(news.sky.com) Harrison Ford is set to play Indiana Jones for the fifth time - at the age of 70.
The adventurous archaeologist is set for his fifth action-packed outing with director Stephen Spielberg on board and George Lucas writing the story for the new film.
It is due to start shooting in late 2012.
Spielberg told Entertainment Tonight: "George is working on Indy V. We haven't gone to screenplay, he’s working on the story."
Indiana was last on the big screen in 2008's Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.
Ford first played Indy in Raiders Of The Lost Ark in 1981.
Thirty-one years later the actor has said he would like to dust off his whip and don that fedora once again.
"I have strong ambition to do it while I'm still alive," he told ExtraTV.
"I'm available. I'm not cheap, but I'm available!"
"Riddick" Finds Its Cash, Resumes Filming
(comingsoon.net)
Filming on "Riddick", the third film featuring Vin Diesel's anti-hero, looks to be starting again shortly after being postponed due to financial issues last month.
TMZ reports that the Montreal studio, whom shut out the cast and crew after studio owner Michel Trudel complained he hadn't gotten paid, has now received their due funds.
As a result Trudel is willing to allow the film to pick up production where it left off. Several members of the crew however still require pay checks, but those are expected to be delivered shortly. Filming on the project will resume on December 28th.
"Lord of the Rings" Trilogy Goes 3D
(darkhorizons.com)Elijah Wood has hinted that "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy may be converted to 3D for a re-release sometime in the near future.
"I think it would be cool to see. There's talk of releasing a dimensionalised trilogy eventually. I'm okay with doing post-process 3D, as long as someone takes the time. What I'm upset about is when a movie doesn't have the budget and the time to devote to it and they're not fine-tuning the detail of that, because it can look really bad and cheap. But I know that they wouldn't dimensionalise it unless it was a super meticulous process" Wood tells Den of Geek.
He went on about his frustrations with the films that are getting the conversion - "I mean, Titanic's coming out in 3D now, and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, which means we have to wait three movies to get to the fucking good shit, it's unbelievable, I'm like, we have to wait three years for that? You're doing Episode I first? [frustrated squeal], what a bummer!"
VES Awards Submissions Deadline Approaches
(nimationmagazine.net)This Wednesday (Nov. 30) is the deadline for submissions for the 10th Annual VES Awards. Signed submission forms and payment must have been received by the VES, and viewing materials uploaded to by the deadline.
The 10th Annual VES Awards includes numerous categories involving visual effects and animation in features, TV and gaming. To submit your work, you can go to http://vesawards.sohonet.co.uk/accounts/login/
Apes & X-Men Sequels To Continue
(comingsoon.net)This year's IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards just wrapped and we should have a full report and recap in the next 24 hours, but one of the people presented with a special tribute at this year's awards was 20th Century Fox Chairman and CEO of Filmed Entertainment Tom Rothman, not one most would normally associate with independent film, although Ang Lee and Jim Jarmusch, the two filmmakers who presented Rothman's tribute, reminded the audience they all worked together earlier in their respective careers.
After the presentation, ComingSoon.net had a chance to speak with Rothman, and eventually we got around to talking about Fox's two successful franchise reboots this year, Rise of the Planet of the Apes and X-Men: First Class.
Rothman confirmed to us that they plan on continuing on from both movies and they're going to try to get both Rupert Wyatt and Matthew Vaughn back to direct once they get the scripts together. "Both of them were really great scripts and so we have to be sure to get great scripts again," Rothman said. "We're working hard on the scripts for both of them, but we have every hope of moving forward with them."
ILM Alum Masi Oka Enters Video Game Development
(complex.com) How has your programming background from ILM helped you with your new videogame projects?
Without a doubt, it’s been a huge help because it allows me to talk to designers. Coming from a programming background, I have a good sense of what’s feasible and what’s not feasible in a game. I wasn’t the best UI programmer, but I know to use the interface and that stuff. It’s definitely given me a leg up in terms of being able to talk to the people in the games industry.
Literally, I don’t have that many ideas that I want to push, but the one that I do push, I’ve had people react very favorably to. It’s just everything moves slower in the gaming world and the digital world.
When will people be able to see your first game?
We’re still working on a couple of things. There are a couple of new ideas that are being worked on, as well.
Full Interview: http://www.complex.com/video-games/2011/11/interview-masi- oka-enters-video-game- development
A Stunning Mutant Short Film So Lovely, it Could be Splice 2
(quietearth.us)A stunning mutant short film so lovely, it could be Splice 2 Stop whatever it is you're doing right now and plug into this amazing new short film The Gate. The CG creatures are horrifying, mesmerizing, and should really be the high water mark for all computer-animated beasties. Plus, fairy genocide!
