Feb 24

CodeCube Brothers bags the first prize of mobile esports Indie Ignite

Posted in: Animation

Skillz, the mobile esports company, has announced the winner of its inaugural Indie Ignite game developer competition. First place was claimed by CodeCube Brothers, creators of Color Ring, earning the two Finnish brothers a grand prize valued at over $50,000. Hidden Pixel Games LLC, developers of Pool Payday, also received an honourable mention.

The first-place prize is comprised of a package of services and funds, including a $25,000 user acquisition campaign, $25,000 in game launch optimisation services, as well as two Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 passes. The contest challenged indie game developers to create the next hit esports game and attracted an overwhelming response from the community.

“My brother and I have tried to design a hit mobile game since 2010, and winning this contest has been the biggest validation – if we hadn’t, we’d currently be looking for second jobs to fund our business. Monetizing is a big challenge for indie developers in this crowded market, but Skillz has empowered us to pursue our own aspirations while having the financial stability of a larger games studio,” said  CodeCube Brothers co-founder  Esa Salminen.

To enter the competition, mobile game developers integrated the Skillz esports infrastructure into the title of their choice. The games were evaluated based on criteria including strong D1 and D7 retention rates, daily active users, and core gameplay loop design. Color Ring took the lead with impressive metrics, excelling across all criteria.

“Developers have always been central to our mission of democratising esports, and they never cease to impress us with their creativity. Skillz levels the playing field so even the smallest of indie developers have the tools needed to create a world-class eSport – all they have to bring is their creativity,” said   Skillz CEO and founder Andrew Paradise.

Skillz is committed to supporting indie game developers and kicked off its Indie Ignite Season 2 game developer competition this week. In support of this, Skillz is also hosting its first Game Jam next month. This event features hands-on tutorials from world-class experts on how to design and build successful mobile esports titles. The Skillz Game Jam is open to all game developers but is particularly ideal for Indie Ignite entrants.

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Feb 24

GKIDS launches Salvador Simó’s ‘Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles’ trailer

Posted in: Animation

North American distributor GKIDS has dropped the official trailer of Salvador Simó’s Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles, which will have a selected theatrical release this year. Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles is being sold by Latido.

The trailer clearly depicts the ethical journey of Buñuel, as he attempts to emerge from Salvador Dalí’s shadow and acquire a humanistic social conscience which will be found to a larger or lesser extent throughout his remaining career. Even in his last ‘French’ phase when, 40 years later, he captures the self-obsession, disavowal and imperturbability of the French bourgeoisie in still surrealism-laced stories.

The synopsis of the film goes:

Paris, 1930. Salvador Dalí and Luis Buñuel are main figures of the Surrealist movement, but Buñuel is left penniless after a scandal surrounding his first film L’Age d’Or. However, his good friend, the sculptor Ramón Acín, buys a lottery ticket with the promise that, if he wins, he will pay for his next film. Incredibly, luck is on their side, the ticket is a winner and so they set out to make the movie. Both a buddy adventure and fascinating episode of cinematic history, Buñuel and the Labyrinth of the Turtles utilises sensitive performances as well as excerpts of Buñuel’s own footage from the production, to present a deeply affecting and humanistic portrait of an artist hunting for his purpose.

Latido lead-producer Manuel Cristobal said, “The animation is very European, totally 2D. Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles. The film is above all, however, a story of friendship, of fighting for what you believe in, and how to help people around you, achieving what you believe in”.

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles has won a Special Jury Prize at Los Angeles’ Animation is Film Festival, organised by GKIDS, France’s Annecy International Animation Festival.

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Feb 24

‘Kalank’ is a forthcoming VFX-rich movie

Posted in: Animation

In a bid to revive his father’s dream project, Karan Johar’s upcoming movie Kalank is all set to dazzle the fans. Not much has been revealed about the movie as its still in the works.

Produced under the banner of Dharma Productions and Fox Star Studios, multi-starrer Kalank includes a host of actors namely Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sonakshi Sinha.

Kalank is an epic historical and emotional drama set in the 1940s and goes beyond borders which is evident from the recent pictures shared by the actor on his social media account.

The duo can be seen holding hands as they stand in front of a graffiti wall with a giant painting of Rajinikanth in one of the posts. Grapevine has it that it was titled Shiddhat in the planning stage before the final announcement.

Kalank co-stars Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan frequently make appearances on each other’s Instagram profile Speaking to AnimationXpress, FluiidMask founder and VFX supervisor who is helming the VFX aspect of the movie shared, “One of the projects in the pipeline is Kalank. It has a fair amount of VFX. I can’t reveal too much about it but it’s going to be stunning”

The film is expected to release in April this year. We will keep you posted on further development.

