(independent.co.uk)
Work on the movie, which is to star Johnny Depp, was abruptly suspended last month amid growing concerns that its cost was soaring out of control. Reuters says that a decision on whether to kill it off or proceed with a dramatically reduced budget is expected in the coming days.
The verdict will have implications that will be felt across the film industry. Production on The Lone Ranger would have created several hundred jobs – 60 people were already building the set in New Mexico – and Disney's sudden effort to rein in spending reflects a broader anxiety over the ballooning costs of blockbusters.
Cinema attendance fell to near-record lows in the US this summer, continuing a long-term trend. Although box-office revenues remained flat, thanks to increased ticket-prices, several "tentpole" productions with budgets north of $200m failed to turn a profit. Studios have duly grown increasingly cost-conscious, and wary of big gambles.
Sources at Disney say it remains committed – in principle – to The Lone Ranger, a reworking of the 1950s TV series, in which Armie Hammer – last seen as the Winklevoss twins in The Social Network – was to play the title role and Depp his sidekick, Tonto. But they will give the production the green light only if overheads can be reduced to around $200m (£125m), from their current projected level of $250m.
The film's producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, and director Gore Verbinski spent the weekend in talks with the studio. The trade press reported that they had agreed to lower their salaries and eliminate several expensive computer-generated scenes.
Overshadowing the talks is Disney's wish not to tarnish its relations with Depp, one of the most sought-after men in Hollywood and a central figure in its lucrative Pirates of the Carribbean franchise. He also starred in Alice in Wonderland, one of its most successful films of 2010.
He last week offered the Los Angeles Times a somewhat cryptic comment on The Lone Ranger's prospects: "I think everything will work out as it should."
Dreamworks & Fox Team For A "Robopocalypse"
(darkhorizons.com)
DreamWorks and Fox have almost come to a deal to co-finance the Steven Spielberg-directed sci-fi action feature "Robopocalypse" says Deadline.
Based on Daniel H. Wilson's epic novel, the cautionary tale explores the fate of the human race after a robot uprising. Wilson, who has a Ph.D. in robotics, has grounded his tale in a heavy degree of authenticity derived from real robot technology. "Cloverfield" screenwriter Drew Goddard penned the most recent draft of the script.
Disney will release domestically and Fox will distribute the film overseas with a July 4th 2013 U.S. release being targeted. Fox and DreamWorks previously tried to team for Spielberg's proposed and now defunct "Harvey" remake back in 2009.
Post Shops Discover Vancouver
(variety.com) Vancouver's vfx and post-production sector is booming, and while locals have recently voted to phase out one of the tax breaks offered by British Columbia, the province still sports other tax incentives, not to mention a convenient proximity to L.A. and rich talent pool of artists and software innovators.
Moving Picture Co.'s head of film, Michelle Grady, says as the outposts' reputations grow, they are being entrusted with more work. "We've developed the talent pool to where other facilities are seeing Vancouver as a viable place to be," she says.
And seeing competitors move into Vancouver is a real confirmation of MPC's strategy. "Having multiple strong studios here is essential to our ability to attract the big talent and the big movies," she says. "Artists want to know that if they're going to make the move to the city, they have options. And if we want the studios to have enough confidence in the city to park a large movie here, they need multiple trusted facilities that know how to work together to get the job done to the highest quality."
MPC sees a B.C. outpost as a way to expand its capacity while offering diversity of location. "As a result, we are growing the bottom line," says Grady. Other facilities, she notes, may be looking at it as "a way to simply adjust their international foot print, while not necessarily expanding to any great degree." This way, they are protecting their bottom line by having a presence. MPC's recent move to a larger facility underscores its long-term intent.
Since MPC's arrival over three years ago, other major players such as Digital Domain, Pixar, Method Studios and Sony have set up shop in Vancouver, with Rhythm and Hues expected to open shop and strong talk that Industrial Light & Magic/Lucasfilm will open a branch. Grady is hesitant to comment on the rumors. "Put it this way: recently a government rep told me it would be shorter to list the facilities that weren't considering opening here," she says.
