Jun
26
They shoot deers, don't they?
Posted in: Animation
A videoessay by Roberto Amaba Footage: several films For Study Purposes Only
Jun
26
A collection of commercials for products you can no longer buy. Mainly 1950s, though also including a 1960 commercial. (note: I included a Westinghouse commercial because it is pretty much just a trade-mark now. It isn’t the same company that existed in the 1950s)
Jun
26
Autodesk to Acquire Shotgun Software
Posted in: AnimationWed 25th Jun 2014 | News
Autodesk has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Shotgun Software, a developer of scalable, cloud-based production tracking, review and asset management software for the film, television and games industries. Shotgun’s tools for production management are used by some of the world’s leading production studios and are tightly integrated with many of the most widely used tools in the industry including Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya software. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“Shotgun and Autodesk share a vision of an industry-wide, cloud-based production management system,” said Don Parker, Shotgun co-founder and chief executive officer. “Autodesk’s broad global network and development resources will speed up the pace of innovation and development of our global platform. Together, we will extend our tools deeper into the production process, and develop new solutions that best support the studios of the future.”
Since the launch of the Shotgun solution in 2006, it has become widely-adopted across the industry, providing business tools for managers and visual collaboration tools for artists and supervisors, who are often working globally with distributed teams. More than 500 customers, including a number of leading studios, are using Shotgun’s customizable system and contribute to the ongoing development of its growing ecosystem of applications. The existing Shotgun team will continue to support current and new customers, and lead future product development.
“The acquisition of Shotgun will accelerate Autodesk’s efforts to deliver solutions that help our creative customers solve the critical problem of operating more efficiently by collaborating globally to deliver increasingly complex productions on time and budget,” said Chris Bradshaw, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. “Shotgun brings deep expertise and industry-leading technology in cloud products and production management, so we welcome the team, customers and community to Autodesk.”
Business Outlook
This transaction is expected to close during Autodesk’s fiscal quarter ending July 31, 2014, and have no impact on Autodesk’s guidance issued on May 15, 2014.
Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding: the impact of the acquisition on Autodesk’s guidance issued on May 15, 2014, our business performance, and product and services offerings; the impact of the transaction on Autodesk’s and Shotgun Software’s products and services capabilities, customers, and partners. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include the following: Autodesk’s ability to timely close the acquisition of Shotgun Software; difficulties encountered in integrating merged businesses; costs related to the acquisition; whether certain markets grow as anticipated; the competitive environment in the media and entertainment industry and competitive responses to the acquisition; Autodesk and Shotgun Software’s success developing new products or modifying existing products and the degree to which these gain market acceptance; general market and business conditions; and unanticipated impact of accounting for acquisitions.
Further information on potential factors that could affect the financial results of Autodesk are included in the company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2013, and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 2014, which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Autodesk does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.
About Autodesk
Autodesk helps people imagine, design and create a better world. Everyone — from design professionals, engineers and architects to digital artists, students and hobbyists — uses Autodesk software to unlock their creativity and solve important challenges. For more information visit autodesk.com or follow @autodesk.
Autodesk, the Autodesk logo, 3ds Max and Maya are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.
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Jun
25
Zeel’s new music label ‘Zee Music Company’ (ZMC), which was launched a couple of months back, has now joined hands with Viacom18 Motion Pictures. With this, the company has acquired the music rights for the entire slate of Viacom18 Motion Pictures for 2014.
“We are thrilled to have Viacom18 Motion Pictures on board with ZMC. They have a very exciting line up of releases slated for the year and we are proud to be associated with them,” said ZMC business head and EVP Anurag Bedi.
Giving details about the deal he said, “The 14-film deal includes the Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Gabbar’, Priyanka Chopra’s next ‘Mary Kom’ and ‘Manjunath’ Other noted titles include ‘Dharam Sankat main’ with Paresh Rawal in the lead and other exciting projects.”
ZMC earlier had acquired the music rights for Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha starrer ‘Holiday’, which is now set to cross the Rs 100 crore mark.
“We’re excited about this partnership and believe that that with power of Zee channels behind us, our film promotions will go to the next level in terms of innovation decibels and impact,” concluded Viacom18 Motion Pictures COO Ajit Andhare.
Jun
25
Hungama Digital Media Entertainment in a bid to further augment its reach in the digital music entertainment industry, with over 10 million active users, announced the launch of its PRO service for the flagship Hungama mobile app.
