Gravitas Ventures has acquired the U.S rights to the romantic comedy 3 2 1 … Frankie go Boom starring Charlie Hunnam Chris O’Dowd Lizzy Caplan Chris Noth Whitney Cummings and Ron Perlman. Written and directed by Jordan Roberts 3 2 1 …Frankie go Boom premiered at the SXSW Film Festival. The film will open with a video on demand release in September followed by a theatrical release from Variance Films in early October. 3 2 1 … Frankie go Boom marks the first theatrical acquisition under Gravitas Ventures and Variance Films’ partnership that was announced recently at SXSW. Gravitas and Variance plan to acquire and co-release up to eight independent films a year in theaters across the US and Canada and on VOD with over 100 cable satellite telco and online operators. “3 2 1…Frankie go Boom offers a hysterical and subversive look at love family and the perils and possibilities of modern technology ” said Nolan Gallagher founder and CEO of Gravitas Ventures. “The performances and direction are first rate and we could not think of better film to help infiltrate theatres and over one hundred million homes on VOD.” I along with the rest of the rag-tag lunatics who made this film couldn't be happier to join forces with Gravitas and Variance. Ironically I first heard of both companies while attending a panel at SXSW where ‘3 2 1...Frankie go Boom premiered. Their passion their integrity their honesty (how's that for an adjective in this business!) and their forward thinking was instantly obvious to all of us. So joining forces with them on the release of our film was a no-brainer ” said writer/director Jordan Roberts. “You’ve got an all-star cast an errant sex tape siblings tormenting each other and Ron Perlman in a dress ” said Dylan Marchetti founder of Variance Films. “Aside from being the key ingredients of a typical Variance holiday party Jordan has brought all of this together to make the best kind of comedy- the kind that doesn’t pull its punches. The word of mouth on this film is going to be great and we think it’s got a long healthy life in front of it.” 3 2 1 … Frankie go Boom follows Frank Bartlett (Charlie Hunnam) who has been tortured embarrassed and humiliated by his brother Bruce (Chris O’Dowd) – usually on film – for his entire life. Now that Bruce is finally off drugs and has turned his life around things should be different. They are not. 3 2 1 … Frankie go Boom is a comedy about two brothers a girl with a broken heart a sex tape an angel and a pig. Roberts work includes Around the Bend which he wrote and directed and March of the Penguins. Producers are Marcel Langenegger Pavlina Hatoupis and Katayoun Marciano. Elliott Lewitt and Julie Kirkham serve as executive producers. Gravitas vice president of acquisitions Melanie Miller negotiated with Noor Ahmed from Reder & Feig and Elsa Ramo. Gravitas Ventures www.gravitasventures.com Variance Films www.variancefilms.com ,3404
Litepanels Introduces Luma Daylight Balanced On-Camera Light,2012-06-30, Litepanels has introduced the Luma daylight-balanced on-camera light. Luma draws only 12W of power while providing the equivalent daylight illumination of a 50W HMI. Weighing only 10 ounces (.3 kg) the hot shoe-mounted Luma can easily be carried all day on a camcorder at the ready whenever it’s needed. “The Luma represents Litepanels’ commitment to the on-camera LED lighting market that we created with the launch of the Micro Series back in 2002 ” said Chris Marchitelli Litepanels vice president of global marketing. “It builds off our new sleek and ergonomic Croma design and provides a high output version for professionals that only need a daylight balanced light.” Luma is designed and assembled in the USA and features full spectrum soft light output with visually accurate color temperatures. It can be dimmed from 100 percent to 0 with no color shift and is flicker-free at any frame rate or shutter angle. Luma features a smooth modern design with soft-touch rubberized housing and has a conveniently located on-fixture dimming knob. Luma can be powered with 6 AA batteries (standard or rechargeable) an AC adapter or off the D-Tap of a professional camera battery pack. ,3407
Prime Focus Rides Shotgun on Men in Black 3,2012-06-30, Prime Focus World recently shifted from a Windows/3ds Max pipeline to standardizing on Maya and Nuke on Linux and turned to infrastructure platforms like Shotgun and Revolver to evolve into the future. “We were set to do both VFX and stereo 3D conversion on Men in Black 3 ” said Prime Focus Vancouver VFX supervisor Jon Cowley. “We already had a consistent production pipeline in place but my main concern was effective project management. When I’m supervising from Vancouver and there’s a whole team in Mumbai that’s working while I’m at home or asleep – what would be the best way to manage their progress? That’s when we decided to implement Shotgun.” “Once we chose Shotgun it was extremely easy to integrate into our pipeline – it