Jun
20
This means war
Posted in: Animation
For Cartoon Brew, I found out about how the war scenes were orchestrated by the vfx teams in Wonder Woman. Check out the article here.
Jun
20
Take it from me, if you want to get a handle on some of the best visual effects, animation, games and VR content being produced right now, come to Turin, Italy in October for the VIEW Conference.
Some big, big projects will be the subject of discussion, including War for the Planet of the Apes, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2, Rogue One, The Little Prince, Cars 3, LEGO Batman, The Emoji and Smurfs: The Lost Village.
And that doesn’t even include other insights you’ll get on VR and gaming and the business of the creative industries by coming to VIEW.
I’ve been trying to work out in this post, too, just how to describe how impressive VIEW is.
On the one hand, you can literally sit in the main room for five days straight and pretty much never get up – the talks are always fantastic. But then, since it’s also a relatively intimate conference, there’s time to interact with the speakers and other attendees. Few VFX/animation events let you do that.
The conference is also located in a fantastic city – Turin – where there’s a lot of other things to do and explore, if you have time.
VIEW begins October 23rd and runs until October 27th. I’ll be there, and would love to say hi to any vfxblog readers.
There are details on tickets and pricing here, and below is a list of the confirmed VIEW speakers:
Rob Pardo
Legendary Game Designer, known for WORLD of WARCRAFT – CEO Bonfire Studios
Eric Darnell
Chief Creative Director Baobab Studios
Phil Chen
Founder – HTC VIVE
Paul Debevec
Senior Staff Engineer, Research Prof. – Google VR, ICT
Joe Letteri
Senior Visual Effects Supervisor, Weta Digital
Christopher Townsend
Overall VFX Supervisor, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2
Vicki Dobbs Beck
Executive in Charge – ILMxLAB
Mark Osborne
Director – The Little Prince
Kim White
Director of Photography – Lighting, Cars 3 – Pixar Animation Studios
Rob Coleman
Head of Animation – The Lego Batman Movie – Animal Logic
Hal Hickel
Animation Supervisor – Rogue One – ILM
Noëlle Triaureau
Production Designer – Smurfs: The Lost Village – Sony Pictures Animation
Mike Ford
VFX Supervisor – Smurfs: The Lost Village – Imageworks
Carlos Zaragoza
Production Designer – The Emoji Movie – Sony Pictures Animation
Kris Pearn
Director: The Willoughbys – Bron Animation
Cinzia Angelini
Director: MILA
Francesco Filippi
Red Hands – Studio Minstral
Michael Rubin
Founder & Chief Photo Officer – Neomodern
Victor Perez
VFX Supervisor – Gabriele Salvatores Invisible Boy sequel
Eloi Champagne
Technical Director – National Film Board of Canada, VR
Maureen Fan
CEO, Co-Founder – Baobab Studios
Larry Cutler
Chief Technical Officer – Baobab Studios
Bernard Yee
Executive Producer/Program Manager – Oculus Game VR
Shannon Tindle
Director/Writer – Sony Pictures Animation
David Putrino
Director of Rehabilitation Innovation – Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai
Kevin Lin
COO – Twitch.TV
Claudio Pedica
Senior Interaction Designer – Sólfar Studios
Megan Brain
Paper sculpture designer – Origami, Kubo and The Two Strings
LK Shelley
Managing Partner – Affiniti Ventures | AV(M)
Elaina Scott
Animation Supervisor – Supergirl – The CW
Jun
20
Atomic Fiction, a visual effects studio from Oakland has brought in animation guru Marc Chu to lead the studio’s animation efforts across its Oakland and Montreal locations.
Chu joins Atomic Fiction from ILM (Industrial Light & Magic), where he most recently served as animation director, bringing more than 20 years of experience animating and supervising the creation of everything from aliens and spaceships to pirates and superheroes.
Marc Chu
“Animation is only as good as the creative team behind it, so we wanted someone with the right talents to grow and direct our team in this next stage of our company’s evolution. Marc is one of the best in the industry and an incredible guy to match, with a widely respected skill set and eye. His personality is perfect for the Atomic Fiction vibe, and we’re stoked to have him in the family,” said Atomic Fiction president of visual effects Marc Sadeghi.
