(nymag.com) Director Brad Bird attends the "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" U.S. premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre on December 19, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images) Brad Bird
Last November, it was revealed that director Robert Zemeckis had ended his flirtation with Brian Helgeland’s American history and monster mash-up Here There Be Monsters, which pitted American Revolutionary War hero John Paul Jones against various tentacled monsters of the deep, and little more was heard about the project. But now insiders tell Vulture that the project may have signs of life, as Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol director Brad Bird is meeting with Legendary brass about the project, which originated as an idea by company chairman Thomas Tull.
There’s no deal in place yet for Bird, but our interest is piqued by the story: The Helgeland-fashioned script had Jones wrongly stripped of his British naval commission and hired by a shipping magnate to investigate the disappearance of his merchant ships in the North Atlantic. Soon enough, Jones and his crew suspect that it's the handiwork of a sea monster and have to fight to survive it. Giant squid, call your agent!
Sci-Fi "Chronicle" Looks For $12m Open
(nasdaq.co) In one of the most wide open weekends of the year, thrillers "Chronicle" and "The Grey" should battle drama "The Woman in Black" for the top box office slot, though a big weekend isn't expected from any of them. Also hitting theaters this weekend is limited release "Big Miracle," an inspirational family-oriented drama starring John Krasinski and Drew Barrymore. With the big action movies of the holiday season finally out of the top ten, we should end up with one of the slowest movie weekends of the entire year as studios hold their major releases for the spring and early summer.
Without a single recognizable face in the cast, Fox's "found footage" drama "Chronicle" is getting launched at roughly 2,800 theaters this weekend, looking to pick up where "The Devil Inside" left off just a few weeks back.
Extremely low-budget releases pretending to be either found footage or authentic documentaries have become very popular in recent years, particularly in the horror genre, leading the way for "Chronicle" to get a wide theatrical release.
Even though movies like "Chronicle" can appear gimmicky, they've also become very lucrative as of late and come with no real risk. "The Devil Inside" had an advantage because audiences are still very interested in exorcist movies, but positive online buzz and a PG-13 rating could turn into some box office success this weekend for "Chronicle." Normally "Chronicle" still wouldn't have a chance at landing atop the box office, but with "The Grey" heading into its second weekend and "The Woman in Black" having appeal only to a small audience, an $11 or $12 million opening for "Chronicle" could push it to number one.
The Making of 'Rango': Gore Verbinski's Risky Ride Into Animation
(hollywoodreporter.)
Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski have made $2.7 billion worth of Pirates of the Caribbean movies together, but that doesn't mean it was smooth sailing when, after their last pirate romp wrapped in 2007, Depp agreed to star as the eponymous chameleon in Rango, Verbinski's first animated feature. Two years later, Depp, normally preternaturally facile, found himself in a silly cowboy hat on a primitive Universal Studios soundstage, getting stuck one page into a tongue-twisting, mind-bending, multipage monologue by co-writer John Logan. "Johnny went off," recalls Ned Beatty, who voices the tortoise mayor of Dirt, the desert town that Rango rescues in the film. "He said, 'I can't DOOOOO this!' "
PHOTOS: 23 Awards Contenders Featuring Animals
Of course, Depp could do it -- Rango's rousing speech to the animal citizens of Dirt plays great. "Johnny Depp is the real-world chameleon," says Verbinski. "He's part lizard, and we caged him and poked him and prodded him and extracted the reptilian juice that is the lifeblood of the whole endeavor." Rango won top animation prizes from the National Board of Review and the Los Angeles Film Critics Circle and nominations from the Golden Globes, PGA and Critics' Choice Awards. Paramount is rereleasing the rave-reviewed film on Jan. 27 to spur its chances to capture this year's best animated feature Oscar, stronger now that potential rivals have failed to make the nominee list: The omission of The Adventures of Tintin, which beat Rango at the Globes, surprised many, and Cars 2's absence means Pixar's long Oscar-winning streak is over.