was literally all set up over one weekend and immediately began impacting our workflow ” said Cowley. Prime Focus also tapped in-house developers to spend an extra 6 weeks to integrate Shotgun into their pipeline tailoring the software with Prime Focus-specific delivery tools and a new dailies logging system. “We are also using the beta version of Revolver every single day and it is absolutely changing the way we work globally and will definitely become part of our standard pipeline ” continued Cowley. “We’re using it as a dailies review system to give shots and annotations firsthand to all of the artists around the world.” Shotgun significantly streamlined Prime Focus’ production tracking management and overall collaboration across multiple facilities in LA Vancouver India and London as they delivered 319 VFX shots for MIB3. “Plates would come into Vancouver then go to London for tracking then to Mumbai for roto and prep and then to LA for stereo work – so at any given time there were hundreds of versions of each shot around the world that all needed to be tracked. Shotgun allowed us to log and track everything very easily ” explained Cowley. “Shotgun was great for me as a VFX supervisor because whether I’m at work or at home any time of day I can always log in to review a shot and make the creative decisions I need to make based on the latest iterations ” continued Cowley. Prime Focus also developed a custom delivery tool powered by Shotgun that allowed them to easily log and track shot deliveries to the client. “That was really key for me ” Cowley explained. “That tool came in very handy 3 weeks before our final deadline when the client changed a spec in our deliveries which often happens at the 11th hour on a show. This meant we had to go back and re-deliver an entire month’s worth of work – around 360 versions – of these shots. Thanks to Shotgun one coordinator was able to easily find and re-deliver everything in a single day whereas previously it would have taken several people several days and caused a lot of gray hairs in the process.” Prime Focus is also currently beta testing Revolver Shotgun’s new powerful all-in-one review product. Revolver combines production tracking and review making it easy for teams in any location to view the latest work in the context of the cut browse and compare iterations annotate on images write notes and collaborate on work in real-time. Tweak’s high-end native player RV is integrated to provide real-time playback of hi-res frames from local storage at the desktop or in the screening room. “My background is in industrial engineering which is all about how to make products more efficient ” said Cowley. “Revolver does exactly that. It allows us to dramatically decrease the time between when the VFX supervisor reviews a shot and when notes on that shot get back to the artist. Now I can be looking at a shot and annotating it in real-time during dailies review and before I even leave dailies I know that my notes are already being addressed by the artist. The size of that gap is what can make or break a deadline – so the immediate feedback that Revolver provides is really invaluable.” ,3408
MTI Film Named Partner in Sony’s Digital Motion Picture Center,2012-06-30, Sony has chosen MTI Film as a workflow partner in its newly opened Digital Motion Picture Center. The center offers hands-on training for directors cinematographers and other film and television professionals in the use of Sony’s F65 CineAlta camera and production workflows that support it. As part of the program MTI Film will be demonstrating its new Cortex family of products. Cortex is a revolutionary platform that brings coherence and portability to the process of managing digital assets from the set to the screen. Cortex products support the Sony F65 camera and its SRMaster digital media format by providing a simple way to perform playback and review make color decisions conduct transcoding operations prepare dailies and carry out other common tasks. “MTI Film is proud of this opportunity to join the DMPC and assist filmmakers in making the transition from film to digital acquisition ” said MTI film vice president of product development David McClure. “We are excited about the possibilities the F65 offers for filmmakers and we are committed to providing them with tools to get the most from this camera and to use it with maximum ease and efficiency.” The F65 camera is already in use on a number of motion picture productions. They include Sony Pictures’ After Earth and Universal’s Oblivion. The DMPC will be offering introductory F65 classes every Wednesday. Those interested in further information or reservations should contact Belinda S Merritt at [email protected]. ,3409
Sony Partners with Comedy Store on Alternative Content Venture,2012-06-30, Sony Digital Cinema has announced a long-term partnership with The Comedy Store to distribute a new comedy show series across cinema chains globally.