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Feb 24

Marshmello holds an in-game concert, garners over ten million audience

Posted in: Animation

When Fortnite sets to host an EDM gig by celebrated DJ Marshmello inside Fortnite Battle Royale, it has to be the biggest event ever. The concert has witnessed by 10.7 million people according to Epic Games. It has topped the previous largest in-game event; back in November,  in which over eight million people had witnessed the destruction of a strange purple cube.

While previous jumps in player counts were easily attributed to the game expanding to new platforms — like the game hitting Android devices in August and then the Nintendo Switch in June — the latest record suggests that the developer’s continued engagement with players and willingness to step outside the bounds of traditional play is a big draw for the massive audience the game has built.

The success of Fortnite continues to grab eyeballs although a number of lawsuits from creatives who say Epic Games stole their various dance moves and monetized them in the game have surfaced in the recent past. The lawsuit remains open, though recent decisions in terms of copyright have created some hassle for the developers.

It’s also important to note that the 10.7 million number only includes those who experienced the concert in-game. If you factor in those who watched it live-streamed on Twitch and other platforms, the number will definitely be much larger, and the official recap of the event has nearly 27 million views on YouTube.

Nevertheless, we are loving it.

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Feb 23

Bengaluru International Film Festival sessions begin tomorrow!

Posted in: Animation

The 11th edition of Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) will be held between 21 to 28 February, 2019. The festival is being organised by the Karnataka Chalanachitra (Film) Academy for Government of Karnataka. Selection of films at the festival will be made by expert committees.

Bengaluru, the capital of Karnataka, is an important centre of international film culture in keeping with Karnataka’s glorious heritage and the state’s achievements in the fields of literature, fine arts, and cinema. The Kannada Film Industry has made significant contribution to the quality and range of cinematic expression and grown to produce over a 200 films every year. Films from Karnataka have won national and international recognition and critical acclaim at various International Film Festivals.

The 10th edition held during 22 February to 1 March 1, 2018 in Bengaluru was a resounding success with screening of 220 films across 12 screens from more than 45 countries.  It also witnessed by more than 9000 delegates (with 1,10,000 footfalls), who enjoyed and appreciated the quality of cinema presented.

Like in the previous editions, Competitive sections for Asian, Indian and Kannada Cinema will also be held with handsome cash prizes. An award for Lifetime achievement is also part of the film festival.

The festival will also host various forums for academic interactions on film-making and film appreciation like seminars, workshops, master classes and so on, for the benefit of film professionals, discerning audiences and students on different aspects of cinema.

A few highlight sessions this edition will be on VFX in regional films and OTT platforms perceiving the regional market which has been curated by Purple Arrow Films. Purple Arrow Films one of the directors B.S. Srinivas who is also the Secretary of ABAI, an Association for AVGC in Karnataka, will be moderating and speaking in both the sessions.

The 11th edition will have different sessions will begin from 23 February, Saturday as mentioned below:

Session 1 at 2:30pm with NY VFXWaala co-founder and VFX supervisor Prasad Sutar on “Visual Effects in Regional Films – Importance & Effectiveness”.

Session 2 at 3.30pm with Zee5 (OTT Platform) south India content head and executive producer Suriya Narayanan R and state award winning Kannada film director Gangadhar Salimath on “OTT platforms perceiving the regional market – Challenges and Opportunities”.

These sessions will help in creating awareness among the filmmakers, film fraternity, film critics, discerning cineastes from amongst the general public and International and National film Institutes and distribution agencies/organisations,  on challenges and opportunities in regional content market.

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Feb 23

STMicroelectronics launches multispectral sensor for smartphones

Posted in: Animation

STMicroelectronics has released a full-colour ambient light sensor (ALS) that helps smartphones to take better pictures and present more visually accurate data on screen displays.

By simultaneously providing scene colour temperature, ultra-violet (UVA) radiation level, and lighting frequency information, the VD6281 lets the camera correct white balance and enhance the colour presentation. It sets appropriate exposure times for the camera to avoid flicker artefacts and eliminate banding in pictures and videos, especially in scenes lit with contemporary LED sources.

“Leveraging the Company’s extensive camera system know-how, ST’s new VD6281 offers customers a state-of-the-art multispectral ambient light sensor. Our roadmap for ALS and flicker sensors is an ideal complement to ST’s market-leading FlightSense Time-of-Flight (ToF) product portfolio. With a growing number of high-quality, high-resolution cameras per phone, our goal is to offer an advanced solution to assist white-balance correction and remove flicker artefacts in smartphone camera images. Mobiles equipped with VD6281 were already released in 2018, and many others will be coming soon,” said  ST’s Imaging Division general manager Eric Aussedat.

