscar® night to be beginning of meaningful discussion in Hollywood about fairness for the thousands of artists who create visual effects.
Lee Stranahan has worked in and written about visual effects for nearly 20 years and is host of the podcast FX Mogul Radio, where he interviews artists, executives and filmmakers about VFX. Crossposted at LeeStranahan.com
To James Cameron,
I'm addressing this letter to you because you and your films have been such an inspiration to so many who either watch or work in the movies. I'm asking for your help in addressing a problem that few in your audience have probably ever given a thought to -- the unfair treatment and working conditions of visual effects artists around the world.
Visual effects films were dominant commercial forces in 2009. Films like Avatar, District 9 and Star Trek all succeeded because they brought together visual effects with great writing, acting, directing and other cinematic elements. There are other films for which the visual effects seem to be the primary audience motivator. Without any slight, the reality is that people did not go to see recent commercially successful films like G.I. Joe or the Transformers movies for the script, music or the acting. They went in droves to see the spectacular visual effects - the "thrill ride."
For all of these films that rely heavily on visual effects, the studios and theater owners made hundreds of millions of dollars. The writers, composers and actors all will receive well-deserved residual payments for decades to come. But the visual effects artists don't receive royalties and residuals. And as one visual effects artist told me, "even in the credits, we're listed after craft services."
Like most people who work in the film, television and video game industries, visual effects artists love their jobs. They enjoy both the work itself and the ability to work on a daily basis with so many smart, creative and talented people. However, visual effects houses can be the best, most fun and high-tech sweatshops on earth. Visual effects artists typically work with no contract, no paid vacation, no benefits, and often no paid overtime. And because of the nature of the work health problems such as obesity, tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome are common.
The thing needed is recognition of the problem and the value of these artists. When I say "value", I'm not using that term abstractly -I mean the bottom line, practical dollars and cents value of visual effects to the film, television and video game industries. Just take a look at a list of the world's top grossing films of all time - of the top 30 films, every single one of them is a visual effects driven or animated film. Visual effects have meant multi-billion dollar business for the studios.
Unlike every other craft in the film industry, there is no union for visual effects artists. This seems to be a matter of timing as much as anything. Modern visual effects techniques are only a few decades old, and the digital side of the visual effects arts really only has about 20 years of history as a popular filmmaking tool. The other filmmaking disciplines such as acting, directing and music composition date back to the very beginnings of the film industry.
This newness has left digital visual effects artists with absolutely no collective bargaining power whatsoever. In this age of weakened unions, many of these artists are understandably leery of the idea of unionization. Additionally, visual effects artist currently work under constant threat from producers of having their work sent off to India or China. (The irony of sending creative work to a country like China that routinely censors communications -- including the announcement of this year's Oscar® nominations -- doesn't seem to bother these bottom-line seeking producers.)
Perhaps some sort of "Union 2.0" structure is needed; a more flexible, modern institution that takes the realities of today's production environment into account , while still giving these artists some of the same basic protections and benefits that other crafts currently receive. But whatever the solution, it's important people become aware of the problem.
Mr. Cameron, you are in a unique position this Academy Awards® season. Your film Avatar has been nominated for nine Oscars. Odds are high that at some point, you'll be up on stage accepting a well deserved award. Just as you took time recently to speak out on behalf of NASA, I'm asking you to consider taking a moment to speak out on behalf of visual effects artists and how they are being treated unfairly.
Even a small statement by you will cause industry and press attention to focus on this issue. The Visual Effects Society is awarding you a well-deserved lifetime achievement award later this month. There's no question that your groundbreaking films such as Titanic, Terminator 2, and now Avatar have all fused visual effects and storytelling into movies that have succeeded both commercially and artistically.
For the sake of all the artists who have both worked for you and been inspired by your work, please allow whatever victories you have on Oscar® night to be beginning of meaningful discussion in Hollywood about fairness for the thousands of artists who create visual effects.
