Jul
03
Mercedes-Benz Goodwood Sculpture 2014
Posted in: Animation
Jul
03
Queue The Cowboy
Posted in: Animation
The Cowboy embarks on an epic life journey to seek his calling. This film is dedicated to the launch of our new game Ready Steady Play. Why not check it out? https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ready-steady-play/id806136963?mt=8 http://cowboygames.co
Jul
03
Wed 2nd Jul 2014 | News
e-on software, maker of the leading solutions for Digital Nature, in association with 3Dconnexion, 3dtotal, 3DWorld magazine, Ballistic Publishing, CG Society, Cornucopia3D, GeekAtPlay, Pixologic and QuadSpinner, today announced the eighth edition of the “3D Environment Competition”, designed to showcase the capabilities of 3D technology for CG environments.
With over $18,000 worth of prizes, the 3D Environment 2014 represents one of the biggest competition e-on software has ever organized!
Entrants may use their application of choice, in combination with any of the e-on software products. This includes any version of VUE, including the free Personal Learning Edition and the free VUE Pioneer, as well as Plant Factory, Carbon Scatter, Ozone, and LumenRT (and their respective free versions)!
Judging will be based solely on the quality, realism and artistic merit of the entries, not on the software version used to create them.
With 11 prestigious judges representing the different fields of the 3D Industry, this competition is a unique chance for artists to have their work exposed to the eyes of industry experts, as well as winning an extensive set of 3D tools and resources.
Judging Performed by Industry Legends!
The “3D Environment Competition 2014” judges are all leading figures in the world of 3D graphics, representing the Motion Picture, Game, Media and Broadcast industries, including several VES and Emmy award winners:
Paul Huston – Senior Digital Matte Artist, Industrial Light & Magic
Scott Brisbane – Head of Matte Painting, Dreamworks Animation
Dark Hoffman – Freelance Digital Artist, Hammerhead Productions
Max Dennison – Senior Matte Painter, Double Negative TV
Eran Dinur – VFX Supervisor, Brainstorm Digital
Peter Baustaedter – Visual Effects Art Director, Marco Polo Productions
Stephane Belin – Art Director, Blizzard Entertainment
Tom Greenway – Founder and Managing Director, 3dtotal.com
Ian Dean – Editor, 3D World magazine
Jim Thacker – Editor, CG Channel
Mike Hepburn – Head of Creative and Marketing, Ballistic Publishing/ CGSociety
Extensive Set of 3D Tools and Resources to be Won!
Together with 3Dconnexion, 3dtotal, 3DWorld magazine, Ballistic Publishing, CG Society, Cornucopia3D, GeekAtPlay, Pixologic and QuadSpinner, e-on software will be awarding over $18,000 worth in prizes!
The winner will receive over $9800 worth in prizes
The First runner up will receive over $5700 worth in prizes
The Second runner up will receive over $1700 worth in prizes
Submissions start July 2, 2014 and end September 30, 2014. The winners of the competition will be announced on October 13, 2014.
Related links
Jul
02
DC Thomson Consumer Products has announced a limited edition range of The Beano Alphabet greetings cards and exclusive screen prints made available at The British Library, and timed to coincide with the highly publicised ‘Comics Unmasked’ exhibition which celebrates the heritage and legacy of classic comic books and runs until 19 August 2014.
Tim Collins, Head of Brands at DC Thomson comments: “As the UK’s largest exhibition of comics, the Comics Unmasked exhibition will attract a range of comic fans, so it’s a great opportunity to be able to provide an exclusive product offering at this event which attracts our core demographic. Representing the best of British comic art, we’re confident that the limited edition gift ranges will be a hit amongst fans and visitors.”
Based on The Beano Since 1938 style guide, Hype Associates has developed an exclusive range of greetings cards specifically produced for The British Library which feature letters from the alphabet using classic The Beano artwork taken from the comic archive. Each card includes a special ‘credit line’ that details from which issue, story and character the letter was sourced. The greetings card range initially launched in The British Library gift shops, with plans in place to roll out the line with further retailers in the near future.