The Gate
Quiet Earth has the exclusive look at a gorgeous parade of freaks in The Gate, which is written and directed by Matt Westrup and produced by Spencer Friend. This is the real deal my friends. Watch the mutant-meat-sack party now, now, NOW!
Take a look: http://www.quietearth.us/articles/2011/11/10/EXCLUSIVE- Dazzling-DNA-mutation-short- THE-GATE
Harry Potter Wins Big at BAFTA Children's Awards
(guardian.co.uk)Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two was one of a host of double winners at the Bafta children's awards on Sunday night.
The movie adaptation of the boy wizard's final adventure scooped the feature film prize, beating the likes of Kung Fu Panda 2, Tangled and its own predecessor, Deathly Hallows Part 1.
The blockbusting release also triumphed in the film category of the Bafta kids' vote, chosen by more than 400,000 7- to 14-year-olds in an online poll.
"Harry Potter is part of popular culture," said Warwick Davis, who played the role of Professor Filius Flitwick in the films, and who accepted the award.
"The series is going to leave a legacy for generations of children to enjoy. Look at Star Wars; the original movies are 30 years old, but we talk about them as though they were released recently. The Harry Potter films will be the same."
Fox to Push for Supporting Actor Oscar Nomination for Andy Serkis
(hollywoodreporter.com)NEW YORK - Fox will push to create momentum for a possible best supporting actor Oscar nomination for Andy Serkis for his performance as ape Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Fox Filmed Entertainment co-chairman and CEO Tom Rothman said here Monday night.
"I think we may be at the place where we will see a first-ever in Hollywood this year, which is to see Andy Serkis get nominated for a best supporting actor for Planet of the Apes, even though his face never actually appears," he told The Hollywood Reporter at the Gotham Independent Film Awards at Cipriani Wall Street when asked about Fox's contenders for awards season. "But his performance appears, so we are going to push that hard."
Will the Academy really recognize his acting work this time? The issue of what makes an actor an actor first surfaced when Serkis played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings.
Though Avatar beat box office records and earned nine Academy Award nominations, director James Cameron and producer Jon Landau were frustrated that the movie's actors were ignored by Oscar voters.
"Who knows, but I give the Academy much more credit than most people do," Rothman said. "I don't think they are old and stodgy. I think they are smart and with it, and I'd like to think they are going to get it."
Part of the challenge is to make people understand the motion capture technology involved. "I think part of what we have to do is help educate people to understand that that is 100 percent his performance," Rothman argued. "It is great emotional acting. Tom Hanks didn't have to say any dialogue in Castaway for it to be a great performance."
Further discussing Serkis' work Rothman said: "The emotionality - what you see and what you feel - he did it. I saw him. I watched him. Then they digitally overlaid - you can think of it as a costume - the skin and the hair of an ape. But I tell you the thing that people felt – and a lot of people where moved when they saw the movie - is because of his performance."
Rothman also noted that Fox Searchlight Pictures has The Descendants and Martha Marcy May Marlene, which were key contenders at the Gothams, as well as Shame and The Tree of Life among its awards season titles this year.
"Face Off" Unveils 14 Rising Special Effect Make-Up Artists
(tvpressfeed.com)SYFY’S FACE OFF UNVEILS FOURTEEN RISING SPECIAL EFFECTS MAKE-UP ARTISTS WITH ITS SEASON TWO PREMIERE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11 AT 10 P.M. ET/PT
Actress McKenzie Westmore Returns as Series Host; Academy Award Winner Ve Neill, Famed Special Effects Artist Glenn Hetrick and Creature Designer Patrick Tatopoulos Back as Series Judges
NEW YORK – November 28, 2011 – One of the most imaginative aspects of science fiction is the creation of special effects from the genre’s wealth of fantastical possibilities. Making it to the top of this creative world requires a rare mix of exceptional qualities, most importantly an ingenious spirit that Syfy celebrates with the second season premiere of its acclaimed reality competition series Face Off on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 (10:00 – 11:00 PM ET/PT).
Face Off is an authentic depiction of the high creative standards necessary for a special effects make-up artist to succeed in their craft. The series debuted in January 2011 as a new reality competition program to critical and ratings success, earning the title of Syfy’s best unscripted franchise series launch ever among Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54.
In its second season, Syfy introduces a new crop of the country’s most impressive rising special effects make-up artists, all wanting to follow in the footsteps of season one winner, Conor McCullagh, who recently wrapped work on the anticipated Lionsgate film The Hunger Games.