"Certainly with some of the recent announcements it is clear Vancouver is going through a vfx growth spurt and I don't see it stopping," says Method Studios' senior VP/g.m., Dennis Hoffman.
The companies investing in the vfx business in Vancouver are not only major companies, but also independents like Image Engine, one of the original vfx shops in Vancouver, Grady says. "We're seeing the arrival of Scanline. I think it's making for a very attractive, healthy market."
Independent vfx shops are following suit to offer the same cost-saving opportunities to clients, says Imagine Engine's Jason Dowdeswell.
"The new reality is that (not) operating in B.C. is more of a financial risk. Hollywood studios themselves are investing into relationships by way of feeding steady work to the vfx and post businesses in Vancouver," Dowdeswell says. "This allows for manageable growth and planned infrastructure. This is different from past years where the work in Vancouver was cyclic with many start-stops and peaks and valleys in post-production work."
Most of the global vfx houses now have some form of presence in Vancouver, he says.
Method's Hoffman says while a large part of the appeal is being able to provide a tax-rebate option, a key attraction is the growth in the creative capability of resident artists.
Brevig, Fraser Team For "William Tell 3D"
(darkhorizons.com)They previously teamed for their solid if bastardised 3D adaptation of Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth". Now director Eric Brevig and actor Brendan Fraser are re-teaming to take on another classic tale - "William Tell" reports Deadline
Brevig ("Yogi Bear") replaces Nick Hurran on the $27 million 3D historical family action adventure, the story follows the legend of expert marksman Tell who was arrested for not bowing to the hat of Hermann Gessler, the newly appointed Austrian reeve of the Habsburg emperors.
Tell shot an apple off his son’s head to win his freedom and later assassinated Gessler. His defiance sparked a rebellion which eventually led to the formation of the Swiss Confederation.
Chad and Evan Law are presently polishing their script. Shooting kicks off mid-March at the Castel Studios in Romania and on location in Switzerland.
Entertainment Groups Call for California Film Tax Credit Extension
(espresso.backstage.com)Television and film industry groups and entertainment unions are vehemently fighting to extend California’s film tax credit program, reported Los Angeles Times. Last week, a bill granting tax breaks to California film and TV production for another five years went to the state Senate, but an appropriations committee reduced the legislation’s existence to only one year. Hollywood wants the bill to be extended longer, arguing that it will prevent jobs from leaving California and going to any of the almost 40 other states that give tax incentives. Opposition to the extension, however, believes that the due the state’s $9 billion deficit, money diverted to maintain the program could cause huge proposed budget reductions to social services and education.
Typically producers need a 5 year commitment for TV series and the long process of putting together a film.
Sad News For Serkis Fans
(vfxsoldier.wordpress.com)Animator Tim Borrelli tweeted this article of an interview with Joe Letteri, Weta’s senior visual effects supervisor:
" It’s still a work in progress because figuring out how facial muscles work is not easily understood because they don’t behave like the other muscles in the body. They are not so bound by the skeleton. But there’s enough of it working for the animators to drive the performance, whether it comes from the capture or the animation or the combination of the two.
there’s a big interpretive effort that goes into that. But then it comes back full-circle: You go through this whole process of tracking and analyzing the data, interpreting it through these FACS poses and then putting it back on the face through all the combination muscle shapes. And then you just look at it side by side with the performance from the actor and say, ‘Does that look like the right performance or not?’ If not, why not?”
I personally feel this article settles the recent debate as to whether Andy Serkis deserves recognition over the hundreds of talented VFX artist who painstakingly made the character Caesar come to life.
General Zod and the Humiliating CGI MoCap Suit
(latinoreview.com)Michael Shannon Talks CGI General Zod; Henry Cavill Talks American Accent Poor Michael Shannon. Almost everyone else who has a pivotal role in 'Man of Steel' gets to walk around set in traditional, slick looking costumes. Shannon however is stuck leading the Mocap Men in his motion-capture suit. He's a trooper, though. The embarrassment of the costume hasn't gotten the better of him. He's in for the long run.
