Dark Ride Entertainment has announced that has Struans Media’s will fully fund its first slate of eight genre films to be completed by 2015.
“Dark Ride was created to fill a void in fun entertaining horror and sci-fi films with great production values that can be made at an affordable cost ” said William Butler president Dark Ride Entertainment. “The team at Dark Ride has all done this successfully before; we’re fortunate to have developed a cost effective system of production and we’re excited to go on this ride with Struans Media. It's great to embark on this journey at a time when Hollywood is realizing you don’t always need big names and big budgets to create films that are both entertaining and profitable.
Dark Ride’s creative team includes filmmaker William Butler who previously directed Madhouse for Lionsgate/Lakeshore Furnace for Weinstein Co. and has written for the SyFy Channel. John Vulich who has won three Emmy Awards for special effects and makeup on The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series is vice president and will lend his producing and extensive special and visual effects resources to the productions.
“Dark Ride’s creative team’s track record and vision makes them the perfect partners for Struans Media ” said George Malasek CEO Struans Media. “Our goal has always been to fully finance projects we are passionate about that will entertain a wide audience of fans and by investing in Dark Ride we are accomplishing this goal.”
The first film will be Hell Storm a post-apocalyptic sci-fi/horror project written and directed by Butler filming in Los Angeles in late summer 2012. The films will all be executive produced by Malasek and Struans Media partner John Cole. Overseeing physical production is Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Peter Garcia. ,3397
Space Junk 3D Receives Grand Prize at Dimension 3 Festival,2012-06-30, The Dimension 3 Festival wrapped up last week in Saint-Denis France where some 100 films from more than 15 countries competed for prizes and 35 were selected for the final stage of the competition. Prizes were awarded for the best works of each of the nine categories as well as a Grand Prize a Special Award a Jury’s Coup de C ur a UP3D prize for best stereoscopy and a prize for Creativity. Grand Prize was awarded to Space Junk 3D which was directed Melissa Butts produced by her and Kim Rowe and shot by stereographer Reed Smoot ACS. The Jury’s Coup de C ur went to La minute du petit écrin directed by François Vogel produced by La Bouée Bleue and shot by stereographer Hugo Barbier. This series of six short films illustrates five major themes: movies music performing arts literature and sports. The Creativity Award for Stereoscopic Innovation was awarded to Strip Tease Volcanique directed by Régine Cirotteau produced by Antoine Simkine and Carole Mirabello. In the film a woman smokes a cigarette which takes her to a visual and musical journey between exploration of the intimate and volcanic eruption. The Technical Award a UP3D prize went to J’adore ça directed by Sophie Blanvillain produced by Marie De Lussigny Stéphane Lehembre Emmanuel Legrand Yov Moor Jean-François Boyer with stereography by Hugo Barbier. The film tells the story of the evening of the final of female wrestling European Championship.The atmosphere is at its height as Blondie Coloradomonte takes the ring ready to fight for the love of a man.
The seven category award winners were:
Best Commercial Movie
My love soon Direction: Yves Ackermann - Production: Emoticon AG - Stereography: Guillaume Brault Olivier Georges
Special Formats
War of Wars
Direction and Production: Jonathan Kitzen - Stereography: Kallisti Media
Animation
Sherlock Holmes Direction Ben Smith production: Jan Rogowski Stereography: Ben Smith
School Film
Tuurngait Direction & Stereography: Paul-Emile Boucher Rémy Dupont Benjamin Flouw Mickaël Riciotti Alexandre Toufailli - Production : Supinfocom Arles
TV Program
Avant les jeux
Direction: Nicolas Thibault - Production: Parallell Cinema - Stereography: Carlo Sirtori and Cédric-Alexandre Saudinos
Short Film
Gabin le Mime Direction: Cyril Rigon - Production: Odeon & Cie - Stereography: Thomas Villepoux
Long Features
Vicky and The treasure of the Gods Direction : Christian Ditter - Production: Christian Becker - Stereography: Florian Maier
Live Capture
Concert Live Skip the Use 3D Direction: Jean-Marie Boulet Production: 3DLIVE Stereography: Bernard Mendiburu
Documentary Huber Brothers
Direction: Jens Monath - Production: ZDF/ZDF Enterprises - Stereography: Alaric Hamacher Maximilian Laufer.