The aspiring artists have come all across the country and from all walks of life – a film and science high school teacher, a tattoo artist, a toy designer, and traditional sculptors and makeup effects artists, some with years of professional experience and others self-taught. The contestants are pitted against each other in a series of hands-on challenges that will test the limits of their imaginations.
The contestants are tasked with elaborate feature challenges, and for season two the creative expectations are even greater. This season, contestants will re-imagine iconic characters from the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, create a waterproof sea creature, bring terrifying phobias to life, and design and build dinosaur human hybrids, among many other visually stunning creatures. There will also be the favorite genre-themed challenges that will showcase the incredible imaginations and skill of these special effects artists.
Each special effects make-up artist will do whatever it takes to prove that they have the right aesthetics to win. Competing against one another in a series of rigorous challenges, the show captures the inspiring creativity and high emotion typical in the atmosphere of a working special effects lab, while also exploring the relationship dynamics and rankings that are common in the tight-knit, collaborative world.
To view photos and complete bios of the cast of Face Off, visit www.syfy.com/faceoff. The Face Off season two contestants are:
Athena Zhe – 25 – Resides in New York, NY; From Ukraine
Beki Ingram – 30 – Resides in Crestline, OH; Hometown Phoenix, AZ
Brea Joseph – 32 – San Diego, CA
Gerald “Jerry” Macaluso – 43 – Resides in Northridge, CA; Hometown is Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Greg Lightner – 35 – Resides in Pittsburgh, PA; Hometown is Coral Gables, Florida
Heather Henry – 33 – Dallas, TX
Ian Cromer – 22 – Resides in Staten Island, NY; Tampa, FL
Matt Valentine – 33 – Austin, TX
Miranda Jory – 21 – Resides in Los Angeles; Hometowns are Louisville, KY and Seattle, WA
Nicholas “Nix” Herrera – 31 – Orlando, FL
Rayce Bird – 29 – Shelley, Idaho
Sue Lee – 26 – Resides in Jersey City, NJ; Hometown is Long Island, NY
Tara Lang – 27 – Hometown is Littleton, CO; Resides West Hollywood, CA
This season Syfy let fans make the selection for the competition’s 14th special effects make-up artist. At the 2011 Comic Con in San Diego, Syfy staged a live make-up challenge in which imaginatively competed for a single spot on the second season, and viewers voted for their favorite via www.syfy.com. The Viewer’s Choice winner will be revealed on the second season premiere episode of Face Off.
The fourteen make-up artists will be whittled down to the three finalists who will face-off in the grand finale. The winning make up artist will receive $100,000 in seed money to help encourage their special effects career, a year’s supply of Alcone make up products, a Reinvented 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid and the coveted exposure to help launch a career.
As a member of the multi-generational family dynasty whose name is synonymous with the make-up effects field, actress McKenzie Westmore brings expertise to her role as host of the series, introducing the Foundation and Spotlight challenges to the contestants each week. Some of SFX world’s most celebrated figures return to judge the competition — multiple Academy-Award winner Ve Neill (The Hunger Games, Pirates of the Caribbean), industry veteran Glenn Hetrick (Heroes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and renowned creature artist Patrick Tatopoulos (Underworld, Independence Day).
The season also features a number of guest appearances including actor LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation), renowned makeup artist Greg Cannom (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), actress Vivica Fox (Independence Day), actress Catherine O’Hara (Waiting for Guffman, Nightmare Before Christmas), musical artist Asher Roth and noted horror makeup artist Tom Savini. Michael Westmore (Star Trek) also appears in an episode to serve as a mentor to the working contestants.
Face Off is a production of Mission Control Media with Michael Agbabian and Dwight D. Smith serving as executive producers.
Test Shots for Ray Harryhausen's Evolution, Ray Harryhausen, 1938-1940
VIDEO - Take a look: http://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/2011/11/test- shots-for-ray-harryhausens. html
Turning the Weta Digital VFX Tent into the American Embassy
(ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com) Welcome back to Middle Earth! Let’s see who my featured Hobbit crew member is this report. Why it’s Weta Digital’s Eric Saindon!
I knew early on that I’d feature Eric because he figures into my daily set routine at least a dozen times. I’m not used to there being other Erics around, so when somebody says my name I automatically assume they’re addressing me.
So, what’s Eric doing in that picture above? That’s the inside of an abandoned farmhouse which will feature in the next report and what Saindon and his super hip team (comprised of Seb Abante, Kevin Sherwood, Brian McMillin and Adam Harriman) do is essentially get as much detail and info about a location/set/prop as possible.