Lee Stranahan has worked in and written about visual effects for nearly 20 years and is host of the podcast FX Mogul Radio, where he interviews artists, executives and filmmakers about VFX. Crossposted at LeeStranahan.com
37th Annie Awards Winners
Here is the list of Annie nominations and winners (bold). Congratulations to everyone.
Best Animated Feature
• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs — Sony Pictures Animation
• Coraline — Laika
• Fantastic Mr. Fox — 20th Century Fox
• The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• The Secret of Kells — Cartoon Saloon
• Up — Pixar Animation Studios
Best Home Entertainment Production
• Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas — Universal Animation Studios
• Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder — The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
• Green Latern: First Flight — Warner Bros. Animation
• Open Season 2 — Sony Pictures Animation
• SpongeBob vs. The Big One — Nickelodeon
Best Animated Short Subject
• Pups of Liberty — Picnic Pictures
• Robot Chicken: Star Wars 2.5 — ShadowMachine
• Santa, The Fascist Years — Plymptoons
• The Rooster, The Crocodile and The Night Sky — Barley Films
• The Story of Walls — Badmash Animation Studios
Best Animated Television Commercial
• Goldfish: In The Dark — Blur Studios, Inc.
• Idaho Lottery Twiceland — Acme Filmworks, Inc.
• Nutty Tales — Blue Sky Studios
• Spanish Lottery Deportees — Acme Filmworks, Inc.
• The Spooning — Screen Novelties /Acne Media
Best Animated Television Production
• Glenn Martin, DDS — Torante, Cuppa Coffee Studios & Rogers Communications
• Merry Madagascar — DreamWorks Animation
• Prep and Landing — ABC Family/Walt Disney Animation Studios
• The Simpsons — Gracie Films
Best Animated Television Production for Children
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse — Disney Television Animation
• SpongeBob SquarePants — Nickelodeon
• The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack — Cartoon Network Studios
• The Mighty B! – Nickelodeon/Polka Dot Pictures/Paper Kite Productions
• The Penguins of Madagascar — Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES
Animated Effects
• Scott Cegielski Monsters vs. Aliens — DreamWorks Animation
• Alexander Feigin 9 — 9 L.L.C.
• Eric Froemling Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Tom Kluyskens Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs — Sony Pictures Animation
• James Mansfield The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
Character Animation in a Television Production
• Mark Donald B.O.B.’s Big Break — DreamWorks Animation
• Mark Mitchell Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Kevan Shorey Merry Madagascar — DreamWorks Animation
• Tony Smeed Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Phillip To Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space — DreamWorks Animation
Character Animation in a Feature Production
• Andreas Deja The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Eric Goldberg The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Travis Knight Coraline — Laika
• Daniel Nguyen Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Bruce Smith The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
Character Design in a Television Production
• Bryan Arnett The Mighty B! – Catatonic — Nickelodeon/Polka Dot Pictures/Paper Kite Productions
• Ben Balistreri Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends — Cartoon Network Studios
• Craig Kellman Merry Madagascar — DreamWorks Animation
• Bill Schwab Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
Character Design in a Feature Production
• Daniel Lopez Munoz Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Shane Prigmore Coraline — Laika
• Shannon Tindle Coraline — Laika
Directing in a Television Production
• Pam Cooke & Jansen Yee American Dad: Brains, Brains & Automobiles — 20th Century Fox/Fuzzy Door/Underdog
• Rob Fendler Popzilla — Animax
• John Infantino, J.G. Quintel The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack: Candy Casanova — Cartoon Network Studios
• Bret Haaland The Penguins of Madagascar – Launchtime — Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation
• Jennifer Oxley The Wonder Pets: Help The Monster — Nickelodeon/Little Airplane Productions
Directing in a Feature Production
• Wes Anderson Fantastic Mr. Fox — 20th Century Fox
• Pete Docter Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Christopher Miller, Phil Lord Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs — Sony Pictures Animation
• Hayao Miyazaki Ponyo — Studio Ghibli
• Henry Selick Coraline — Laika
Music in a Television Production
• Michael Giacchino Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Kevin Kiner Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Weapons Factory — Lucasfilm Animation Ltd.
