It was a rough weekend for Warner Bros.' newly released THE IRON GIANT at the US boxoffice. THE IRON GIANT, directed by Brad Bird, was the first 100% animated film to be released since June's SOUTH PARK, but despite nearly unanimous praise from critics and fans, it finished a lackluster ninth with a gross of just $5.7 million.
Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc., announced the worldwide availability of 3D Studio MAX Release 3 software, the latest release of its award-winning, professional, 3D modeling and animation solution designed specifically for Intel architecture and Microsoft Windows NT. Shipping with the 3D Studio MAX R3 software is a free update to Character Studio" Release 2.2. With an enhanced collaborative workflow environment and powerful new renderer, 3D Studio MAX supports hundreds of third-party commercial and free plug-ins, many of which will be available for 3D Studio MAX R3 software today.
Discreet, a division of Autodesk, Inc., announced the worldwide availability of 3D Studio MAX Release 3 software, the latest release of its award-winning, professional, 3D modeling and animation solution designed specifically for Intel architecture and Microsoft Windows NT. Shipping with the 3D Studio MAX R3 software is a free update to Character Studio" Release 2.2. With an enhanced collaborative workflow environment and powerful new renderer, 3D Studio MAX supports hundreds of third-party commercial and free plug-ins, many of which will be available for 3D Studio MAX R3 software today.
The 26th International Conference on Computer Graphics and InteractiveTechniques is starting this Sunday, August 8 in Los Angeles. Visit theSIGGRAPH Schoolhouse and its Electronic Library, a meeting place andresource space, which offers attendees reference material and resourcesfor educators and students. As a leading publication in the animationfield, Animation World Magazine will be offered in the ElectronicSchoolhouse Library for on-line reference. Printouts of individualarticles will be made available to students by request.
Among the events at this year's ComicCon International, the US's largestcomic book convention, will be a celebration of the AnimationRenaissance. Chris Prynoski, creator of the new series MTV DOWNTOWN,will host a panel discussion with three of the show's writers, andpresent an episode from the series. The convention takes place Thursday,August 12 - Sunday, August 15 in San Diego, California, USA. For moreinformation visit www.comic-con.org.
Retired Disney veterans Bill Matthews and Ken Southworth will be thespecial guest instructors at VanArts (Vancouver Institute of Media Arts)in August...
This week's updates to the Calendar of Events include CartoombriaInternational Animation Festival in Italy, and the San FranciscoIndependent Film Festival. The Calendar of Upcoming Events is aconstantly changing reference source for what's happening around theWorld of Animation. Use it to stay abreast of animation relatedactivities across the globe. If you know of animation related eventsthat we don't have listed, send an email with the pertinent facts toannick@awn.com. We'd love to publish your event information for free!
AWN recently launched the "Career Coach," a new monthly column by PamelaThompson, a noted authority on jobs and recruiting within the animationand visual effects industries.
AWN recently launched the "Career Coach," a new monthly column by PamelaThompson, a noted authority on jobs and recruiting within the animationand visual effects industries. Pamela's new column is writtenexclusively for AWN's Student Corner, and offers practical advice on keyissues related to jobs, recruitment, education and training, as well as
This week's comic is about X-ray baggage inspection in a US airport...
This week's quiz features questions about the lore of animationspast...How much do you really know about animation? Test your skills and challenge your brain. Each week, we'll see just how "smart" you really are! Take up the challenge by answering five multiple choice questions on a specific theme. For our second edition, we're asking questions about stop-motion and puppet animated films. Good luck...you'll need it!
You can find AWN's weekly Animation Trivia Quiz at:
New York City-based Cyclotron@Post Perfect has signed Alex Seiden asCreative Director. Seiden will direct commercial projects. Seiden comesfrom ILM where he was a Director & Visual Effects Supervisor on such filmsas JURASSIC PARK, DRAGONHEART, and STAR WARS: THE SPECIAL EDITION. He alsodirected a PSA for the American Psychiatric Association, and numerouslive-action second unit and special effects shoots.
Mark Lasoff has joined Stan Lee Media Inc. as executive vice president tooversee production of the Web-based company's upcoming super hero projects.Prior to this, Lasoff created visuals for Disney's upcoming CGI featureDINOSAURS, which will mix live-action backgrounds with animated characters,and was part of the visual effects team for TITANIC.
Gold Coast, Australia-based EA Australia, a subsidiary of Redwood City,California-based Electronic Arts, has hired Steve Dauterman to head a newdevelopment studio located in Australia. Dauterman, formerly Director ofDevelopment for LucasArts, had been with the Lucas group for ten years,initially as Financial Analyst for Lucasfilm before moving across toLucasArts in 1992. Since working at LucasArts he has overseen thedevelopment of such worldwide interactive titles as "Rebel Assault," "Dark
Sherman Oaks, California-based Warner Bros. TV Animation Studio hascompleted a spot featuring the classic cartoon characters, Tom and Jerry,in Promise Buttery Light "Butter Trouble," a :30 for New York-based agencyMcCann Erickson. In the cel-animated spot, Tom attempts to trick Jerry byswitching Promise Buttery Light for plain butter.
