Cine Colombia Colombia's leading exhibitor with 37 multiplex sites 248 screens and 48 000 seats has agreed to a deal with Arts Alliance Media and Cinevise to equip its circuit with AAM's Theatre Management System Screenwriter. All screens will also receive Cinevise’s central rack equipment and will be monitored and serviced from Cinevise's Global Network Operations Centre to maintain the quality and standards that Cine Colombia has had for 85 years in the Colombian market. The deal is AAM's first in Colombia and follows recent deals across other countries in the region. This deal has been enabled through the AAM/Cinevise partnership established in 2011 to bring AAM software to the Latin American market. CEO of Cine Colombia Munir Falah said Signing this deal with AAM and Cinevise is a great step for our digital cinema rollout. Seeing AAM's and Cinevise’s experience in digital cinema gave us the confidence to sign with them as trusted partners and we look forward to bringing AAM's Screenwriter software and Cinevise´s monitoring to all our screens in order to streamline all our digital cinema operations. Alex Younger president of Cinevise said “Cine Colombia has always been at the forefront of new technology in the cinema industry. We are glad that they have chosen our solution for their NOC monitoring services and central rack deployment. Eric Stevens commercial director at arts Alliance Media said We're delighted to arrive in Colombia in style with Cine Colombia. Adding one of Latin America’s preeminent exhibitors is an honor and further demonstrates our commitment to the region. Our experience over the years has enabled us to humbly build some of the best cinema software in the world. ,3857
Nordic Digital Alliance Rebranded as Arts Alliance Media,2013-02-14,Nordic Digital Alliance is officially rebranding as Arts Alliance Media following AAM’s acquisition of the company in 2011. NDA originally a joint venture formed by AAM and a consortium of Norwegian businesses in order to roll out digital cinema in Norway and to develop digital cinema advertising solutions. The Norwegian office of the company will remain. In addition to the rebranding the company has announced a partnership with Norwegian cinema equipment provider Videvox (previously known as Hjalmar Wilhelmsen). Under the deal Videvox will be the exclusive reseller of AAM digital cinema software in Norway and a non-exclusive reseller in Sweden. Videvox will also be responsible for digital cinema and electronic cinema support throughout Norway. Videvox have relocated into the AAM office in Sandvika. Oscar Hovland from Videvox said We're delighted to announce this deal with AAM which will allow us to bring our support and sales services to even more cinemas across the region. Utilizing the best of both our companies means an even more comprehensive and seamless service for our exhibitors. Marius Christiansen director of operations Nordic Region at AAM said “Becoming part of AAM and joining forces with Videvox hugely strengthens our position in the Scandinavian market and the reputation and digital cinema expertise of both companies will only enhance the experience for all our current and future customers. Since last year we have been working with AAM's offices in London and around the world to integrate our software build a world-class advertising campaign management solution which we’re looking forward to bringing to more markets globally. ” Howard Kiedaisch chief executive officer of AAM added “We’re delighted that NDA are now fully part of the Arts Alliance Media family and are going to be working with Videvox. We’ve already been working extensively to incorporate NDA's knowledge and experience into AAM’s offering and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to continue to develop our advertising products and bring the efficiencies of digital cinema to the advertising market.” ,3858
Alamo to open Washington D.C. Theatre in May,2013-02-14,Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has announced an early May opening of its first location in the Washington D.C. region. In addition to Alamo’s acclaimed cinema experience the 32 000 square foot movie theatre and restaurant in Loudoun County Virginia will bring the brand’s acclaimed dining options and unique movie-related events. “We can’t wait for Loudoun County to experience first-hand why Time Magazine calls us ‘the best theatre ever ’” said Anthony Coco franchise partner with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. “I think Alamo’s signature touches will make us a hit as we expand into the Washington region.” Currently the new Alamo at One Loudoun is two-thirds complete with exterior walls up roof installed and electricity and sound panels being added within weeks. Upon completion the location will feature a total of 792 seats and eight auditoriums each equipped with Sony 4K projectors for an all-digital presentation. In addition to the superior AV equipment the layout of each auditorium eliminates the traditional front row ensuring every seat in the house allows for a great viewing experience. ,3859
Winners Named for 27th Annual ASC Awards,2013-02-14, Roger Deakins Balazs Bolygo Kramer Morgenthau Florian Hoffmeister; and Bradford Lipson claimed top honors in the four competitive categories at the 27th annual American Society of Cinematographers Awards for Outstanding Achievement earlier this month.
Deakins won the ASC Award in the feature film competition for Skyfall. Bolygo and Morgenthau tied in the one-hour television episodic category for Cinemax’s Hunted and HBO’s Game of Thrones respectively. Hoffmeister won the TV movie/miniseries award for PBS’ Great Expectations and Lipson was the recipient of the half-hour television episodic category for FX’s Wilfred. Oscar-winner Angelina Jolie presented the ASC Lifetime Achievement Award to Dean Semler who earned an Oscar and an ASC Award for Kevin Costner’s 1991 feature Dances with Wolves. In 2007 his work on Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto earned him a second ASC Award nomination.
The ASC International Award was presented to Robby Müller by director Steve McQueen and actress Nastassja Kinski who worked with him on the film Paris Texas. Kinski said “Seeing Robby work on that film made me want to know all about the camera – how it catches light images and feelings. How it serves as the window to each film.” Müller was unable to attend the event and McQueen and Kinski accepted the award on his behalf.
The Career Achievement in Television Award was presented to Rodney Charters (24) by Sir Robert Harvey mayor of Waitakere City in New Zealand. The ASC Presidents Award was given to Curtis Clark by Stephen Burum. ,3861
Atomic Fiction Nominated for Visual Effects Society Award,2013-02-14, Visual effects and animation studio Atomic Fiction was recently nominated for a Visual Effects Society Award for their work on the crash sequence in Robert Zemeckis’ aviation drama Flight. Shotgun Software’s production management tool that kept the project organized. “For our pipeline we took the best of what we knew and then customized the implementation of those tools ” said Kevin Baillie Atomic Fiction co-founder and VFX supervisor. “Shotgun is simply the best off-the-shelf production management solution available. It’s web-based and we use the cloud quite heavily and it made sense to use from a recruiting standpoint as nearly everyone is familiar with the system.” From the outset Atomic Fiction has relied heavily on cloud computing and Shotgun’s SaaS model plays nicely into that. Taking advantage of cloud computing for rendering Atomic Fiction is able to expand quickly on demand while avoiding the costs of constructing and maintaining a large data center. Leveraging the cost efficiencies of rendering in the cloud along with the workflow efficiencies of Shotgun a modest team of 35 was able to create 400 stunning VFX shots as the sole vendor for Flight.