• Guy Moon The Fairly OddParents: Wishology-The Big Beginning — Nickelodeon
Music in a Feature Production
• Bruno Coulais Coraline — Laika
• Michael Giacchino Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Joe Hisaishi Ponyo — Studio Ghibli
• John Powell Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs — Blue Sky Studios
Production Design in a Television Production
• Mac George Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Andy Harkness Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Janice Kubo Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends — Cartoon Network Studios
Production Design in a Feature Production
• Christopher Appelhans Coraline — Laika
• Ian Gooding The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Tadahiro Uesugi Coraline — Laika
• Christopher Vacher 9 — 9 L.L.C.
Storyboarding in a Television Production
• Sunil Hall The Mighty B!: Catatonic — Nickelodeon/Polka Dot Pictures/Paper
• Brandon Kruse The Fairly OddParents: Fly Boy — Nickelodeon
• Robert Koo Merry Madagascar — DreamWorks Animation
• Joe Mateo Prep and Landing — ABC Family/Walt Disney Animation Studios Kite Productions
• Adam Van Wyk The Spectacular Spider-Man: Final Curtain — Culver Entertainment
Storyboarding in a Feature Production
• Sharon Bridgeman Astro Boy — Imagi Studios
• Chris Butler Coraline — Laika
• Ronnie Del Carmen Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Tom Owens Monsters vs. Aliens — DreamWorks Animation
• Peter Sohn Up — Pixar Animation Studios
Voice Acting in a Television Production
• Danny Jacobs – Voice of King Julien – Merry Madagascar — DreamWorks Animation
• Nicky Jones – Voice of Chowder – Chowder: The Dinner Theatre — Cartoon Network Studios
• Tom Kenny – Voice of SpongeBob – SpongeBob SquarePants — Truth or Square — Nickelodeon
• Dwight Schultz – Voice of Mung Daal – Chowder:The Party Cruise — Cartoon Network Studios
• Willow Smith – Voice of Abby – Merry Madagascar — DreamWorks Animation
Voice Acting in a Feature Production
• Jen Cody – Voice of Charlotte – The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Dawn French – Voice of Miss Forcible – Coraline — Laika
• Hugh Laurie – Voice of Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. – Monsters vs. Aliens — DreamWorks Animation
• John Leguizamo – Voice of Sid – Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur — Blue Sky Studios
• Jennifer Lewis – Voice of Mama Odie – The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
Writing in a Television Production
• Daniel Chun – The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XX — Gracie Films
• Kevin Deters, Stevie Wermers-Skelton – Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Valentina L. Garza – The Simpsons: Four Great Women and a Manicure — Gracie Films
• Billy Kimball and Ian Maxtone-Graham – The Simpsons: Gone Maggie Gone — Gracie Films
• Billy Lopez – The Wonder Pets – Save the Honey Bears — Nickelodeon Productions/Little Airplane Productions
Writing in a Feature Production
• Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach – Fantastic Mr. Fox — 20th Century Fox
• Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy – Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Timothy Hyde Harris and David Bowers – Astro Boy — Imagi Studios
• Christopher Miller and Phil Lord – Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs — Sony Pictures Animation
JURIED AWARDS (honorees previously announced)
Winsor McCay Award — Tim Burton, Bruce Timm, Jeffrey Katzenberg
June Foray — Tom Sito
Ub Iwerks Award — William T. Reeves
Special Achievement — Martin Meunier and Brian McLean
Certificate of Merit — Myles Mikulic, Danny Young and Michael Woodside
Best Animated Feature
• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs — Sony Pictures Animation
• Coraline — Laika
• Fantastic Mr. Fox — 20th Century Fox
• The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• The Secret of Kells — Cartoon Saloon
• Up — Pixar Animation Studios
Best Home Entertainment Production
• Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas — Universal Animation Studios
• Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder — The Curiosity Company in association with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
• Green Latern: First Flight — Warner Bros. Animation
• Open Season 2 — Sony Pictures Animation
• SpongeBob vs. The Big One — Nickelodeon
Best Animated Short Subject
• Pups of Liberty — Picnic Pictures
• Robot Chicken: Star Wars 2.5 — ShadowMachine
• Santa, The Fascist Years — Plymptoons
• The Rooster, The Crocodile and The Night Sky — Barley Films
• The Story of Walls — Badmash Animation Studios
Best Animated Television Commercial
• Goldfish: In The Dark — Blur Studios, Inc.