Based out of Atomic Fiction’s Oakland office, Chu will oversee animation company-wide and serve as the principal architect of initial studio production, including the expansion of Atomic Fiction’s previs and digital creature offerings. He’s already begun work on The Predator and is ramping up activity on an upcoming Robert Zemeckis feature.
“Atomic Fiction is already well-established and known for its seamless work in environments, so this is an amazing opportunity to be a part of their journey into doing more animation-driven work. My goal is to help grow an already-strong animation department to the next level, becoming a force that is able to tackle any challenge, notably high-level creature and character work,” Chu shared.
Before taking the animation reins at Atomic Fiction, Chu established and built his career at ILM, creating and supervising work for some of the most recognisable film franchises of the last two decades. He helped launch the Marvel Cinematic Universe with 2009’s Iron Man, working to define the characters and animation through the sequel and first two Avengers films. His extensive credits also include Star Wars franchise continuations The Force Awakens and Rogue One and the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, which earned Best VFX Oscar nominations, and won for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men’s Chest. Chu also has two VES Award wins for his Davy Jones CG character work. In addition to offering up his sharp professional chops, Chu will also continue in his role as a mentor, identifying and developing upcoming talent.
The post Marc Chu joins Atomic Fiction as animation department supervisor appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Jun
20
London-based Blue Zoo, which makes Nickelodeon series Digby Dragon will join forces with China U.K. Animation Company (C.U. Animation) to create Lanzu, a new animation company that will unlock £72 million ($92 million) of production.
Lanzu will receive an initial investment of £30 million ($37 million) a Chinese investment vehicle Zhong Ze Culture Investment Group established by president Xi Jinping, and will benefit from an additional £72 million of funding as part of the deal. Lanzu will in turn become a minority shareholder in Blue Zoo, which was co-founded by Oli Hyatt, who as the then former head of Animation UK was instrumental in winning the UK tax break for animation.
“Lanzu will enable us to jointly hold and develop our IP whilst generating growth in the Eastern and global markets,” said Hyatt. “CU Animation has invested in the talented staff we nurture, our growing business and our dreams for the future.” Kate O’Conner, Hyatt’s successor at the industry campaign body, said the deal was “great news for Blue Zoo, and the UK animation sector.”
‘Digby Dragon’
The investment will accelerate the delivery of current and future Blue Zoo productions and co-productions and support development of new IP, with Lanzu lining up at least six new projects over the next five years.
Zhong Ze Culture Investment was set up in 2014 as part of an outreach initiative by the Chinese authorities. C.U. Animation and Zhong Ze Culture Investment director of culture Gina Fegan said, “Blue Zoo stands out in terms of creativity, company ethos and commercial acumen. We are delighted to partner with them to enable and accelerate IP development and content production, supporting both Lanzu and Blue Zoo’s international growth.”
“It confirms that the UK animation is a global magnet for investment, creativity, skills and talent,” Conner said. UK government’s international trade minister Mark Garnier added, “This is great news for the UK animation industry. The department for international trade will continue to provide support and advice to businesses like Blue Zoo. We want to attract inward investment to help them and others to achieve their growth ambitions and reach new markets.”
The post UK’s Blue Zoo and China’s Zhong Ze form new $92m animation company appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Jun
20
UNIFIMEDIA
Posted in: Animation
UNIFIMEDIA is a leading Post Production Studio in South India offering a wide range of sophisticated CGI services which includes VFX & DI having branches in Bangalore, Chennai & Mumbai
We are currently looking for the following positions
Senior Compositors
Software: Nuke or Digital Fusion
Responsibilities:
- Proficient in using 2.5d approaches, projections and using 3D environment in nuke
- Thorough understanding of compositing multichannel lighting passes
- Seamlessly integrate the various layers or elements of live action shot
- Follow production process and develop creative approaches and problem-solving
- Mentor and advise junior compositors and ensure best practices are being employed
- At least 5 years live action visual effects/ Feature Film experience
Matte Paint Artist
Responsibilities
- To (re) create photo realistic matte paintings that are to be used as an element to replace live action footage.
- Work with live action footage, digital still photography, rendered cg elements and digital paint to create believable environments that are to be seamlessly integrated into the film.