Helping Depp to connect with his inner chameleon was the least of the risks Verbinski took to make this major departure in animated film. The daredevil director created Rango with Industrial Light & Magic, which handled the effects for the Pirates films but had never worked on a full animated feature before. ILM visual effects supervisor John Knoll was skeptical when Verbinski pitched the idea in August 2007, but he and ILM animation director Hal Hickel agreed to watch the first Rango story reel in 2008 to please their big client. "What intrigued me," says Knoll, "was when he said, 'There's Pixar and there's everybody who's imitating Pixar, doing me-too movies.' He didn't want to follow in their footsteps."
Full article: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rango-gore-verbinski- johnny-depp-286366
Effects Artists Team up to Launch Unique VFX Studio Co-Op
(btlnews.com) VFX artists Vico Sharabani and Alex Frisch have teamed up to launch COPA (Co-Op of Artists), a global collective of high-end VFX artists working in the commercial and feature film industries.
COPA is based on a unique model – a virtual studio that is connected via hubs in strategic cities around the world. The new group is structured around COPA headquarters in LA and NY, anchored in NY by EP Yfat Neev, former Rhino and Gravity FX EP, and in LA by acting EP Steve Reiss, former Speedshape and Sea Level VFX EP.
“We are taking high-end VFX work in a never-before-seen model and an A-level team to build not just a company, but a community of the world’s best talent,” said Sharabani. “This is a new collaborative model that will upend the current landscape, allowing us to adapt to projects of any scope by taking the best talent in the world anywhere on the planet at any time.”
Working in a co-op structure, COPA artists will convene daily in a common cloud-based online workspace, eliminating constraints of time and distance. Following a motto of “virtual, but also local,” COPA’s model provides clients with face-to-face contact via unique online tools, as well as local spaces to meet and check on work. Each local office is equipped with meeting and viewing spaces, and will soon roll out proprietary technologies the studio is developing.
After a year of quietly tweaking this new model with projects for Lincoln and Crayola via McGarry Bowen, the studio is coming to life with the release of the music video “Turn me On” for David Guetta and Nicki Minaj, 150 shots for the feature film A Late Quartet, and a new P&G commercial for Leo Burnett directed by Dave Meyers from Radical Media.
Frisch, co-founder of Method Studios, has been working on this new business model for more than two years. “Meeting with Vico less than a year ago was the catalyst that ignited COPA and brought our common visions to life,” Frisch said.
Sharabani, founder of RhinoFX, is returning to the VFX fray after a year-long industry sabbatical, during which time he had his second child, got involved in the TED community, and dedicating time to nonprofit and environmental work.
“It’s like I met another me,” noted Frisch. “We both moved to the US in the late ’90s and started what turned out to be wildly successful VFX shops in 1998 and left them at around the same time in 2009. Now we’re both ready to re-imagine the future of VFX together.”
The studio’s global collaborative network includes COPA headquarters in Los Angeles and New-York, and partnerships with existing studios in Chicago, Tel -Aviv, Toronto, Serbia, London and Paris.
Aronofsky A-List Talent for "Noah"
(Deadline) While no deal has been signed at this point, Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky is hoping to get Oscar-winning Australian actor Russell Crowe to play the title role in his reenvisioning of the classic bible tale in Noah, which is scheduled to start filming in the spring..
It also reports that he's hoping to get Liam Neeson, who is coming off his box office topping The Grey for another key role. Again, no deals have been made and nothing's been signed but after the success of Black Swan and with a studio like Paramount backing him, it seems like a fairly safe bet that Aronofsky will be able to get what he wants.
James Cameron Plans Move to NZ
(stuff.co.nz) James Cameron plans move to NZ Ten romances that men like too Vanity Fair picks leading ladies Film banned for blasphemy gets rating Big names miss out at SAGs Mulligan's raunchy new role Wannabe hobbits turned away A mega business model A heartfelt, cathartic journey Snow White rivalry is heating up
Hollywood movie mogul James Cameron is coming to live in Wairarapa - and he is bringing his family with him.
