Newtek ships Video Toaster for Windows
San Antonio, Texas-based NewTek, manufacturer of 3D animation and videoproduction products, has announced Video Toaster for Windows. The new VideoToaster is the heir to the original Video Toaster for the Amiga, whichinitiated the desktop video revolution in 1990. The Video Toaster offersusers a suite of tools for video creation including all the essentialcomponents for video editing, compositing and 2D/3D animation. Thesuggested retail price is $2995.00. The dual format NTSC and PAL solutionretails for $3495.00.
Station X licenses animation software
Santa Monica, California-based Station X Studios is licensing theproduction version of its proprietary animation software tools, code named"Project: messiah," as a commercial software product. The high-endanimation production software, developed to animate the studio'sforthcoming live-action/CGI feature film DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: THE MOVIE, canbe used on computers utilizing the Microsoft Windows NT operating systemwith either Intel compatible or Alpha compatible processors. A Mac version
SEGA Dreamcast sets record for preorders
Sega DreamCast, the superconsole with a built-in 56K modem (for internetgame play) that will bring the most-advanced and realistic video gameplayever developed to consumers when it is launched on September 9, 1999, hasset a record with 300,000 pre-orders, surpassing the previous record of100,000 held by Sony PlayStation. The new 128-bit, Internet-ready SegaDreamCast is fifteen times more powerful than a Sony PlayStation, ten timesmore powerful than a Nintendo 64 and has four times the graphics processing
DARIA goes interactive
MTV and sister Viacom unit Simon & Schuster Interactive are producing sixCD-ROM (for PC and Mac) and PlayStation entertainment titles for MTV'sDARIA over the next five years. The first title, DARIA'S SICK, SAD LIFEPLANNER will ship this October for the PC. DARIA, which debuted in March of1997, spun off Beavis and Butt-Head's only female "friend" into her ownshow. The series is about Daria Morgendorffer, a smart and sardonicteenager blessed with an uncanny ability to turn potential disaster to her
Hollywood Shorts returns
The September edition of Hollywood Shorts, a monthly short film series forlive-action and, occasionally, animation, takes place Sunday, September 12at various venues throughout the Los Angeles area, and on the web. For moreinformation visit www.lalive.com/hollywoodshorts.
Don't miss MIM!
The 6th Multimedia International Market (MIM) takes place September 15-17in Montreal, Canada. The tradeshow includes the International Golden MIMscompetition which will award prizes for the best CD-Rom, Web Sites andOthers (Business Solutions, Multimedia Software, Special Effects). For moreinformation Tel. (514) 288 3931, Fax: (514) 288 0641, or E-mail:info@mim.qc.ca. Also visit www.mim.qc.ca.
WIA Writers Group presents Lydia Marano
The Women In Animation Writers Group presents guest speaker Lydia Marano,whose credits include GARGOYLES, SPIDER-MAN, PHANTOM 2040, CONAN AND THEYOUNG WARRIORS, and RESCUE RANGERS. The event takes place Thursday,September 9, 7:30 pm. at Saban Entertainment, 10960 Wilshire Blvd. at thecorner of Midvale in Westwood, California, USA. The admission fee is $5.00.RSVP: Karla Parker at karlaparker@earthlink.net, or Jean Wrightat (818) 360-8321.
PHANTOM MENACE continues to score at the boxoffice
Lucasfilm's STAR WARS EPISODE ONE:THE PHANTOM MENACE passed the $300 million mark in overseas boxoffice,making it the eleventh most successful film of all time outside of NorthAmerica. It opened last week in Switzerland with $1.1 million, thefourth-biggest opening there. In three regions where it was in its secondweek of release, it took in $7.5 million in Germany for a total of $24.7million; $2.7 million in Spain for a total of $10.9 million; and $893,000in Sweden for a total of $3.1 million. The film's total gross from 27
Kino releases Brothers Quay
New York-based Kino on Video is releasingtwo Brothers Quay videos. THE BROTHERS QUAY COLLECTION: TEN ASTONISHINGSHORT FILMS 1984-1993 includes THE CABINET OF JAN SVANKMAJER, THE EPIC OFGILGAMESH OR THIS UNNAMEABLE LITTLE BROOM, STREET OF CROCODILES, REHEARSALSFOR EXTINCT ANATOMIES, DRAMOLET (STILLE NACHT I), THE COMB (FROM THEMUSEUMS OF SLEEP), DE ARTIFICALI PERSPECTIVA OR ANAMORPHOSIS, ARE WE STILLMARRIED? (STILLE NACHT II), TALES FROM THE VIENNA WOODS (STILLE NACHT III),
Macromedia releases Flash Writer for Adobe Illustrator users
San Francisco, California-based Macromedia, Inc. has announced Macromedia FlashWriter, a free downloadable plug-in for Adobe Illustrator, which willenable Illustrator users to save their artwork natively to the Flash Playerfile format (SWF). Illustrator users will now be able to deploy theirartwork to the Web immediately without having to reformat it as a bitmappedfile. Flash is the industry standard for high-impact, vector-based Websites that deliver motion, sound, interactivity and graphics. Flash Writer
MTV forms MTV Interactive (MTVi)
New York-based MTV Networks Online, a unit of ViacomInc., has formed MTV Interactive (MTVi), a new Internet-only music company,which will include music super-brands vh1.com, mtv.com and sonicnet.com.Nicholas Butterworth, former president of SonicNet, was named president andCEO of MTVi, and will report directly to Fred Seibert, president of MTVNetworks Online and Chairman of MTVi. "We think there is great value informing a company that includes three of the Internet's best music sites,"