Roto Artist
- Rotoscope Artists work closely with the Compositors to integrate all layers and elements into a seamless visual effect shot. Rotoscope Artists assist the Compositors by producing mattes and preparing plates.
- Experience of meeting deadlines on time.
- Continuous improvement and knowledge of 2D work flow and techniques.
Contact
Mr.Sivakumar: 7022010883
The post UNIFIMEDIA appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Jun
20
Sony Pictures Virtual Reality announced Spider-Man: Homecoming VR, a new multi-platform promotional VR experience based on Columbia Pictures’ Spider-Man: Homecoming, one of the most highly anticipated movies of the summer, which will be out on 7 July.
Guided by the helpful artificial intelligence unit built into the new Spider-Man suit, Spider-Man: Homecoming VR offers players the chance to suit up as Spider-Man, hone their web-shooting skills and sling high above New York City in pursuit of the Vulture. The VR experience will be available for free across all major VR platforms, including PlayStation VR, HTC Vive and Oculus Rift starting 30 June, leading up to the 7 July theatrical release of the superhero film.
“Spider-Man is the most beloved superhero in the world, so we knew Spider-Man: Homecoming VR had to be something special. Fans can wear the suit, fire the new web shooters – THWIP! – and swing through the air in a faceoff with The Vulture. It’s every fan’s fantasy turned into virtual reality,” said Sony Pictures Virtual Reality senior vice president Jake Zim.
Leading up to its in-home release, fans can experience Spider-Man: Homecoming VR at special events and select movie theatres worldwide, starting this weekend at select Cinemark Theaters in the US and at the CineEurope tradeshow in Barcelona.
Spider-Man: Homecoming VR was produced by Sony Pictures Virtual Reality and developed by the award-winning agency CreateVR, using industry-leading Dell Precision workstations powered by Intel.
The post Sony Pictures VR launches ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ experience appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Jun
20
Some snapshots of the Art of post production held at Taj Banjara, Hyderabad on 19 june, 2017. It was attended by several veteran speakers like Guru Vaidya from Adobe, Mahesh Soni from BenQ, Promita Sen and Dora Babu from Makuta VFX. The audience included professionals like video editors, artists and graphic designers in large numbers.
The post Glimpses from the Hyderabad edition of ‘The Art of Post-Production’ appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Jun
20
Hyderabad: The second edition of ‘the Art of Post Production’ was held at Taj Banjara, Hyderabad on 19 June 2017. Organised by AnimationXpress in association with Adobe and BenQ, it was attended by several working professionals from the industry including video editors, artists and graphic designers in large numbers.Additionally, it was attended by Telangana joint director (promotion), Information Technology & Communications department Syed Shawket Hussain Madani.
The theme of the event was on how to overcome the various challenges in the creative industries – including films, digital, broadcast, animation and visual effects – which are constantly working under tight deadline by creating an effective pipeline using the perfect tools for smooth functioning. The focus was on the Creative cloud solution offered by Adobe and also the high end monitors offered by BenQ. There were five prominent speakers at the event.
AnimationXpress.com founder CEO & editor-in-chief Anil Wanvari welcomed the attendees and talked about the great features that Adobe Premier Pro offered to editors and he even showcased a video that had been created using the editing and effects solution featuring TV actress Kritika Kamra by the Indiantelevision.com group. “Adobe Premier Pro is a great tool which ITV 2.0 editors love using,” he said, adding that the designers in the company also loved working on BenQ’s monitors as it offered them true colours to work on.
He left the floor open to Adobe India senior solutions consultant Guru Vaidya who spoke on the topic “Fast pace your editing workflow with Adobe Creative Cloud.”
His talk included several tricks and tips like new features in Adobe Premiere Pro CC, adding cinematic visual effects with Adobe after effects CC, using Adobe Audition CC to remove noise from audio and video files and even created his own audio and video mixes, using Adobe SpeedGrade CC to colour correct video and adding unique looks to a video.
Vaidya also demonstrated how shaky footage can be rectified using Adobe’s new apps, and also about the new features of Adobe’s character animator.