The first series will be captured at four Comedy store shows in early autumn. It will include a range of comedy shows that feature the brightest comedy talent currently on the UK circuit. David McIntosh senior vice president Sony Digital Cinema said “Sony is pleased to bring a stand-up comedy series to the big screen – another first in the world of cinema! Partnering with such an influential comedy club like The Comedy Store gives Sony the chance to bring innovative quality new content to cinema screens so consumers can enjoy iconic theatre performances without having to travel too far from home.”
The Comedy Store is a comedy club located in London Manchester and Mumbai. The London venue opened in 1979 by Don Ward and was inspired by The Comedy Store club in the United States which Ward had visited the previous year. The club was the focus of the alternative comedy boom in the early 1980s and helped start the careers of many comedians.
Ward said “I’m incredibly excited about this new cinematic venture which allows us to throw open the doors of the Comedy Store to cinemas around the world. For over 33 years we have been at the forefront of live comedy presenting the very best in UK and international stand-up talent in our own venues. This represents an exciting new era in stand-up comedy and I am thrilled to be pioneering such a project alongside our esteemed partners at Sony.”
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Super 78 Expands to Meet Demands of Theme Park 2.0
,2012-06-30, Super 78 Studios has added to the roster of services it provides theme parks and special venues. The firm’s expanded capabilities and a new facility will better support the evolution in the theme park industry. “In this environment what we call Theme Park 2.0 owners operators and IP holders are partnering with firms that offer comprehensive solutions to develop innovative and immersive experiences ” said Brent Young Super 78 principal and creative director. “We have a great track record for creating compelling stories so this expansion into designing and developing attractions is an organic progression for Super 78.” The firm recently relocated to headquarters in Hollywood to be closer to film and animation production studios a source for many of the intellectual properties Super 78 transforms into theme park experiences.
“There’s a very real and growing interdependence between Hollywood and the theme park industry which offers a highly profitable revenue stream for studios to extend their IP ” said Dina Benadon Super 78 principal and CEO. “The new location puts us on the doorstep of several studios we’re already developing new experiences for.”
Recently Super 78 completed design and concept work for San Diego Zoo Moody Gardens and Fender Instruments. “Our clients recognize our brand expertise and fresh innovative creative ” said Kate Crandall a Super 78 producer.
Super 78 supervises multiple production companies around the world to create attraction media. As a digital hub for IP holders and studios the company has transformed its infrastructure to support its state-of-the-art approach to branded entertainment production.
“We’ve created a completely wireless 3D infrastructure so there’s a seamless integration between production and installations ” added Young.
“Our new space supports a more streamlined production process by giving our designers complete freedom to interface with our creative teams clients and partners ” Benadon added. “Providing this kind of flexibility to everyone in the production process means we can continue enhancing imagery until the very last possible moment before a grand opening.”