The digital music industry, according to the recent FICCI-KPMG report, is currently pegged at $400 million and growing at a CAGR of 22 per cent. With mobile accounting for 90 per cent of digital music consumption and 73 per cent internet penetration fuelled by the proliferation of smartphones, there is an upswing in the digital consumption of media content in India.
The PRO service has an array of offerings. The latest additions include:
| Caching Feature for Android and iOS | The caching feature with PRO support on android and iOS, enables consumers to save their music and video which can be played without internet connection anywhere, anytime in turn saving data cost |
| Integrated service of audio and videos | The PRO service distinguishes itself by being the only app which has integrated audio and video streaming and download together |
| Subscribe and Download | Consumers can subscribe to the PRO service either via Google Wallet, at a flat fee of Rs. 110 per month or subscribe to customised packages for a day, week or month using the operator billing option |
“It is known fact that as Indian audiences we don’t just listen to our music but we watch it as well. It’s this specific gap, which has prompted us to roll out the Hungama music service that has both audio & video offering for our consumers,” said Hungama Digital COO (consumer business & allied services) Siddhartha Roy. “Hungama has been a pioneer in the digital music industry for over a decade and a half and basis our understanding we have observed that there is a need of providing consumers a solution where they are free from being dependent on their internet connectivity, specially where there is an issue with the quality of connectivity.”
The unique features of the Hungama app include:
• Patented Loyalty feature and Gamification – that rewards you for every action on the app. You can earn (and redeem) points every time you watch videos, play/share music, invite friends or even create playlists
• Patented Mood Discovery – finds and plays music to match your mood. This feature allows you to discover music based on your preferences – Mood, Tempo, Language, Genre or Era
• Access to lyrics – You can experience music intelligence with an add-on feature which brings interesting trivia and lyrics with just a touch
Jun
25
Even as Marvel Studios continues to add to its slew of spandex-clad good guys, DC has struggled to expand its stable beyond Batman and Superman, a dilemma emblemized by Zack Snyder’s awkwardly-titled ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’.
But now things look a lot different, as according to the entertainment blogger Nikki Finke’ post last week, what seems as a leaked production schedule, one that Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment were apparently hoping to unveil at next month’s San Diego Comic-Con. The list, which has since been all but confirmed by filmmaker and Fat Man on Batman podcaster Kevin Smith, includes a seven movies revolving around every character from ‘Shazam’ and ‘Sandman’, each one slated for release at some point during the next four years. If the schedule holds true, DC could easily find itself releasing two to three movies a year for the projected future.
Here’s the alleged roadmap:
May 2016 – Batman v Superman; July 2016 – Shazam; Xmas 2016 – Sandman; May 2017 – Justice League; July 2017 – Wonder Woman; Xmas 2017 – Flash and Green Lantern team-up and May 2018 – Man Of Steel 2.
Finke also reported that ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ was delayed so that the story could be tweaked to help set up 2017′s Justice League. After years of uncertainty, it looks like DC finally has a workable game plan.
Jun
25
According to an IANS report, filmmaker Siddarth Anand, who is busy with his film Bang Bang, will be flying to Los Angeles to work on the visual effects of the action scenes.
“It is a breathtaking action sequence whose VFX is being done at the Fox Studios in Los Angeles. Sid Anand would be traveling there for 5-6 days to oversee the process. The best VFX guys who have worked on the biggest Fox Films are going to work on this,” a source said Tuesday.
Bang Bang features Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif in the lead. They had earlier worked in Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara together and are sure to scorch the screen once again.
Jun
25
Autobirds, assemble! Rovio Entertainment and Hasbro have teamed up to bring together two of the world’s largest and most popular entertainment brands to their fans. ‘Angry Birds Transformers’ will come to life in multiple forms, including a mobile game, consumer licensed goods and a product line from Hasbro.
“We’re really excited to combine the iconic Transformers universe with the quirky world of Angry Birds” said Rovio chief marketing officer Blanca Juti. “This mash-up is going to appeal to those who grew up with the brand in the 80s, as well as fans of the brand today. People are going to love it!”
“Angry Birds Transformers provides fans worldwide with a fun, new story and characters, and innovative ways, like our Telepods platform, for consumers to engage with the brand” said Hasbro chief marketing officer John Frascotti. “We collaborated with Rovio to create opportunities for kids and families to experience Autobirds and Deceptihogs across multiple formats and entertainment platforms, for a completely immersive branded experience.”
Hasbro is also set to unveil a product line featuring Telepods technology which will enable fans to teleport their favourite ‘Angry Birds Transformers’ characters into the game and gain unique powers.