As part of the ‘Comics Unmasked’ exhibition, The British Library has also commissioned London based screen-print artist John Patrick Reynolds of Comic Art to produce exclusive The Beano prints. The ‘Beryl the Peril’ and ‘Dennis the Menace’ screen-prints are currently on sale at The British Library gift shops for the duration of the show.
Jul
02
Disney has always had innovation at its core. From the Multiplane Camera to Audio-Animatronics and the introductions of the first cartoon with fully synchronised sound, animated feature film and modern theme park, Disney has always been at the forefront of technology. In February it had announced a new approach in its commitment to technology and the future of entertainment: the Disney Accelerator program, powered by Techstars.
Disney Accelerator offers a unique collaboration between some of the best creative minds in the entertainment industry and the modern-day visionaries who are starting businesses on the strength of exciting new ideas. Disney Accelerator, a mentorship-driven seed-stage investment program – will tap ten early-stage companies with innovative consumer media and entertainment ideas to participate in the three-month program, which began on 30 June.
Participants will receive up to $120,000 in investment capital to develop their ideas, along with mentor support from top Disney execs with the likes of chairman and CEO Bob Iger, and leaders from Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, ABC, ESPN and Walt Disney Imagineering, among others pitching in. Additionally, entertainment industry leaders, venture capitalists and Techstars’ extensive network of entrepreneurs, investors and executives will team up as mentors for Disney Accelerator.
Along with unparalleled access to stories, characters, technology and other resources from across The Walt Disney Company, selected teams will also present their companies and products to industry leaders and investors during an Investor Demo Day on 14 October.
This is a great initiative by Disney and its certainly going to help the global animation industry. Kudos for this venture!
Jul
02
Gravity and Frozen bagged top honors at the 40th Annual Saturn Awards. Frozen took home the best animated feature honour, whereas Gravity won for best visual effects. These awards were presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.
Frozen is a 3D computer-animated, comedy-adventure musical; produced by Walt Disney pictures. It’s a story of two sisters, Princess Anna and Elsa, who live in the Nordic kingdom of Arendelle.
When Elsa’s special powers entrap Arendelle in a permanent winter, she flees into the mountains. Anna sets off on an epic journey to find her sister and teams up with Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven, along with the hilarious snowman called Olaf on this journey.
On the whole, Gravity lead the night by winning five awards. Apart from best visual effects, Gravity also grabbed the awards for Best science fiction film, best director (Alfonso Cuaron), best actress (Sandra Bullock) and best editing (Alfonso Cuaron, Mark Sanger).
Gravity is a 3D si-fi thriller, produced by Alfonso Cuaron and David Heyman. The story revolves around a medical engineer (Sandra Bullock) and an astronaut (George Clooney), who work together to survive after a catastrophe destroys their shuttle and leaves them adrift in orbit.
Her and Iron Man 3 were awarded three Saturns apiece. On the TV side, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead each won three awards.
Jul
02
Retired Disney animator and maker of ‘Aladdin’ creates a 3 minute love story, ‘Duet’
Posted in: AnimationAt the recent Google I/O Developer conference, Glen Keane – a well renowned, retired Disney animator – showcased his new, hand-drawn animation, which he has produced in partnership with Google projects.
Keane is most famous for designing the characters of ‘Ariel’, ‘Aladdin’ and the ‘Beast’ during the Disney renaissance period, and being acknowledged as a “Disney Legend” by the company upon his retirement in 2012.
Those of you who are scouting for a good, old-fashioned, hand-drawn love story will be enthralled by Keane’s emotive three-minute short called Duet that shows the development of a romance between two people – from cell to adult form. Beginning at birth, and moving into adulthood, the featurette encapsulates the wonder and beauty of life, friendship and love in just three minutes.
Duet is the third in Google’s Spotlight Stories, which are designed to explore the possibilities of interactive animation for mobile devices, and the fully interactive version of Duet will be released on mobile later this year. Google is currently building development kits to enable storytellers with new, advanced tools to bring their ideas to animated life. Through the extraordinary examples produced by the Spotlight Stories, Google is hoping to revolutionise the film festival as “a film festival in your pocket.”
