AWN Headline News

Ed Hooks will teach a one-day acting for animators class in San Franciscoon September 25, from 10 am-5 pm. The class will include thinking-emotionconnections, thinking-physical action connections, character analysis,basic acting principles (the scene as a negotiation) and improvisations.Also, there will be discussion of shadow movement, psychological gesture,the "look" of memory, eye contact between characters, the importance ofempathy and how to achieve it. Clips from Charlie Chaplin movies will be

Santa Monica, California-based production company STEAM has signed LAWRENCEWYATT as motion designer/director. Wyatt recently directed "Innerlevel," atheatrical commercial for Los Angeles-based KCRW, a National Public Radioaffiliate.

New York City-based CYCLOTRON has completed a photo-real, CGI end tag for aseries of Heineken spots for creative company Vidal, Reynardus & Moya. Thecommercials are targeted for the US Hispanic market. The 10-second end tagfeatures a frosty cold bottle of Heineken. Cyclotron used Side EffectsHoudini software and wrote proprietary shaders for Renderman. Bruce Gionetwas the CGI supervisor.

Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) will host a two monthanimation festival. These are the scheduled events.

Saturday, July 10, 5 pm. John Canemaker will show and talk about a centuryof animation. The event is free.

Saturday, July 10, 8 pm. "The Birth of Walt Disney Pictures' DINOSAUR"presents a behind the scenes look at the work-in-progress.

Thursday, July 15, 8 pm. "The Making of MONSTERS OF GRACE" with JeffKleiser and Diana Walczak will explore the challenges of their

Santa Monica, California-based MIXIN PIXLS created the opening Warner Bros.logo sequence for DEEP BLUE SEA. The computer animated sequence presentsthe Warner shield flying through the sky. As the logo comes into full view,the sky undulates and the logo goes underwater, and transforms in the logoof Mirage Productions. Harri Paakkonen directed the animation usingAlias|Wavefront Composer and Sapphire Tools.

Boston, Massachusetts-based LOCONTE GOLDMAN has completed "Hearts on Fire"which consists of three :30 spots, and one :60 spot, for Grant Marketing, aProvidence, Rhode Island-based diamond company. The promos are for a tapethat will be used in a direct mail campaign, as well as for walk-incustomers. Maria LoConte directed the spots, and New York City-basedKLEISER WALCZAK did the 3D animation.

Buena Vista's supernatural thriller THE SIXTH SENSE, with visual effects byDreamQuest, finished first at the US weekend boxoffice for the thirdconsecutive week, grossing an estimated $24.1 million, which is onlyslightly below last week's $26.1 million, for a total of $106.7 million;The Walt Disney Company's INSPECTOR GADGET, with digital effects byDreamQuest, finished eighth, grossing an estimated $4.3 million for a totalof $83.1 million; and Warner Bros.' shark thriller, DEEP BLUE SEA, with

Noble is responsible for the great backgrounds of the Road Runner cartoons,DUCK DODGERS IN THE 24 1/2 CENTURY, DUCK AMUCK, WHAT'S OPERA, DOC?, etc.(He is also credited as co-director with Chuck Jones on several late WarnerBros. shorts, including the odd NOW HEAR THIS!) Between screenings of thecartoons (the way they were meant to be seen...on the BIG SCREEN), Mr.Noble will talk about his work and his approach to layout. The event takesplace Saturday, August 21 at The Grand Lake Theater at 3200 Grand Avenue in

Image Entertainment is releasing BOB CLAMPETT'S BEANY AND CECIL: THESPECIAL EDITION DVD on October 12, 1999 in the US. Created by RobertClampett, BEANY AND CECIL, about the adventures of a sea sick sea serpentand his pal, Beany, began as a live broadcast puppet show, TIME FOR BEANY,in the 1950s, before being re-done as an animated series in the early1960s. There was also a brief revival for Saturday morning television inthe 1980s. The DVD will include a dozen of the original Beany and Cecil

The East Coast's largest film festival for young people seeks works forages 3-16. The festival takes place February 4-13, 2000 in New York City.It accepts shorts, features, animation, documentary, narrative andexperimental film and video. To qualify, works must be completed no earlierthan July 1, 1997. Foreign language films must be dubbed or subtitled inEnglish. The festival is looking for passionate, creative, intelligent,entertaining film and video for ages 3-16. The entry deadline is October 1,

(Colossal) Pictures will ceaseoperations on August 31, 1999 after 23 years in business. According to theSan Francisco-based production and design studio, the decision was made inorder to liquidate property and honor outstanding debts. (Colossal) hasfiled for Chapter 11 protection before on May 30, 1996, and emerged frombankruptcy on December 1, 1997. It enjoyed a successful year in 1998,employing a lean work force. However, the beginning of this year saw adownturn in revenue. Financially weakened by the bankruptcy, as (Colossal)