Hollywood Locations is now representing the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority when film television and commercial productions wish to utilize Metro owned property. Hollywood Locations has represented and marketed the regional transit hub Los Angeles Union Station for more than the last 13 years negotiating and coordinating over 1 000 film and event productions at the historic property. Some of the latest features to have filmed at the station are The Dark Knight Rises Friends with Benefits and Gangster Squad to name a few. We are very excited about this opportunity and look forward to offering the numerous Metro properties and locations available for filming throughout Los Angeles County ” said Brian Brosnan co-owner. “Hollywood Locations portfolio manager Jeff Cooper will continue to be our on-site representative at Los Angeles Union Station and will now handle all filming requests for Metro's entire transit system.” Throughout the 23 years of the company's history many of the major real estate owners of the Class-A Downtown high-rise towers and commercial properties across the country have signed exclusive agency agreements with Hollywood Locations to represent and safeguard their interests in regards to filming. Brosnan along with his business partner Chris Ursitti are also the co-owners and managing partners of Los Angeles Center Studios a full service motion picture studio located on 20 acres in downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles Center Studios has been home to the Emmy Award winning TV series Mad Men for the past six seasons. ,3976
Kodak Offers Free Aspect Ratio App on iTunes,2013-03-28, A new Aspect Ratio app is now available as part of the Kodak Cinema Tools application. This suite of apps from Kodak can be downloaded for free from iTunes. The Aspect Ratio App lets filmmakers see how different aspect ratios affect a shot.
The new app lets filmmakers select a photo from their device and overlay it with 2-perf 3-perf 4-perf and 16mm motion picture film formats and popular aspect ratios. The Kodak Cinema Tools App also includes:
Lab Locator: Find a lab or transfer house while on the go! Using a current location and selecting the service needed the Lab Locator tool will find a service provider nearby and provide contact information as well as a map. The tool also provides the ability to search other locations by filling out the search form.
Sun Calculator: Helps filmmakers take the guesswork out of capturing sunrise and sunset scenes.
Film Calculator: Information can be entered into fields where data is known: format length run time and frame rate. The app then calculates and supplies the other variables. Film length can be measured in feet or meters.
Depth of Field Calculator: Help filmmakers determine the settings they need to get the focus they want. The app is designed to be used with any film format including Super 8 16 35 and 65 mm. F-stops range from F1.4 – F22 with 1/3 stops included. InCamera: Our mobile-friendly magazine. Read about film productions around the world and learn how others are approaching their projects aesthetically and reaping the benefits of shooting on film throughout the entire process from set to screen.
Film Products: Lets filmmakers view product descriptions technical information sample footage and ordering details.
Glossary of Motion Picture Terms: Search and view instant definitions for hundreds of filmmaking terms. The glossary is designed to help filmmakers and their collaborators communicate clearly and accurately.
How To Read A Film Can: All the letters and numbers on a film can are explained in full detail on this interactive label.
Guides & References: Kodak proudly offers its most popular publications in mobile-friendly formats including The Essential Reference Guide for Filmmakers and Cinematographer’s Field Guide.