“For Flight the client relied on us to provide simplified reports that gave a snapshot of our status each week ” Baillie said. “Shotgun enables us to export whatever info we need - such as shot name description length status etc. – either as a Shotgun report or into a clean Excel spread sheet. It makes our lives a lot easier and eliminates room for interpretation or confusion.” In addition to handling all the VFX work for Flight recent projects from Atomic Fiction include creating digital facial replacements for Underworld: Awakening digital facial prosthetics for Boardwalk Empire sci-fi CG backgrounds for Looper and video game cinematics. Currently the studio is wrapping up VFX work for a highly anticipated blockbuster with a slated summer release.
“With Shotgun our productions are never out of sync with reality and there is one place for all the shared info ” Baillie said. “We can even populate our other pipeline tools using Shotgun’s API and pull data for artists working on shots. You can really tell there was a lot of thought put into the way Shotgun functions and anyone who produces content can benefit from that without having to invest hours and hours of proprietary R&D—which is what would have been required to have this level of built-in production management without access to Shotgun.”
“Atomic Fiction is really pioneering use of the cloud to make the entire VFX business model more sustainable and we’re proud their use of Shotgun helps contribute to their success ” said Don Parker CEO of Shotgun.
Shotgun Software http://www.shotgunsoftware.com ,3862
Brickyard Helps Adobe Execute Trick Play for Big Game Ad
,2013-02-14, Brickyard VFX delivered animation for the Adobe spot Animals a tongue-in-cheek reflection on huge Super Bowl ad spends which premiered exclusively online. Conceived by ad agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners and directed by Tom Routson of Tool of North America the spot features a pair of whip-smart talking animals.
The Brickyard team led by VFX supervisor Mandy Sorenson and head of CG David Blumenfeld animated the animal stars of Super Bowls past discussing the value of online advertising. The live action was shot using a real horse and an actor in a chimpanzee suit. Brickyard digitally captured the heads of the chimpanzee and horse to extract geometric and textural data of the practical animals. The team of modelers character animators and compositors completed precise 3D animated face replacements to synchronize the animals mouths with the dialogue. Using a 3-camera setup Blumenfeld captured synchronized dialogue for visual references of the mouth and facial movements and rigged each animal for full control of mouth movements and facial expressions. Sorenson color corrected the spot in Autodesk Lustre and seamlessly composited the 3D facial components into the live action using Autodesk Flame with a photorealistic result. The Brickyard team used Autodesk Maya for all 3D animation and completed match moving in The Pixel Farms PFTrack.
I'm very proud of what our team accomplished with this spot said Blumenfeld. We only had about a week to complete two full facial rigs from start-to-finish and when you see the commercial it looks like youre watching real animals having an actual conversation.
This is a clever spot thats very topical and will resonate with viewers added Brickyard executive producer Jeff Blodgett. This project really added a lot of fun to the fan response to the advertising game.
Brickyard VFX http://www.brickyardvfx.com ,3864
Cinedigm Acquires North American Rights to Narco Cultura,2013-02-14,Cinedigm has acquired North American distribution rights to Israeli photographer and filmmaker Shaul Schwarz’s Narco Cultura which world premiered last week at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in the Documentary Competition section. The film was produced by Parts & Labor’s Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy and Ocean Size Pictures’ Todd Hagopian; executive produced by Fred Warren and Robin Warren; and edited by Bryan Chang and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg. It will screen at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama section. Cinedigm plans a theatrical release and awards qualifying run for the film in 2013. To a growing number of Mexicans and Latinos in the Americas narco-traffickers have become iconic outlaws glorified by musicians who praise their new models of fame and success. To this new constituency they represent a pathway out of the ghetto nurturing a new American dream fueled by an addiction to money drugs and violence. Narco Cultura is an explosive look at the drug cartels’ pop culture influence on both sides of the border as seen through the eyes of an LA narcocorrido singer dreaming of stardom and a Juarez crime scene investigator on the front line of Mexico’s Drug War. “Through its unprecedented access and shocking imagery Narco Cultura reveals the complex interplay between the tyranny wrought by the drug cartels as well as their prominent role in defining the culture at large ” said Vincent Scordino Vice President of Acquisitions Theatrical for Cinedigm. “We are so proud to be working with Shaul and the producers to bring Narco Cultura to audiences who upon seeing the film will not be able to ignore this crisis any longer.” “From the first time I went to Juarez in 2008 as a photojournalist I knew I wanted to tell the complex story of the drug war not from the side of policy police or cartel but instead from the lives of people who are directly and indirectly affected by the endless cycle of violence ” said Schwarz. “Today I am ecstatic that Cinedigm has come onboard to distribute this film. We had an amazing reception at Sundance and now I know more people will get a chance to see the reality that is commonly ignored as the drug war rages on.” Emily Rothschild director of acquisitions for Cinedigm negotiated the film deal with CAA on behalf of the filmmakers. Narco Cultura is Schwarz’s film debut. His photography work has appeared in major international publications such as National Geographic Newsweek Time The New York Times Magazine Geo Paris Match Stern El Pais Magazine GQ and Marie Claire among others. His coverage of the conflict in Haiti in 2004 received two World Press Awards. In 2005 Schwarz won the highly acclaimed humanitarian Visa D’or Award for his photographic work on settlers from the Gaza Strip. Schwarz is represented by CAA. ,3866