In an interview with Movie Fone, the actor told the tale of how he became a part of the Mocap Men ranks. He said:
"Yeah, it's one of the most humiliating garments that exists in the known universe, yes. It's very tight. It has a variety of different colors and shapes on it and it makes you feel like you're the court jester. And it's funny because when I met with Zack [Snyder] we were talking about it before it started and he mentioned that there was going to be a lot of CGI, or whatever. I said, 'Just don't make me wear one of those silly suits.'
He said, 'Oh, yeah, don't worry, I know exactly what you're talking about.'
I was like, 'It's going to be really hard for me to be intimidating if I have to wear one of those silly suits.' He said, 'I totally understand.'
Then I showed up and he's like, 'Dude, I swear to God, it's going to be so bad ass when we're done. Trust me, it's going to be wicked.' And, you know, people understand and you get used to it. The first day, you feel like you're getting rushed by a fraternity... and then it wears off the next day. Because I'm not the only one wearing one – there are other people wearing them, too."
UK Renews Video Games Tax Incentives
(thedrum.co.uk)Video game trade association TIGA has used Labour’s announcement of the creation of a Creative Industries Network to renew calls for the Government to introduce tax relief for the industry.
Yesterday, shadow culture secretary Ivan Lewis announced that Labour was to launch a creative network which would aim to link arts organisations with businesses.
Patrick McKenna, former chief executive of the Really Useful Group, will compile a report on what needs to change within the creative sector in order to grow and develop it.
Andrew McGuiness, chairman of the Advertising Association, will chair the network.
“Our challenge is to match our cutting edge creative ideas with an equally creative global business strategy which ensures we can benefit from the new jobs and growth of the future. The Conservative-led government has so far failed to provide the strategic leadership which is urgently required, and in education and the arts, they are implementing policies which are damaging the foundations of our creative success,” said Lewis.
The network will also aim to broaden access to creative opportunities for young people from low and middle income homes, with members being asked to sign a pledge to offer internships and jobs based on talent rather than social background.
Following the announcement, Dr Richard Wilson, CEO of TIGA, said:
“The UK economy has experienced anaemic growth over the last year. If we are to rebalance the economy away from an over dependence upon financial services and to power economic growth then we must support the industries of the future where the UK has a competitive advantage.
“The creative industries account for more than 7 per cent of UK GDP compared to a European average of 2 per cent. The UK has advantages in creative industries including film, fashion, music and video games. The UK video games development sector is still the largest in Europe and the global market for video games is growing. However, while other governments in countries including Canada and the USA support their video games industries with sector specific tax breaks, the UK does not. As a result, employment in the UK games development sector shrunk by 9 per cent between 2008 and 2010.
“Just as the UK film industry has prospered as a result of the Film Tax Credit, so investment and employment in the UK video games industry would increase with the introduction of Games Tax Relief. The Labour Party, the SNP, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats all publicly supported Games Tax Relief before the last general election. It made economic sense then; it continues to make economic sense now," he continued.
"TIGA will continue to refine the case for Games Tax Relief and other measures to enhance access to finance for games businesses, for example, the establishment of TIGA’s Creative Content Fund. We look forward to feeding our research into the Labour Party’s Creative Industries Policy Review,” added Wilson.
Pre-Production Begins On Sci-fi "Europa"
(Deadline) Pre-production has begun on a science fiction tale entitled Europa, Deadline reports. Seeking distribution this week in Toronto, the project will feature an international cast that includes Sharlto Copley, Anamaria Marinca, Michael Nyqvist and Daniel Wu.
Written by relative newcomer Philip Gelatt and to be directed by Sebastian Cordero (Cronicas), the story revolves around a team of astronauts who are assembled from various nations to embark on the first manned mission to Europa, Jupiter's fourth moon.