Contact a Sales Rep: Whether it’s a quick question or help with a current or future production filmmakers can get in touch with a Kodak representative online. ,3978
Restored Lawrence of Arabia Among Finalists for Focal International Award,2013-03-28,Two classic films that recently underwent digital film restoration processing are among the finalists in the 2013 Focal International Awards. Lawrence of Arabia and Richard III both restored under the direction of Sony Pictures Entertainment executive vice president of asset management film restoration and digital mastering Grover Crisp are nominated for Best Archive Restoration. David Lean’s 1962 masterpiece Lawrence of Arabia is widely considered one of the greatest films of all time. Prior to its 50th anniversary release by Sony Pictures last year the film went through a meticulous restoration and re-mastering in 4K. Throughout the film were sections where camera rolls had suffered exposure to the desert heat that caused the emulsion to dry and crack. This resulted in hundreds of small vertical fissures in each frame. Although the problem which appeared as white columns or streaks of light in release prints had always existed it had clearly grown worse over the decades. The cracks were thin irregular lines one to three pixels wide separated by as little as one pixel in a 4K frame. It was initially thought that the problem was confined to second unit footage but thorough investigation revealed that almost every reel of film was affected. Moreover each defect was unique so that one solution would not work for all. Over months of restoration MTI Film developed new algorithms creating and modifying existing software to address the problem. Considerable manual intervention was also needed. In some instances scratches ran through multiple shots. These needed to be removed with great care to avoid affecting underlying imagery and grain structure. This was particularly challenging when faces were involved. Scott Ostrowsky of Colorworks did color correction. Restored under the aegis of The Film Foundation Richard III stars Laurence Olivier in what has been called the best film adaptation of Shakespeare. The new restoration is the most faithful ever to the original 1955 UK release. Working from original Vistavision negative the film was scanned and restored in 4K resulting in dramatic improvements to picture and sound. Again MTI Film and its Correct DRS system where enlisted to repair a wide variety of problems resulting from age and maltreatment. “MTI Film was honored to contribute to the restoration of these two exceptional films and we extend our congratulations to Grover Crisp and the entire restoration team on their recognition by the Focal International Awards ” said MTI Film CEO Larry Chernoff. “Thanks to their hard work and artistry these films can be enjoyed by a new generation in the form that the filmmakers intended.” The 2013 Focal International Awards will be presented May 2 at the Lancaster London Hotel. ,3979
Light Iron Projects Honored at SXSW,2013-03-28,Light Iron which specializes in projects originated on file-based motion cameras supported five features at South by Southwest 2013 one of which Short Term 12 was awarded the top honor of the Grand Jury Prize as well as the Audience Award for Narrative Feature Competition. “We’re so proud to collaborate again with the talented team behind Short Term 12 ” says Light Iron vice president of operations Katie Fellion. “Director Destin Cretton has created a complex and heartfelt story with compelling imagery from Director of Photography Brett Pawlak. It was no surprise that this terrific movie was awarded the Grand Jury Prize and we look forward to more audiences having the chance to experience it.” Cretton gave high praise for the digital intermediate services performed by Light Iron colorist Ian Vertovec. “Ian is a true artist and a master of his craft unafraid to push limits and defy conventions in order to discover something new and fresh and beautiful. I've colored my last two films with him at Light Iron and can't imagine ever doing another one without him.” Other SXSW features that Light Iron worked on were The Network directed by Emmy and Oscar-winner Eva Orner horror comedy Milo Rob Zombie’s Lords of Salem (which had previously premiered at the Toronto International FilmFestival) and The Short Game which won the SXSW Audience Award for Documentary Feature Competition. ,3980