Content Acquires World Rights to Rising Star,2013-02-14,Content has acquired worldwide sales rights in all media to the romantic comedy/drama Rising Star starring Gary Ploski and Emily Morse. Content will be selling the film at the upcoming European Film Market. The film is written and directed by Marty Lang who makes his directorial debut. Rising Star is a romantic dramedy in the tradition of Before Sunrise and Before Midnight and is the story of an overworked insurance adjuster who must decide between his job and his passion after he accidentally meets his online love interest. The film world premiered at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival in May 2012 where it won Best Premiere and Best On-Screen Romance and was nominated for the Audience Award. It was also the Opening Night Film at the 2012 Hartford Flick Fest. Shot on location in Hartford Connecticut Rising Star is produced by Lang Matthew Giovannucci and Ploski and executive produced by Rahul Patel. The film is being represented by Jon Gursha and Peter Greene of Film Marketing Services who negotiated the worldwide rights deal with Content Film president Jamie Carmichael and head of TV and DVD sales Toby Melling. “We're beyond thrilled that Content is partnering with us to get Rising Star out into the world ” Lang said. “This has been a labor of love for all of us and we're excited that moviegoers will get to see Hartford Connecticut the insurance capitol of the world in a way they've never seen before.” The crew of Rising Star was made up of graduates of the Connecticut Film Industry Training Program a state-sponsored nationally recognized workforce development initiative that uses IATSE and DGA members as instructors to teach Connecticut residents how to work as crew on film and television projects. Lang is the creator of this program which has run each summer since 2008. “We wouldn't have been able to make this film without the energy and excitement of our FITP graduates ” Lang said. “For many of them Rising Star was their first feature film and they've used this experience to kick off careers in the film industry. I'm as proud of that as I am of the film itself.” ,3868
New Research Center to Investigate Copyrights in a Digital World,2013-02-14,A new center dedicated to examining the changing nature of copyright and the need for new business models in the digital age has been launched at the University of Glasgow. The Center for Creativity Regulation Enterprise and Technology (CREATe) brings together internationally renowned researchers from seven UK universities who will work to address the challenges an increasingly digital world presents to government business and content creators. Over the next four years 40 CREATe projects focused on the intersections between culture the economy and technology will offer policymakers invaluable analyses for developing new regulatory frameworks. The research will also play into debate about the growth of new and emerging services. CREATe’s projects are led by experts in law business economics technology psychology and cultural analysis and are funded by a £5m investment from UK research councils. Over the funding period the University of Glasgow is committing a further £1.7m to research posts and PhDs in the Colleges of Arts and Social Sciences to establish CREATe as an international center of research excellence. CREATe director professor Martin Kretschmer said “The vast expansion of access to digital technology in recent years has created tremendous opportunities for the UK creative sector which generates around £60bn each year or six percent of the UK economy. As the sector increasingly moves towards digital content copyright issues are becoming more important than ever. Studies have shown that between 60 percent and 70 percent of young people illegally download music movies or TV shows but often those who download most are also the best customers. Producers are being forced to rethink their ways of doing business. As a professor at the University of Glasgow’s School of Law I’m very proud that CREATe will be based here and that our funders have made such a significant investment in a project of real importance.” Professor Rick Rylance chief executive of the AHRC said “The creative economy is of the greatest importance to the economic health and the cultural life of our country. We are in the midst of the profound transformations brought about by the digital revolution. Understanding these changes and the challenges and opportunities they present is crucial to our future in law regulation business the cultural sphere and other areas. This is why the foundation of CREATe is so important and why it is equally important that it brings together the different research councils and other agencies to support its work. We have high hopes of its great success.” ,3869
DP Cameron Shoots Dead Man Down,2013-02-14,Dead Man Down which cinematographer Paul Cameron shot for director Niels Arden Oplev is slated for March 8 release in the United States. Oplev director of the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo cast Colin Farrell Noomi Rapace and Terrence Howard for the action thriller. Beatrice (Rapace) seduces and blackmails Victor (Farrell) to help her take revenge on his employer a New York City crime lord. Dominic Cooper and Isabelle Huppert round out the cast. “I was familiar with Niels Arden Oplev’s previous film ” says Cameron. “I didn't hesitate to take the meeting. A few days later I met with Niels and writer/producer Joel Wyman. I said I was in. We all knew it would be a very limited budget and a challenging schedule... Then I heard Colin Farrel Noomi Rapace and Terrence Howard were on board. I’d worked with Colin on Total Recall the previous year; I was thrilled to hear he was doing Dead Man Down as well our second consecutive film together. He's an extremely talented actor with a great spirit and an absolute pleasure to work with. He does his homework and when he shows up on set he's ready to go. It's great to work with this level of experience because he just gets it – he knows what I am doing with my shots when to play for close up and when to play for 3-4 cameras in an action sequence.” Cameron chose to shoot the film on the Arri Alexa due to its superior sensor which he considers “the most film-like” on the market using lenses including Cooke S-4 Primes Hawk 150-450 and Angenieux 15-40 24-290 zooms. “The bottom line ” he says “is that Alexa is a beautiful addition to the world of digital capture. Arri has always been one of the major motion picture camera companies providing complete production accessories and support.” He also utilized Assimilate Scratch a color correction system he describes as “a great addition to my new on-set dailies tools. For the first time in digital capture I felt what I shot exactly matched what I saw during DI.” ,3871
European Box Office Results Mixed in 2012,2013-02-14,The European Audiovisual Observatory — part of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg — has published its provisional figures for European cinema in 2012. Overall European cinema admissions are estimated to have fallen by 0.9 percent but a number of territories particularly the Nordics Russia and Turkey showed strong gains. The biggest increase was registered by Bosnia & Herzegovina (+37.9 percent) while Russia was up 5.8 percent Turkey 3.9 percent and Finland led the Nordic group at +19 percent. The overall decline was slightly larger for the EU where admissions decreased by 2.4 percent. The top four EU territories (France UK Germany and Italy) together accounting for almost two-thirds of EU admissions declined by 2.8 percent in 2012 with reductions in France and Italy outweighing gains in the UK and Germany. The northern and some eastern areas of Europe showed increases while France and Southern Europe showed declines: Cyprus - 5.7 percent Spain - 6.5 percent Slovenia -8.3 percent Italy -9.9 percent and Portugal -12.3 percent. The decline in Southern Europe reflected a shortage of local hits as well as the wider economic recession. Higher rates of online piracy may also have contributed to the decline. 2012 data illustrate once more the volatility of the film market and the impact of national success on annual results. For example eight out of the top 12 films in Turkey were Turkish films and two out of the top 15 films in Finland were sequels to popular family films Ricky Rapper and Cool Wendy and Niko 2 – Little Brother Big Trouble. In Norway the Norwegian hit Kon Tiki was the number one film of the year while in Denmark local hits This Life Love Is All You Need and A Royal Affair took second third and fifth positions. Many territories reported weak summer admissions but these were followed by a strong finish to the year with films such as Skyfall The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 and Life of Pi. Skyfall was a huge hit in the latter part of 2012 eclipsing all previous films of the UK/USA James Bond franchise and earning more than GBP 100 million in the UK to become the UK’s best-ever box office performer. Since 2009 there has been a slight downward trend in European Union admissions the average rate of change being -1.2 percent per year: Overall the European market was subdued in 2012 compared with other major international cinema markets with press reports of box office gains of 5.9 percent in the USA 33 percent in China (making China the world number two territory after the USA) and 7.7 percent in Japan though in the case of Japan recovery from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami was a factor. ,3874
