The Welsh Animation Group, an association of Welsh animators created to develop an international animated film festival in Wales, has published the first issue of their newsletter, WAG NEWSLETTER. This new group centered in Cardiff has emerged for a number of reasons. Siriols Robin Lyons first discussed, The need for a lobbying pressure group and, just as importantly a forum for animators, as stated in the publications editorial written by Dave Berry.
IMAX Corporation, owner of the large format film theater chain, hasannounced the closing of its strategic investment in Vancouver,Canada-based Mainframe Entertainment Inc., a producer of CGI animation.Under the terms of the agreement, IMAX invested CDN$8 million to acquire a19% equity stake in Mainframe and CDN$8 million to acquire convertiblesenior debt which, if converted, could bring IMAX's ownership up to 30% ofMainframe. Simultaneously, Mainframe announced that two leading Canadian
The Walt Disney Co. has reported its earnings for the third quarter, andthe nine months ended June 30, 1999. Net income for the fiscal thirdquarter ended in June fell to $367 million from last year's $415 million.The figure includes a pretax loss of $87 million from the November purchaseof a 43% interest in Internet search engine Infoseek Corp. Net income forthe nine month period ended June 30, 1999 fell to $1.215 billion from lastyear's $1.554 billion. "While we are not satisfied with our current
Lucasfilm's STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE took in $16.5 millionin 24 territories over the weekend, bringing its foreign total to $154.3million. In its second weekend in the UK, it finished first and grossed$8.1 million, which was 70% of the market, for a total of $32.7 million in11 days alone! It finished first for the third straight weekend in Japan,as it grossed $4.5 million, for a total of $39.1 million. DreamWorks' THEPRINCE OF EGYPT grossed $758,000 to bring its foreign total to $118.2
Vancouver, Canada-based Mainframe Entertainment, Inc. has announced anoption agreement with Sirius Entertainment to develop a computer animatedtelevision and direct-to-video series based on comic book artist/writerJill Thompson's SCARY GODMOTHER comic books. SCARY GODMOTHER was firstpublished by Sirius Entertainment for Hallowe'en, 1997 as a hardcovergraphic novel. Since then Sirius has published a new graphic novel everyHallowe'en in addition to black and white one-shot comic books at other
Sydney, Australia-based SOUTHERN STAR SALES has appointed TELERI ROBERTS asthe first General Manager of its business unit Southern Star Kids, andKATHERINE KAUFMAN to the position of Sales Executive for Latin America.Roberts has most recently been working as Sales Head of Cascade, theinternational sales division of Scottish Television Enterprises based inGlasgow, and prior to that worked in several sales positions at Channel 4Wales. As General Manager of Southern Star Kids, she will be based in the
Los Angeles-based CLASS-KEY CHEW-PO COMMERCIALS has signed VOLTAIRE as itsnewest director. Voltaire's style includes a combination of stop-motionanimation and live-action. He has done spots for British Nights, CrunchFitness, Cartoon Network, MTV, and The Sci-Fi Channel.
Read what Voltaire has to say about his unique techniques in "How'd They DoThat? - Stop-Motion Secrets Revealed" in the February 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine.
Toronto-based TOPIX/MAD DOG has completed the computer animated :15 RussellStover Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups "Oil Well" for Russell Stover andBerstein-Rein. For the spot, TOPIX/Mad Dog developed proprietary fluiddynamics software that can be customized to replicate jelly spurting out ofan "oil" derrick. Done in Softimage, the spot features little chocolateconstruction workers who become excited when their derrick hits jelly. SeanMontgomery directed.
London-based PASSION PICTURES' CG animation director Chris Knott and postproduction house RUSHES' Paul Wratten have finished "Very Boggy," a :40spot for Nouvelle toilet tissue. In the spot a variety of toilets open andshut in time to the music of Handel's "Water Music." CG animator ChrisKnott reproduced the toilet seats which were first shot as live-actionreference. Mark Wilson completed all the builds, surfacing, lighting, andcompositing in Lightwave 5.6.
The Action Young Independent Talent Award is an annual contest organized byFilms Action Inc., in partnership with Ina-Imagina. This 3D contest's goalis to promote new 3D computer artists talents. Prizes include hardware andsoftware packages. The best animation will be transferred to 35 mm. Entrydeadline is October 10, 1999. The festival takes place in Paris, FranceJanuary 28-February 3, 2000. For more information contact Films Action,Laurent Rodon, 25 rue Le Peletier, 75009 Paris, France; Tel: +33 1 47 70 45
Newly released DreamWorks SKG's THE HAUNTING, with digital effects by ILM,finished first in the U.S. weekend boxoffice race, grossing an estimated$33 million. Also newly released, The Walt Disney Company's INSPECTORGADGET, with digital effects by DreamQuest, finished second, grossing anestimated $22 million. Warner's WILD WILD WEST, with digital effects byILM, finished seventh, grossing an estimated $5.4 million for a total of$104.2 million; Disney's TARZAN finished ninth, grossing $4.8 million for a
The San Francisco Independent Film Festival (aka SF IndieFest) seeksfeature length film and video and short animation films for its secondannual festival to take place December 9-12, 1999. All films in thefestival will compete for the Audience Awards for best feature and bestanimated short and for a prize (new this year) which will be awarded to theIndieFest Staff Favorite. Early deadline with no entry fee is September 1.Late deadline with $20 entry fee is September 17. For an entry form contact
Mumbai, India-based GRAPHITI MULTIMEDIA has completed "The Case of theMissing Tooth" for Pepsodent, a 7-minute infomercial in which detectivesSqeezy, a tube of toothpaste, and Bristles, a toothbrush, work their waythrough a tooth maze, battle germs in a haunted house, peer into a foodcave, and are lectured by a dentist who explains to them the benefits ofgood oral hygiene. Traditional line drawings were used to create thecharacters, but environments were produced in 3D Studio Max. Cambridge
* Friday, July 23, 8 am. Hollwyood, California, USA.
