Mar 28

Xilam Animation announces successful financial results for 2018

Posted in: Animation

Xilam Animation has announced its financial results for the year to 31 December 2018. The results were reviewed by the board of Directors on 26 March 2019 under the chairmanship of Xilam chairman and CEO Marc du Pontavice.

Pontavice observed: “Strong growth in Xilam’s profitability in 2018 confirms the relevance of our business model, which is particularly based on increasingly recurrent revenue. The disruption of the broadcast market, particularly in the ‘Kids’ segment, will continue over the next few years and could even intensify with the arrival of US majors in the integrated platform market. Xilam is particularly well placed to take advantage of the considerable growth in investment in original productions. In addition, we are actively working to diversify the revenue from our brands.”

(€ thousands) 2018** 2017

restated under IFRS 15

 2017 published
Revenue from new productions 11,690 10,186 9,218
Subsidies and other income on new productions 6,506 6,101 6,101
All new productions 18,196 16,287 15,319
Catalogue revenue 9,723 7,704 9,017
Other revenue 32 62 62
Total revenue and other income 27,951 24,053 24,398
Other current operating income

(including audiovisual tax credits)

 2,350 2,307 2,174
Operating income 30,301 26,360 26,572
Operating expenses (20,637) (19,160) (17,909)
Adjusted recurrent operating income*: 9,664 7,200 8,663
Per cent of Rev. 34.6% 29.9% 35.5%
Operating income 7,182 6,169 7,632
Per centof Rev. 25.7% 25.6% 31.3%
Net income 5,159 5,017 5,948
Per cent of Rev. 18.5% 20.9% 24.4%

(*) Recurrent operating income adjusted for impact of free share allocation programmes

(**) Unaudited figures

Solid growth and high levels of recurrent sales –

Xilam Animation enjoyed a particularly strong year in 2018, recording record levels of revenue, which grew by 16 per cent to €28.0 million. This figure included €18.2 million in sales of new productions (up 12 per cent) and €9.7 million in sales from the catalogue (up 26 per cent), representing 65 per cent and 35 per cent of sales respectively. International markets represented 64 per cent of total sales and their contribution to the revenue mix continues to rise.

The growth in sales from the catalogue demonstrates the recognition of Xilam’s established IPs which have been built up around the world over the years. These sales are also a source of highly recurrent revenue (nearly 60 per cent of revenue from the catalogue). AVOD platforms including YouTube already account for 27 per cent of catalogue revenue.

With 69 half-hours of new content delivered in 2018 (up from 63 in 2017), Xilam continued to execute its strategy which targeted 70 half-hours over the year.

An increasingly diversified portfolio of brands

Over the year, Xilam’s output covered nine programmes with multi-season productions of successful series

  •       Fifth season of Oggy and the Cockroaches, taking the Oggy brand to 117 Ultra HD half-hours and ensuring the international longevity of the brand for many years to come;
  •       Second season of A Kind of Magic, which has just started a successful broadcast run on Gulli;
  •       Third season of Zig and Sharko, already pre-bought by all previous season clients.

New creations

  •       Paprika, Xilam’s first preschool project and original creation which has begun airing internationally  with excellent audience ratings;
  •       If I were an animal, wildlife documentary which is enjoying considerable success on Netflix;
  •       Mr Magoo, a series based on the eponymous central character of the famous US series, to be launched worldwide at the end of the first half of 2019;

  •       Coach me if you can, football-themed series with international appeal, to be launched for broadcast to coincide with the Euro 2020 championships;
  •      Moka, a new slapstick comedy that embodies all of Xilam’s expertise; production started in 2018 and pre-sales are already strong;
  •       Lupin’s tales, a new preschool series, development of which was completed in 2018.

A resilient catalogue

Revenue in 2018 was driven principally by Oggy and the Cockroaches, Zig and Sharko and the Daltons, on both digital and broadcast platforms. New franchises, notably Mr Magoo and Paprika, but also the fifth season of Oggy and Cockroaches and the third season of Zig and Sharko, are likely to contribute to accelerated growth in the catalogue over the coming years.