• Idaho Lottery Twiceland — Acme Filmworks, Inc.
• Nutty Tales — Blue Sky Studios
• Spanish Lottery Deportees — Acme Filmworks, Inc.
• The Spooning — Screen Novelties /Acne Media
Best Animated Television Production
• Glenn Martin, DDS — Torante, Cuppa Coffee Studios & Rogers Communications
• Merry Madagascar — DreamWorks Animation
• Prep and Landing — ABC Family/Walt Disney Animation Studios
• The Simpsons — Gracie Films
Best Animated Television Production for Children
• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse — Disney Television Animation
• SpongeBob SquarePants — Nickelodeon
• The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack — Cartoon Network Studios
• The Mighty B! – Nickelodeon/Polka Dot Pictures/Paper Kite Productions
• The Penguins of Madagascar — Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES
Animated Effects
• Scott Cegielski Monsters vs. Aliens — DreamWorks Animation
• Alexander Feigin 9 — 9 L.L.C.
• Eric Froemling Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Tom Kluyskens Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs — Sony Pictures Animation
• James Mansfield The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
Character Animation in a Television Production
• Mark Donald B.O.B.’s Big Break — DreamWorks Animation
• Mark Mitchell Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Kevan Shorey Merry Madagascar — DreamWorks Animation
• Tony Smeed Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Phillip To Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space — DreamWorks Animation
Character Animation in a Feature Production
• Andreas Deja The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Eric Goldberg The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Travis Knight Coraline — Laika
• Daniel Nguyen Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Bruce Smith The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
Character Design in a Television Production
• Bryan Arnett The Mighty B! – Catatonic — Nickelodeon/Polka Dot Pictures/Paper Kite Productions
• Ben Balistreri Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends — Cartoon Network Studios
• Craig Kellman Merry Madagascar — DreamWorks Animation
• Bill Schwab Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
Character Design in a Feature Production
• Daniel Lopez Munoz Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Shane Prigmore Coraline — Laika
• Shannon Tindle Coraline — Laika
Directing in a Television Production
• Pam Cooke & Jansen Yee American Dad: Brains, Brains & Automobiles — 20th Century Fox/Fuzzy Door/Underdog
• Rob Fendler Popzilla — Animax
• John Infantino, J.G. Quintel The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack: Candy Casanova — Cartoon Network Studios
• Bret Haaland The Penguins of Madagascar – Launchtime — Nickelodeon and DreamWorks Animation
• Jennifer Oxley The Wonder Pets: Help The Monster — Nickelodeon/Little Airplane Productions
Directing in a Feature Production
• Wes Anderson Fantastic Mr. Fox — 20th Century Fox
• Pete Docter Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Christopher Miller, Phil Lord Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs — Sony Pictures Animation
• Hayao Miyazaki Ponyo — Studio Ghibli
• Henry Selick Coraline — Laika
Music in a Television Production
• Michael Giacchino Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Kevin Kiner Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Weapons Factory — Lucasfilm Animation Ltd.