No stranger to science-fiction, Copley made his big screen debut in District 9 and will re-team with that film's director, Neill Blomkamp, for another sci-fi film, Elysium, currently shooting with a planned 2013 release. Nyqvist is best known for playing the lead in the Swedish film version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. He can soon be seen in Brad Bird's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Marinca played the lead in Cristian Mungiu's Palm D'or winner, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and Daniel Wu is a Chinese superstar, appearing in films like New Police Story and Protege. He'll next be featured in RZA's martial arts period epic The Man with the Iron Fists.
Europa is anticipating production beginning this fall in New York City.
M. Night Shyamalan Sci-Fi Adventure Likely A Go
(blogs.indiewire.com)Per BoxOfficeMojo, Sony/Columbia Pictures has set an official release date for the M. Night Shyamalan/Will and Jaden Smith sci-fi project, titled 1000 A.E. .
Mark June 7th 2013 on your calendars. Nearly 2 full years away, but time flies, and before you know it, we’re facing fall 2012, and debating the teaser trailer, stills and other media released for this thing.
Also, I suppose we could tentatively say that this could very well be Pappa Smith’s next project after Men In Black III, which will be out next summer. I don’t believe he’s scheduled to shoot anything else between now and the time 1000 A.E. would have to be shot for it to go through what may be a lengthy post-production phase (given that it’ll likely be an effects-heavy sci-fi flick) and be ready in time for a summer 2013 debut.
In fact, I read several reports last month that said Will, Shyamalan and other crew were already scouting locations all over.
1000 A.E. will star daddy Will and son Jaden, who last worked together on The Pursuit Of Happyness.
It’s described as a “futuristic science fiction adventure film,” with a story that takes place “far in the future where a young boy has to navigate an abandoned planet on a space ship that has crashed. On board the ship is his estranged father.”
Previously, it was said that Shyamalan won’t be penning the script, just directing, which fanboys were happy about; but it looks like he’ll share co-writing credit with Gary Whitta (The Book Of Eli) will.
Avatar-Quality CGI Brings the World Trade Center to Life
(observer.com) Silverstein Properties, along with Mayor Bloomberg, Chris Ward, Daniel Liebeskind, Michael Arad and pretty much every other person working at the World Trade Center site, held a construction update in the new 10th-floor leasing office inside 7 World Trade Center yesterday.
There wasn’t much news, but it was impressive to see the efforts being made to attract more tenants to the site (Condé’s in, but UBS is out). There are interactive touch screens with neighborhood amenities and transportation news—as though there were any question Tribeca and FiDi is a worse place to work than Midtwon—plus a 12-foot model of the finished site. It’s so big, the 1 WTC antenna is clipped to fit under the soaring ceilings. Silverstein even produced a Future World Trade Center video mixing live action and CGI that would make James Cameron proud, which has been posted by The Architect’s Newspaper. Grab some popcorn and enjoy.
VIDEO - http://www.observer.com/2011/09/silverstein-uses-avatar- quality-cgi-to-bring-the- world-trade-center-to-life- video/
Weta Workshop Building Transforming Shapeshifter For "The Hobbit"
(comicbookmovie.com)The website One Ring has translated an interview the actor conducted with Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
And this is what he said about The Hobbit and New Zealand, translated to the best of my ability of course.
”When I, during the first day, is hoisted up to the ceiling in the west King Kong Studio in Wellington I know what to do, even if it is a bit awkward and difficult to begin with a difficult torture scene. I knew and could even suggest things.”
I guess that this could possibly be a hint that Peter Jackson might intend to include the part, where Beorn sort of interrogate a wolf and goblin in order to verify the story told to him by Gandalf, in the film.
“How am I as a shapeshifter, who lives with horses and animals in the forest? You have to look into yourself and try. I act in the Hobbit about the same I would in a love drama.” He says.
Mikael Persbrandt is a very popular actor in Sweden, and he landed the role of the shy, but heroic Beorn. His character is reclusive, hides in the mountains because the rest of his people were killed off by the Orcs. He is an incredibly large man with a dark thick beard, and can transform into a bear.
In the book he never transformed in front of the characters, he just appeared as either a man, or a bear. In this movie Weta Workshop is going to make Beorn's transformation quite the spectacle.