BenQ national business Manager- LCDM and digital Signage Mahesh Soni then came on to speak about the display company’s leading industry solutions to meet the demanding requirements of video post production and graphic art professionals. Soni also gave insights on how BenQ provides comprehensive support for industry colour performances and powerful calibration tools for video post production workflow.
Soni and his team from BenQ demonstrated how the professional BenQ monitors provide an edge in the digital workflow management from the rough cut phase through addition of effects, colour correction, compositing all the way to the output stage, giving pinpointed accuracy. He also spoke about functionalities like gamut duo, colour display cloning, brightness uniformity, maintaining colour consistency.
The fourth speaker was Promita Sen, VFX producer from Makuta VFX. Makuta VFX has today grown from a small studio to an internationally recognised outfit within a span of few years. They are well known for working on films like Bahubali and Baahubali 2: the conclusion, Eega,I,Magadheera, and Ghajini. She pointed out that licensed Adobe Premiere Pro and Photoshop were used extensively for Baahubali 2: the conclusion.
She demonstrated the Kuntala kingdom sequence from Baahubali 2: The Conclusion and spoke about the full CG shot, the matte painting involved. She also spoke about how the huge elephant statues in the movie Babhubali were created at a scale of 400 feet.
She was later joined by the final speaker Dorababu Achanta . He is currently VFX lead at Makuta VFX and he spoke about the scaling process. He also narrated the hard work and dedication done for the film Baahubali and how several technicians postponed even their marriages to complete the film in time.
He explained how several producers ask for Hollywood level work but are not willing to pay for it. He emphasised that post production is a tough job and stressed on the need to increase the budget for it to bring more quality in the output.
The event was concluded with a lucky draw for all the participants and the winner – ETV production associate Madhava Reddy Nomula got a year long free subscription to the Adobe Premier Pro suite.
The Art of Post Production at Taj Banjara, Hyderabad was no doubt a great success and the AnimationXpress team is gearing up for more such events in major cities of India. Stay tuned for more such events!
The post The Art of Post Production draws Hyderabad’s creative professionals appeared first on AnimationXpress.
Jun
20
Fearless Girl, a bronze sculpture on Wall Street commissioned by State Street Global Advisors, has won three Grand Prix awards at Cannes International Festival, for PR, Outdoor and Glass Lion categories. The Fearless Girl sculpture, fashioned by Kristen Visbal, depicts a Latina girl looking at the well-known Charging Bull statue in Bowling Green Park, in Manhattan. Fearless Girl was commissioned by investment firm State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) as an advertisement for an index fund which comprises gender-diverse companies that have a higher percentage of women among their senior leadership. The plaque below the statue states, “Know the power of women in leadership. SHE makes a difference,” with “SHE” being both a descriptive pronoun and the fund’s NASDAQ ticker symbol.
Fearless Girl Credits
The Fearless Girl campaign was developed at McCann New York by global creative chairman Rob Reilly, chief creative officer (North America) Eric Silver, chief creative officer Joyce King Thomas, managing director Devika Bulchandani, co-chief creative officers Tom Murphy and Sean Bryan, senior art director Lizzie Wilson, senior copywriter Tali Gumbiner, chief production officer Nathy Aviram, executive producer (innovation) Christine Lane, senior integrated producer Deb Archambault, design director George Katz, design director David Mashburn, head of communications strategy David Broad, director of social and mobile Gemma Craven, strategy director Kevin Kim, executive account director Peter Bracegirdle, account supervisor Molly Vossler, junior producer Doug Harrison, senior project manager Steven Marchione, chief communications officer Jeremy Miller, brand communications director Neena Koyen, senior editor Nathan Troester, content creators Brett Berman and Eric Perini, executive music producer Eric Johnson and music producer Dan Gross.
Artist was Kristen Visbal at Visbal Sculpture, Inc.
Production was by Traction Creative (Bryan Roberts) and SWP, New York, (Stuart Weissman).
Photography was by Federica Valabrega with retoucher Kris Chu at Swell.
Filming was by director of photography Jack Shanahan and assistant camera Jeff Clanet. Music was produced at Copilot Music + Sound by composer Naren Rauch and executive producer Jason Menkes.
Jun
19
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In this episode, the gang talks about the value of focus and the issues surrounding a lack thereof.
Show Notes
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