The director of blockbuster films Titanic and Avatar has purchased two large plots of land along Western Lake Rd in south Wairarapa, where he is expected to arrive and live later this year.
Records released today from the Overseas Investment Office show that James F Cameron, of Canada, was given consent in December to purchase two separate properties, one 817 hectares and the other nearly 250 hectares.
The purchase price is listed as confidential.
Owners of the two properties were staying tight-lipped about the sales, citing confidentially agreements.
Bill Shaw, who along with wife Annette owned Pounui farm on the hillside overlooking Lake Onoke, said he had been ''sworn to secrecy''.
''But that's probably just going to flame the rumours isn't it,'' he said.
He wouldn't confirm Cameron as the new owner.
''There's lots of famous people down here, just most of them are shepherds.''
Heather McCreary, who owned the smaller dairy farm block at the edge of the lake, would also not comment today.
Cameron is thought to be arriving later this year to begin work on a sequel to the box office hit Avatar, to be made with Weta Digital.
But the documents show that Cameron's New Zealand connection will be more than just a working one.
''James F Cameron and his family intend to reside indefinitely in New Zealand and are acquiring the property to reside on and operate as a working farm,'' it notes.
The two properties are located just minutes down the road from the exclusive Wharekauhau Country Estate, a favourite of two other famous Wairarapa filmmakers, Sir Peter Jackson and wife, Fran Walsh.
The couple own an estate outside of Masterton.
LucasArts "Star War: The Old Republic" Becomes An Online Phenomenon
(BUSINESS WIRE)--Just six weeks after launching one of the most anticipated videogames of all time, BioWare™, a Label of Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA), is continuing to set new standards in online games with Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. Already the fastest growing subscription MMO ever, Star Wars: The Old Republic has sold over 2 million copies, with a thriving base of over 1.7 million active subscribers, as gamers around the world have immersed themselves in the story-driven, online Star Wars universe from BioWare and LucasArts. Helping drive The Old Republic’s early success has been the quality and reliability of the game’s service, with servers being available for more than 99.5% of the time outside of scheduled maintenance. BioWare has also delivered on the promise of continually adding new content by releasing Rise of the Rakghouls, which added new, higher level group content, less than 30 days after launch. The next game update, featuring even more content, new game systems and additional guild features, is scheduled to be released in Spring 2012.
“Our entire team worked very hard over the holidays to deliver a smooth experience at launch, and the resulting response to the game from our fans and critics has been exceptionally gratifying.”
“We’re truly honored and humbled by the incredibly strong support from our players who are enjoying Star Wars: The Old Republic,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder of BioWare and General Manager of EA’s BioWare Label. “Our entire team worked very hard over the holidays to deliver a smooth experience at launch, and the resulting response to the game from our fans and critics has been exceptionally gratifying.”
Added Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Co-Founder of BioWare and General Manager of the BioWare MMO Business Unit: “But we’re not resting! We’re actively listening to our community for ongoing feedback to help us ensure the game and service continue to improve, and we’re working to deliver spectacular new high quality content on a regular cadence going forward.”
Player engagement for Star Wars: The Old Republic has not slowed since launch, as the community achieved the following incredible gameplay milestones in just over one month since launch:
* Over 239 million in-game hours, or over 332,000 months and over 27,000 years of in-game time
* Over 20 billion NPCs killed
* Over 148 billion credits spent
Sophisticated SPFX Masterminded by Industrial Light & Magic To Launch "Transformers: The Ride-3D"
(superherohype.com)Universal Studios Hollywood has just announced that they plan on airing a 30-second commercial for their upcoming motion-based thrill ride, "Transformers: The Ride-3D," set to debut at the theme park this May. Y
The evocative spot marks Universal Studios Hollywood's inaugural consumer awareness effort for its marketing campaign launching "Transformers: The Ride-3D." When NBC's Super Bowl game coverage once again transcends sports to captivate the nation, Universal Studios Hollywood's spot will capture consumer imagination as the movie-based theme park sets the stage for its epic new ride, envisioned to completely and uniquely revolutionize the next generation of immersive themed rides.