Stockholm, Sweden-based Filmtecknarna F. Animation has completed theanimation for "Chilled Cream," a three-spot campaign for British beercompany Boddington. The three ads combine 2D animation with 3D backgroundand CGI effects. The design of the characters and the overall look of thefilms were created at Filmtecknarna under the creative direction of StigBergqvist and Jonas Dahlbeck. The sound editing and overall productionmanagement was handled by London-based Nexus Films with producer ChrisO´Reilly in charge.
White Plains, New York-based J.J. Sedelmaier has completed two :30 spotsfor Old Navy. "Girls Zip Pocket Flares" features a young magician whoconjures up and controls Old Navy's new zip pocket jeans for her friends.In "Boys Boarder Jeans," boys show off their large style jeans whilewalking the dog, sawing a log, talking to a frog, and paying the rent whileskateboarding. The spots feature a '60s retro-style designed by DavidSheldon.
Newly launched Atlanta,Georgia-based Giant Studios is a performance animation studio. Theirproprietary Motion Reality? system utilizes the latest advancements inmicroprocessor technology and interfaces with the best animation software.A state-of-the-art motion capture studio is available with a 50' x 50' x24' open floor space. The system can capture and process multiple,subject-object interactions in real-time, as well as the intricate detailof hand and facial captures. The studio offers fully integrated
SHOWTIME will launch a newadvertising campaign for the network's exclusive, weekly online seriesWHIRLGIRL, which premiered on SHO.com in February 1999. The new campaign,designed in-house by SHOWTIME's Red Group led by Showtime Networks'Executive Vice President, Creative & Marketing Len Fogge, will debut inprint, outdoor, and on the world wide web in August. Valued atapproximately US$1 million, the campaign will run through October 1999. Togenerate greater awareness of WhirlGirl, the network will target national
Six new children's series based on popular titles from noted authors suchas Maurice Sendak, Rosemary Wells, Don Freeman and William Joyce will beproduced by Toronto-based Nelvana for distribution by the PublicBroadcasting Service (PBS) as a weekend block beginning in fall 2000. Thesix book titles upon which the new series will be based are: MauriceSendak's SEVEN LITTLE MONSTERS, William Joyce's GEORGE SHRINKS, DonFreeman's CORDUROY BEAR, Rosemary Wells' TIMOTHY GOES TO SCHOOL, Michael
TIME WARNER INC. has named Warner Bros. current chief operating officer BARRY MEYER as the new chairman and chief executive of the film studio, and Castle Rock Entertainment Chairman ALAN HORN as its president and chief operating officer. The new team, which takes over October 4, replaces Warner Bros. co-chairmen Robert Daly and Terry Semel, who announced last month that they would step down from the studio they have run together for nearly twenty years. Meyer joined Warner in 1971 as a director of business
Culver City, California-based advertising consultants Random/OrderInformation and Entertainment has hired Robert Abel to oversee severalaspects of its consulting services, as well as to develop new content andprogramming. CGI-pioneer Abel has created many landmark titles, includingcommercials for Apple Computer, IBM, the Smithsonian Institution, and theMayo Clinic. His many technical innovations include: the first "motioncontrol" camera system, "streak photography," and the first algorithms forcomputer animated human movement.
The Surrey Institute Of Art & Design has awarded an honorary fellowship toClare Kitson, Channel 4's animation commissioner, for her contribution toBritish Animation. Films commissioned by Kitson at Channel 4 include AlisonSnowden and David Fine's BOB'S BIRTHDAY and ACHILLES by Barry Purves.
Disney's Whomptastic, the previously announced two hour cartoon programmingblock which is set to air daily on UPN beginning September 6, has beenchanged to DISNEY'S ONE TWO so that viewers will associate it with Disney'sother cartoon block, the ABC Saturday morning DISNEY'S ONE SATURDAYMORNING. DISNEY'S ONE TWO will present the premiere of SABRINA THE ANIMATEDSERIES, as well as include the already established shows DISNEY'S RECESS,DISNEY'S DOUG and DISNEY'S HERCULES.
Newly-formed, Los Angeles-based FilmWorld Inc. Chairman Menahem Golan andPresident John Daly have announced the first of many films they willjointly produce. GUNGA DIN will be based on Rudyard Kipling's story about ayoung Indian boy's adventures with the British Army in India. Thescreenplay is by James Silke and Joseph Goldman, and the film's release isprojected for the 2000 holiday-season in theaters throughout the world.Golan has had a film career spanning more than thirty years in which he has
Cartoon Network will offer two premieres on Saturday, August 21 and Sunday,August 22 at 9 pm. On both days at that time, one can see the premiere ofCOURAGE, THE COWARDLY DOG, created by John R. Dilworth, about a timid dogwho defends an elderly couple from paranormal threats. Immediatelyfollowing at 9:30 pm on both days is the premiere of Bill Wray's shortfilm, KING CRAB SPACE CRUSTACEAN, a parody of television science fictionseries. In the film the youngest crewmember of King Crab's intergalactic