Outlook confirmed: target of 100 half-hours to be delivered in 2020

Thanks to its solid structure and its very efficient production systems, Xilam is well placed to meet fast-growing demand from TV channels and digital platforms. Xilam therefore expects to continue its strong growth towards targets of 80 half-hours delivered in 2019 and 100 half-hours delivered in 2020.

The execution of Xilam’s ambitious strategy has several key components:

  •     Accelerating the production of original creations and multi-season continuations of already established brands. By continuing to take advantage of strong demand from broadcasters, new productions will thus be able to grow in both volume and value;
  •     Maintaining high levels of performance and resilience in the catalogue;
  •     The continuing digital transformation of the business model, through the digitalisation of the offering, which will accelerate the globalisation of distribution, and the rising contribution from direct distribution on AVOD platforms (growing success on YouTube, with 4 billion views in 2018 taking the cumulative total over 10 billion);
  •     Expansion of the offering into the preschool segment, which offers strong potential for merchandising and monetisation through e-learning and e-gaming;
  •     Continued international expansion, notably in emerging markets such as India and China, but also in the North American market;
  •     Acquisitions: boutique studios, talent collectives and other complementary pools of expertise.

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Mar 28

VES India presents ‘The Making of’ some of the magical work in VFX powered by AMD Radeon Pro

Posted in: Animation

VES Society in collaboration with AMD is putting together a conference titled THE MAKING OF at the Fun Republic Cinema on 30th March

Activated by AnimationXpress, THE MAKING OF  is a one of a kind event that is set to enlighten the attendees with the technological nuances and processes that went behind some of the best imagery created on celluloid across the world.

VES AGENDA

The event will bring under one roof, top industry veterans, artists and VFX technicians of the most notable VFX projects including the OSCAR-winning movie First Man

Not only will the presentations furnish an in-depth understanding and perspective with respect to how the VFX supervisors managed to deliver the premium VFX spectacles in the movies but also shed light on the latest technologies by the leading software company AMD that is poised to ease the workflow across studios.

If you hail from the visual effects turf or fancy yourself as a technology enthusiast, this event is specially curated and designed for you. If you’re near Mumbai, you can register yourself on http://www.animationxpress.com/amd-the-making-of/index.php

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Mar 28

DC’s Poison Ivy sports a New Look

Posted in: Animation

Heroes in Crisis features some riveting mysteries, including those who snuffed out the heroes of Sanctuary, who gave Lois the videotaped confessionals, and why the Flash’s body is five years ahead of where it should be.

You might remember that Poison Ivy was confirmed as one of the characters killed in the Sanctuary massacre earlier in the series with a rose from Harley Quinn, but we discover here that that was not the end of everything.

poison ivy

The Trinity may have uncovered the true killer responsible for the deaths at Sanctuary, but the artificial intelligence that ran the institution is the one thing standing between them and the culprit. Now Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman must face off with their own creation—and face the consequences for what they created. Also, as the truth is uncovered, Booster and Harley go from being enemies to allies.

Like we mentioned above, Poison Ivy was previously confirmed by Harley to have been one of the characters killed at Sanctuary, and to memorialize her love for Ivy she threw a rose into the water. A hand grabbed that rose though and it turns out to be have been Wally West, who we see here alive and breathing…

He flourishes the rose and snaps a piece of the speed force into it, and as he narrates about a poem Linda used to read. Her new look isn’t really a costume, but is completely natural, giving her a much more organic look overall.

Heroes in Crisis #7 is in comic stores now.

 

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Mar 28

‘Chhota Bheem: Kung Fu Dhamaka’ trailer and poster launched

Posted in: Animation

Green Gold Animation, makers of India’s one of the most iconic and popular animation character Chhota Bheem, has revealed the trailer and poster for their upcoming animated feature, Chhota Bheem: Kung Fu Dhamaka.