Ray Harryhausen will appear at a screening of JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS.Tickets (donations) are $20, which includes a souvenir booklet. Location:Mann's Chinese Theatre. For more information contact The ArgonautFoundation, 10153 1/2 Riverside Dr. #290, No. Hollywood, CA 91602. Tel:818-890-4492; fax: 818-896-6613; e-mail: argonautfound@webtv.net; or visitwww.zwebb.com/7thvoyageprod/argonaut/index.html.
The British Academy of Film and Television Art's (BAFTA) InteractiveEntertainment Awards are open to entries from all parts of the world on allinteractive platforms. Categories include: Entertainment Website,Innovative Game, Moving Images, Sound, Interactivity, Design, ComputerProgramming, and more. Entry deadline is August 6, 1999. Awards will beannounced October 20, 1999. For more information contact BAFTA,195 Piccadilly, London, W1V 0LN, UK; Tel: + 44 171-7340022; Fax: + 44171-341792; e-mail: helenw@bafta.org; or visit www.bafta.org.
DEPTH is a project of Village Arts (Animha Productions). DEPTH is lookingfor challenging contemporary Puppet or 3D Model animation of any genre.DEPTH accepts films from around the world in any of the followingcategories: Experimental, Professional, and Student & Non-Professional. Allfilms submitted will be considered equally for screening. Provisional entrydeadline is July 30, 1999. For more information contact DEPTH, VillageArts, Stable House, Water Lane, Loftus, Saltburn, TS13 4JT, England; Tel:
The International EMMA Awards are prestigious European-based interactivemedia awards. In 1999, there will again be an online announcement ofnominations and winners. In the months following the announcement, anotherseries of winners' celebration events will be organized to coincide with anumber of new media related events such as Invision in San Francisco andMilia in Cannes. Categories include: Business, Entertainment, GeneralInterest, Technology, Education, Games, Interactive, and Digital City.
The Academy for Television Arts and Sciences have announced the nomineesfor the 1999 Primetime Emmy Awards. The awards ceremony will be telecast onFox on September 12 and held in Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium. Theanimated nominees include the following programs:
The category for OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM (For programming one hour orless) includes five nominations:
FUTURAMA - A BIG PIECE OF GARBAGE (FOX/Curiosity Company Productions inassociation with Twentieth Century Fox).
This list of upcoming home entertainment releases includes some new titles,but most of them are new only to DVD. Disney has just re-released ROBINHOOD and ALICE IN WONDERLAND; their live-action RETURN TO OZ, whichincludes some stop-motion by Will Vinton Studios, will be released on DVDand VHS on August 10. Touchstone's WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? will bereleased on DVD on September 28. Warner Bros. has just released 1999'sanimated THE KING AND I on both VHS and DVD; WALLACE AND GROMIT: THE
Vancouver, Washington-based Hash, Inc. has released an update to AnimationMaster 99, the 3D animation software program. In addition to carrying a lowprice tag, Hash offers many features found in higher priced packages and issupported by many animators as a low cost package that is capable of goodwork. New to version 7.1 are advancements in new real-time hardwaretechnologies, enhanced rendering tools, and overall workflow performanceenhancements. The upgrade is free to owners of Animation Master 99. Formore information visit www.hash.com.
French company Infogrames Entertainment has released 'Bugs Bunny Lost inTime' for Sony PlayStation. In this video game Bugs encounters old nemeses,including Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, Marvin the Martian, Witch Hazel, Rockyand Mugsy, Merlin the Wizard, the Bull, and Daffy Duck in settings rangingfrom the Stone Age and Pirate eras all the way forward to Dimension X.Suggested retail price is US$39.95.
Don't miss out on your chance to save by registering your exhibit early forAnimation Expo 2000. The deadline for registration at the Early Bird ratesis July 30, 1999. ASIFA-Hollywood's Animation Expo 2000 will be held at theGlendale Civic Auditorium in Glendale, California, USA on March 3 and 4,2000. This 7th annual animation trade and technology show focuses on therecruitment of animation related talent and personnel, demonstrations ofcomputer technology, animation related products and services, and the sale
* Wednesday, July 21, 7 pm. Beverly Hills, California, USA.
Ray Harryhausen, director Nathan Juran, and genie actor Richard Eyer willbe on-hand for the screening of a newly restored print of THE 7TH VOYAGE OFSINBAD. Tickets (donations) are $20, which includes a souvenir booklet.Samuel Goldwyn Theater, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 8949Wilshire Blvd. For more information contact The Argonaut Foundation, 101531/2 Riverside Dr. #290, No. Hollywood, CA 91602. Tel: 818-890-4492; fax:
Director John Adams has signed to be represented by Santa Monica,California-based AREA 51 Films. Prior to launching his commercial directingcareer last year, Adams was director of broadcast production at DDBNeedham, Dallas.
The Attik/San Francisco has also named Ian Renton Studio Manager. Rentonwill oversee the day to day operation of the studio. He is also responsiblefor insuring that all equipment works correctly, handling briefings withclients, and shepherding design projects from inception to completion. Hecomes from The Attik's Huddersfield, UK office where he was Digital ArtworkManager/Studio Manager.
