The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers partnered with the Fernseh- und Kinotechnische Gesellschaft, in collaboration with the EBU's Technology and Innovation department, to hold the SMPTE Forum 2015, Entertainment Technology in the Internet Age: A European Perspective, in Berlin.
Digital Domain was honored at the 2015 AICP Awards for Best Visual Effects for the commercial, Destiny Become Legend. Directed by acclaimed feature filmmaker Joseph Kosinski, Digital Domain collaborated with agency 72andSunny and live action production company Reset, to create this breathtaking piece for one of the year’s best selling games. The piece for the first person shooter features a stunning blend of cinematic live action and visual effects.
Andrew Jarecki’s engrossing documentary series The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst explores the murky world of a real estate magnate suspected of three murders. Post-production finishing for the series, airing in six parts on HBO, was completed at Technicolor PostWorks New York.
Strand Releasing has announced that the company is acquiring North American rights to Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles’ critically acclaimed documentary Mala Mala, executive produced by Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler and produced by Santini and Sickles’ El Peligro Productions. A celebration of the trans and drag communities in Puerto Rico, the film made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and will have its highly anticipated debut in theaters on July 1st at the IFC Center.
The Sim Group has entered into an agreement to merge with Post Factory NY, one of New York City’s largest independent providers of post-production services. The move significantly enhances the Sim Group’s East Coast presence.
Following its critically praised premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, Cinedigm has acquired all U.S. distribution rights to Anton Corbijn’s Life, starring Dane DeHaan (Life After Beth; Kill Your Darlings; Place Beyond The Pines), Robert Pattinson (Twilight,Cosmopolis, Maps To The Stars), and Ben Kingsley (Gandhi, Sexy Beast, Schindler’s List).
On May 15, Pitch Perfect 2 starring Anna Kendrick opened in theaters nationwide grossing more than $100 million in just two weeks. At the heart of the film’s success is its musical score. Supervising music mixer Joseph Magee, whose credits include the original Pitch Perfect, Saving Mr. Banks, High Fidelity and Into the Wild, recorded and mixed all of the a capella vocal performances using Harman’s JBL M2 Master Reference Monitors in a specially-built studio on location in Baton Rouge.
The Editors’ Lounge hosted their May event where production and post-production professionals were given the opportunity to get an up close look at the latest time-saving tools from RE: Vision Effects and Venera Technologies. Editor Brady Betzel also led a discussion with an emphasis on how learning new toolsets can put film & television editors careers on the fast track. Four lucky attendees walked away with raffle prizes from Venera Technologies and a complete set of plug-ins from RE: Vision Effects at the end of the evening.
Dogs have been considered man’s best friend for centuries, but these days it might be more accurate to consider dogs man’s best baby. This sometimes strange phenomenon inspired filmmakers Kasi Brown and Brandon Walter to produce Gone Doggy Gone, a film with a comedic twist that follows a couple stuck in a lackluster marriage who treat their dog like a baby until it gets kidnapped.
1776, Columbia Pictures’ exuberant 1972 film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical is now available on Blu-ray, from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, in the form of a spectacular 4K digital restoration. Prepared under the guidance of director Peter H. Hunt and Sony Pictures Entertainment executive vice president of asset management, film restoration & digital mastering Grover Crisp, the new director’s cut restores the film to its original visual splendor and includes newly-discovered material, never before seen by the public.