Releasing on 10 May 2019, Kung Fu Dhamaka will find an upgraded, powerful and stylish 3D version of Bheem with killer Kung Fu moves and a great amount of fun as its driving force.

Chhota Bheem: Kung Fu Dhamaka is set in China where Bheem and his friends set out on an adventure in the Land of the Dragon to participate in the biggest Kung Fu competition of the world. However, the capturing of the princess by China’s arch nemesis Zuhu hinders the competition and Bheem is called upon to rescue the princess.

Green Gold Animation founder and CEO Rajiv Chilaka said, “Children’s favourite animated character is coming soon on big screens in 3D on 10 May. Chhota Bheem: Kung Fu Dhamaka is an amalgamation of team effort and hard work over the last couple of years. We hope our audiences enjoy the film and we wish to make an impact about the quality of Indian Animation throughout the world. Green Gold Animation has left no stone unturned in creating this enthralling feature and we are proud to present our work to the world. “

The film is also directed by Rajiv Chilaka along with Binayak Das. Produced by Green Gold, Chhota Bheem: Kung Fu Dhamaka will be distributed by Yash Raj Films to give the film the widest ever release for any animation title in cinemas across India.

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Mar 28

Review: Flapping his ears, adorable mammalian, ‘Dumbo’, flies its way into our hearts

Posted in: Animation

“It is like man’s vanity and impertinence to call an animal dumb because it is dumb to his dull perceptions.”

Dumbo, the latest Tim Burton’s American fantasy adventure film’s main protagonist is the innocent-eyed cute faced baby elephant, erroneously earned the name Dumbo from the audience at the circus.

Starring Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Alan Arkin, and follows a family that works at a failing circu, Dumbo is among the number of animated movies that Disney is giving a live-action makeover like Jungle Book, The Lion King, Aladdin, Mulan, The Sword in the Stone and so on.

The movie is inspired by Walt Disney’s 1941 animated film of the same name, itself based on the novel by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl. The story unlocks in 1919 exactly like the children’s book at a circus and the lives around it. Burton introduces the characters and sets the quaint scene with an unearthly pale palette where the circus owner Max Medici, a heartless ringmaster supervises over the circus’ busily milling, child-friendly freaks and geeks and clowns and jugglers and magicians. Disney’s simplest, sweetest heart-tugging character Dumbo, which reveals the story of a wee circus where he is known for its floppy ears which enable him to fly.

Like the original, this Dumbo doesn’t speak however with the magic of computer-generated sound you might feel that Dumbo is calling its mother as ‘mum’. This is why Burton focuses on his unnaturally large, expressive eyes. Also, he’s an Indian elephant, as his trunk has one searching finger. Those eyes moisten a lot, when he feels amazed, surprised, lonely, sad and miss his mother and friends  ( including the children Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins) who comfort Dumbo after his protective mom Mrs. Jumbo is sent to elephant exile by the ringmaster for money.

Farrell enters as Holt, a big-tent trick rider turned disabled in World War I veteran. The mourning story of the rider picks up the pace when baby Dumbo arrives in a makeshift birthing bed. Now a digital cutie with gargantuan ears that hang off each side of his head like heavy leather curtains, the newest, littlest circus addition is conspicuously more animal than his childlike predecessor. The initial appearance of Dumbo has made the ringmaster disappointed as he finds him useless and will not have the quality to impress the circus audience. And thus the baby Jumbo gets the name Dumbo out of circus humiliation fiasco.

In the meantime, the kids build a bond with Dumbo by teaching him to fly, cajoling him with a feather which he snuffles into his trunk and as he sneezes the exhalation sends him up kicking off the ground flapping his ears. When he finally achieves genuine liftoff, soaring around the interior of the circus’s one-ring tent the fun fled around the ringmaster to the audience and that’s how the movie took the pace with Dumbo’s fame.

