AWN Headline News

Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology in Canada has become the

first institution to bring ORAD video technology into the classroom.

Originally designed for the Israeli military's virtual reality training,

ORAD places real-time people into a virtual set. The ORAD system removes

the bluescreen behind a person and replaces it with a computer-generated

environment. Located at the Seneca York campus, students in the television

broadcasting, 3D arts and advertising programs will have the opportunity to

CLAIRE ROBINSON has been named senior vice president, intellectual property

law, for THE WALT DISNEY CO. Robinson will oversee Disney's intellectual

property group, which is responsible for intellectual property matters for

the company and its subsidiaries worldwide. Previously, Robinson held the

position of vice president in the same department. Before joining Disney in

1989, she was with the law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Washington,

QUICKBAND NETWORKS, a leading distributor of short-form entertainment, has

signed KIM ADELMAN as editor of SHORT, a compilation of award-winning

live-action, animated, experimental and documentary short films distributed

exclusively on DVD. The company also promoted CRAIG WELLS to director of

acquisitions. Kim Adelman joins QuickBand Networks from fXM: Movies From

Fox. At the Fox-owned movie network, Adelman launched the short film

division, fXM Shorts. During her tenure at fXM, Adelman produced 19 films,

3D animator ANDREW SINAGRA has joined the computer graphics team at San

Francisco-based RADIUM. With specialties including modeling, particle

effects and volumetric effects, Sinagra will be involved in creating 3D

animation and visual effects for commercials and music videos. Sinagra

joins Radium from Midland Productions, a Berkeley, CA-based computer

animation house specializing in special venue films, feature films and

commercials. While at Midland, Sinagra created 3D animation for ROBOTS OF

Sony's US$100 million plus grossing film STUART LITTLE couldn't hold off

the live-action comedy NEXT FRIDAY at the U.S. box office thus slipping to

second place. The mega-mouse flick, with primary visual effects by Sony

Pictures Imageworks, additional animation by CFX and Rhythm & Hues, and

miniatures by Thunderstone, grossed US$9.7 million bringing its grand total

to $106.8 million. THE GREEN MILE, with primary visual effects by ILM,

Rhythm & Hues, POP and Matte World Digital, fell to 5th place grossing $7.6

* Wednesday, January 26, 2000. Toronto, Canada.

TAIS, the Toronto Animated Image Society, will present "Creating Appealing

Cartoon Characters" with Peter Emslie. In the evening's presentation, the

long-time Disney animator will explain his personal theory on what makes

for good cartoon character design, by referring to videotape and sketching

on the spot to illustrate various points. Since 1979, Emslie has spent much

of his time drawing for the Walt Disney Company. On staff for 10 years and

Imagine Television, the makers of THE PJS, is leaving Disney for its new

home at Fox. The three-year collaboration between the small screen arm of

production house Imagine Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television will

take effect at the end of April 2000. Worth up to $30 million, the deal

also includes a two-year option extension. Imagine TV had been based at

Walt Disney Television since it was formed in 1997 by Imagine Entertainment

V12's director David Hwang created a "'50s sitcom spoof" commercial for

Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Produced for the Detroit ad agency DP + Company,

the 30-second spot features blue-tinted footage of a classic LEAVE IT TO

BEAVER-like family. As the family reads about the Selectcare program, the

commercial washes over in bright Technicolor hues. The voice-over

concludes, "Sometimes the answer can come right out of the blue." Jennifer

Lucero produced for V12.