LipSync to Provide Equity Investment Post on Upcoming Mike Leigh Film,2013-03-28,LipSync will provide equity investment and post-production for the as-yet-untitled new project by British director Mike Leigh which examines the life of the British landscape painter JMW Turner. Film4 Focus Features International British Film Institute and LipSync Productions are financing the film. LipSync will provide full picture and sound post VFX and deliverables for the film which is planned for release in 2014. LipSync previously worked with post-production supervisor Polly Duval on Great Expectations Made In Dagenham and How To Lose Friends And Alienate People. Duval said “Working with Mike Leigh is always a uniquely stimulating and collaborative experience in post production. It’s the crucial final act in a creative process that has been months in the conception and execution. LipSync is already putting together a team for us that is in tune with Mike’s and [Leigh’s DOP] Dick Pope’s objectives – we are delighted by their enthusiasm and shared ambition for the project.” Peter Hampden managing director LipSync said “We are honored that Mike has put his trust in LipSync for his latest film. Our post-production team worked incredibly hard on the camera tests and VFX samples to show what we could achieve on a film about a painter famed for his use of light and color. We’re looking forward to welcoming the production to Wardour Street.” Although considered an eccentric during his lifetime Turner is now regarded as one of the Britain's greatest painters. Timothy Spall has been cast in the lead role of the landscape watercolor artist. ,3981
Magnolia Pictures Acquires Rights to Muscle Shoals Documentary,2013-03-28, Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnolia Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to Muscle Shoals a documentary about the legendary Muscle Shoals recording studio in Alabama that spawned some of the greatest records of all time. Directed by Greg 'Freddy' Camalier and produced by Stephen Badger and Camalier the film features interviews with Mick Jagger Keith Richards Percy Sledge Gregg Allman Clarence Carter Alicia Keys Bono and many others. The film premiered at Sundance and was screened at the Paramount Theater in Austin Texas in the SXSW Film Festival. Muscle Shoals tells the incredible and unlikely story of a small Alabama town by the Tennessee River where a man named Rick Hall overcame crushing personal hardship to put together a recording studio and house band (the Swampers) that became legendary for its electrifying musical chemistry. Luring some of the biggest figures in 20th century pop music like Aretha Franklin Bob Dylan the Rolling Stones the Staples Singers the Allman Brothers Band Lynyrd Skynyrd Simon and Garfunkle the studio produced all time classic songs like Mustang Sally I Never Loved a Man Wild Horses and many more uniting black and white musicians in the deep south during an incendiary period of racial hostility. “Muscle Shoals is a great accomplishment ” said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles. “It captures the elusive magic of a truly special place that birthed some of the most exciting music ever made. Music fans of all ages are going to find this story revelatory.” Stephen and I are thrilled for Muscle Shoals to find such a wonderful partner in Magnolia Pictures who will help bring this amazing heretofore unknown tale to the world said Camalier. The theatrical deal was negotiated by Magnolia’s senior vice president of acquisitions Dori Begley with Josh Braun Dan Braun & David Koh of Submarine.
Submarine also announced it has sold U.S. TV rights to Independent Lens for broadcast on PBS and all Canadian rights to Films We Like.
At its heart Muscle Shoals is a social issue doc that looks at how music transformed culture said Lois Vossen Independent Lens senior series producer.
Those deals were negotiated by Koh Josh & Dan Braun along with Lois Vossen Independent Lens Senior Series Producer and Ron Mann President of Films We Like. ,3982
NATO Applauds Reported Gains in Ratings Enforcement,2013-03-28, The National Association of Theatre Owners has announced that it is pleased at the significant improvement in enforcement of the voluntary ratings system at the nation’s movie theaters. According to the Federal Trade Commission report on the results of its undercover shopper survey of ratings enforcement at the nation’s entertainment retailers movie theaters have shown “marked improvement in box office enforcement” with 76 percent of underage shoppers turned away from R-rated movies compared to 67 percent in the last survey.
NATO president and CEO John Fithian said “We are proud of the significant improvement in ratings enforcement at America’s movie theaters and we renew our commitment to parents to continue to improve. We also congratulate our colleagues in video game retail for their industry leading levels of enforcement.”
“This report and its results continue to reinforce the importance and effectiveness of the voluntary ratings system ” Fithian continued. “As the Supreme Court noted in its decision in Brown v. EMA retailers’ voluntary enforcement of the ratings provides an effective alternative to state regulation. We will continue to do our part in enforcing the voluntary ratings system that allows creators to create and parents to make informed decisions about their children’s entertainment.”