Portraying all the scenario signifies that the movie contains a lot of  VFX which include the creation of the baby Dumbo, his ears, his computer-generated voice, flappy ears and obviously the glitz and glam of the circus. The visual effects of the movie were provided by Moving Picture Company, Framestore and Rise FX supervised by Patrick Ledda, Richard Hoover, Jonathan Weber and Richard Stammers. The film is roduced by Hal Couzens with the help of Rising Sun Pictures and Rodeo FX. Title designer Matt Curtis is behind the opening titles for Dumbo, marking his first collaboration with Disney since Around the World in 80 Days.

Human beings are the secondary attractions in the 1941 movie (its animals are people proxies) but they crowd the remake and it centers around their selfishness, inhumanness of the crowd hampering the bonds between the mother and baby elephant. Also how sooner the attitude of human shifts for money has also shown in the movie on one hand they call baby elephant useless dumb creature with flappy ears on the other hand as they find Dumbo’s flying ability can bring more business they started pampering him treating him like prince without understanding the one thing that is Dumbo only needs his mother above anything else.

When the mass discovers the news that Dumbo can fly, persuasive entrepreneur V. A. Vandevere and aerial artist Colette Marchant swoop in to make the peculiar pachyderm a star for Vandevere’s circus in Dreamland. Vandevere is a ruthless and enigmatic entrepreneur who buys Medici’s circus to exploit the titular elephant for Dreamland. Later Holt and the kids realise that behind the shiny exterior, Dreamland is full of dark secrets and they escape with Dumb sending him along with his mother to the forest paradise where they actually belong.

Overall the movie was quite gripping with amazing VFX and the CG works. Dialogue delivery of the actors are quite impressing along with the CG expression of the Dumbo will make the audience believe that they are living in a world where the flying elephant Dumbo really exists. The movie is available in 2D and 3D, although 3D experience is much more realistic. The movie ties the audience in an emotional bond keepim them glued to their seats. The crux of the movie is that “the very things that held you down are gonna carry you up and up and up!” Therefore, embrace the power that one is born with, as it will take one to the whole new level in life.

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Mar 28

Marvel confirms every hero’s fate after the snap with 32 new posters

Posted in: Animation

With less than a month to go before Avengers: Endgame hits theatres, Marvel has amped up the marketing momentum with the release of 32 new posters that significantly confirm the fate of all the heroes of Infinity War.

As Thanos snapped his fingers upon collecting all the six infinity stones, we saw half of the lives of the universe turn to dust, including some from the Avengers cohort. And Marvel seems to serve a timely reminder of the same with a poster of each of them, darkened and emblazoned with the words “Avenge the fallen”.

Some of the OGs such as Iron Man, Captain America, Bruce Banner, Thor, Black Widow and Hawkeye survived the snap, as did War Machine, Rocket, Nebula and of course, Captain Marvel. So the posters featuring these survivors are bright and light up with colours as we can see the remaining heroes tucked away in their respective costumes.

However, the digital images also confirmed the disintegration of another important character in Shuri, who’s survival prospects have been bandied about with time. Shuri wasn’t shown turning into dust like her brother T’Challa.

However, the first official trailer did appear to faintly confirm the theory when her face flipped through the holographic screens that portrayed the faces of those vanished from the scene which Banner agonisingly pursued through. Any lingering doubts even after that has been effectively put to bed now: Shuri was indeed dusted by the snap.

Anyways, these 32 images mark the first among the many more commercial gigs that Marvel would have pipelined over the next four weeks as the release edges ever closer.

Based on Marvel comics, Avengers: Endgame arrives on the big screen on 26 April 2019.

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Mar 28

‘Vaportecture’ is the Often Hilarious Insanity of Arch Viz Renders

Posted in: Animation

The long tradition of building stadium marketing buzz at the expense of physics and reality, vaportecture is the craziest form of Arch Viz.

Writer and editor Neil deMause has coined the term “vaportecture” to describe the incredibly unrealistic and cheesy arch viz renders most often associated with new sports stadiums and arenas.

In his Deadspin article, The 7 Laws Of Vaportecture, Stadium Art’s Fever Dream, Neil deMause talks about the insane physics-defying things you often see in stadium renders. Things like fireworks lighting up a daytime sky, lens flares galore, and semi-transparent fans never over-crowding a food line.

