AWN Headline News

The Animated Castles festival is an international animation festival in theform of a show. All events, including the international competition and theItalian competition of short films, the conferences, round tables,interviews and previews, are presented in one big venue. This year, thefestival pays tribute to Marv Newland, Joanna Quinn, Carlos Trillo andRoberto Gavioli. For more information contact The Animated Castles, c/oConsorzio Imprese Castelli Romani, Corso Gramsci 110, 00045 Genzano, Rome,

The Annual Cartoon Forum is organized by the European Association forAnimated Films. This year the forum focuses on TV animation. Also, one ofsix European short films will be awarded the Cartoon d'Or 1999. The eventtakes place Wednesday, September 22 - Sunday, September 26 in Cordoba,Spain. For more information contact AEFA Cartoon, Boulevard Lambermont,4181030 Brussels, Belgium. Tel: + 32 2 245 12 00; or Fax: + 32 2 245 46 89.

San Francisco-based CURIOUS PICTURES has finished "Decide & Conquer," a :30spot for Lugz athletic shoes. Directed by Jerry van de Beek, the spotresembles a video game and features Fantm Sklz, a hip male character, whomaneuvers through the obstacles of New York City, scoring points as hemakes his way to his final destination. Curious used 3D Studio MAX, AdobeAfter Effects and Discreet Paint for this project. New York-based AmsterYard was the agency.

New York City-based THE ATTIK has created the new visual style for UnitedParamount Network (UPN), the sixth largest network in the US, to help brandits new identity for its fall season. This includes promos, opens,transitions, and ids. To create the package, The Attik developed a seriesof models formed from translucent plastic and glass, and photographed themon an animation bed. The elements were edited to generate a sense offluctuation in the energy of the UPN logo, which was then combined with a

Los Angeles-based WinStar, which has recently released a number of publicdomain titles under the CARTOON CRAZYS heading, is releasing a "fullyrestored" version of the Fleischer Bros. 1939 feature, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS,on DVD and VHS on September 28, 1999 in the US. Transferred from a newlystruck print taken from an original negative, this version featuresenhanced audio remixed in Dolby Digital and Dolby Surround sound. Themusical score also has been remastered with additional scoring and

Cambridge, UK-based Cambridge Animation has released Animo ProductionTracker - new software that allows studios to use the Internet, intranetsand internal networks to track every aspect of a production cycle. AnimoProduction Tracker software automates management of the thousands ofdrawings and different personnel involved in a typical project, allowingusers to better ascertain progress, determine costs, allocate resources,and eliminate duplication. The new software is fully integrated with Animo,

San Francisco, California-based Macromedia, Inc. has announced theimmediate availability of the Macromedia Drumbeat 2000 line of productswhich provide a visual solution for Web application and e-commercedevelopment. Drumbeat 2000 is available in an Active Server Pages (ASP)version, a Java Server Pages (JSP) version, and an eCommerce edition. TheDrumbeat 2000 product line is being offered for the first time byMacromedia, which announced its intent to acquire Elemental Software and

The Fifth Annual Toronto Digital Image Festival (TDIF) is acceptingcomputer animation and special effects entries until September 24, 1999.Narrative and experimental CGI entries are strongly encouraged. Thefestival takes place October 28, 1999 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For moreinformation visit www.interlog.com/~dolish/tdif; or Tel. (905) 438-1659.

Viacom Inc., which owns MTV and Paramount Pictures, has offered to buy CBSCorp., one of the Big Three US television broadcasters, for $37 billion instock, the largest media transaction ever. The new company, which willstill be called Viacom, will be led by Sumner Redstone who will remainViacom's chairman and chief executive. CBS President and Chief ExecutiveMel Karmazin will be president and chief operating officer. The deal ispart of what is expected to be a wave of consolidation in the TV industry