FishBowl to Distribute Dog Eat Dog Exclusively on YouTube,2013-02-14,FishBowl Worldwide Media a next generation studio founded by entertainment industry veterans Vin Di Bona and Bruce Gersh has announced a partnership with leading actor Zachary Quinto’s (Star Trek American Horror Story Heroes) production company Before The Door Pictures for exclusive digital distribution rights of Dog Eat Dog starring Quinto and Philip Baker Hall (People Like Us 50/50). The worldwide digital premiere of Dog Eat Dog is only available online on Petsami FishBowl’s pet-centric YouTube channel. Viewers can now go to Petsami to watch the short film which raised more than $30 000 dollar via its Kickstarter campaign and tells the story of Quinto’s personal dog adoption experience. In addition Dog Eat Dog marks the first Petsami original narrative program to receive distribution and cross-promotion with Revision3 the Discovery-owned online network since the deal was formed. Through this multifaceted partnership Revision3 will be distributing and selling advertising for Petsami’s YouTube programming such as Dog Eat Dog as well as funding the development of new shows as part of its first look deal. Dog Eat Dog will be marketed and cross promoted between Petsami and several Revision3/Discovery platforms and properties. “I am thrilled to be able to partner with Zachary and Before The Door Pictures to distribute Dog Eat Dog as it reflects the original and inspirational programming that our audiences love ” said David Beebe senior vice president and general manager of Fishbowl’s Digital Studio who himself has three rescue dogs from City of Los Angeles Shelters. “Dog Eat Dog allows us to continue to provide great and relevant content for our audience as well as more cross-promotion opportunities with Revision3. It also allows the film to reach new and engaging audiences and hopefully inspire others to adopt dogs that are looking for a loving and forever home.” Celebrating its one-year anniversary Petsami has grown into one of the largest pet-centric brands on YouTube and is a key partner to Revision3 as they develop more animal-related programming this year. The self-funded channel has more than 37 000 subscribers and 31 million views. It has also garnered enormous attention with clips being used on national morning shows and major portals making the content as sharable as originally intended. In addition to Zachary Quinto celebrities such as Carrie Ann Inaba of Dancing with the Stars have worked with Petsami to develop and/or distribute programs that reach a global and engaged audience of pet lovers. Quinto said “Dog Eat Dog has been a great collaboration between my company Before The Door Pictures my friend and director Sian Heder and our generous Kickstarter supporters. We are excited to be sharing it with Petsami and their fans. This story is very close to all of us as we have all rescued or fostered dogs over the years. The story of the film is an exaggerated account of how I eventually found my rescue dog Noah but it still reflects a bit of the reality I faced when I was looking to adopt a shelter dog. Additionally we are incredibly honored to have Philip Baker Hall and Sharon Wilkins both pet lovers themselves join us to make the film.” Producers Sean Akers added “Our goal is to reach as many people as we can to share a great story about finding a pet in a shelter. Petsami has been a great supporter of the film and has really done a wonderful job in building a community of people who care deeply for their pets. It is rare to find such a perfect partner and we are really thrilled to share Dog Eat Dog with the Petsami community.” “Funded through an overwhelmingly successful Kickstarter campaign Dog Eat Dog is the true story of how Zachary Quinto found his first dog ” said director Siân Heder “During the events of his hilarious trials in attempting to adopt a shelter animal I was there by his side. Taking notes. Preparing a great dinner party story. And that story told on countless occasions eventually evolved into the script for Dog Eat Dog. Dog Eat Dog is a twisted fun morality tale about the lengths to which some of us will go in order to get what we want.” More than 300 people contributed to the original Kickstarter campaign contributing more than $30 000 collectively. A portion of the budget from the campaign was donated to the LA shelter system. Viewers can now go to www.YouTube.com/Petsami to check out Quinto’s story. ,3875
FLM.TV Launches VOD Site for Independent Film Market,2013-02-14,FLM.TV has launched as pay-per-view video-on-demand site to provide a free online video-streaming platform for indie filmmakers festivals and distributors to showcase their work to a worldwide viewing audience. “FLM.TV has been a pet project of mine for more than four years said Diane Bernard president and founder. I have seen passionate filmmakers put their hearts souls and financial resources into these productions only to have to pursue costly venues for distribution with little to no marketing support. She said the site enables distributors and festivals to showcase films with their own branded label. This can be used as an extended virtual premiere. Bernard said “FLM.TV will provide these filmmakers a platform to market distribute their films and generate revenue from sales. They can take control of their distribution and the site is free for them to upload their work. FLM.TV http://www.flm.tv ,3876
FotoKem Spy Contribute to Making of Fruitvale,2013-02-14, FotoKem and Spy (a FotoKem company) combined in-house talent and key post-production services for the Sundance winning film Fruitvale written and directed by Ryan Coogler with cinematography by Rachel Morrison. The film won the festival’s coveted Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for a drama and was acquired by The Weinstein Company soon after its premiere screening. Providing end-to-end services for the Super 16 mm project FotoKem and Spy worked closely with the filmmakers from start to finish. Fruitvale was processed and transferred at FotoKem in Burbank. The files were delivered to Spy’s headquarters in San Francisco where colorist Chris Martin color graded the film with Coogler and Morrison. The two facilities are securely connected by a high-speed network offering real-time interface capabilities between the locations to provide the creative community with easy access to the full breadth of post-production services that FotoKem and its companies offer.