Penn & Teller guest star on WHIRLGIRL
Magicians Penn & Teller willguest star on the September 10th episode of SHO.com's WHIRLGIRL, Showtime'sanimated online series about a sexy, 21st century cyber-heroine. "We sawPenn & Teller's wise-guy approach to magic and their cult-like appeal as aperfect fit for the WhirlGirl audience," says WHIRLGIRL creator DavidWilliams of New York-based Visionary Media, producer of the series."Besides, who else but Penn & Teller could pull off the'Throwing-Knives-at-a-Super-Heroine-On-A-Roulette-Wheel' stunt?" The
NPAR 2000 calls for entries
NPAR 2000 is the first internationalsymposium dedicated to non-photorealistic animation and rendering,including cartoon animation systems and techniques. It takes place at theInternational Animated Film Festival of Annecy, France, July 5-9, 2000 inconjunction with ACM/SIGGRAPH and Eurographics. The symposium will bringtogether researchers and practitioners from academia and industry, showcasecutting-edge research in non-photorealistic animation and rendering systemsand techniques, and present examples of these techniques in original
Sony formalizes Family Entertainment Group
Sony Pictures Entertainmenthas formalized the name of its newest business unit, Sony Pictures FamilyEntertainment Group (SPFE), and appointed Gary Hirsch as senior vicepresident and general manager of the division. Reporting to SanderSchwartz, president of the relatively new division, Hirsch will oversee newbusiness development opportunities for the division and its day-to-dayoperations, including business affairs, human resources, studio operations,production and marketing. Hirsch comes to Sony's SPFE from Columbia
Cartoon Network promotes James Porges to V.P. of Off-Channel Commerce
Cartoon Network has promoted James Porges to vice president of off-channel commerce. Porges will manage the businessdevelopment of consumer products and off-channel presence of all CartoonNetwork-branded multi-character efforts, including publishing, music, homevideo, and theme parks. He will also manage all original Cartoon Networkcharacters such as The Powerpuff Girls and Johnny Bravo. Prior to becomingdirector of brand management, Porges was director of Cartoon Network Clubsat Turner Home Entertainment.
Animation compositors needed at VirtualMagic ASIA
VirtualMagic ASIA, the collaboration of VirtualMagic Animation andImagineAsia Studio for 2D digital ink, paint and compositing, is lookingfor talented USAnimation Compositors for project work at their digitalanimation facility in Manila, Philippines. The start date is mid October,1999 or before. See VirtualMagic on the web and contact them at:
Important SAFO '99 entrant notification information
Special information about film submissions for all SAFO '99 entrants...
Bill Plympton around the world!
Once again, Bill Plympton has updated his appearances page. In the nextmonths, "I Married a Strange Person" will be appearing in various festivalsand other events in the US, Germany, Finland and Ukraine. Bill will also beattending the events in the US and Germany.
Check out Bill's appearance schedule.
Updates for the Quickdraw Animation Society website
Check out the latest Quickdraw Animation Society animator profiles...
Imagina 2000, PISAF and Stuttgart event dates announced
This week's updates to the Calendar of Events includes the followingfestivals: Imagina 2000 in France, Stuttgart in Germany, PISAF in SouthKorea; Plus the first International Symposium On Non-PhotorealisticAnimation and Rendering in France. The Calendar of Upcoming Events is aconstantly changing reference source for what's happening around the Worldof Animation. Use it to stay abreast of animation related activities acrossthe globe. If you know of animation related events that we don't have
Plympton's Comic of the Week: "A Refreshing Break in the Country"
This week's comic is about taking a refreshing break in the country...
This week's Animation Trivia Quiz: Unusual Animation Techniques
This week's AWN Animation Trivia Quiz features questions about unusual animation techniques and inventions such as the pinboard...
Exclusive offer on Ray Rohr's ROBBY THE ROBOT WITH BLASTER
Sci-Fi Station's Limited Edition "Robby the Robot" toy is an incredibly detailed original design by Osaka Tin Toy Institute...
Store Special: New Video Of Estonian Animation, With Priit Parn
Now available in the AWN Store is a 70 minute collection of shorts byaward-wining Estonian animator Priit Parn. Since making his first film, "Isthe Earth Round" (1977), animator, illustrator, and artist Priit Parn hasevolved into one of the most influential animation artists in the world.His films are routinely invited to animation festivals where they have wonseveral major awards. Included in volume 1 of an extensive series examiningthe history of Estonian animation are: "And Plays Tricks" (1979), "Some
THE SIXTH SENSE continues on top of US boxoffice
Buena Vista's supernatural thriller THE SIXTH SENSE, with visual effects byDreamQuest, finished first at the US weekend boxoffice for the fourthconsecutive week, grossing an estimated $20.1 million, for a total of$138.9 million. No other animation related film finished in the top ten.Newly released Universal's DUDLEY DO-RIGHT, a live-action film which starsBrendan Fraser, and is based on the series about a Canadian Mountie fromJay Ward and Bill Scott's early 1960s THE ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE SHOW,finished eleventh, grossing $3 million.