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UnitZeroVFZ to Produce Hammer Film The Quiet Ones,2012-06-30, UnitZeroVFX a division of the award-winning studio The Traveling Picture Show Company announced today that it will serve as sole visual effects provider for Hammer’s The Quiet Ones a supernatural thriller directed by John Pogue (Quarantine 2: Terminal). The film is produced by James Gay-Rees (Senna Exit through the Gift Shop) and Ben Holden in association with TPSC Films. The Quiet Ones marks Hammer’s next production after the worldwide box office hit The Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe which has taken over $130 million at the box-office worldwide to date. Principal Photography begins this month in the United Kingdom. UnitZeroVFX creative director Gavin Whelan and technical director Attila Zalanyi will supervise visual effects production. The pair’s previous credits include David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Sucker Punch and Iron Man as well as commercials for Toyota Prius Hyundai Clorox and AT&T. Visual effects work for The Quiet Ones is expected to include photo-real 3D and 2D effects and image enhancements. Marie Soto will serve as executive producer for UnitZeroVFX. UnitZeroVFX operates a highly efficient production pipeline designed to accommodate independent film productions. “UnitZeroVFX brings a top-tier visual effects team to each project offering the creativity and flexibility needed when working on high-caliber projects ” said The Traveling Picture Show Company CEO Kevin Matusow. Inspired by true events The Quiet Ones tells the story of an unorthodox but charismatic professor (Harris) who uses controversial methods and leads his best students off the grid to take part in a dangerous experiment: to create a poltergeist from negative human energy. The film is slated for release in 2013. The movie stars Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Mad Men) Sam Claflin (Snow White and the Huntsman Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) Erin Richards (Breaking In Being Human) Olivia Cooke (The Secret of Crickley Hall The Fuse) and West-End theater actor Rory Fleck-Byrne. ,3414
Illuminating the World of Vampires in New Orleans,2012-06-30, There is a sect of New Orleans residents who believe they are vampires. To capture their story cinematographer Austin Smoak needed to film in dimly lit bars and houses in the French Quarter and on the streets at night. To stay lightweight and low profile she equipped her DSLR cameras with the MicroPro and MiniPlus from Litepanels. “We had chosen to shoot on Canon DSLRs for the look but also because it was easier to get people to be themselves around a smaller less imposing camera. The DSLRs have great low light capability but all too often we found ourselves in scenes that were far too dark for even the DSLR to pick up and still be good ” Smoak explains. “The Litepanels fixtures were perfect because they were easily adjustable and slid right into the hot shoe of the DSLRs. We mixed and matched the Micros and Minis depending on what we were doing. The Minis were great because they put out a great deal of light and would quickly light up the scene and let us tell the story but they’re a little larger than the Micros. For situations where we wanted to be lower profile or just knew we wouldn’t need all the punch the Micros worked great! The Micro tends to be a perfect weight for mounting on some of the smaller cameras ” she adds. “I also like that the Micros take double AA batteries which are easy to get in a pinch unlike the Minis where the batteries needs to be charged. “One of the other benefits to both lights was how small they are for the amount of light they put out ” she continues. “That was a definite must while shooting Vampires as we were often on location in the French Quarter where we did a lot of walking with our gear. Having compact lightweight gear that we could easily toss in our bags was a plus. “I was incredibly happy with the ability to easily adjust the Litepanels fixtures ” she adds. “Their compactness and the amount and quality of light they put off is great. There is no doubt that there are several situations on Vampires where we simply could not have covered the story if we didn’t have Litepanels with us.” Vampires: New Orleans a documentary-based web series about people who believe they are vampires airs on www.vampirestheshow.com. The first season of the 8-10 minute webisodes concluded in May. Season 2 will begin soon. The series was also recently launched on YouTube. Photo caption: The New Orleans Vampire Association meets to discuss plans for Halloween weekend and the annual- Endless Night Vampire Ball. ,3415
Cinemex Signs with AAM for Software Management of 2000 Mexican Screens,2012-07-31,Cinemex the world’s sixth largest exhibitor has chosen Arts Alliance Media to be the exclusive provider of software to its cinema screens across Mexico. The chain which has 2 000 screens in Mexico will use AAM’s proprietary software suite to manage content across all its digital cinema estate. Cinemex which is negotiating its own virtual print fee deals directly with the studios will roll out digital across its network over the next 18 months and will utilize a range of AAM software products to manage various aspects of the deployment. All screens will employ AAM’s world-class and newly enhanced Screenwriter Theatre Management System to manage content playlist scheduling and reports and the enterprise producer software will be used to manage the entire Cinemex chain with circuit-wide schedule management centralized advertising and pre-show creation and dynamic playlist updating. Andrei Savtchenko head of information technology at