Above, Eric is taking photos of the entire set, piece by piece, area by area, so he can build a digital replica of the environment if he needs to. Sometimes he knows he has to recreate a prop or section of a wall or rock or whatever, sometimes he doesn’t, but wants to keep the info anyway.
It’s usually Eric, Seb or Adam doing this work with Brian manning a 3D scanning device called a Leica. When you see those little orange strips of tape on a greenscreen or on a rock it’s for this scanning device.
Brian or Adam typically use these strips as tracking markers, noting their location in the Leica and doing a full scan of the set. What they end up with is a ton of data, 1s and 0s that represent a detailed 3-D representation of the entire scanning area.
Eric told me that he can take these high res photos he takes and basically lay them over this framework and have a near photoreal recreation of the shooting area, which makes it easier to roll with digital additions, subtractions and CGI creatures (like Wargs, for instance).
That also helps him digitally recreate props to be as close to the physical prop should he be required to.
Since most of the Weta Digital team on the ground at main unit is American we’ve kind of turned the VFX tent into the American Embassy on the set, with discussions of how we’re going to celebrate Thanksgiving and how we miss simple things, like 24 hour stores, free refills, actual Mexican food, unlimited internet and other such American topics.
So, I’m going to cheat a little bit and also include a couple shots of the guys so while this is really Eric’s feature I’m gonna throw some love on his team, a group of awesome guys. I’ve only left out Brian but that’s because I have a good shot of him sharing a helicopter ride with me in a future report.
Full article with pics - take a look: http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/64674136.html
"Massive Layoffs" at Canadian Studio Silicon Knights
(1up.com) 11/1 UPDATE: Speaking to Kotaku, a Silicon Knights spokesperson said the layoffs consisted of 43 people, with more than 43 remaining at the company. "Last week Silicon Knights experienced layoffs due to extended contract negotiations falling through with a potential partner," they said. "We are currently in discussions with other potential partners. The recent Ontario government funding is tied to future performance targets, spread out over the next 5 years, which we will meet... The company is currently refocusing and returning to its roots, working on one of its most requested titles for the next generation."
11/1 UPDATE #2: Speaking to Financial Post, Silicon Knights' chief financial officer Mike Mays says the company laid off 45 employees, with "just under 40" remaining employed.
ORIGINAL STORY: All but 25 staff at the Canadian video game development studio Silicon Knights have been laid off, according to sources close to the company.
Silicon Knights has not officially confirmed the cuts, but two credible independent sources contacted us with the information over the weekend. One wrote that "Silicon Knights has had massive layoffs. They are now down to a core staff of 25 people." The other said, "It may interest you to note that SK laid off all but 25 employees today."
This outcome follows the St. Catharines, Ontario-based studio receiving three recent funding grants, totaling CDN $8 million: $1 million in 2008, invested by the Ontario Media Development Corporation, $4 million in 2010 via the federal government, and most recently, $3 million in July 2011 via the Ontario government.
Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack stated in July 2011 that the CDN $3 million investment would allow the company to improve its technology, hire 80 new people while keeping 97 current jobs and allow the company to become "self sustaining." We do not know at this stage what went wrong, nor how the studio's payroll has shrunk from 97 to 25 in three months. A source says, "I heard they laid off all of HR including Denis' wife," in reference to Joanne Dyack, SK's director of human resources.
Oil Company Renames Itself Pixar
(thedisneyblog.com)After reading a strange press release found by Big Screen Animation blog, I had to double-check the calendar to make sure it wasn’t already April Fools day. A Canadian oil company has renamed itself after Pixar Animation Studios, perhaps in hopes of capitalizing on the success and goodwill of the popular brand and white-washing its own dirty industry image.
Previously known as Paramount Resources, I guess the executives got tired of being named after one of Hollywood’s has-been brands.
As far as I can tell, this is not a joke, there’s even a serious sounding press release composed without a hint of irony. It’s being reported in the wider media as well.
Mike B., who owns Big Screen Animation (and writes non-animation related material for The Disney Blog) broke the story. I bet he was surprised when that press release got picked up in his keyword dragnet.
I’m no trademark expert, but this seems like shameless hijacking of a well known brand by an industry in desperate need of good publicity—the Alberta tar sands are an environmental disaster.
Coincidentally, Leslie Iwerks, director of The Pixar Story and A Day in the Life of John Lasseter, made a series of documentaries about the issue. You can watch one of them, Downstream, here.
Unfortunately, I doubt Pixar has a trademark claim here. The industries are diverse enough there shouldn’t be any real confusion among the pubic that they’re the same company. That is why we can have Dove soap and Dove ice cream bars. The trademark name can be the same, but the trademark logo must be sufficiently different.
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