• Guy Moon The Fairly OddParents: Wishology-The Big Beginning — Nickelodeon
Music in a Feature Production
• Bruno Coulais Coraline — Laika
• Michael Giacchino Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Joe Hisaishi Ponyo — Studio Ghibli
• John Powell Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs — Blue Sky Studios
Production Design in a Television Production
• Mac George Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Andy Harkness Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Janice Kubo Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends — Cartoon Network Studios
Production Design in a Feature Production
• Christopher Appelhans Coraline — Laika
• Ian Gooding The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Tadahiro Uesugi Coraline — Laika
• Christopher Vacher 9 — 9 L.L.C.
Storyboarding in a Television Production
• Sunil Hall The Mighty B!: Catatonic — Nickelodeon/Polka Dot Pictures/Paper
• Brandon Kruse The Fairly OddParents: Fly Boy — Nickelodeon
• Robert Koo Merry Madagascar — DreamWorks Animation
• Joe Mateo Prep and Landing — ABC Family/Walt Disney Animation Studios Kite Productions
• Adam Van Wyk The Spectacular Spider-Man: Final Curtain — Culver Entertainment
Storyboarding in a Feature Production
• Sharon Bridgeman Astro Boy — Imagi Studios
• Chris Butler Coraline — Laika
• Ronnie Del Carmen Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Tom Owens Monsters vs. Aliens — DreamWorks Animation
• Peter Sohn Up — Pixar Animation Studios
Voice Acting in a Television Production
• Danny Jacobs – Voice of King Julien – Merry Madagascar — DreamWorks Animation
• Nicky Jones – Voice of Chowder – Chowder: The Dinner Theatre — Cartoon Network Studios
• Tom Kenny – Voice of SpongeBob – SpongeBob SquarePants — Truth or Square — Nickelodeon
• Dwight Schultz – Voice of Mung Daal – Chowder:The Party Cruise — Cartoon Network Studios
• Willow Smith – Voice of Abby – Merry Madagascar — DreamWorks Animation
Voice Acting in a Feature Production
• Jen Cody – Voice of Charlotte – The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Dawn French – Voice of Miss Forcible – Coraline — Laika
• Hugh Laurie – Voice of Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. – Monsters vs. Aliens — DreamWorks Animation
• John Leguizamo – Voice of Sid – Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur — Blue Sky Studios
• Jennifer Lewis – Voice of Mama Odie – The Princess and the Frog — Walt Disney Animation Studios
Writing in a Television Production
• Daniel Chun – The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XX — Gracie Films
• Kevin Deters, Stevie Wermers-Skelton – Prep and Landing — Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Valentina L. Garza – The Simpsons: Four Great Women and a Manicure — Gracie Films
• Billy Kimball and Ian Maxtone-Graham – The Simpsons: Gone Maggie Gone — Gracie Films
• Billy Lopez – The Wonder Pets – Save the Honey Bears — Nickelodeon Productions/Little Airplane Productions
Writing in a Feature Production
• Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach – Fantastic Mr. Fox — 20th Century Fox
• Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy – Up — Pixar Animation Studios
• Timothy Hyde Harris and David Bowers – Astro Boy — Imagi Studios
• Christopher Miller and Phil Lord – Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs — Sony Pictures Animation
JURIED AWARDS (honorees previously announced)
Winsor McCay Award — Tim Burton, Bruce Timm, Jeffrey Katzenberg
June Foray — Tom Sito
Ub Iwerks Award — William T. Reeves
Special Achievement — Martin Meunier and Brian McLean
Certificate of Merit — Myles Mikulic, Danny Young and Michael Woodside
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Oh Cameron….
.
Found@Cartoon Brew
An article from today’s Hollywood Reporter says that Avatar producer Jon Landau labeled the Oscars “a disappointment” after none of the film’s animated characters were nominated for an acting award. He also said they need to change the term “motion capture photography” to “emotion capture” to fool people into thinking it’s something else. Meanwhile, Cameron stated recently that, “People confuse what we have done with animation. It’s nothing like animation. The creator here is the actor, not the unseen hand of an animator.” It’s always amusing how indignant mainstream Hollywood becomes whenever they get a taste of what it’s like to be treated as one of the industry’s second-class animation citizens.