Fruitvale follows the final day of 22-year old Oscar Grant who was gunned down by a police officer at the Fruitvale stop of an Oakland transit line. The tragedy was caught on video and the incident made national headlines.
The movie was shot on location in San Francisco. The Super 16 footage was then shipped to Burbank scanned to HDCam SR and conformed at Spy.
“When I met with Ryan and Rachel prior to production they were committed to shooting film. They felt strongly that film would convey the emotion they wanted to draw from Oscar's character ” said Martin. “Our color grade supported the quality of grain and tonal palette that the Super 16 format brought to the story. Specifically we approached the process as if we were timing in a film laboratory avoiding the feeling of a digital grade. Building in contrast and adding weight to the mid-tones rather than overcooking the shadows and highlights brought a very specific emotional element to the film. The result is a feeling of intimacy that holds the personality of the film and supports Rachel’s amazing camera work. Obviously the audience at Sundance agreed.” Martin said that Fruitvale could be divided into two worlds: the quiet intimate world of Oscar and his family and the larger institutional world where Oscar encounters conflict. “Oscar's world tends to be defined by warmer scenes with more intimate contrast while the institutional scenes are seen with a wider lens and more mixed lighting embracing an observational feel ” he said. “So while we maintained the same approach for all the scenes there's a wonderful dichotomy between the two worlds.” “We are honored to have collaborated with the talented team behind Fruitvale. At FotoKem we continually strive to offer independent filmmakers the workflow expertise that they need and invest in the talent and technology to support their creative visions ” said FotoKem’s Mike Brodersen.
Fruitvale tells the true story of Oscar Grant the 22-year-old Bay area resident who was shot dead by a transit police officer in Oakland on New Year’s Day in 2009. It was acquired by the Weinstein Company. ,3877
Children’s Series Shoots at Hollywood Center Studios,2013-02-14,A 10-foot-tall snowman with a powder blue Afro a rabbit with bad teeth and a six-armed orangutan recently paid a visit to Hollywood Center Studios and if all goes well they’ll soon show up on a television screen near you. The colorful characters are the stars of The Kids of Na! a new children’s series from writer/director Ryan Hailey with characters designed by Hunter Jackson a co-founder of the legendary punk band GWAR. Hailey and Jackson shot the pilot for the series on Stage 2A at Hollywood Center Studios and is currently shopping it to several cable channels. The show follows a group of kids and several over-sized puppets as they film an Internet sketch-comedy show in their garage. It includes a mix of sketches and music videos as well as guest appearances from a variety of zany characters who drop by the garage. All of the songs are written by Hailey and performed by the puppets and kids. “It’s The Muppet Show for the Internet generation ” said Hailey. “The show is by kids and for kids – with a killer soundtrack.” The pilot was shot on Hollywood Center Studio’s Stage 2A a 3 150 square foot soundstage with a fixed two-wall green screen cyc. The entire 30-minute episode was shot in front of the cyc with background environments added during post-production. That proved an economical formula for generating high production value. “The cyc was large enough to accommodate our 10-foot snowman with no problem ” said Hailey. “The shooting space was also large enough for a lot of camera movement. That was especially helpful for the music video segments where the camera operators worked in a very loose improvisational manner.” ,3878
Laika Focus Features Begin Production on The Boxtrolls,2013-02-14,Marking their third project together Laika and Focus Features the two companies behind the current Academy Award-nominated animated feature ParaNorman announced today that Laika has begun production on The Boxtrolls. The new movie will be released nationwide by Focus on October 17th 2014. Focus CEO James Schamus and Laika president and CEO Travis Knight made the announcement. As on the previous animation collaborations ParaNorman and Coraline Focus will hold worldwide distribution rights to The Boxtrolls and Universal Pictures International will release the movie overseas (with eOne Distribution handling Canada). Coraline (2009) earned Golden Globe BAFTA Critics’ Choice and Academy Award nominations for Best Animated Feature Film; and was named one of the year’s 10 Best Films by the American Film Institute (AFI). In addition to its Academy Award nomination ParaNorman (2012) is in the running for the BAFTA Awards’ animated feature prize. ParaNorman has won two Annie Awards (the animation community’s Oscars equivalent) and been cited as best animated feature film by 14 critics’ groups more than any other 2012 animated feature. The Boxtrolls is a 3D stop-motion and CG hybrid animated feature based on Alan Snow’s bestselling fantasy adventure novel Here Be Monsters. The Boxtrolls is being directed by Anthony Stacchi (co-director of the hit animated feature Open Season) and Graham Annable (story artist on Coraline and ParaNorman) and produced by David Ichioka and Mr. Knight. The voice cast includes Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley Academy Award nominee Toni Collette Elle Fanning (marking her fourth movie with Focus) Isaac Hempstead-Wright (Game of Thrones) Emmy Award nominee Jared Harris (Mad Men) Simon Pegg (Star Trek) Nick Frost (of Focus’ upcoming The World’s End) Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd) and Tracy Morgan (30 Rock). The Boxtrolls is a comedic fable that unfolds in Cheesebridge a posh Victorian-era town obsessed with wealth class and the stinkiest of fine cheeses. Beneath its charming cobblestone streets dwell the Boxtrolls foul monsters who crawl out of the sewers at night and steal what the townspeople hold most dear: their children and their cheeses. At least that’s the legend residents have always believed. In truth the Boxtrolls are an underground cavern-dwelling community of quirky and lovable oddballs who wear recycled cardboard boxes the way turtles wear their shells. Knight said “The Boxtrolls is a visually dazzling mash-up of gripping detective story absurdist comedy and steampunk adventure with a surprisingly wholesome heart. It’s Dickens by way of Monty Python. Tony and Graham have crafted a strange and beautiful world replete with fantastical creatures good-for-nothing reprobates madcap antics and rip-roaring feats of derring-do. But at its core like all Laika films The Boxtrolls is a moving and human story with timelessness and powerful emotional resonance. We’re thrilled to partner with Focus Features and Universal to bring this remarkable story to family audiences around the world.” Schamus said “Following our successful collaborations on ParaNorman and Coraline we are delighted to be embarking on a third wondrous adventure with the Laika artisans who transform everyday materials into living creatures infused with dimension humor and soul. With a wonderfully appealing menagerie of fun characters and a generous open heart at its center The Boxtrolls will be a must-see for family audiences.” ,3879