'Vaportecture' is the Often Hilarious Insanity of Arch Viz Renders - San Diego

Fireworks will never see the light of day in San Diego from this abandoned project. Render via MANICA Architecture.

Now, it should be said that they whole point of these renders are to excite fan bases and cities into buying new stadiums, even though the practice itself has often come at the expense of taxpayers to benefit team owners.

These 3D renders are not supposed to be photoreal, but are really more akin to propaganda in the fact that the point is to solicit a response from the general public. It’s a process I’m all to familiar with, living in a city that is constantly building lavish new stadiums and home of one of the largest architectural design firms.

In the past, I’ve had concept art and renders come across my desk for new stadiums, arenas, and facilities while working and attending university. (Our office had to figure out how to network all the various booths, screens, video production suites, and even luxury suites.)

'Vaportecture' is the Often Hilarious Insanity of Arch Viz Renders - UNT

The closest thing to an ocean background that Denton has is a dirty lake 15 miles away. Render via University of North Texas/HKS.

It’s an overall incredibly complex and large scale project, but it never gets off the ground without support. The best way to build support is to present these over-the-top renders of what could be.

As deMause describes stadium vaportecture,

Vaportecture is a strange artform that combines architecture, marketing, futurism, and a whimsical-bordering-on-psychedelic approach to portraying a fever dream for public consumption. But it is an artform.

As for the always anticipated release of stadium renders, deMause goes on to say,

The rendering drop has become a time-honored tradition in the sports development world, the moment when the local rich guy’s dream building goes from eye-popping dollar figure to eye-popping dollar figure with an image gallery attached to it. The images may be overly fanciful, may bear little relation to physical reality, and may never be built like the illustrators and CAD jockeys intended if they are ever built at all, but they are an important first step on the road to shiny new toys.

The Basic Elements of Stadium Renders

'Vaportecture' is the Often Hilarious Insanity of Arch Viz Renders - Las Vegas

Daytime fireworks and bright lights is Las Vegas daytime. Render via MANICA Architecture.

Now there are a few things you’ll always see in stadium renders. Beautiful skies, local landmarks, and an entourage of people. If you ever see vehicles, it’s only the perfect amount for the small parking lots.

An Arch Viz professional took to the comments of the post to share their insight,

I’m an Architectural Draftsman. I work, primarily, in AutoCAD (2D drafting) and Revit (3D modeling and rendering specifically for the architectural field). I also spend an inordinate amount of time churning out renderings for various projects, which means I have a very contentious relationship with Photoshop.

'Vaportecture' is the Often Hilarious Insanity of Arch Viz Renders - Texas Rangers

Ample close parking and plenty of room to walk. Render via Texas Rangers/HKS.

All of the critiques about the images shown above are all valid and, for the most part, the things being critiqued were done intentionally. It all boils down to two very simple ideas: 1) The people these are geared towards don’t know enough to spot the mistakes, problems, or the big old middle fingers to physics AND 2) Shock & Awe.

'Vaportecture' is the Often Hilarious Insanity of Arch Viz Renders - Food Court

No lines for pizza from classically trained chefs. Render via Utah Jazz.

1) I would say that a solid 95% of the time we deal with people who cannot or, at the very least, are not comfortable thinking in three dimensions. These people are generally barely capable of reading a 2D drawing so when you start pulling out sheets showing the various seating levels in a ballpark/stadium you see eyes glaze over or, in worst case scenarios, insecurities come to the fore. Generally people don’t like it when you demonstrate what they consider failings in front of other people. This is where the Shock & Awe comes into play.