This was an old post from Cartoon Brew but it always cracks myself up every time read this. I guess with his clout he can change the world too. This ARTICLE also made me shake my head. What are the animators at WETA or Imagemovers doing then?
.
Found@Cartoon BrewAn article from today’s Hollywood Reporter says that Avatar producer Jon Landau labeled the Oscars “a disappointment” after none of the film’s animated characters were nominated for an acting award. He also said they need to change the term “motion capture photography” to “emotion capture” to fool people into thinking it’s something else. Meanwhile, Cameron stated recently that, “People confuse what we have done with animation. It’s nothing like animation. The creator here is the actor, not the unseen hand of an animator.” It’s always amusing how indignant mainstream Hollywood becomes whenever they get a taste of what it’s like to be treated as one of the industry’s second-class animation citizens.
This was an old post from Cartoon Brew but it always cracks myself up every time read this. I guess with his clout he can change the world too. This ARTICLE also made me shake my head. What are the animators at WETA or Imagemovers doing then?
.
A. D. teaser. CG Zombies!!
A.D. - a CG animated Horror-Adventure written by Haylar Garcia. The movie teaser was directed by Ben Hibon (Codehunters) and produced by Bernie Goldmann (300), Tarik Heitmann and Renee Tab.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Imagi shuts down… US studio
.
Found @ Cartoon Brew
Sad news as Imagi who made the TMNT and Astro Boy movies has closed its US branch in Sherman Oaks, Ca.
Imagi International Holdings Ltd has announced large scale review of operations which has mostly negative effect towards the staff. The company has cut off their US subsidiaries from any funding, the working contracts for 30 employees were terminated and the Los Angeles based office closed. The company was left with only a few important staff members being utilized as consultants and has transferred the functions of the closed office to other contractors . . . With their US office closed the company still has two more in Hong Kong and Tokyo as well as continues trading under the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. Their stock is poorly traded in both the exchanges.
Wish well all the employees the best.
.
Found @ Cartoon BrewSad news as Imagi who made the TMNT and Astro Boy movies has closed its US branch in Sherman Oaks, Ca.
Imagi International Holdings Ltd has announced large scale review of operations which has mostly negative effect towards the staff. The company has cut off their US subsidiaries from any funding, the working contracts for 30 employees were terminated and the Los Angeles based office closed. The company was left with only a few important staff members being utilized as consultants and has transferred the functions of the closed office to other contractors . . . With their US office closed the company still has two more in Hong Kong and Tokyo as well as continues trading under the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. Their stock is poorly traded in both the exchanges.
Wish well all the employees the best.
.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
45 minute Making of Avatar video
I haven't heard of Sequence Magazine before but they have a 45 minute behind the scenes on the making of Avatar on their site.
This isn't an official making-of but a collection of videos out on the net and edited together to 'create an organized film about Avatar.'
Click here
.
This isn't an official making-of but a collection of videos out on the net and edited together to 'create an organized film about Avatar.'