VES to Present 3rd Annual Entertainment Industry Production Summit on Oct. 1
(awn.com) Los Angeles, September 7, 2011 -- The Visual Effects Society (VES), the world's premiere visual effects organization, announced today that it will hold its third annual Production Summit for the greater entertainment industry on October 1st. Production Summit 2011 – Trending the Global Marketplace: You Are Here -- will gather leading executives, creatives, technologists and visionaries to discuss and examine the impact of globalization and the opportunities and challenges it presents the entertainment industry. The event will bring together the production community for a day of conversation, collaboration and inspiration. Practitioners from all crafts are invited to join together to engage in discussion regarding the very active 24/7 global world in which we currently reside. The one-day event will be held at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Eric Roth, VES Executive Director, states, “This year’s Summit will feature ongoing interaction between an international group of key industry leaders whose mandate is to adapt to the global nature of the entertainment industry by staying current with ever changing technologies, and rethinking production schedules and distribution channels. Attendees will be encouraged to think innovatively in order to find better solutions for their businesses.”
Presentation speakers will include:
A Keynote Address by Bob Pisano, President and COO, Motion Picture Association of America and feature presentations by Autodesk Fellow, Tom Wujec, and leading entertainment industry analyst with Janey Montgomery Scott, Tony Wible.
Panelists and Roundtable Moderators confirmed as of this date include:
* Rob Bredow - Chief Technology Officer and Visual Effects Supervisor, Sony Pictures Imageworks
* Annie Chang - Vice President of Post-Production Technology for The Walt Disney Studios Digital Production Technology
* Richard Chuang - CEO Cloudpic Global, Inc
* Bob Coleman - President, Digital Artists Agency, Inc (DAA)
* Chris deFaria - Executive Vice President, Production Digital Production for Warner Bros.
* Warren Franklin - CEO, Rainmaker Entertainment
* Ted Gagliano - President Feature Post Production, Twentieth Century Fox Studios
* Dan Glass - Sr VFX Supervisor, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Method Studios
* Uday Kumar - Vice President US Operations Reliance Media Works
* Thilo Kuther - CEO & Managing Director, Pixomondo
* Amy Lemisch - Executive Director, California Film Commission
* Steve Papazian - President, Worldwide Physical Production, Warner Bros
* Christian Roberton - Managing Director, MPC Film
* Andy Romanoff - Industry Relations / Business Development, AbelCine
* Carl Rosendahl - Faculty, Carnegie Mellon University Entertainment Technology Center
* Scott Squires - Visual Effects Producer
* Randy Starr - Visual Effects Producer
* Stephan Trojansky - VFX Supervisor / Co-Founder of Scanline VFX
The Sessions will include:
The Studios' POV: Adapting to Innovation in a 24 Hour World
What do you need to know in order to keep up with the latest technology and keep your business on track? Innovative digital technology has radically changed the post and distribution channels of the studios which in turn affects the filmmakers and services providers within their sphere. Meeting these new needs requires extraordinary operational coordination and responsiveness across the studios’ global digital efforts. This reality creates a need for cooperation and conflict resolution mechanisms within and across all functions, as well as budget procedures that allow for flexibility and rapid direction changes. The very things that push creativity and efficiency can provide new obstacles. This panel examines how studios determine a clear approach for monitoring, sharing and adapting within this globally interconnected network and the best ways to work together and maintain reasonable margins.
LAIKA Animation to Bring Colin Meloy's Wildwood to the Screen
(comingsoon.net) LAIKA has optioned Wildwood, the debut HarperCollins children's novel written by Colin Meloy, lead singer and songwriter for The Decemberists, with illustrations by award-winning artist Carson Ellis. The announcement was made today by LAIKA President and CEO Travis Knight.