The Angry Birds Transformers franchise follows successful collaborations between Hasbro and Rovio including the ‘Angry Birds Star Wars’ and ‘Angry Birds Go!’ product lines, as well as the upcoming ‘Angry Birds Stella Telepods’ line which will be available September 2014.
In 2013, the companies announced an expanded licensing agreement making Hasbro its premier toy and game licensee. Both companies will reveal more exciting Angry Birds Transformers products and content throughout the next few weeks.
Jun
25
The follow-up to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) has recently released a new featurette online, which reveals the film’s remarkable visual effects.
The technological wizards at WETA have been helping out in that regard, with director Matt Reeves describing the studio as having taken “a quantum leap forward” with this project.
Take a look at the new video, below… Source: IGN
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes is a story of a growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar which is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.
This time around the simians will be more realistic than ever before seen in the franchise. And you will be duped into believing that an ape can really operate a shotgun!
Directed by Reeves and co-starring Andy Serkis, Gary Oldman and Jason Clarke, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes will open in India on 11 July 2014.
Jun
25
In an unprecedented move, global media and entertainment industry services conglomerate Prime Focus has announced the merger of its creative services subsidiary Prime Focus World (PFW) and Double Negative (DNeg), one of the largest visual effects services providers to the global film industry. The strategic partnership will create, what can be said to be indisputably the world’s largest independent VFX, stereo conversion and animation company serving the Hollywood film industry.
“This is a transformational event – both for the companies involved and for the industry,” said Prime Focus founder and CEO of Prime Focus World, Namit Malhotra. “Prime Focus has proven over the last five years the undeniable benefits of global collaboration: the flexibility of working in different time zones; the coming together of creative talent from across the globe; and the ability to leverage tax incentives. We can now bring this together with Double Negative’s unquestionable creative excellence to build a truly formidable offering.”
Established in 1998, Double Negative is Europe’s largest independent VFX housewith honors including an Academy Award (for Inception) and two BAFTAs (for Inception and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2). The transaction will be supported by Standard Chartered Private Equity, Macquarie Capital and AID Capital Partners, all existing investors in Prime Focus entities, andexisting bankers across the Group.
“We have ambitious plans to build on what we’ve achieved in VFX over the last 15 years,” said Double Negative’s management team of Matthew Holben (CEO) and Alex Hope (Managing Director). “This deal allows Double Negative to develop into a truly global operation that provides great work for our clients and great opportunities for our staff.”
The new VFX business, which will trade under the ‘Double Negative’ brand, will be led by DNeg’s current management team of Alex Hope (Managing Director) and Matthew Holben (CEO). In addition to the existing creative talent at its London and Singapore facilities, Double Negative will be opening in Vancouver by bringing key talent and technology besides having complete access to all production and technology infrastructure in India.
For Prime Focus the deal offers a clear path to growth where revenues would have more than doubled. With a combined order book of approximately $150 million (INR 900 crore), the company will be in a strong position to sustain growth, generate free cash flows, pare down debt by approximately 30-40 per cent over the next 4-6 quarters and offer significant value to its stakeholders.
Prime Focus World’s highly successful and market leading stereo 3D conversion offering and fast growing animation business will be unaffected by the merger. With over 4,000 team members working across US, UK, Canada, China and India, Prime Focus World’s award winning stereo conversion process has been used on widely acclaimed films such as Academy Award winners Gravity, The Wizard of Oz and The Last Emperor, as well as some of the highest grossing films of all time, including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, The Amazing Spiderman 2 and Noah.
“Our business proposition is already recognised in other industries,” concluded Namit who will return to Prime Focus as executive chairman of the board and group CEO. “The delivery of unmatched creative design and development by the best that the West has to offer, supplemented by the unbeatable infrastructure, scale and cost efficiency of the East. We are establishing a new and sustainable direction for our company, whilst ensuring both growth for our investors and huge financial benefits for our clients. This is a substantive validation of Prime Focus’ phenomenal growth story, and marks the beginning of a new trajectory for the company.”
Both PFW and DNeg have a power packed summer line up. PFW kick started the season with its work on Maleficent and Edge of Tomorrow. It is also the lead conversion house and a VFX provider on Transformers: Age of Extinction and the exclusive stereo VFX partner on Sin City: A Dame To Kill For. PFW is involved in almost half of all releases from the mainstream studios this summer. DNeg has delivered stunning visual effects for high-profile blockbusters such as Godzilla,Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar,Jupiter Ascending from Andy and Lana Wachowski, Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings, and Brett Ratner’sHercules, among others.
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and expected to close in the coming weeks.
Note: US$1 = INR 60
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