FTC Report http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2013/03/mysteryshop.shtm ,3983
Qube Cinema Server Installed at Moody Gardens,2013-03-28,Qube Cinema installed a single-server 4K 3D system at Moody Gardens for last month’s GSCA Film Expo and Digital Symposium in Galveston Texas. The single Qube XP-I server delivered 4K stereoscopic imagery to two Barco 4K projectors each with its own embedded Qube Xi 4K Integrated Media Block (IMB). Moody Gardens now joins the ranks of giant screen theaters in North America with 4K 3D capabilities offering visitors stunning stereo digital imagery. The MG 3D Theater at Moody Gardens upgraded from film to digital two years ago with two 4K Barco projectors and a 2K server. Because they wanted to show high-resolution content they immediately began the search for a server and integrated media block that could deliver the full 4K power of their two Barco 4K projectors. Their search led them to the Qube Cinema XP-I server which offers up to 1 Gbps throughput of uncompressed data to paired Xi 4K IMBs delivering 4K resolution at 30 fps or 2K 3D content up to 120 fps per eye. “The only server and IMB technology we saw that could deliver 4K 3D content was the Qube XP-I server ” said Brandon Compton theater director at Moody Gardens. “Its high frame rate and high bit rate capabilities offer a much improved viewing experience to our audiences.” In addition to its HFR 3D capabilities the XP-I server can synchronize dual DLP projectors thus increasing screen brightness for 3D exhibition to 14 foot-lamberts a level which is comparable to that of 2D screenings. This is especially pertinent for giant screens like the 80-foot by 60-foot screen at the MG 3D Theater where high brightness adds greatly to the power of the experience. But it’s the ease of operation that has really impressed the staff at Moody Gardens. “The results of audience surveys are consistently great with high marks for image clarity ” said Compton. “The big difference from our perspective is in the equipment booth. The XP-I makes it so simple to ingest content and build show files. Qube has made life a lot easier for the guys in the booth.” ,3984
Sensio Announces 3D VOD Deals with Disney Paramount,2013-03-28,Sensio Technologies has announced 3D VOD content license agreements with The Walt Disney Studios and with Paramount Pictures to make 3D movies available for on-demand rental on Sensio’s 3DGo! Service on selected devices across the US. The Disney deal went into effect in March. The Paramount deal starts in April. At launch more than 20 initial Disney titles in a variety of genres ranging from animated classics to adventure movies were made available in the US according to specific availability windows. Sample titles available to 3DGo! for 3D on-demand rental include Disney-Pixar’s Academy Award winning Best Animated film Brave and Disney’s Frankenweenie. “We are very excited with today’s announcement with The Walt Disney Studios which heralds a new era for 3D movie watching at home ” said Nicholas Routhier Sensio president and CEO. “The Disney 3D library is without contest one of the best out there and we are thrilled to add an incredible selection of titles from a true legendary studio and 3D pioneer. From day one we’ve set out to bring the best of 3D entertainment to our clients and today’s announcement is the concrete proof of the seriousness of our commitment. We are more determined than ever to realize our promise to address the lack of 3D content to the home and to support our Sensio Hi-Fi 3D customers with the best library of 3D content in the market. We are really looking forward to the next few months as more content providers will join us in this effort to give consumers instant and easy access to the largest variety of high-quality 3D content.” The agreement with Paramount Pictures covers some of the highest-grossing 3D movies released in the last few years which will roll out in the US according to specific availability windows. Titles coming soon to 3DGo! for 3D on-demand rental include Transformers: Dark of the Moon DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 2 Justin Bieber: Never Say Never Top Gun and Hugo. Paramount's diverse lineup of hit films including some of DreamWorks Animation’s top family movies demonstrates Sensio’s commitment to delivering the best premium 3D content to our customers said Routhier. We are very excited to have these titles appear on 3DGo! and to give our customers access to the best library of 3D content available on VOD. ,3985
