The 2016 NAB Show's The Future of Cinema Conference: The Immortal Movie, produced in partnership with SMPTE, will explore how content creators and storytellers combine artistry with motion-imaging technology to thrive today — and into the future. Acclaimed film director Ang Lee will give the keynote address, Pushing the Limits of Cinema, and discuss his vision for cinema and the creative opportunities for the future of filmmaking.
Director Arlene Bogna's independent film The Ballad of Snake Oil Sam will be screened at the New Filmmakers Los Angeles Festival on Match 19. New Filmmakers Los Angeles is a non-profit organization designed to showcase innovative works by emerging global filmmakers. “Part of the Alliance of Women Directors initiative with NFMLA, The Ballad of Snake Oil Sam is an off beat ride into the creative areas we seldom explore with captivating photography and production design along with committed performances,” said NFMLA creative director/co-founder, Susie Kim. “This curious short film will engage you till the end.”
Cooke Optics has unveiled a specially manufactured set of anamorphic lenses called Anamorphic/i SF. The new lens range, which is complementary to the acclaimed Anamorphic/i series, offers a coating that gives cinematographers even more options for anamorphic character.
New York Women in Film & Television’s Women's Film Preservation Fund is calling for proposals for grants to restore and preserve American films in which women have had significant creative positions. The WFPF's mission is to save films of unique importance in American history and in the history of women's cinema. Individuals and not-for-profit organizations are eligible to apply for grants of up to $10,000. The association’s next grant proposal deadline is June 1st, 2016.
Award-winning cinematographer Nancy Schreiber, ASC recently shot a two-minute public service announcement for YouTube honoring International Women’s Day. The spot profiles seven YouTube creators from around the world who serve as Change Ambassadors in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Action Campaign, using their voices to stand up for gender equality.
Dolby Laboratories and Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be released for Dolby Cinema on March 25. The film’s world premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 20 will be presented in Dolby Vision laser projection and Dolby Atmos sound. Dolby Cinema, featuring Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, is a premium cinema offering for exhibitors and moviegoers that combines spectacular image and sound technologies with inspired design to make every visit a completely captivating cinematic event.
Motion picture and television professionals hungry to know what gear was used to shoot the latest Star Wars epic or Netflix’s hottest new show are quickly turning ShotOnWhat? into one of the production industry’s most popular destinations on the web. The production and post-production database site, which includes detailed information on everything from the camera lenses to the sound equipment to the visual effects software used to produce particular movies and TV shows, has pushed past 100,000 page views per month. Site founder James LaViola predicts that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Breed, a technical staffing agency focused on recruiting tech talent for careers in the entertainment industry, has launched in Los Angeles. A division of IT specialist GPL Technologies, Breed connects motion picture studios, gaming companies, visual effects houses, post-production facilities and other creative service providers with the industry’s best engineers, IT and pipeline specialists, and programmers.
Deadpool is already one of 2016’s biggest box office hits. The darkly comic and graphic take on the superhero movie was finished by colorist Tim Stipan on Baselight at Deluxe’s EFilm in Hollywood. “Working on such a complex, effects-heavy project often requires various external matte sequences in addition to multiple image tracks. Multiply that by the large number of VFX vendors, and it meant we had a lot of different layers and mattes,” said Stipan.
The Walk feature film, Atomic Fiction’s digital recreation of 1974 New York City—complete with hot dogs steaming on a vendor cart—earned the praise of critics who proclaimed the movie “a visual spectacle” with effects “so grand it’s easy to forget you’re watching a virtual 100 percent CG-created world.” Less visible but equally important to filmmaker clients is the studio’s behind-the-scenes production artistry. Marc Sadeghi, president of Visual Effects at Atomic Fiction said, “By combining the power of technology, the creativity of passionate artists, and a collaborative approach to working with filmmakers, we’re able to overcome the challenges inherent to VFX production. As a result, we can satisfy both the VFX appetites and production deadlines of our clients.”