With its small form factor of 1.83 x 1.0 x 0.55mm, the VD6281 is the smallest multispectral ambient light sensor available, allowing integration in bezel-free smartphones with small notches and inside smartwatches, where a high screen ratio is at a premium.

The sensor uses high-performance, direct-deposition filter material to create 6 independent color channels: red, green, blue, near-Infrared, UVA and clear for superior color-sensing capability and cutting-edge CCT (Colour-Correlated Temperature) over a wide field-of-view of 120 degrees, enabling accurate assistance for white-balance algorithms, even in difficult conditions including low contrast scenes, low light levels, or exotic artificial lighting. The VD6281 is in production and available at ST sales channels.

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Feb 23

‘Kesari’ Trailer: VFX-heavy trailer brings Battle of Saragarhi to life

Posted in: Animation

The trailer of Kesari, based on the famous Battle of Saragarhi (1897), is already trending at the top on the internet since last night. Featuring Akshay Kumar as the leader of the ‘army of 21 soldiers’ (of the British Indian contingent) who fought against 10,000 Afghan invaders, Kesari is a fictionalised retelling of one of the bravest battles fought on Indian soil. The VFX-infused stunts and warfare sequences in Kesari trailer look incredible. The fire around the sabre and crowd scenes make for a stunning spectacle.


Kesari is not the only screen adaptation on the Battle of Saragarhi. Ajay Devgn has announced Sons Of Sardaar while Randeep Hooda will be starred in another film titled The Battle of Saragarh based on the same story

Watch the trailer of Kesari:

All 21 Sikh soldiers who died in the Battle of Saragarhi were posthumously awarded the Indian Order of Merit, the then highest gallantry award for an Indian soldier.

Kesari is co-produced by Akshay Kumar (through Cape Of Good Hope) and Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. The post-production VFX work is done by FluiidMask studio while the colour grading is being taken care of by Future Works.

Kesari is slated for Holi release and it also stars Siddhant Sharma, Ashwath Bhatt, Pawan Malhotra and Rana Ranbir. We will keep you posted on further developments. 

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Feb 23

Google to hold mysterious gaming press event at GDC

Posted in: Animation

In the upcoming Game developer conference, Google is aiming to hold a mysterious gaming-related event next month. Google has started sending email invites to media members to “gather around” for a Google keynote that simply promises “all will be revealed” on 19 March at 10 AM PT.

Google’s cryptic invite includes an animated GIF with an explosion of light in a hallway. Google usually participates at GDC with developer-focused events that provide the latest updates and changes for Android game developers. This year’s Google keynote seems like it is going to be different and the company wants everyone to know it’s doing something different this time.

Given the game development venue, it’s possible that Google is planning an announcement related to Project Stream.

With Project Stream, Google set out to solve the biggest challenges related to streaming intensive, interactive content with minimal lag. Companies across the industry want to capitalize on how streaming could one day revolutionize gaming like it did music and movies. Google is leveraging its large cloud infrastructure to compete against the likes of Nvidia and soon Microsoft.

Google wrapped up Project Stream in early 2019, offering players a free copy of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey which requires real gaming PC knowledge to run that version.

Google already has an annual presence at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco — which runs from 18 to 22 March — in the form of a Developer Day. In addition to a keynote on Monday and other sessions, Google has a booth at the conference. In past years, this event was aimed at Android development.

 

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Feb 23

#FeatureFriday: Fantasy sports: Skill or luck?

Posted in: Animation

Gambling, wagering, betting are some of the unspoken words, considered to be illegal as per Indian jurisdiction. In reality, there are many fantasy apps available in India that is 100 per cent legal and authentic. So over a few years, a rush of new fantasy sports apps has transformed the Indian gaming ecosystem vastly. As many live in the perception that ‘fantasy sports is gambling’ where many believe it is the ‘game of skills.’ Therefore we are taking an opportunity to analyse whether it is actually gaming or something else!

Fantasy cricket is one such genre, where the audience is showing most interest because deep down every Indian (from the age group of 18 to 45 years) is a hardcore cricket fan and thus targeting those audience, developers are leaping with the idea to attract more and more people into the fantasy cricket. Fantasy cricket, it is legal in India, and even BCCI have their own fantasy league called IPL Fantasy League where you can play fantasy cricket. Moreover, as far the developers are concerned fantasy sports are named as the game of skills and it is not related to the betting.

What exactly is fantasy sports?

A fantasy sport (also known less commonly as rotisserie or roto) is a type of online game where participants create imaginary or virtual teams of real players of a professional sport. The team performance is depending on the statistical performance of those players’ in actual games. The better the strategy used by the participants in building up the virtual teams increases the chances for the participants to win.
The performance is converted into points that are compiled and totalled according to a roster selected by each fantasy team’s manager. These point systems can be simple enough to be manually calculated by a “league commissioner” who coordinates and manages the overall league, or points can be compiled and calculated using computers tracking actual results of the professional sport. In fantasy sports, team owners draft, trade and cut (drop) players, analogously to real games.


