Hasta La Motion!

[NEWS=”http://www.cgnews.com/wp-content/uploads/blue_thumb.jpg”]26557[/NEWS]The first trailer for the debut game from Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios “Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning” was unleashed at Comic-Con last week. The 38 Studios team of visionaries sat as a special panel to unveil the trailer called ‘Well of Souls’ which features the work of Zoic Studios. Todd McFarlane, who served as the producer and director of the video, designed the trailer to showcase the action while highlighting the emotions and sense of urgency within the game.

Through a glimpse at the game’s themes – a hero who cheats death, uncovering the secrets of the past, and a fight to save the world – the cinematic trailer highlights Reckoning’s spectacular combat and foreshadows the mystery behind the player’s pivotal role in Kingdoms of Amalur’s rich history.

“Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning,” developed by Maryland-based Big Huge Games, is a new single-player action-RPG sprung from the minds of three of today’s greatest creative visionaries: New York Times best-selling fantasy author R. A. Salvatore, renowned artist and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane, and Ken Rolston, lead designer of the critically acclaimed RPG “Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.”

“Reckoning” promises to redefine the action-RPG genre with a brutal, fluid combat experience, immersive open-world exploration, a vast narrative and rich character development.

The premiere trailer, “Well of Souls” is an intense, action-fueled sneak peek into the chilling world soon to be unveiled by EA and 38 Studios. For Zoic Studios, the project was one of the most rewarding to date, offering the unique opportunity to collaborate closely with McFarlane on a high-profile experience that pushes the animated game trailer to new cinematic heights.

Reckoning will be available for the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, and PC.

Zoic is an award-winning Digital Studio involved in producing lauded commercials and viral advertising as well as innovative content for episodic television, feature films and the gaming industry. From visual effects, to live action production and specialty shooting, Zoic Studio’s imprint can be seen in such compelling entertainment as True Blood, Fringe and Dollhouse; spots for Mountain Dew, ESPN, Craftsman, HP and VW, as well as innovative projects for EA, Gamefly and Sony. Zoic Studios has offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.

About Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con International is a four day event that was founded in 1970. Originally showcasing comic books, science fiction/fantasy and film/televisionk and related popular arts, the convention has expanded over the years to include a larger range of pop culture elements, such as horror, anime, manga, animation, toys, collectible card games, video games, webcomics, and fantasy novels. The convention is the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

RELATED LINKS
www.reckoningthegame.com
www.zoicstudios.com
www.ea.com
38studios.com
www.comic-con.org

SOURCES
hypeworld.com
reckoningthegame.com
Electronic Arts

[NEWS=”http://www.cgnews.com/wp-content/uploads/tm_clown_thumb.jpg”]26511[/NEWS]Sony Computer Entertainment reached out to Zoic Studios to produce a compelling live-action teaser trailer to launch the return of Twisted Metal in what proved to be the ultimate E3 surprise. The trailer, which was met with enthusiasm from the gaming industry and fans, marked the directing debut for Zoic Studios’ Levi Ahmu, who worked in collaboration with Executive Creative Director Chris Jones on the project.

Featuring a verbal throw-down between classic past and thrill seeking present, personified as taxi drivers, the trailer also includes the return of the maniacal Sweet Tooth.

The trailer’s narrative respects the provenance of the title with a wicked wink and nod to what will come with the new release in 2011. The presentation stood out from other E3 offerings with its cinematic tone and pacing.

“We approached the project with a predominantly live-action treatment to give it an unexpected twist and sense of mystery,” comments Director Ahmu. “It was exciting working on something that truly surprised viewers and helped to usher in a new era of a legendary game.”

Zoic Editorial’s Senior Editor Dmitri Gueer says the challenge editorially “was establishing a gritty, hard-hitting pacing aimed at keeping the audience on edge throughout the trailer. We wanted people to feel uneasy with an eerie premonition that something bad, really bad, is about to go down. I realized that the only way to achieve this was by intentionally cutting away to long shots in places where traditionally you would never do it, and juxtaposing shots that run just a tad long with shots that are cut a touch too soon. I am extremely grateful to our Sony client for giving me the opportunity to edit such a monumental project.”

Zoic is an award-winning Digital Studio involved in producing lauded commercials and viral advertising as well as innovative content for episodic television, feature films and the gaming industry.