Filming Underway on Six Gun Savior,2013-03-28,In the vein of Django and True Grit comes a new film that uniquely mixes the Western and Supernatural genres. Six Gun Savior is the story of Civil War veteran Lane McCrae whose family was murdered by outlaws. It's a storyline that's well known in Westerns; however as McCrae lays mortally wounded he makes a deal with the Devil (Roberts) who enlists him in his earthbound army. Lane and his companions become caught up in a tug of war between Heaven and Hell over the fate of mankind in this epic action/thriller. The film is a co-partnership between Ziff Entertainment and Destiny Horizons helmed by executive producer and award-winning screenwriter Frank Zanca. The project is directed by co-creator Kirk Murray. Eric Roberts brings his unique charm to the role of the Devil and is joined by acting veterans Martin Kove (Karate Kid) Bruce Boxleitner (Tron Tron:Legacy Babylon 5) and Tim Russ (Star Trek: Voyager). The film stars Kaleo Griffith as Six Gun McCrae. Six Gun Savior is presently filming in various locations throughout Southern California including Melody Ranch which was recently seen in Django Unchained and Deadwood amongst others. Principal photography will be completed in late 2013. ,3987
Slate Media Group Appoints DeMartin Rubin in New York,2013-03-28,Slate Media Group has appointed Rob DeMartin as chief operating officer and Jay Rubin as head of sound sales of its New York operations which includes post-production companies Technicolor – PostWorks PostWorks and Hula Post Production. DeMartin who brings more than 25 years of managerial and entrepreneurial experience across a range of industries will oversee day-to-day operations at all facilities. He reports directly to Slate Media Group CEO David Rosen. DeMartin previously served as chief operating officer of PostWorks for five years beginning in 2004. “We are thrilled to welcome Rob back to New York ” said Rosen. “Rob is a brilliant and innovative leader with a proven track record for helping companies grow. We expect to benefit greatly from his experience and managerial skills as we take on the challenges and seize opportunities that lie ahead.” DeMartin plans to capitalize on companies’ unique strengths in order to provide a seamless experience for customers and promote growth. “Our New York facilities offer a combination of services that is unique to the market ” he said. “We plan to optimize operations and improve integration between our facilities in order to capitalize on our inherent strengths.” DeMartin has served as a board member and has been an equity partner in Slate Media Group since its inception in 2011. He previously served as business manager at publishing and media firm O’Reilly Media. He also served as executive vice president of television production company Zero Point Zero Productions. Additionally his background includes senior level experience in the medical real estate and garment industries. With more than 30 years of experience in feature film and television sound Rubin will seek to grow sound editorial and sound mixing business for all Slate Media Group companies including Technicolor-PostWorks Hula Posy and PostWorks. He will also be involved in recruiting new talent as the company consolidates its position as the leading provider of sound services for film and television on the East Coast. “We’re very excited to have Jay join our team as he’ll play an important role in the continuing growth of our facilities ” says Rosen. “Jay strengthens our sound team through his experience and deep relationships with directors producers and sound professionals worldwide. His reputation and expertise is extremely beneficial to our clients and staff.” For the past 11 years Rubin served as manager of business development at Sound One New York. As such he serviced the sound needs of scores of studio-produced and independent films including such recent titles as Tower Heist Drive Midnight in Paris and Margin Call. He began his career with Sound One in 1979 and held a variety of positions with the company including Director of Operations and Manager of Sales. Rubin looks forward to introducing filmmakers to Slate Media Group’s facilities noting that their combination of sound and picture post-production services are unique in New York. “For directors the ability to complete sound and picture post-production under one roof is ideal and that is what we offer in New York ” he says. ,3988
Talamas First in Boston to get Fujinon PL 85-300 Zoom Lens,2013-03-29,Talamas Sales and Rentals in Boston recently took delivery of the new Fujinon PL 85-300 (ZK3.5x85) making it the first in the region to receive the HDTV PL mount zoom lens. Talamas already owns and rents out the Fujinon PL 19-90 Cabrio (ZK4.7x19) PL Mount zoom lens. “The new PL 85-300 is a perfect complement to our PL 19-90 ” said Dave Talamas president of Talamas. “The design of both Cabrio lenses provides exactly what the market needs. These fast lightweight lenses offer ideal focal ranges and a built-in handgrip zoom control at a sweet spot price point that makes them ideal for many applications.” The Fujinon PL 19-90 Cabrio lens received last year has already been rented to several productions requiring the look of the large sensor shallow depth of field with the ease of use. The Fujinon Cabrio PL mount lenses are a welcome addition to Talamas' digital cinematography lens inventory. “Demand and feedback for the PL 19-90 have been very strong but our