Click here
.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Before there was Motion Capture there was AnimaScope
Found @ Cartoon Brew
Move over Robert Zemeckis - your ideas are old hat. Max Fleischer invented the rotoscope in 1917 and, thanks to this newly discovered piece of film, we now know Westworld Artists conceived motion capture for animation in the 1960s. Only they called it AnimaScope (nifty title, eh?). AnimaScope was “animation without drawings”. It was created by Leon Maurer (brother of comic artist Norman Maurer) and is related to his Colormation technique, which we posted about in 2007. AnimaScope was used in the original Yellow Submarine (ironic, isn’t it?) and several Bakshi feature films, but essentially abandoned after that. Here’s a look at the future of animation, that never was:
Move over Robert Zemeckis - your ideas are old hat. Max Fleischer invented the rotoscope in 1917 and, thanks to this newly discovered piece of film, we now know Westworld Artists conceived motion capture for animation in the 1960s. Only they called it AnimaScope (nifty title, eh?). AnimaScope was “animation without drawings”. It was created by Leon Maurer (brother of comic artist Norman Maurer) and is related to his Colormation technique, which we posted about in 2007. AnimaScope was used in the original Yellow Submarine (ironic, isn’t it?) and several Bakshi feature films, but essentially abandoned after that. Here’s a look at the future of animation, that never was:
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Making of Avatar video
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I was lucky enough to catch this on FX HD channel the other night while channel surfing. Now it's available online if you missed it which I bet most of you did. 23 minutes of behind the scenes and interviews of the making of Avatar. If you watch the video closely, you'll see a scene not it the movie (no, not a Na'vi sex scene) but hopefully will make it on the dvd release. I have to say, I saw this on a HD channel and was still impressed by movie clips shown on a 2d tv screen. Enjoy!
I was lucky enough to catch this on FX HD channel the other night while channel surfing. Now it's available online if you missed it which I bet most of you did. 23 minutes of behind the scenes and interviews of the making of Avatar. If you watch the video closely, you'll see a scene not it the movie (no, not a Na'vi sex scene) but hopefully will make it on the dvd release. I have to say, I saw this on a HD channel and was still impressed by movie clips shown on a 2d tv screen. Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
VES nominations for 8th annual VES Awards
Los Angeles, January 19, 2010 - The Visual Effects Society (VES) today announced the nominees for the 8th Annual VES Awards ceremony recognizing outstanding visual effects artistry in over twenty categories of film, animation, television, commercials and video games. Nominees were chosen Saturday, January 16, 2010, by numerous blue ribbon panels of VES members who viewed submissions at the FotoKem screening facilities in Burbank and San Francisco as well as at other facilities in London, Sydney and Vancouver.
“The Visual Effects Society is proud to present these nominations as the most outstanding work in the field this year,” said Jeffrey A. Okun, Chair of the Visual Effects Society. “It’s important to keep in mind that it wasn’t machines that created these images but incredibly talented artists. We congratulate them all and look forward to seeing who is chosen as the best of the best at the awards show in February.”
Just want to congratulate Melvin Tan, senior animator at Blue Sky and a AAU graduate, on his nomination on ICE AGE: DAWN OF DINOSAURS for the Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture category.
==>VES Nominations <==
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Monday, January 18, 2010
Congratulations Pixar and Avatar
Congratulations to Pixar on Up and Avatar. Pixar's Up won best animated film and music score. Avatar one for Best Picture and Director.
Here are a couple fan covers of Up theme song.
And a SNL skit on Avatar from Hulu. (US only)
Here are a couple fan covers of Up theme song.
And a SNL skit on Avatar from Hulu. (US only)
Friday, January 15, 2010
fxguide on Avatar: Part 2 of 3
John Knoll, ILM vfx supervisor, on collaborating with Weta and stereoscopic for "Avatar".
Listen Here (38:29)
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Sunday, January 10, 2010
Fame? Wrong business.
Here is a humorous image from the Spline Doctors blog. As you can see, if you want to be famous, being an animator is the wrong field.
Former Spline Doctor Angus Maclane made this funny chart of fame. We always joke how animators are one of the least recognized people in the entertainment industry… Oh well, I sure didnt get into animation because I wanted to be famous…I’ll leave that to the Mo-cap actors…(I mean, performance capture)
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Former Spline Doctor Angus Maclane made this funny chart of fame. We always joke how animators are one of the least recognized people in the entertainment industry… Oh well, I sure didnt get into animation because I wanted to be famous…I’ll leave that to the Mo-cap actors…(I mean, performance capture)
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Saturday, January 09, 2010
FXGuide on Avatar
Joe Letteri, senior vfx supervisor for Weta Digital, details their mocap/facial capture tech and other aspects of their work on Avatar.
Have a listen
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Wednesday, December 30, 2009
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