"'Wildwood' is a marvel, an exquisite, staggering and lyrical work of art," said Knight. "It's an uncannily perfect fit for LAIKA, commingling the time-honored qualities of classic fantasies and fairy tales with a bold, contemporary sensibility. Colin's captivating, melodic prose and Carson's gorgeous, spellbinding illustrations form a rich bounty of ideas, language and imagery. 'Wildwood' is a wonderful work of literature, and LAIKA is fully committed to honoring it with an exceptional, groundbreaking film."
"Wildwood," the first book in an epic middle-grade fantasy series full of magic, wonder and danger set in an alternate version of modern-day Portland, tells the story of Prue McKeel, whose ordinary life is changed forever when her younger brother is abducted by a murder of crows and taken to the Impassable Wilderness, an enchanted and forbidding forest on the edge of the city.
No one's ever gone in – or at least returned to tell of it. Within this secret world, Prue and her friend Curtis embark on a rescue mission and find themselves entwined in a violent struggle for freedom amidst warring creatures, peaceable mystics and powerful figures with the darkest intentions.
"Wildwood," filled with 85 intricate and beautiful illustrations by artist Carson Ellis, was published on August 30, 2011 by HarperCollins' Balzer + Bray imprint. You can view the animated trailer created by LAIKA/house for the book below.
"Hands down, there is no other movie studio in the entire world beside LAIKA that I would entrust 'Wildwood' to," said Meloy. "Carson and I were prepared to stonewall any and all suitors for the movie rights, so close was this book to our hearts. However, when LAIKA came calling, our defenses promptly came down. There is no doubt in my mind that they will come to this story with the passion, imagination and general awesomeness required to make this book into a truly beautiful animated film."
"I'm a stop-motion enthusiast," said Ellis, "and I've been a fan of LAIKA since we saw Coraline a couple of years back. When we visited the studio and saw all the brilliant creative work happening there – someone building a waist-high New England village in painstaking detail, someone else sewing pinhead-sized rivets on tiny blue jeans – we were won over completely. It's an amazing place staffed by patient, meticulous, super-talented people who wouldn't work there if they didn't love stop-motion animation. I'm so excited to see what Wildwood will look like in their hands."
Peter Jackson Talks CGI R&D For “The Adventures Of Tintin”
(nickutopia.com)In a recent interview with Gigwise, producer Peter Jackson (The Hobbit) discussed his upcoming project with Steven Spielberg “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn.” While the trailer footage looks great, many are weary of the motion-capture technology used for the film and the effect it will have in making characters that look real, yet fake and awkward.
Peter Jackson seemed confident that the characters would not take on this awkward look (the uncanny valley), stating:
The eyes are the most important feature of any performer. Way back, when we were doing “The Lord of the Rings” and we created Gollum in the computer at Weta, we built the eyes of our characters in a very scientific way: you study real eyes, how the light reflects on them; you study the way the irises reflect emotion. Our company has put a huge amount of research and development into the eyes and with Tintin we had to create a cast that were as expressive in the eyes as a live-action film.
BBC set to Launch CGI Game Show "Cloned"
(metro.co.uk)The BBC has commissioned a new game show called Cloned, which uses CGI technology commonly seen in the movie industry.
BBC, Cloned BBC1 controller Danny Cohen will decide if Cloned gets a series (Picture: BBC)
The pilot programme – which is being considered as a series for BBC1 – will challenge a team of four contestants to identify a real celebrity from an identical line-up of computer-generated clones.
Karl Warner, executive editor for entertainment commissioning at the corporation, told The Guardian newspaper: 'Cloned is an exciting new format which pushes the boundaries of production and game show mechanics.'
The contestants will be set a number of tasks to complete in order to differentiate the real star in the line-up from the clones.
Former English teacher George Hutton, 24, came up with the idea for Cloned after applying for a place on a six-month BBC trainee programme called Future Formats - and head of the initiative Kate Phillips is 'so pleased' it has resulted in a pilot show being commissioned for the channel.
She said: 'I'm so pleased that BBC Entertainment's first Future Formats has resulted in this pilot.
'Nearly all the students are now working as development researchers both in and outside the BBC.'
The programme will be evaluated by BBC1 commissioner Danny Cohen as it is not ready for broadcast at this stage.
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