The spot will culminate with a call to action, challenging viewers to enlist at PrepareForBattle.com as N.E.S.T. volunteers within an elite AUTOBOT–human combat force. The PrepareForBattle.com website includes an interactive, online game in which fans and theme park enthusiasts will compete to rise up the military ranks by successfully completing missions involving exclusive videos, downloads and trivia. Players achieving the highest accumulated point totals will win prizes including original "Transformers" collectibles and a grand prize trip to experience "Transformers: The Ride–3D" at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Larry Kurzweil, President, Universal Studios Hollywood said, "We're very excited to introduce our new breakthrough advertising campaign for 'Transformers: The Ride-3D' during the coveted Super Bowl and to be a part of the edge-of-your-seat suspense surrounding these spots for millions of viewers. In just thirty, thrilling seconds, we'll be able capture how exhilarating this mega-attraction will be when it officially opens at Universal Studios Hollywood this May."
The thrill ride will tell a new "Transformers" story using original, photo-realistic 3D-HD media, sophisticated special effects masterminded by Industrial Light & Magic, and one of the most elaborate roaming flight simulator ride systems ever created.
Fluid but Uneven CGI Movie Based on the Popular Games Franchise
(list.co.uk) This is actually the third movie based on the immensely popular fighting games, but Tekken: Blood Vengeance (Manga Entertainment) is the first fully computer animated version and was originally available as part of the Tekken Hybrid package. It looks great with smooth fluid CGI. The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed – particularly a three-way punch up between Jin, Kazuya and Heihachi – but for a film based on Tekken there just aren’t enough. Too much of the run time is filled with grade school espionage, focusing on Ling Xiaoyu and Alisa, before descending into mystic babble for the final apocalyptic showdown.
Certain scenes will prove baffling without at least a basic understanding of Tekken lore (continuity freaks will be pleased to know Blood Vengeance stays true to the official storyline and slots in between Tekken 5 and Tekken 6). If you are a massive fan of this fighting franchise you’ll find more to love but you might be disappointed at how few fan favourite characters are featured.
Special Effects: The Truth About the Amazing Opening Shot of War Horse’s Cavalry Charge
(blogs.equisearch.com)Could you hear me cheer earlier this week when the British BAFTA film award nominees were announced?
Some critical people who made me love War Horse were at the top of the list for individual awards: Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, production designers Rick Carter and Lee Sandales and the special visual effects crew of Ben Morris and Neil Corbould were nominated–along with the sound crew and composer John Williams, who wrote the score.
There’s one special scene that they had to build.
You won’t believe which scene!
We hear so much about Spielberg’s comments that the Devon landscape served as a character in the film, but so did the artificial landscape created by Carter and Sandales for the war scenes. There was no natural No Man’s Land for a location–they had to build it.
And there’s one special scene that they also had to build. You won’t believe which scene! When I read the article in The Telegraph, I was stunned. How could anyone create this much magic from an emtry field?
War Horse News gold logo (small)From an interview with actor Tom Hiddleston (Captain Nicholls): “The battle was shot at Stratfield Saye House in north Hampshire, the estate of the Duke of Wellington. ‘It was one of the most amazing days of my life,’ Hiddleston recalls. ‘One hundred and 20 horses waiting in line in a phalanx of military formation, and everything about the context was real except for the bullets.’
But The Telegraph’s Sally Williams corrected Hiddleston and, insodoing, spilled the beans. Or the wheat. Or whatever that waving field of grain would have yielded in harvest. Sally tells us:
“This isn’t strictly true, as in order to create the desired effect of men and horses streaming like ghosts from a field of reeds, plants were imported from another part of the country. ‘There was a marsh in the south of London still in bloom,’ Rick Carter, the production designer, has said. ‘We went there and paid a farmer to cut his whole field down, then we put the reeds in styrofoam’.”