Marquee Cinemas Joins National CineMedia’s Network,2013-02-14,National CineMedia has entered into an affiliate agreement with Marquee Cinemas. Under the terms of the exclusive long-term agreement 18 Marquee Cinemas movie theaters with 173 screens and approximately 5.1 million annual attendees in 10 eastern states will join the NCM Cinema Network on March 1st. “The state-of-the-art digital theaters operated by Marquee are a great addition to our national theater network ” said Kurt Hall National CineMedia's chairman and chief executive officer. “Their prime theater locations many among the top grossing theatres in their respective markets have expanded our network into a number of new DMAs and strengthened our geographic coverage in several of our existing DMAs. We look forward to working with Curtis and his team as we provide their patrons with our high-quality FirstLook pre-show and new programming from our NCM Fathom division.” “Marquee Cinemas is excited to join NCM Media Networks because it will greatly expand advertising opportunities for our clients in addition to providing enhanced entertainment options for our customers through their NCM Fathom Events network. We look forward to a long and successful relationship ” said Curtis E. McCall chief executive officer of Marquee Cinemas. ,3880
NATO UNIC Release Exhibitor Sound Requirements,2013-02-14,The National Association of Theatre Owners and the Union Internationale des Cinémas have released cinema exhibitor requirements for immersive sound technologies. Noting the rapid pace of cinema technology development ushered in by the world-wide conversion to digital cinema projection the technology committees of both organizations believe that while technological innovation is vital for the cinema business new technologies must be carefully managed and introduced into the cinema environment. With that goal in mind the committees have issued today’s exhibitor requirements. Neither organization currently endorses this emerging technology whether called 3D audio object-based audio or immersive audio – nor any proprietary sound format. However both organizations believe it is essential that whatever audio rendering solution an individual cinema may choose it must be capable of playing whatever movie is released with immersive sound. The Exhibitor Requirements explore two possible paths to that goal. AMC Theatres’ executive vice president operations and NATO Technology Committee chairman John McDonald said “It is in nobody’s interest – not exhibitors studio or vendors – to repeat our experience of the multiple proprietary and incompatible digital sound formats of the 1990s. While it is critical that we continue to innovate it is also critical that we work together to implement new technologies in a rational manner that serves all stakeholders. These Exhibitor Requirements represent a first step in that process.” Kim Pedersen UNIC vice-president and chair of the organization's recently established technology committee said “High quality sound is essential to ensuring an attractive and competitive cinema-going experience. We must however ensure that new innovations in sound can be harnessed by all exhibitors. We therefore welcome the fact that our colleagues at NATO have initiated this important dialogue regarding the latest developments around immersive sound.” Immersive Sound Requirements Prepared by NATO’s and UNIC’s Technology Committees Introduction NATO’s and UNIC’s Technology Committees have a mission of encouraging new technologies that may benefit the entire industry. To that end we believe new in-theater sound systems have the potential to bring new experiences to our patrons. At this time NATO/UNIC are not endorsing immersive sound or any proprietary immersive sound system but we believe it is important for NATO/UNIC to identify requirements necessary to bring immersive sound into our theaters. We hope to work with studios service providers and equipment manufacturers in understanding and refining our requirements. Requirements It is critical that there not be multiple proprietary solutions for theaters. It is essential that a theater that selects one rendering solution would be able to play all movies that include immersive sound without needing multiple rendering solutions. There are two approaches to this: Approach 1) A single common immersive sound package as a common deliverable or 2) that ALL movies include ALL of the proprietary delivery tracks. Approach 1) would follow in the footsteps of DCI for a common deliverable. The immersive sound files should be included in the DCP of a delivered movie in addition to the defined sound formats: i.e. 5.1/7.1 with HI/VI. In both of these approaches theaters can choose the rendering solution without concern that they would “miss out” on a particular movie experience. As new enhancements are added to the Theatrical Experience it is important to maintain single inventory of DCP’s with assured backward interoperability. Suggested Approach NATO and UNIC believe that the first approach of a common deliverable would be a better solution due to the additional complexity of approach 2 including the deliverable size DCP/CPL identification and additional number of keys. NATO and UNIC would entertain other solutions that meet our objectives to avoid in-theater confusion. We will hold discussions with our studio partners to understand the viability and limitations of the solutions. In parallel we will work with studios and vendors in developing an approach for a common deliverable. We need to understand the viability of a common delivery format especially the potential limitations. ,3881
Voltage Cinedigm Sign Five-Picture Deal with Rapid Eye Film,2013-02-14,Cinedigm and Voltage Pictures have entered into a three-year five picture output deal with new genre label Rapid Eye Film. Rapid Eye Film founded by filmmaker Marco Weber (Igby Goes Down The Thirteenth Floor Unthinkable The Informers) will develop finance and produce the films and Cinedigm will provide a US theatrical release and subsequent roll out across on-demand digital TV and DVD. Nic Chartier’s Voltage Pictures (The Hurt Locker Don Jon’s Addiction) will handle international sales on all five films. The first film green lit under the agreement is the sci-fi thriller Unraveling with casting under way. Unraveling was written and will be directed by Weber who is producing alongside his longtime producing partner Vanessa Coifman (Fireflies in the Garden A Late Quartet) and producer Miggel Schwickerath (The Informers). The film will shoot on location in Los Angeles this spring. Unraveling is best described as a cross of Angel Heart and Seven. “Marco and I have a long and successful history going back to Igby Goes Down ” said Chris McGurk chairman and CEO of Cinedigm. “And we are thrilled to work with Nic and his team at Voltage to bring these exciting new films to the worldwide marketplace.” “We loved the script of Unraveling and wanted to be involved with Marco on this one and his next movies ” said Nicolas Chartier founder of Voltage Pictures. “Cinedigm is growing very fast and having a US distributor on the films will be great for all our international partners.” In additional news Weber’s directorial debut Leashed was also picked up by Cinedigm for digital distribution in the US and a number of international territories. Leashed is a dark teen thriller featuring Chad Lowe and starring actors Gia Mantegna and Devon Werkheiser. The film premiered at the International Sitges Film Festival in competition. ,3882
