It’s already here, but the work of Epic Games with its Unreal Engine in recent projects is showing just how much influence real-time can have in VFX. Here’s a new article for VFX Voice about the Human Race project carried out with The Mill’s Blackbird tech.
Paris-based producer and distributor Cyber Group Studios announces the airing of the new pre-school series “Gigantosaurus” on Disney Junior Worldwide, excluding India and Taiwan, beginning in 2019. The series has already been picked up by France Televisions in France and Super RTL in Germany.
Gigantosaurus, a new full CGI animated series based on the best selling book by world renowned author Jonny Duddle, (published by Templar Publishing), is aimed at kids aged four to six. In the series, four young dinosaur friends explore a pre-historic world of adventure where the most exciting mystery of all is Gigantosaurus, the biggest and fiercest dinosaur anyone has ever seen. Inquisitive Mazu, playful Tiny, timid Bill and courageous Rocky all want to discover the secrets of the elusive Gigantosaurus, and will find out they all have something to learn from him too.
Cyber Group Studios, chairman and CEO, Pierre Sissmann says: “This is a very exciting project for us and we are thrilled to partner with Disney Junior Worldwide on this very ambitious new series. Gigantosaurus will recreate in a funny and entertaining way for preschoolers, the world where dinosaurs lived, in a lush and realistic environment.”
The series will be directed by Olivier Lelardoux, a senior studio VP of Cyber Group Studios who formerly directed the three seasons of ZOU, an Emmy award-nominated series, which has been watched by over 100 Million children in over 150 countries in 31 languages.
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A new real time strategy (RTS) game is coming up. While it will be a new game altogether, players might not be very unfamiliar with the IP it is being adapted from. Respawn Entertainment, the publisher Nexon and developers of the upcoming game Particle City, have announced the new RTS game which will be coming over Android and iOS based on Titanfall.
Titled Titanfall: Assault, the game will likely adhere a very formal style of RTS games, which is the familiar grind of building your units and then attacking your enemies or defending your territories. According to reports, the game will feature multiplayer battles across various maps, however no hint of a singleplayer campaign has been revealed.
Here’s the description of the game on the official website:
“Join the fight for The Frontier in this fast and fluid real-time strategy game. Combine towering Titans and agile Pilots to build an unstoppable force.
Put your skills to the test as you assemble the ultimate deck of Pilots and Titans paired into heroic duos. Collect and upgrade dozens of cards including tactical Burn Cards providing powerful battlefield support. Strategise your way to victory over enemy forces in epic PvP battles and compete for glory and rewards on the leaderboards.
Combine and conquer. Unite and destroy. And lead your forces to victory in The Frontier War.”
This will not be the first attempt to bring Titanfall on mobile devices. Last year the same set of companies announced a strategy-based card game adapted from the same IP titled Titanfall: Frontline, however it was cancelled soon.
No release dates for the upcoming game has been revealed yet, but enthusiasts can pre-register on the company’s website.
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Elated with the promising tie-up, DishTV, CEO, Arun Kapoor said, “At DishTV, we have always believed in providing the best entertainment to our subscribers. Being India’s most trusted DTH brand, we ensure that our subscribers from all age groups get entertained. Keeping this in mind, we are glad to strengthen our partnership with Visiware International to launch a whole new set of Cartoon Network games on our platform. We are delighted with this launch, since this service will offer games with India’s favourite characters such as Ben 10, Powerpuff Girls, Roll No. 21 and more to mass audiences residing in smaller towns also. This strengthens our portfolio by penetrating not only the larger cities, but also the Tier II-Tier III cities and small towns.”Visiware International, whose services have been deployed on 50 plus networks worldwide, has for the last 20 years, been developing games for satellite, cable, IPTV and fiber networks as well as connected TV sets and OTT boxes. It’s partnership with Cartoon Network will enable Visiware International to put out high quality, premium content that is all set to redefine the casual gaming on interactive television for pay TV operators. Cartoon Network IPs and its much loved characters bring in that extra fun and thrill to gaming, like never before.
France-based Visiware International also very recently partnered with DEN Networks to bring premium gaming service in India.
The games will be rotated on a monthly basis with one game being refreshed every month. What more, the player can 
resume playing at any level using the access code provided at the end of each level on a selection of games. The service is available from May 2017 to all Dish TV subscribers on Channel 967. This service will be available for free preview to all DishTV subscribers for one month post which the service will be charged Rs 40 (including taxes) per month.
Visiware International, COO, Frederic Fellague remarked, “We are delighted to partner with Cartoon Network India and DishTV for this product. We are strong believers in partnerships with TV channels and Pay-TV providers to create new kind of interactivity on Set Top Boxes. Our track record in that area is significant internationally and we hope to develop these in the near future.”
