AWN Headline News

The winners of the 13th Prix Ars Electronica '99 have been announced. Heldin Linz, Austria, Prix Ars Electronica is a competition for works in thecategories of Computer Animation/Visual Effects; Interactive Art; Internet;and Digital Music. There were 2119 entries. The Prix Ars Electronica '99awards presentation will be held in conjunction with the Ars ElectronicaFestival on Monday, September 6, 1999 at the ORF Upper Austrian RegionalStudio. The best works from each category will be shown in an exhibition at

Los Angeles and Denmark-based ITE (Interactive Television Entertainment)has launched a webstore at Throutandneck.com, a website for the seriesTHROUT AND NECK which currently airs on the Game Show Network. Whileinteractive television has been popular all over the world, THROUT AND NECKis the first real-time animated action series to be broadcast on Americantelevision. Throutandneck.com features interactive games that can be playedonline, colorful graphics, clips from Behind the Scenes of the series,

Houston, Texas-based ADV Films is releasing GALAXY FRAULEIN YUNA RETURNS onJuly 13 and QUEEN EMERALDAS on July 27 in the US. Both ADV Films titleswill be available in subtitled and dubbed versions. For more informationvisit www.advfilms.com. New York City-based Central Park Media is releasingRECORD OF LODOSS WAR: CHRONICLES OF THE HEROIC KNIGHT - A NEW LEGENDBEGINS, MIDNIGHT PANTHER: GENERAL RELEASE VERSION, and THE SLAYERS NEXT:THE FORBIDDEN DANCE? on August 8 in the US, and RECORD OF LODOSS WAR:

QUIET MAN did the CGI effects for "Limo," a spot for Denny's new All-StarSlams line of breakfast combos. A follow-up to last summer's "Rooster,""Limo" features a studish rooster wooing a barnyard of lovesick hens to thebeat of The Commodore's "Love Machine." Michael Schrom directed forproduction company Michael Schrom & Company; Marie Lenz was executiveproducer, and Philana Dias was Flame/effects artist for Quiet Man.

The team that created Fox's ANASTASIA, director Don Bluth, partner andproducer Gary Goldman, and the Fox Animation Studio have finished a sequelcalled BARTOK THE MAGNIFICENT which will be released on video and DVD onNovember 16. The wisecracking bat, voiced by Hank Azaria, is promoted toheadline the music-filled sequel, with Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Tilly, TimCurry and Catherine O'Hara taking on other voice roles. BARTOK is the firstmajor Fox direct-to-video title produced in-house at their Phoenix facility

Clive Jenkins has joined Atlanta-based Crawford Communications, Inc. as a3D animator. Jenkins previously worked for Crawford from 1989 to 1994, butleft to join Varitel in San Francisco where he launched that company'sdesign and 3D department. Most recently, he worked for Video NavigationCompany in Atlanta as a 3D animator and compositor.

Portland, Oregon-based Will Vinton Studios has completed two spots. "Diner"is a stop-motion animated spot for the Maryland Lottery, and won a 1999Bronze Clio. Skeets McGrew directed for Agency Eisner & Associates."Bunnies" is a spot for Citibank and uses reference footage based on anorigami artist's work which was manipulated using Maya software. SkeetsMcGrew directed for Agency Y & R New York.

Los Angeles-based Class-Key Chew-Po Commercials and Absolutely ProductionsLimited have created "Lunch Order," a spot for Procter & Gamble's Head &Shoulders Menthol shampoo. The spot features an animated "Jittery Julian"who transforms into a confidant "Cool Jules" after using the shampoo.Class-Key Chew-Po's Stig Bergqvist directed for Agency Saatchi &Saatchi/London.

MSH Entertainment Corp. has announced that it has entered into adevelopment, co-production and cross licensing agreement with Film Roman,Inc. Under the terms of the agreement, both companies will own a portion ofthe adjusted gross profits from the television broadcast, toy andmerchandising licensing rights of each other's selected animated andlive-action properties produced under the agreement. In addition, MSH willengage Film Roman for co-development funding and deficit financing of some

Erik St. Anthony has been appointed Director of Multimedia at InteractiveTelevision Entertainment (ITE)-USA. St. Anthony will be responsible fordeveloping and implementing retail, on-line and ancillary distribution ofthe company's CD-ROM, PlayStation, and Game Boy formats in North America.St. Anthony founded Adventure Media Group and Trinidad Entertainment, whichtogether acquire DVD rights, create interactive formats on DVD and DVD-ROM,and distribute programming. ITE's library includes HUGO SAVES CHRISTMAS,

New York-based Spontaneous Combustion has created the CGI for "It All Starts with ABC," a :15 spot for Post Alpha Bits cereal created to accompany PBS' ARTHUR. In the spot the camera slowly pulls back from Alpha-Bits-like letters to reveal that they are part of words on a page, and that this page is in a book, and that this book is part of a stack which grows past a UFO in outer space. The spot used Adobe After Effects to create matte paintings which were nested inside one another to create the cosmic zoom effect. 3D Studio Max was used to create the books.

New York-based J.J. Sedelmaier Productions created "Dream Job," a :10 film for NBC's TODAY SHOW's Al Roker, which shows the morning talk show's weatherman together with sun and cloud characters. J.J. Sedelmaier directed.