The Room Moves into Technicolor-PostWork’s New York Location,2013-02-14,The Room a boutique finishing facility servicing independent films documentaries long-form television and similar projects has moved into a new custom-built facility housed within Technicolor-PostWorks’ West Village location in New York. The new site which was designed by acclaimed architect Rafi Segal includes three finishing suites each anchored by Autodesk Flame Premium workstations which feature tools for compositing color grading visual effects and graphics. Formerly located in Soho The Room has recently provided finishing services for a number of highly regarded film and television projects including Eugene Jarecki’s The House I Live In Martin Scorsese’s George Harrison: Living in the Material World Kenneth Lonergan’s Margaret and the BBC’s Why Poverty? In its new site The Room will have more space a stunning aesthetic environment and state-of-the-art technology. It will also enjoy immediate access to the resources and services of Technicolor-PostWorks—the largest post-production facility in Manhattan—while continuing to provide its clients with the personalized attention that has made it so popular among filmmakers. “This company was established to nurture independent film ” says editor Ben Murray principal of The Room. “We have created a space that can serve the needs of any director and any production even those requiring heavy editorial effects and grading.” “We are delighted to be partnering with Ben and his staff to help maximize the resources and creative vision of this talented group of people and their clients ” says Alastair Binks president Technicolor-PostWorks New York. The Flame Premium workstations are housed in three editorial/grading suites one of which is set up as a theater with a 4K Christie projection system. The rooms are light- and sound-isolated to provide ideal environments for finishing. A 10 gigabit Ethernet network links the suites not only to each other but also to the main Technicolor-PostWorks facility so that projects can move as needed quickly and seamlessly. The facility has been engineered to accommodate all digital camera formats natively. “When you are working on a film you need to be in a room that is enclosed and private with no extraneous distractions ” Murray says “but when you leave that environment you want to step out into a world that is more inviting. We’ve created a space that offers balance. Its public space is filled with natural light but at any moment you can leave that space and return to your own world.” Along with Murray The Room’s staff includes colorist Jack Lewars conform and visual effects artists Ryan McMahon and Allie Ames and production coordinator Debora Lilavois. ,3883
Studio l’Equipe Upgrades with Mistika,2013-02-14,Brussels-based Studio l’Equipe has installed a Mistika 4K system with a Mistika Assist station to help accelerate the post-production process. Both Mistikas are connected to a 72TB SAN storage system. Marking its 50th anniversary this year Studio l’Equipe says it is the only full service post-production studio in Belgium to offer comprehensive post-production facilities at a single site.
The company's various departments include film rushes and digital labs offering editing color grading sound subtitling and screening services. There are three branches: one in France and two sites in Belgium. The film and HD rushes lab provides complete digital dailies solutions that integrate the storage back up transcoding and quality control of rushes. CEO of Studio l'Equipe Philippe Bosman said “We have literally acquired one of the best color grading systems around from SGO - the Mistika as used on high profile international film projects that include Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin; Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy and closer to home Asterix and Obelix: On Her Majesty’s Service. The past five years have brought a significant change in the industry with increasingly advanced high-end digital cameras and the challenges that come with them which include file capture and color space formats. Digital projection has also taken over from 35mm at tremendous speed bringing new exciting developments such as 48 or 60 frames per second and 4K technology where Mistika leads in this area.” Bosman said “With Mistika we have a powerful system that has the capability to fulfill many functions that include compositing DCP creation exporting video formats carrying-out out 3D colorimetric and geometric corrections and above all handling most capture formats in native form. Mistika is a complete system capable of responding to the current and future changes in our profession and is truly unique.” Jose Luis Acha regional sales manager at SGO concludes “We are delighted that Studio l'Equipe has placed Mistika at the centre of their color grading chain to complete their workflow pipeline. Studio l'Equipe was looking to invest in a post-production solution with the additional benefits of first-rate color grading and the option of stereoscopic 3D functionality which they found in Mistika. SGO’s technology is ahead of the game in DI and stereoscopic editing and is considered an asset for forward thinking companies such as Studio l'Equipe that plan ahead.” Films and documentaries currently being post produced using Mistika at Studio l'Equipe include Welcome to Fukushima Le Prix du Pain Algerian feature Titi Chez Nous C'est 3 Dutch feature Zwarte Zee and short film titled Eliot. The company has worked on many other feature film projects with titles that include Number Station A Perdre la Raison; Little Black Spiders; Sammy 2 3D and Maddened by his Absence. ,3884
Sixth Annual Art House Convergence Conference Held in Utah,2013-02-14,At last month’s Sixth Annual Art House Convergence Conference Sony showcased the SRX-R515P 4K digital cinema projection designed for art houses and independent theaters. The conference was held at the Zermatt Resort and the Homestead Resort in Midway Utah. “We are at a true tipping point in the art house community with theater owners increasingly realizing the benefits of digital conversion ” said Russ Collins Art House Convergence chair and executive director and CEO of Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor Michigan which has two Sony 4K projection systems installed. “Those that have already converted and others still planning to will learn a great deal from the wealth of information provided at this conference and we’re proud to have Sony join us.” Event highlights included a presentation on the digital restoration process from Grover Crisp executive vice president film restoration and asset management Sony Pictures Entertainment along with a special screening of the 4K digital restoration of Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. The film won the 1970 Academy Award for Foreign Language Film and was recently restored by Sony Pictures Entertainment with support from Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation. Chris Lane repertory sales manager at Sony Pictures Entertainment also hosted a presentation on the benefits and challenges of repertory film programming sharing details about the breadth of Sony’s library the availability of 4K restorations and new titles being added. ,3885