But it didn’t stop there–there were rows like narrow paths through the reeds for the horses to follow.
How many horses were really in the grainfield scene? Here's the British cavalry charging through the open toward the German camp. (DreamWorks photo)
Then the task was passed to the geniuses at digital film effects consulting company Framestore, who literally multiplied the number of horses and riders following those paths. In a Below The Line interview with Framestore’s compositing supervisor Chris Zeh, the digital animator said,
“The sequence was supposed to show many dozens of British soldiers hiding in this field of reeds, but they had neither sufficient reeds nor soldiers to make it work. Over nearly 30 shots we filled the landscape with reeds – not just 2D but 3D – and soldiers. And we helped fill the air with seeds floating from the reeds.”
The more I learn about War Horse, the more amazed I am. And the more I want to see it all over again (again).
Pitch Video and Test Footage for ‘John Carter of Mars’
(slashfilm.com) If the name Kerry Conran doesn’t sound familiar, that’s because he’s only made one movie: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. For a directorial debut, though, talk about a massive undertaking. The film is still largely considered a failure but its innovative use of green screen and digital effects foreshadowed what would become the standard in filmmaking in the years that followed.
One of those films is the upcoming John Carter, Andrew Stanton’s hugely expensive and highly anticipated adaptation of the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Before Stanton took the helm, though, John Carter of Mars was a property many, many producers and directors tried to tackle. We’ve all heard about Jon Favreau and Robert Rodriguez but one name we forget was Conran, a natural choice thanks to his digital work, who was attached to the film around the time of Sky Captain.
His attachment was probably in large part to an extensive demo reel used pitch his vision. And wouldn’t you know it? It’s online. Watch it after the jump.
The video is up on the Looking Glass Films website and seems to first be uncovered by John Carter fan page Barsoomia.org. We got a tip from @DannyTRS.
Click on the image below to head to the video, which is in Quicktime and not embeddable. It blends concept art, digital characters, and live action components into a very effective, 5+ minute presentation.
Being as we’ve been bombarded with Stanton’s version of the film for so long now, I see a lot of what eventually ended up in his version in Conran’s work. The Martians are actually pretty impressive even in a very unfinished state and the scope of the film is certainly there. Granted, it looks like a 2004 version and we’re about to get a 2012 version but it’s incredibly cool to see what might have been.
VIDEO - Take a look: http://www.slashfilm.com/kerry-conrans-pitch-video- test-footage-john-carter-mars/
CGI & Animatronic Wolves Not Enough For PETA
(observer.com)Liam Neeson’s wolfy action flick The Grey has PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) snarling and snapping at film producers. In a post published last Thursday in PETA’s official blog, blogger Michelle Sherrow first expressed anger that the filmmakers had not kept their word to PETA representatives:
PETA met with a producer of The Grey and explained how animals used in movies often spend most of their time confined to chains or cages when they are not performing and may be beaten or deprived of food in order to force them to perform. The producers assured us that they would use only computer-generated imagery and animatronic wolves—but we’ve now learned that they reneged on their promise.
Calling The Grey‘s director Joe Carnahan “Joe Carnage,” Ms. Sherrow cited reports that Neeson and fellow cast members had eaten wolf meat to immerse themselves in the desperate situation portrayed in the film and compared The Grey‘s potential impact on wolves to the demonizing effects Steven Spielberg’s Jaws had on sharks in the late 1970s:
The Grey portrays these intelligent, family-oriented animals the same way in which Jaws portrays sharks. The writers paint a pack of wolves living in the Alaskan wilderness as bloodthirsty monsters, intent on killing every survivor of a plane crash by tearing each person limb from limb.
Audiences are not running from The Grey. Nikki Finke reported Friday that it was projected to be “the No. 1 movie at the North American box office,” scoring a projected $17.6 million in box office receipts.
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