Jul
02
Disney Interactive’s new web-series ‘Citizen Kid’ spotlights everyday kids doing extraordinary feats
Posted in: Animation
Disney Interactive recently launched Citizen Kid, an original web series that celebrates the potential in all kids, and the extraordinary things they accomplish when they embrace their interests and talents. Walt Disney once said: “Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children,” and this new series attempts at demonstrating the amazing things kids are capable of when parents, guardians and loved ones give their young minds the freedom and encouragement to live their dreams.
Citizen Kid is about inspiring kids to reach their fullest potential, and the series’ exclusive sponsor, Milk, is devoted to fueling that potential.
“Citizen Kid encourages kids to embrace their interests and talents, and Milk is focused on fueling active, successful days by encouraging families to start every day with milk,” Disney Interactive’s VP of alliances and sponsorships Josh Mattison states in a press statement.
Viewers can join the campaign by using #CitizenKid on Twitter, Facebook and across social media to share their own stories about a Citizen Kid (or many) they know.
“Social media participation is a huge piece of #CitizenKid,” Disney Interactive’s senior director of content and programming Dan Reynolds adds. “We’re sharing stories of kids we’ve found who embody the qualities of a Citizen Kid, but we know that our fans and their friends have hundreds of thousands of stories to share and that’s where social comes in.”
During the 18-episode series, viewers will watch children take ordinary activities, like recycling or playing chess, to better the world around them. Disney.com/CitizenKid will feature a new episode every Wednesday, with the first three episodes of Citizen Kid already live.
Jul
02
After delivering award-winning 3D conversion on Academy Award winner Gravity, Prime Focus World (PFW), the creative services subsidiary of global media and entertainment industry services leader Prime Focus, has provided stereo VFX services for Transformers: Age of Extinction. PFW also delivered stereo services for the earlier installment of the mega franchise, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which released in 2011.
“3D contribution to BO revenues has seen a steady climb post the runaway success of Gravity. There is a massive revival of interest in 3D movies to levels that existed post the success of Avatar. Our summer line-up is testimony to this renewed interest in 3D,” said Prime Focus founder, executive chairman & group CEO Namit Malhotra in a statement. “We kicked off the season with Maleficent and followed it up with Edge of Tomorrow. We are proud and honored to be associated with a visionary like Michael Bay on a tent pole like Transformers.”
PFW contributed a combination of stereo effects and 2D visual effects that spanned more than 70 minutes of the film, undoubtedly the most awaited release this summer. The $ 2.6 billion franchise’s fourth installment has received an incredible opening weekend BO run of $ 300 million of which $ 100 million came from US and an incredible $ 90 million from China, now the world’s second largest film market.
Working closely with director Michael Bay and Paramount Pictures’ executive stereographer Corey Turner, Prime Focus’ creative teams across Mumbai and Vancouver helped deliver a stunning stereo film with rockets and explosions, it has got a huge amount of very high quality CG and very fast-paced action sequences – everything one would expect from a Transformers movie!
“The stereo VFX work we delivered for Transformers: Age of Extinction is exceptional, and helps make the film a great 3D visual experience for the audience,” said Prime Focus chief creative director and co-founder Merzin Tavaria. “Our main objective was to aid the storytelling with 3D and we successfully achieved this by giving the shots extreme scene depth, whilst ensuring the stereo to be believable and technically correct. It was a challenging project for the team – our vast stereo knowledge and experience helped in creating a stunning 3D film – the augmentation of native footage, integration of VFX elements and adding 3D moments. This hybrid approach allowed us to help produce one of the best stereo movies of the year.”
Transformers 4 is a game changer of sorts as its success heralds the age of the globalized blockbuster – a film that succeeds in many markets around the world and not just the US. The film has strong connections with China which is intelligent and underlines the impact the mainland can have on the GBO destiny of a tentpole. In spite of severe restrictions on Hollywood imports, China with its state-of-the-art screening infrastructure and 3D crazy audiences is the holy grail of Hollywood wanting to expand its base. To tap in to this opportunity and to offer local filmmakers the advantages of its global delivery model and stereo expertise, PFW set up shop in Beijing in 2013.
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