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Fans of the detective pup, Scooby, might have to wait a little longer for his revival on the big screen as Warner Bros. has recently announced that the release date for the Scooby-Doo’s animated movie has been pushed back from 2018 to 2020.
The film is being directed by Emmy-nominated, animation veteran Tony Cervone of ‘Space Jam’ fame and he was supposed to be joined by Dax Shepard, who is directing and writing the studio’s upcoming comedy ‘CHiPs’ who was in negotiation with the studio.
The movie was announced back in 2015 and was slated for a 21 September, 2018 release. Matt Lieberman wrote the screenplay, while Dan Povenmire is filling in as executive producer.
There have been two live-action movies from the franchise, 2002’s Scooby-Doo and 2004’s Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed. The first film generated around $275 million worldwide and the second one earning around $180 million, while both of them receiving mixed reviews.
Created by Hanna Barbera, the original animated series titled Scooby-Doo Where Are You? launched way back in 1969 and has been a fan favourite since then. There have been numerous animated movies adapted from the franchise, but not many of them have been released over the big screen.
Scooby-Doo fans will have a wait for a few more years to witness the mystery solving detectives on the big screen again!
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Toonz Media’s Animation Masters Summit 2017 is all ready to kick-off from today, 5 May. Here is a list of the speakers and the topics they are going to talk about:
A dynamic visionary in the digital realm, Keyur Patel has led the investments and turnarounds for brands like Inktomi and Maxtor; and incubated and ran a number of successful companies like NDTV, India TV, Netflix, Amazon, PayPal, Lions Gate and over 160 more. A long time TV and film investor in Hollywood, he owns investments in two of the largest film studios.
Apart from being the producer of Eenadu Regional Network for five years and creating and curating content at Nickelodeon for 10 years, Ronojoy Chakraborty is an independent creator and writer by passion. He has been creative director for over 850 episodes of locally produced animation products.
Veteran screenwriter for the last 25 years, Anjum Rajabali has written for some of the most popular films like Drohkaal, Pukar, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Ghulam and Rajneeti. In 2004, he conceived the Screenplay Writing Department at the Film and TV Institute of India and has also been the founder-head of screenwriting at Whistling Woods International, Mumbai.
Lauren Glaubach has been in the media and entertainment industry her entire career. She has worked with brands like The Walt Disney Company and ESPN in strategic business development and brand management roles.
Currently the director of business at ICONIX Entertainment, Dong-Su Jung has worked as the marketing director of a gaming company in Korea and also played instrumental roles in the marketing and advertising activities for some of the most celebrated brands.
Shrikumar Menon works with brands that are household names today and is associated with the most iconic names of Indian cinema, having created ads with the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Sushmita Sen, Mammootty, Nagarjuna, Akshay Kumar and many others. He is currently working on his next feature film Mahabharat.
Currently working as a programming manager of YouTube Kids headquarters in North California, Amy Blair has held pivotal positions in a variety of digital formats including books, apps, gaming, video etc. At YouTube Kids, she focuses on the content strategy for the app.
As a national creative director of Ogilvy & Mather, Abhijit Avasthi has helped build brands like Cadbury Dairy Milk, Fevicol, Asian Paints, Google, Star TV, Tata Sky etc. His recently launched company Sideways Consulting is a creative problem-solving outfit that aims to infuse right-brain thinking into every aspect of business.
John McKenna has been in the animation industry for over 25 years, heading animation studios and making animated feature films. He has headed the Walt Disney Company’s London studio, Warner Bros’ Feature Animation division in London and 20th Century Fox Animation Studios in USA.
Apart from the sessions, Legend of Indian Animation, Bhimsain Khurana, will also be honoured with lifetime achievement award in the animation industry.
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Summer vacations are certainly the most exhilarating time of the year for kids. The much-awaited break brings along time to indulge in their favourite activities and catch up on their much-loved TV shows. To make summers a lot more appealing and enjoyable, Cartoon Network introduces their special summer programming for its young audience.
Meet the new heroes of Cartoon Network – Vambre and Prohyas, ‘Warriors for Hire’ as they embark on a frenzied mission as spies, princess guardians and house-sitters. The brother-sister duo will surely have you in splits with their comic timing. Spreading some magic across with their Mighty Magiswords—weapons, the duo is set to take you on a roller-coaster ride from 6 May 2017, Saturdays, 10:00 am.
Coming to entertain the young viewers are Transformers: Robots in Disguise from 27 May, 2017, every Saturday from 8:30 am onwards. Simultaneously, Henry is also coming to woo the kids on the channel with Bas Karo Henry from 22 May, 2017, Monday to Friday 3:30 pm.
The channel has also mapped out engaging stunts to keep the kids on their toes with back-to-back episodes of We Bare Bears and Larva. Tune in for a fun escapade with the heart-warming story of the bear brothers and the best of Larva. We bet it is going to be a laugh riot with the two starting from 1 May, 2017, 9:00 am onwards.