From visual effects, to live action production and specialty shooting, Zoic Studio’s imprint can be seen in such compelling entertainment as True Blood, Fringe and Dollhouse; spots for Mountain Dew, ESPN, Craftsman, HP and VW, as well as innovative projects for EA, Gamefly and Sony. Zoic Studios has offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.

CREDITS
Client: Sony Computer Entertainment
Creative Director: Scott Campbell
Creative Director: Dave Jaffe
Video Producer: Michael Brynteson
Video Producer: Gary Barth
Game Producer: Chad Cox
Game Producer: William Ullman
Game Producer: Zach Wood
Marketing Manager: Scott McCarthy

Production and VFX: Zoic Studios
Executive Creative Director: Chris Jones
Executive Producer: Erik Press
Creative Director: Loni Peristere
Creative Director/VFX Supervisor: Leslie Ekker VFX Supervisor / 3D Supervisor: Andy Wilkoff
VFX Producer: Erin Hicke
VFX Coordinator: Laura Jones

Editorial Company: Zoic Editorial
Editor: Dmitri Gueer

RELATED LINKS
zoicstudios.com
twistedmetal.us.playstation.com

[NEWS=”http://www.cgnews.com/wp-content/uploads/rgreen_thumb.jpg”]26477[/NEWS]Five nights of filming on a New York City street, a VFX studio willing to take a leap into the unknown, a young start-up director with a time lapse camera rig he built himself, all for an unforgettable spot. The latest project from animation-expert-turned director Doug Purver paired him once again with conceptual design, animation and VFX studio SUSPECT, and it’s a project they designed to push their own limits-and the industry’s.

With SUSPECT involved in every step of post-production, Purver and the team created a slow-motion narrative that’s both fluid and arresting. In the spec spot, a pair of photo-real New Balance 509 sneakers jogs in super slo-mo along a high speed, time-lapsed streetscape, leaving bursts of beautiful flowers and other plant life that is in stark contrast to the gritty, New York City cobble stone street.

“We started with the idea of green power, of promoting a shoe company that’s committed to the environment and social responsibility,” said Purver, who was part of SHOOT magazine’s New Directors Showcase in 2009. “New Balance is very forward thinking, and they were the perfect brand for the spot.” Although SUSPECT ECD Tim Crean was initially very enticed by the concept “we had real concerns about pulling off something like this. It was very ambitious, on many levels, to say the least.” Undeterred, Purver set out with his camera rig and Canon 5D to come up with a proof of concept test. “The test footage Doug came back with was stunning.” says Crean. “After seeing that, we couldn’t pull the trigger fast enough.”

The spot was created from the last of Purver’s several two-hour long time lapse takes; the camera rig that he custom built captured a three-second exposure every seven seconds while panning over the nighttime street, and caught quick streaks of light from passing cars. He wanted all of the footage to come from one perfect take, and on the eighth try, he was satisfied.

Then, the project moved into SUSPECT’s New York studio. The team went for a lightly-stylized photo-real look that required meticulous post-production and compositing. The SUSPECT team photographed an actual pair of 509 sneakers from every angle, giving them ample reference and true texture maps to create a high resolution 3D model with photo real textures.

The shoe was then put into motion with a highly detailed rig, which had almost as much control as a full CG character might. “A lot of attention was paid to how the shoe naturally ripples and flexes. There were slight differences between how each of the different materials react with one another. We made sure to create the control we needed to showcase those subtleties.” said SUSPECT CG Supervisor Steve Burger. ” We wanted every motion of the CG running shoes articulated properly, down to the laces.” They did the same with the stargazer lilies, daisies, ivy and blades of grass.

(Click here for more information and to view the commercial)

The difficulty of animating all of the CG was second only to texturing, lighting and rendering it all realistically. “With gorgeous plants and flora like this, its easy to go overboard with hues and saturation” commented Lighting TD Andrew Cohen. “Doug was adamant about shading the colorful plant life realistically within the context of the gritty, urban street scene. We even animated the lighting to properly interact with the intermittent, streaking taxi lights. It was intense.” TD Dave White added ” Doug even brought each kind of plant on location and photographed it in the natural light of the environment to use as a lighting guide. He was singular in his drive to maintain photorealism.”

