MetaMedia, Howie Mandel’s Alevy Productions and Super 78 Studios are partnering to bring Magic Screen, the world’s first interactive platform for animated and live content, to cinemas and other out-of-home venues around the world.
VFX Legion delivered more than one hundred visual effects for director Rodo Savagues’ action thriller, Don’t Breathe 2, which was released theatrically August 13th. The franchise was born from the creative partnership of Savagues and Fede Alvare, the director of the highly successful first installment, Don’t Breathe, in 2016. Visual effects were key to bringing co-writers Savagues and Alvare’s vision of the sequel to life. Complex computer-generated sequences and digital shots were relied on to augment imagery captured on practical footage, elevating the visceral emotions elicited by the atmospheric thriller.
Adobe has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Frame.io’s cloud-based video collaboration platform. With more than a million users across media and entertainment companies, agencies, and global brands, Frame.io streamlines the video production process by enabling video editors and key project stakeholders to seamlessly collaborate using cloud-first workflows.
Rising Sun Pictures recreated huge swaths of Amazon rainforest with photo-real accuracy for Disney’s rollicking adventure film Jungle Cruise. The breathtaking jungle environments are used in several scenes in the film, which follows wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson) and intrepid researcher Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) as they pilot a rickety river boat upstream in search of an ancient tree with miraculous healing powers. In all, the studio delivered 300 final visual effects shots.
The caper film The Sixth Reel tells the story of Jimmy, a New Yorker obsessed with old Hollywood, who is one of an extended community of discerning – and extremely catty – movie memorabilia collectors. When the death of a close friend unearths the long-lost final reel of a classic horror film, Jimmy and his cohorts each concoct underhanded schemes to cash in on a big sale of the film. The Sixth Reel was written and directed by Charles Busch and Carl Andress, and stars Charles Busch, Julie Halston, Margaret Cho, Tim Daly, and an ensemble cast of beloved Broadway veterans.
Classic Cinemas is a family-owned business, founded in 1978 and based in Downers Grove, Illinois. Today the Johnson family operates 15 locations and 130 screens. Many of those locations were acquired by Classic Cinemas in a state of disrepair and were meticulously restored to their original splendor while updating to the latest technology. The family belongs to several preservation societies, including the Theatre Historical Society. The company received the Landmark Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Stewardship in 2011. Their newest location, the Meadowview in Kankakee, Illinois, is a newly expanded seven screen movie theatre with luxury heated recliner seats, 7.1 surround sound, and 4K digital projection. The Meadowview expansion was supervised by TK Architects International, which is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. I recently spoke via email with TKA principal Theresa English about the challenges of renovating an older cinema. Here is our conversation:
In 20th Century Studios’ Free Guy, the lines between real and digital are deliberately blurred, with the focus jumping between live-action and CG based on the point of view of the characters. For the filmmakers, it was like creating two movies in one, each requiring different visual effects techniques, from replacing actors with digi-doubles to creating entirely computer-generated cities. To take on that challenge, 20th Century Studios turned to veteran VFX house and Oscar winner Digital Domain. [Editor’s Note: Warning, this article contains spoilers.]
In the third episode of Marvel Studios’ episodic series Loki, the characters Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino) find themselves on the doomed alien moon Lamentis-1 orbiting a planet on the verge of total collapse. The location sets the stage for a photorealistic look at celestial destruction, but it also offers a glimpse of humanity’s all-too-possible future. Created by Oscar-winning visual effects studio Digital Domain, it is unique and visually stunning. [Editor’s Note: Warning. This article contains spoilers.]
Emmy-nominated composer/playwright, novelist, musician and TV producer, Scooter Pietsch (pronounced peach) has created film and television music across the media landscape. Pietsch’s underscores, themes and original songs have graced thousands of TV series episodes including ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars, USA Network’s Burn Notice, USA ‘s All Dogs Go to Heaven and E!’s Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
Deluxe and JMS Group announced today that they have entered into exclusive discussions to finalize the acquisition by Deluxe of Europe based Éclair Theatrical Services, a provider of cinema services including mastering and electronic delivery to content production studios and distributors controlled by JMS. Financial terms were not disclosed. Deluxe is a portfolio company of Platinum Equity.