The Festival Jury included:
Ludovic Noblet - Director of Business Development Image /Video DOLBY EMEA
Didier Cocherel EMEA Senior Director Media & Entertainment
Laurent Dondey Managing Director Géode (Dôme Imax La Vilette - Paris)
Stephan Jost - Head of Business Development & Innovation Orange
Danys Bruyère (Vice-CEO Opérations and Technologies at TSF)
J ulie Brando - Reporter for the Orange 3D magazine The Festival was sponsored by Volfoni DVS and Autodesk. Dimension 3 www.dimension3-expo.com ,3398
Disney Animated Short Paperman to have Theatrical Run,2012-06-30, Walt Disney Animation Studios has announced that Paperman a short film combining computer-generated and hand-drawn animation will make its theatrical debut in front of Wreck-It Ralph an arcade-game-hopping adventure that hits theaters nationwide in November. The short will play in front of Wreck-It Ralph for most international markets (release dates vary by market). Paperman is directed by John Kahrs and produced by Kristina Reed. Using a minimalist black-and-white style the short follows the story of a lonely young man in mid-century New York City whose destiny takes an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with a beautiful woman on his morning commute. Convinced the girl of his dreams is gone forever he gets a second chance when he spots her in a skyscraper window across the avenue from his office. With only his heart imagination and a stack of papers to get her attention his efforts are no match for what fate has in store for him. Kahrs a veteran animator who joined WDAS in 2007 led a team of 2D and CG artists who used a proprietary program called Meander to create the short. Employing a technique called final line advection artists were able to add a level of grace and expressiveness never before seen in an animated film. The world premiere of the short took place on the opening night of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival June 4. Its U.S. premiere was at the Los Angeles Film Festival. ,3399
Production Underway on Disney’s Maleficent ,2012-06-30, The Walt Disney Studios has announced that production is underway on Maleficent starring Academy Award–winning actress Angelina Jolie. This is the untold story of Disney’s most beloved villain Maleficent from the 1959 classic Sleeping Beauty. The film reveals the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse the baby Aurora. Maleficent is scheduled for a March 14 2014 release in 3D. Directed by two-time Oscar-winning production designer Robert Stromberg (Avatar Alice in Wonderland) in his directorial debut and produced by Joe Roth Maleficent is written by Linda Woolverton (The Lion King Beauty and the Beast) and executive produced by Angelina Jolie Don Hahn Matt Smith and Palak Patel. Behind-the-scenes talent includes Academy Award–winning cinematographer Dean Semler Dances with Wolves In the Land of Blood and Honey) production designer Gary Freeman (Saving Private Ryan The Bourne Supremacy) two-time Oscar nominated costume designer Anna B. Sheppard (Schindler’s List The Pianist) and seven-time Academy Award–winning makeup artist Rick Baker (Planet of the Apes Men in Black). Co-starring in the film are Sharlto Copley (District 9) Elle Fanning (Super 8) Sam Riley (On the Road) Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) Miranda Richardson (The Hours) Juno Temple (Atonement) and Lesley Manville (Secrets & Lies). ,3400
Syufy Enterprises to Install Doremi Servers in Seven of its Drive-Ins,2012-06-30, Doremi Cinema has announced that it has provided ShowVault servers and Integrated Media Blocks to Syufy Enterprises of San Rafael California with the collaboration of Rydt Entertainment Systems a division of Moving Image Technologies of Fountain Valley California. Installations have begun at the Solano Drive-In in Concord California. By September of this year installations will have been completed in six other locations across the southwest including San Jose Sacramento and Goleta in California Sparks and Las Vegas Nevada and Glendale Arizona. Syufy Enterprises which owned and operated the Century Theater chain before it was acquired by Cinemark in 2006 has been a remarkable regional competitor in the first-run movie industry for over 60 years. The current installations will serve the properties Syufy operates known as West Wind Drive-Ins. Rydt Entertainment provides design procurement installation and service to the creative and production communities for screening digital intermediate and other critical viewing rooms. Rydt also provides full FF&E services to commercial cinema exhibitors. “As one of the first adopters of digital cinema in the drive-In space we knew that Doremi was and will continue to be the perfect solution for us. Our customers have been delighted with the results of our first install in Concord California and Doremi has been a terrific partner in this effort ” said Michael Ghiorso vice president of special projects Syufy Enterprises. “This is an exciting rollout for our company and the first of its kind in the industry. West Wind Drive-Ins will be the largest all-digital drive-in chain in the world and may even be the first.” “Doremi has a demonstrated long–term commitment to the preservation of the American drive-in ” said Hannah Cash senior sales manager for Doremi. “We have been chosen as the preferred server in nearly every drive-in that has made their conversion to digital cinema thus far. We are the proven and most reliable choice for small businesses because we are in it for the long haul. Doremi has made it a priority to support the niche markets like drive-ins art houses and family-owned cinemas because of the positive impact that they have on their communities.” ,3401
Empire Cinemas to Use Cinedigm Management Software,2012-06-30, Empire Cinemas has selected Cinedigm Software’s suite of digital cinema systems to automate and manage the operation of Empire’s digital movie theatres. Empire will also utilize Cinedigm’s Enterprise Home Office module providing centralized management monitoring and control for all of Empire’s digital operations across UK. “We are very honored and excited to work with Empire’s highly qualified digital cinema and theatre staffs as they transition to a fully digital circuit ” said Jim Miller president of Cinedigm Software. “As a software company we are focused on streamlining and optimizing circuit-wide operations and we look forward to working in partnership with Empire’s pioneering management team to further improve and innovate our offerings.” “Cinedigm’s TCC TMS and Enterprise systems automate all aspects of digital cinema operations and provide superior control and consistency ” said Empire’s CEO Justin Ribbons. “We look forward to working with the Cinedigm team to take digital cinema to the next level.” ,3402
Gravitas Ventures Acquires US Rights to 3 2 1 … Frankie go Boom,2012-06-30, 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
Strauns Media to Fund Dark Ride’s Next Eight Films