As CG plant growth was getting underway, SUSPECT lead flame artist John Geehreng wrangled with the daunting task of match moving the entire, one-shot, 45 sec spot. ” None of the spectacular artistry being crafted in our CG dept would matter if it didn’t track properly to the camera motion. So there was just a little bit of pressure.” quipped Geehreng. What initially seemed a minor task quickly revealed itself to be a monumental challenge. “In spite of all the detail and resolution we had in the footage, not much stays still at night on a bustling New York City street for two hours, let alone two minutes!” Geehreng had to contend with car traffic, pedestrians and light flaring into camera from headlights just to name a few obstacles. “It took several days and placing hundreds of manual tracks, but we got a rock solid camera solve in the end.”

“The intensity of the detail work was the biggest challenge” Purver said. “These guys were challenging and pushing the limit, doing some of their most creative work ever. It was hard but worth it. The animation mixed with this style of time-lapse looks like nothing else out there.”

“Doug had a unique vision for Running Green and right from the start we were very intrigued about utilizing his custom built time-lapse rig which was the perfect vehicle for this spot” said SUSPECT co-founder and EP Rob Appelblatt. “Our team was super passionate about the concept and collaborating with Doug again as a Director. We put a tremendous amount of work into the piece and I think it really showcases our innovation and attention to fine detail.”

ABOUT SUSPECT:
NY-based Conceptual Design, Animation and Visual Effects studio, SUSPECT was co-founded in 2003 by CD/VFX Artist Tim Crean and Executive Producer Rob Appelblatt, creating an environment that reflects both their personal style and creative sensibilities.

Since then SUSPECT has blossomed into a collective of designers, animators, 3D and VFX artists. Whether it’s a complex Visual Effect, a sensitive Brand solution or a fully design driven concept, SUSPECT consistently surpasses client expectations and produces a dynamic range of creative solutions.

SUSPECT has recently worked on major campaigns for PUMA, Fathead, Eucerin, Reebok, FedEx, MTV, L’Oreal, AT&T, Motorola, Miller Lite, Samsung, Visa, Sierra Mist and Christina Aguilera Fragrances. The studio has collaborated with leading agencies, including BBDO, Wieden+Kennedy, Y&R, McCann-Erickson, mcgarrybowen and SelectNY.

RELATED LINKS
www.suspect.tv

TECH TOOLBOX
Software:
Autodesk Maya
Autodesk SoftImage
Autodesk Mudbox
Mental Ray
CazyBump
The Foundry’s Nuke
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe After Effects
Trapcode Particular

Hardware:
Canon 5D MKII
Canon 17-40mm f4 L-series lens
Proprietary Motion Control Camera Rig
Apple Mac Pro
Boxx Technologies CG workstations
Boxx Technologies Renderfarm

CREDITS
Client: New Balance
Spot Title: Running Green
Air Date: N/A – spec

Prod Co: roadnorth
Director: doug purver
DP: doug purver

Post/Effects Co: SUSPECT
Lead VFX Artist: doug purver
EP(s): Rob Appelblatt, Tim Crean
Technical Director(s): Dave White, Andrew Cohen
Sneaker Animation: Ricardo Vicens
Shoe Rigging: Lee Wolland
CG Artist: Steve Burger
Additional Shader/Texture Artist: Jimbo Rowel
Camera Tracking: John Geehring

Music and Sound Design by Q Department

Shoot Location: Washington & Water Streets, Dumbo, Brooklyn

SOURCE
Read more: http://www.trustcollective.com/portf…#ixzz0uESX3mbO
Attribution: Written content created by TRUST: http://www.trustcollective.com
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Share Alike

[NEWS=”http://www.cgnews.com/wp-content/uploads/rhood_main_th.jpg”]25669[/NEWS]MPC completed 570 shots for Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe, Mark Strong and Cate Blanchett and produced by Universal Pictures. MPC’s Richard Stammers was the overall VFX Supervisor for the show, working closely with Universal’s VFX Producer Allan Maris to achieve a wide range of visual effects including CG armies, CG boats, digital environments and CG arrows.

In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people. (Universal Pictures, 2010)

One of MPC’s main challenges was to create the invading French Armada and the ensuing battle with the English army. A CG fleet of 200 ships and 6000 soldiers were added to the 8 practical boats and 500 extras used in principal photography. MPC used Alice, its proprietary crowd generation software to simulate the rowing and disembarkation of French soldiers and horses, with all water interactions being generated using Flowline software.

The defending English archers and cavalry where also replicated with CG Alice generated clips and animated digital doubles. MPC relied predominately on its existing Motion Capture library for much of Robin Hood, but a special mocap shoot was organised to gather additional motion clips of rowing, disembarking troops and horses.