Venture 3D Converting Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons,2013-02-14,Venture 3D a stereoscopic 3D conversion production company based in Los Angeles is using its Signian Media Shuttle hybrid SaaS file transfer solution to facilitate collaboration with partners in Hong Kong Beijing Seoul and Korea on an upcoming feature film. Known for its conversion work on Titanic 3D and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Venture 3D is using Media Shuttle to deliver the film Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons directed by Stephen Chow of Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle fame. What we needed was a tall order: the ability to transfer large files quickly access them anywhere control and track file access and not be limited by the size of the file or the number of people that could access those files said Todd Cogan senior vice president operations Venture 3D. Using Media Shuttle we are able to go outside of our circle of local partners to expand our business in Asia while making the workflow process extremely easy for our clients. Solutions we have used in the past made content delivery laborious and cost intensive but with Media Shuttle we are able to move content efficiently and affordably. Exchanging digital assets of this size and frequency can be complex and Venture 3D needed its delivery solution to be both reliable and effortless for its production partners. Media Shuttle's onboard checkpoint restart feature automatically retries or resumes transfers if they are interrupted for any reason and email notifications alert users when content is delivered. The system's graphical dashboard gives Venture 3D complete visibility into all file transfer activity including average transfer rate file size and speed. The notification feature was a great selling point for us as it takes the onus off the client and makes Venture 3D a desirable collaboration partner Cogan continued. Media Shuttle gives us the freedom to work with partners of our choosing and allows us to work globally regardless of location and file size. Additionally we can now work with the multiple offices of our partners in the region – essentially anyone who needs to partner with us – easily without delays or limitations. Venture 3D is leading the fast-growing market of 3D conversion and with Media Shuttle we are able to stay on the cutting-edge by having the most sophisticated solutions available to ourselves and our partners said Cogan. Being able to defy the constraints of file size and distance and instead focus on creative collaboration we are able to perfect our specialty and in turn advance the industry. ,3886
Russian Film Production on the Rise Report Says,2013-02-14,The recent beefing-up of the Russian Cinema Fund has seen state financing for filmmaking in the Russian Federation rise from 19 percent of the budgets of all films shot in Russia to 44 percent according to a new report just published by the European Audiovisual Observatory and written by Nevafilm Research of Saint Petersburg. This increased support responds to a recent fall in the share of the box office taken by Russian films and reflects state commitment to the importance of cinematic culture. The Russian government has prioritized films that examine what it sees as the pressing issues facing the country: military patriotic and historical subjects films for children and adolescents vivid genre productions popular with audiences and debuts by talented creative artists. “We are delighted to present the third edition of this report ” said Wolfgang Closs the Observatory’s director. “It reflects Russia’s membership of the Council of Europe Eurimages and the European Audiovisual Observatory the size of the Russian Federation and the rapid growth of its film industry including production cinematic exhibition and new forms of distribution involving the Internet and video-on-demand. This edition also includes a description of the institutional framework within which the Russian film industry operates as well as an overview of the major sectors of the industry (film production film production services exhibition distribution DVD distribution and video-on-demand). There is also a new chapter on international cooperation involving Russian filmmakers.” “Researching the Russian film industry is a challenge ” said Xenia Leontyeva of Nevafilm Research the report’s chief editor. “Official data are often hard to get but the distribution sector is more open and many film producers have assisted us. The fact that we have been able to provide such a comprehensive analysis shows a welcome appetite among industry players for more systematic knowledge of their sector.” The most successful Russian films in recent years at the Russian box office have been The Irony of Fate. The Sequel (2008 dir. Timur Bekmambetov RUB 1238 million) and Vysotsky. Thank you for living (2011 dir. Pyotr Buslov RUB 843 million). The most successful Russian film in recent years on foreign markets has been Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan (2007 dir. Sergey Bodrov) which took USD 20 million in Russian and international distribution. In addition to improved state support other aspects of the Russian film industry highlighted by the report included the following: Nearly two-thirds of Russia’s 3 000 screens are now digital. The exhibition sector has grown rapidly with the upgrading of old cinemas and building of new multiplexes in shopping centers. On July 1 2012 Russia had 994 modern cinemas and 2 894 modern screens. It is expected that there will be 40 Imax theatres by the end of 2013. Almost 60 percent of modern screens are digital with most of these being 3D-capable. For the past two years the Russian video market has been in decline by 10 percent in 2011 and an estimated nine percent in 2012. Market players are increasingly concerned that the demise of the DVD industry is imminent due to the mass transfer to non-physical distribution. Nevertheless in late 2011 70 percent of Russian TV households owned DVD players and Blu-ray players were beginning to be purchased. Piracy has been and is a major problem for film distribution in Russia with pirate DVDs being manufactured on a large scale. To compete with pirate copies it was necessary for film distributors to take anti-piracy measures reduce their prices shorten the theatrical window and encourage the sale of DVDs at hypermarkets such as Auchan Metro Real Lenta and O’kei. It is estimated that pirate DVDs by 2011 accounted for 50 percent of the volume of DVD sales down from 97 percent in 2002. According to provisional information cinema admissions in Russia rose by 5.8 percent in 2012 to an estimated 169 million. The market share for Russian films is estimated to have been 15.1 percent (Observatory estimates based on information from Russian Film Business Today). ,3887
Argo Win Continues Kodak Film 85-Year Oscar Streak,2013-02-27, Argo’s best picture win topped off a successful night at the Academy Awards for movies originating on Kodak film. In the 85-year history of the awards no Oscar-winning best picture has ever been made without motion picture film technology.
In addition to best picture films on Kodak also won Oscars in all four acting categories as well as adapted and original screenplay among others. In all movies produced on Kodak stock took home the gold statue in 12 of the 19 narrative feature categories (non-animated). Six of the nine best picture nominees told their memorable stories on celluloid (Argo Lincoln Silver Linings Playbook Django Unchained Beasts of the Southern Wild and Les Miserables).
We take great pride in our rich history with the Academy Awards and this year is no exception ” says Andrew Evenski president and general manager of Kodak’s Entertainment and Commercial Films Group. “You can listen to all the hype but the truth is that motion picture film continues to be the gold standard and last night was certainly proof of that.”
Earlier in the weekend Film Independent’s Spirit Awards also named a best picture winner Silver Linings Playbook which originated on Kodak film. Four of the five nominees in that category also chose Kodak emulsions (Beasts of the Southern Wild Keep the Lights On Moonrise Kingdom and Silver Linings Playbook).
Silver Linings Playbook also won in the directing adapted screenplay and best actress categories at the Spirit Awards while best cinematography honors went to Ben Richardson for Beasts of the Southern Wild. Richardson’s palette was Kodak Super 16 mm film. Evenski says that the company is committed to providing filmmakers a range of products. “Filmmakers want creative options ” he says. “We are as committed as ever to providing them with a choice for telling stories. We are currently making billions of feet of film and who knows maybe next year’s best winner is already being shot on Kodak film.”
Cine Colombia Installs AAM Screenwriter TMS System