According to Dream11 co-founder and Indian Federation of Sports Gaming (IFSG) chairman Harsh Jain, “Over the past decade, fantasy sports has been at the helm of evolving the Indian sports fans’ experience by giving them the perfect platform to showcase their sports knowledge and skill. 800 million Indian passive sports viewers now have the opportunity to become active participants in every single match. Fantasy Sports is the start of a revolution that will change the face of the sports industry forever. And this is only the beginning.”

Therefore a fantasy sports tournament requires skill to create a team from:

• Understanding the algorithmic status (health, fitness) of the player to be part of a dream team
• Analysing the past scorecard to select the team members
• By doing permutation and combination how the player’s performance will be
• Investigating how each player of the team will perform in the match
• Creating a team of proportionate players. For, an example in a cricket match, not every player are bowler some are a batsman, all-rounder, fast bowler, wicketkeeper and spinner

Are fantasy sports somehow related to gambling?
The evolved sports fan, with an adventurous temperament and a natural comfort with technology, has taken no time to adopt and propagate fantasy sports. Each year the popularity of the fantasy sports are leaping sky high. According to  IFSG report “the Fantasy Sports has allowed fans to go from being passive viewers to active users – with an opportunity to use their knowledge, skill and understanding to win in online versions of actual offline games.”


The art of creating a dream team can only be possible when a player has specific skill sets. Thus when asked, Playgames24X7 CEO Bhavin Pandiya is fantasy sports a kind of gambling game? (during the launch of new fantasy cricket game My11Circle). He answered “Fantasy Cricket is the game of skill! Where a player requires a certain set of skills to create a team which will help them to win the match. Selecting the team members is what requires certain skill sets, and that is where the strategy of the game lies.” Therefore it sure does not seem like gambling.


From where we are at today, fantasy sports looks to be poised to revolutionise sports consumption, by making the experience more immersive, highly engaging and broadening the fan base well beyond the conventional set. It is indeed changing the relationship fans have had with sports over the years, and evolving India into a bigger and more passionate sporting nation.

Every gaming requires a skill set among players and fantasy sport is no exception. Moreover deeper engagement in fantasy sports is driving the consumers to spur a greater passion for it in India by the developers and the federation. Hence fantasy sports can be considered as a game of skill and not gambling.

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Feb 23

Disney Animation Archive founder Dave Smith passes away at 78

Posted in: Animation

Walt Disney Archives founder Dave Smith passed away in Burbank, California, on 15 February 2019, at 78.

Dave dedicated his four-decade career at The Walt Disney Company to preserving Disney’s precious treasures from film, television, theme parks, and beyond. Named a Disney Legend in 2007, Dave was beloved by fans around the world for his wide knowledge of the Company’s rich history, which he shared in books and through his popular magazine column “Ask Dave.”

“I’m deeply saddened to learn of Dave Smith’s passing,” said The Walt Disney Company chairman and chief executive officer Bob Iger. “He was the unsung hero of Disney’s history who, as our first archivist, spent 40 years rescuing countless documents and artifacts from obscurity, investing endless hours restoring and preserving these priceless pieces of our legacy, and putting them in context to tell our story. Dave was a true Disney Legend, and we are indebted to him for building such an enduring, tangible connection to our past that continues to inspire our future.”

Dave was hired in 1970 by Walt’s brother—and The Walt Disney Company co-founder—Roy O. Disney, and his first responsibility was cataloging every item inside Walt’s office suite, which had been left untouched after Walt’s passing four years prior. Thanks to Dave’s detailed notes and records, the Archives was able to restore the suite in 2015, and today Disney employees are able to visit and draw inspiration from this remarkable space.

During his time as Disney’s chief archivist, Dave grew the Archives from a one-person department to a model among corporate archives. He served from 1980 to 2001 as executive director of the Manuscript Society, an international association of collectors, dealers, librarians, archivists, and others interested in manuscript material.

Dave wrote extensively about Disney history, with regular columns in Disney fan publications and websites, as well as authoring, co-authoring, and editing numerous articles and books on Disney history, including the official Disney encyclopedia Disney A to Z, Disney: The First 100 Years, The Quotable Walt Disney, Disney Trivia from the Vault, and The Ultimate Disney Trivia Books 1, 2, 3, and 4.

In October 2007, Dave was honored with the prestigious Disney Legend award. A resident of Burbank, California, Dave retired in 2010 after his fortieth anniversary with The Walt Disney Company and continued working for the next nine years as a consultant for the company, with the title of Chief Archivist Emeritus.

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