To up the fun quotient, Cartoon Network is all set to air special episodes of Roll No. 21 and celebrate Kris all through the month with The Big Summer Ride. It’s going to be Kris vs everyone as the superhero fights the evil Kanishk effortlessly from 2 May, 2017 to 11 June 2017, Monday to Friday, 09:00 am onwards. Superhero Kris is also on a mission for friendship as he tries to help his friends deal with the malicious plans of Kanishk. Will Kris be successful in this mission of his? To know more, watch Kris only on Cartoon Network starting from 22 May 2017 to 26 May 2017, Monday to Friday, 11:30 am. There is another surprise for all Kris fans, a brand new Roll No. 21 movie, Roll No. 21: Kris Aur Mission Hoola Bhoola will be aired on 26 May, Friday at 5 pm.
Cartoon Network will also treat its little fans with new Teen Titans Go! episodes starting 8 May, Monday to Friday at 05:30 pm. Also on the fun platter is Uncle Grandpa airing from 20 May onwards, Saturday and Sunday at 4 pm.
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Hyundai Australia has launched “Fall”, a commercial at the heart of their Hyundai i30 Reinvented campaign. The Hyundai i30 Reinvented campaign asks the question, “Where do you go once you’ve reached the top?” The action-packed film follows the previous Hyundai model plunging to earth from the edge of space, hitting the earth with an impressive explosion. The new model emerges in a cloud of dust. “What do you do after you’ve won Australia’s Best Cars Award six times? You start again.” Drawing on real footage captured on location by a skydiving team, the dramatic imagery required extensive previsualisation from boutique design and VFX house, Fin. The Innocean i30 Reinvented campaign is running on online, TV, cinema, digital, print, and outdoor media channels.
Gripping shots of the falling car were achieved through a combination of full CGI, rendered with Redshift in Maya, and shots of a real i30 suspended by a crane. The car was then rotoscoped and dropped into one of the falling skydiving plates, seamlessly marrying the two elements together.
“Dan [Askill] wanted to film as many in-camera moments as possible,” comments VFX Supervisor at Fin, Justin Bromley. “We were able to advise fully on the overall approach regarding the blend of VFX and practical effects thanks to our early involvement in the creative process. While a last-minute change in location from Broken Hill, New South Wales, to Flinders Ranges, South Australia, meant that the scenery matched very closely to the director’s vision set out in pre-viz – vast open outback desert and clear blue skies – perhaps the skies were almost too clear as we created a huge amount of CGI clouds for the car to actually fall through. I’ve worked with Dan before, but not on something as complex and FX-heavy as this spot. His collaborative attitude and openness to our creative input really allowed us to take the creative ball and run with it, which made for a fantastic and rewarding experience. It’s always great when the initial vision in your head matches the final images that go to air!”
The stunning moment of impact was powered by explosives and tennis balls filled with dirt and captured high-speed in 1000-frames-per-second; the in-camera shots were then tuned extensively in compositing. Rather than grading footage in one big session, Fin opted to grade in Flame with the option of being able to constantly adjust the look in line with the evolution of the creative. Initial colour tests were carried out with Askill as a conceptual reference, then applied to every shot as the final composites were completed, resulting in a beautiful overall finish.
The Hyundai i30 Reinvented campaign was developed at INNOCEAN Worldwide Australia by executive creative director Steve Jackson, creative team Daryl Corps and Dave Shirlaw, creatives Steve Carlin, Dean Hamilton, Dave King, agency producer Jacqui Walker, production director Warrick Nicholson, head of planning Scott Davis, group business director Philip Sherar, head of digital Trevor Crossman, account director Vincent Pled and account manager Kat Knight working with Hyundai Australia Motor Car Company director of marketing Oliver Mann, general manager marketing Andrew Knox, product marketing manager Nick Cook, and product marketing co-ordinator Katrina Mendoza.
Filming was shot by director Daniel Askill via Collider with 2nd unit director Lorin Skill, executive producer Rachael Ford-Davies and producer Julianne Shelton.
Visual effects were produced at Fin Design + Effects by executive producer Alastair Stephen, VFX supervisors Justin Bromley and Stuart White.
Sound and music were produced at Nylon Studios by sound designer Simon Lister, composer Michael Yezerski and music producer Karla Henwood
Photography was produced at Photoplay by photographer Michael Corridore, executive producer Alison Lydiard, producer Melanie Reardon, with retouching at Cream Studios by executive producer Steve York.
The titles for FITC Toronto 2017 drew on a prototype Red Paper Heart created roughly a year ago, for which “all of the light in the video is from natural sunlight filtering through a generative art system.”
Read more about the process on the FITC site.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A. during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