customers were asking us for something a little bit longer. We felt that beauty shots nature cinematography sports documentaries and other applications would benefit from this new lens’ longer focal length ” said Anthony Bottaro Talamas’ chief engineer. “With the growing popularity of digital video cameras with Super 35mm image sensors and PL mounts we’re confident that demand will be strong for both of these ‘crossover’ lenses.” Bottaro considers them crossover lenses because they combine the look resolution and other picture attributes associated with large sensor PL mount zoom lenses but with the compact lightweight “run and gun” functionality ENG/EFP shooters expect. Talamas’ PL mount camera inventory currently includes: the Canon EOS C300 PL Sony PMW-F3 Sony PMW-F5 Sony PMW-F55 Red Epic and Arri Alexa cameras. “Having the digital servo handgrip right on the lens for zoom control—in combination with today’s small lightweight digital cameras – makes this lens particularly appealing to ENG shooters who like to be agile and follow the action ” said Daniel Ardizzoni senior video technician in the rental department at Talamas. While those shooting ENG-style are right at home with the servo unit attached to the lens both Cabrio lens models are designed to allow cinematographers to detach the handgrip and shoot instead with industry-standard cine motors and matte boxes as well as Fujinon wired or wireless controllers. The digital servo on Cabrio lenses has 16-bit encoding to ensure that lens data output is extremely accurate. The Fujinon Premier PL 19-90 Cabrio lens offers a 19-90mm focal range at T2.9 and weight of only 2.7kg with servo while the Fujinon PL 85-300 offers a focal length of 85-220mm at T2.9 and 300mm at T4.0. The weight of the PL 85-300 is 3.0kg with servo and 2.5kg without. Both models offer flange focal distance adjustment 200-degree focus rotation a short MOD a macro function for close-ups of objects and the images captured cover a 31.5mm diagonal sensor size. According to Thom Calabro director marketing and product development Fujinon North America Corporation Optical Devices Division “We value our long association with Talamas and we look forward to continuing to support their needs as their equipment rental business grows and expands.” ,3992
Thinkbox Releases Krakatoa SR Particle Renderer
,2013-03-29, Thinkbox Software has released Krakatoa SR a stand-alone version of Thinkbox Software's high-volume particle renderer for Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems that can be integrated with any 3D content creation application.
Previously available for Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya 3D software Krakatoa is CPU-based highly optimized heavily multi-threaded and can be used successfully on most hardware running Windows or Linux operating systems including laptops and render nodes without dedicated high-end graphics accelerators. Krakatoa SR exposes both a Python-based interface and a C++ API to connect to various professional 3D applications such as The Foundrys Nuke or Side Effects Softwares Houdini.
We want artists to be able to deploy our tools in any way they can possibly imagine said Chris Bond founder Thinkbox Software. Krakatoa SR enables even more applications to leverage our softwares powerful volumetric particle rendering capabilities and were eager to see what our clients produce once they start adopting it.
Integrating Krakatoa SR with our existing toolset was easy and we were able to get it rolling without much effort said Arun Ramasamy software engineer Anatomical Travelogue an award-winning creator of incredible high-end 3D visualizations based on actual human data.
We received constant support from the Thinkbox development team and it worked so well that we are developing Krakatoa into a functional particle rendering pipeline inside eyeon Softwares Fusion.
Krakatoa SR allows us to exploit the power of the Krakatoa particle renderer through a ridiculously simple API added Sven Thomas software engineer Anatomical Travelogue. We can just choose the channels we need stream the particles to the renderer and see the results at an amazing speed.
Haggi Krey visual effects supervisor at Ambient Entertainment has been using Krakatoa SR for work on the upcoming animated film Tarzan which is scheduled for release in 3D later in 2013.
When we switched our fluid pipeline to Naiad for Tarzan we had been searching for a way to do high quality particle rendering and were extremely excited to get our hands on Krakatoa SR Krey explained. We were able to implement Krakatoa SR based on the open source OpenMaya framework and Partio library and now we can read any particle system from almost any software and render in Krakatoa. Without Krakatoa it would be impossible to get the required quality on some of our shots.
Krakatoa SR is compatible with the network rendering licenses used by the other Krakatoa implementations (Krakatoa MX and Krakatoa MY).
Hollywood Locations Now Representing LA County Metro