Cinemex said “Managing a digital rollout across a circuit of 2 000 screens can be a logistical challenge but with AAM’s integrated software that has been repeatedly proven in the field we know that all the details and commitments for running a digital cinema chain will be taken care of by software built by digital cinema experts.” Howard Kiedaisch chief executive officer of AAM said “Deploying our suite of software products across a chain as large and respected as Cinemex is a really exciting opportunity for AAM. We’ve used all of our experience over the past years in digital cinema to build solutions to best serve the needs of exhibitors like Cinemex who are poised for tremendous growth over the coming years and we’re thrilled to be working with them. The digital cinema opportunity in Latin America at the moment is very exciting and we look forward to working with other exhibitors in the region large and small to support and facilitate their digital rollouts” ,3419
Alamo Drafthouse New Mission to Open in 2013,2012-07-31,Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will open Alamo Drafthouse New Mission in San Francisco California sometime during the fourth quarter of 2013 in the historic New Mission District. With the possible exception of Austin San Francisco is my favorite city in the world. My parents met there I was born in Berkeley and my wife was working in the city before I begged her to come help me start my first theatre venture in Bakersfield California said Alamo CEO and founder Tim League. There is no accident that the first theatre outside of Austin that my wife and I pursued is in San Francisco. The Alamo Drafthouse New Mission venue upon successfully completing the local entitlement and approval process will feature five screens of new release movies independent and repertory films as well as the Alamo's unique signature programming. Each of the auditoriums will be equipped with digital projection as well as excellent screen size to room ratio and quality sound. In addition the layout of each screening room will eliminate the traditional front row ensuring every seat in the house allows for a great viewing experience. The theatres at Alamo Drafthouse New Mission will also be equipped for 3D and 35mm projection. The programming of Alamo Drafthouse New Mission will be similar to the Alamo Ritz location in Austin with a mix of classic film programming alternative content and live events foreign films independent films as well as some studio films. As in Austin Alamo Drafthouse New Mission will entertain partnerships with new and upcoming film festivals. ,3420
Blackmagic Design Acquires Cintel Assets,2012-07-31, Blackmagic Design has acquired the assets of film scanner manufacturer Cintel International. Through this acquisition following the liquidation of Cintel International earlier this year Blackmagic Design has acquired the intellectual property and all aspects of Cintel’s entire portfolio of film scanning products. This includes all of the IP name and brand ownership and product development rights for the Cintel diTTo and dataMill digital scanners lines URSA C-Reality DSX and Millennium telecine lines as well as imageMill data management products.
“This is a very exciting acquisition for Blackmagic Design. Cintel products are the most trusted names in the film scanning business and the incredible design expertise that has been built into every one of the Cintel products is amazing ” said Grant Petty CEO Blackmagic Design.
“The film market is in the middle of massive changes and how film is used is changing everyday. What hasn’t changed is the acknowledgement that film is an extremely creative way to capture images. This acquisition gives Blackmagic Design the ability to combine our vision and expertise with Cintel technology to provide the best technology for artists using film more efficient and affordable ways to bring film into a digital workflow and better ways to archive and restore existing archive film worldwide.”
Service and support for existing Cintel customers will be handled by UK based Cine Solutions and US based Cine Solutions Inc. Both are independent of Blackmagic Design and will supply replacement parts and repairs provide expert engineering services as well as 24/7 maintenance help line to all users of equipment previously manufactured and supplied by Cintel International.
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Carmike Opens First BigD Theatre in South Carolina,2012-07-31,Carmike has announced that the first Carmike Cinemas BigD theatre in the Carolinas will open this month at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Films in both 2D and 3D will be digitally projected onto a wall-to-wall floor-to-ceiling screen measuring 82 feet wide and more than three stories tall. Quad-amplified four-way speakers and six 21-inch subwoofers will support the audio. The custom QSC Digital audio system will be tuned to a 7.1 speaker array with 16 channels upgradeable to 11.1. We're justifiably excited about bringing this innovative theatre experience to Myrtle Beach and the Carolinas said David Passman Carmike's president and CEO. “The BigD sets a new gold standard for the cinematic experience. It delivers unparalleled picture clarity. The light output is one of the brightest in the industry with a picture quality of noticeably higher resolution than HD. And the deep resonating digital sound combined with the comfort of the plush leather high-back rocking seats make this an unbelievably exciting movie-going experience very different than what's offered at other theatres. It's something that has to be experienced in person to be truly appreciated.
Gravitas Ventures Acquires US Rights to 3 2 1 … Frankie go Boom