2) We want the client to engage with the images we’re showing them, so they need to look slick and they need to look fancy. For the most part, empty buildings are neither of those two things which is why we draw from what you so kindly described as a, “Wacky People Clip Art package.” I, personally, have about 1,200-1,500 people (referred to as “entourage,” I didn’t make up the name) I can pull from to populate my renderings and even with all that I find myself needing to create my own on a regular basis. We also have to take into account what is essentially set dressing. This means we often times have to fill shelves, kitchens, bakeries, shops, etc… with all the stuff you’d normally expect to see in these kinds of places. When we do that we’re pulling from archives of 2D and 3D greeblies (non essential items).

'Vaportecture' is the Often Hilarious Insanity of Arch Viz Renders - Cincinnati

I don’t think they have enough players to run that crazy play. Render via FC Cincinnati/MEIS.

Once we’ve generated the rendering, whether it’s from Revit or 3Ds Max, we inevitably end up have to do a lot of post processing. This usually means color correction, inserting 2D entourage or greeblies, shadow correction/creation, etc… Eventually resulting in the kinds of images you see above.

Now obviously not all Arch Viz renders are as outrageous as the vaportecture movement would have you believe, it’s usually just early renders used for marketing purposes and to build buzz for a new stadium. Even the firms previously shown in this piece to create stellar renders as well. That’s why we build tools like Ultimate Skies HDRI to add those realistic touches to renders.

That said, if you’d like a few more laughs, definitely give deMause’s article a read.

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Mar 27

A.R Rahman to create India’s Marvel anthem for ‘Avengers: Endgame’

Posted in: Animation

Marvel India has teamed up with India’s musical maestro, A.R. Rahman, to bring his genius for creating an all new anthem for Avengers: Endgame. The track is composed across three languages – Hindi, Tamil and Telugu and will be released on 1 April.

Over the last few years, Indian fans have loved and embraced the Marvel super heroes and the success of Avengers: Infinity War is a reflection of the popularity that it enjoys today in the country.

Marvel India studios head Bikram Duggal said, “Avengers: Endgame is not just a movie, it’s an emotional journey for fans everywhere in India. An original composition by Oscar winner A.R. Rahman was the perfect way to celebrate the love for Marvel among fans in the country. This is our small way of thanking the fans here for their extraordinary support.”

With Thanos snapping away half the population from the planet, the conversations around Avengers: Endgame have been unparalleled and Marvel Fans in India are eagerly waiting for 26 April to witness the grand conclusion of the superhero franchise in Avengers: Endgame, making it one of the most anticipated movies of the year.

“Being surrounded by Marvel fans in my own family, there was too much pressure to come with something really satisfying and apt for Avengers: Endgame. I hope Marvel aficionados and music lovers enjoy the track,” added Rahman.

Produced by Kevin Feige, Avengers: Endgame is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely penning the screenplay. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Michael Grillo, Trinh Tran, Jon Favreau and Stan Lee serve as executive producers. 

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Mar 27

Game of Thrones Finale will not resemble the conclusion of the books Says George R.R. Martin

Posted in: Animation

The final season of Game of Thrones premieres on HBO on 14 April 2019.

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Mar 27

Toonz Entertainment head of business development Kishor Shrivastav is leaving to chase passion in live action

Posted in: Animation

Toonz  Entertainment head of business development Kishor Shrivastav has revealed that he will be leaving his position in the group on 30 March 2019.

“I’ll be leaving my position as head – business development here at Toonz Media Group, and my last day would be 30th March 2019,” said Shrivastav in an official mail.

He shared with AnimationXpress that he has been eyeing to explore avenues of creating something unique which will take him one level up. His passion has always apparently been live action content direction and after Toonz he is aiming to explore that section little more extensively with renewed vigour.

He was associated with Toonz since 2017 and has been in the industry approximately for 20 years.

“I’ve so enjoyed working during my two years stint with Toonz here. It’s been a true pleasure getting to know you better!”

He has volunteered his expertise as a theatre director for Rangsutra Theatre Group. Following that footstep and his passion, he will explore a couple of live-action series on Indian OTT platforms and will also offer his creative directions for original content as well.

He shared that his one of the live action series for OTT is on international espionage during the Bangladesh war of independence and an original film around RAW agents and terrorists.

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