MPC’s digital environment work was centred on two main locations; London and the beach setting for the French invasion and final battle. A combination of matte painting and CG projections were used to recreate the medieval city, which featured the Tower of London and included the original St. Paul’s Cathedral and old London Bridge under construction, in the city beyond.

The production’s football field sized set provided the starting point for MPC to extend vertically and laterally, and in post production alternate digital extensions were also created to reuse the set three times as different castle locations. Each extension was a montage of existing castles chosen by Ridley Scott and production designer Arthur Max. For the beach environment, MPC had to create cliffs that surround the location, and were added to 75 shots. Once approved in concept, the cliff geometry was modelled using Maya and interchangeable cliff textures were projected depending on the lighting conditions.

MPC was also responsible for creating the arrows for various sequences on the film. Practical blunt arrows were used in production where ever possible, but most shots presented safety issues so digital arrows were animated instead. Arrows were added to over 200 shots, with 90% of these being handled by the compositing team using Shake and Nuke. MPC developed proprietary 2D and 3D arrow animation tools to assist with the volume of arrows required, which included automatically generating the correct trajectory and speed, and controls for oscillation on impact.

The movie opened at the Cannes Film Festival on 12th May and was released in the UK on 14th May 2010.

Click here for more information and to view a trailer for the film.

[NEWS=”http://www.cgnews.com/wp-content/uploads/paranormal__thumb.jpg”]25259[/NEWS]Is Paramount’s Insurge Pictures experiment going to be a successful enterprise? The indie film explosion of the 1990s must seem like ages ago for today’s young filmmakers. In recent years high profile indie studios like Warner Independent Pictures have shuttered, and smaller films struggle mightily against their deep-pocketed peers. So why is Paramount creating a new division with the sole purpose of making movies for amounts deemed small even by indie film standards?

The upcoming Insurge Pictures will dedicated $1 million to creating 10 theatrical releases for the bargain basement cost of $100,000 each.

Did the wild success of Paranormal Activity (budgeted at roughly $11,000) make them see the economic wisdom of such modestly budgeted films? And can any studio, large or small, capture lightning in a bottle over and again?

Josh Welsh, Director of Talent Development with Film Independent, sees Insurge as a new chance for up and coming filmmakers to get projects off the ground in an inhospitable economic climate

Paramount’s announcement also revealed an aggressive, forward-thinking media plan, Welsh says.

“The fact that Paramount is including social networking and community building as a prominent part of their new venture is smart on their part, and also obviously a sign of the times,” he says. “Whether you’re an indie filmmaker working on your own, or making films at a studio-based company, the major challenge facing all filmmakers today is how to find your audience and how to connect with that audience in a meaningful way.”

Welsh can’t predict what kinds of films Insurge will eventually produce, or if other major studios will follow in their footsteps. But he can’t wait to find out.

“I’m definitely interested to see how this evolves,” Welsh says.

Filmmaker Grant Kretchik, professor of acting at Pace University and head of its BFA acting program, wonders whether Paramount can reproduce the success of films like Paranormal Activity and The Blair Witch Project on demand.

Such hits typically come about thanks to truly guerilla filmmaking roots.

“It’s independent for a reason … it doesn’t have the studio driving it,” Kretchik says. “I don’t know if a studio can produce that lucky success.”

Kretchik, who recently a shot a film of his own titled When Harry Tries to Marry, also wonders just how independent the finished product will be.

What if Paramount smells a breakout hit on its low-budget hands? Will the $100,000 film become an expensive trailer for a rebooted $50 million project, he asks.

Kretchik recently shot an independent movie with a budget over the $100,000 mark—but still far below most features.

“They did extraordinary stuff. They flew the cast to India and the production value is exceptional,” he says of his film. So a $100,000 film doesn’t have to wear its budget in every film frame.

“In some cases you can bamboozle people with production values,” he says.

Kretchik says the studio could focus on “small, intimate dramas” or mockumentaries in the Christopher Guest vein. Both could be shot for relatively small amounts. If the studio creates “some honest to goodness storytelling” it could be a hit.

He does wonder about the commitment level Paramount will have to its new studio offshoot.

“Will it be the first thing that folds if Paramount is in financial distress?” he asks.

Boxoffice.com
by Christian Toto
17 March 2010
Link to Boxoffice.com article.