(jedinews.co.uk)
The Phantom Menace has matched expectations and brought in a very healthy $23 million dollars at the North American box office, taking fourth spot for the weekend.
It was a very bouyant weekend, 30% up on last years matching frame with four movies grossing north of $20 million, a first for February. Impressively The Phantom Menace brought in enough to become the 29th biggest opening for a February. Not bad for a 13 year old film that was only released on Blu-ray a few short months ago.
Beyond that, the $23 million elevates The Phantom Menace domestic box office total to $454,088,301, taking it above E.T and Shrek 2 into the all-time 5th position, just behind A New Hope. While it only requires another $6 million to pass A New Hope it's unlikely to catch the 3rd place film The Dark Knight which is currently $79 million ahead.
On the worldwide front The Phantom Menace has risen from 18th to 15th positon, passing two Harry Potter entries Half-Blood Prince and Order of the Phoenix. With $947,317,558 worldwide and international figures yet to arrive it's a formality as to whether or not The Phantom Menace joins the billion dollar club. To put our prediction hats on, an admittedly optimistic $200 million worldwide haul would pull the film into the all-time 3rd position, just ahead of Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
So, now we wait for the official announcement of Attack of the Clones 3D for February.
‘Pacific Rim’ Production Update From Guillermo del Toro
(screenrant.com) Just because fan-favorite filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is in the midst of shooting his most expensive blockbuster to date – the 25-foot-tall robots vs. monsters sci-fi epic, Pacific Rim – doesn’t mean he’s slacking off, as far as keeping in touch with fans about the current status of the project.
Principal photography commenced on Pacific Rim back in November 2011, with a rising-star-studded cast that includes actors such as Charlie Hunnam (Sons of Anarchy), Idris Elba (Prometheus), and Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). It marks the first project featuring del Toro in the director’s seat since Hellboy II: The Golden Army hit theaters back in 2008.
One of the more noteworthy tidbits that del Toro dropped recently (via his official fansite) is that he’s penned several revised drafts of the Pacific Rim shooting script – which was originally written by Travis Beacham (Clash of the Titans) – with screenwriters ranging from Neil Cross (Luther) to Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3) and even Saw franchise duo Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton having also devoted a few days-to-weeks’ worth of input.
Hence, while the central narrative concept (ie. humans pilot giant robots to battle monsters from another dimension) for Pacific Rim remains the same, many important plot and character elements have been altered and refined from Beacham’s earlier draft. So, that’s encouraging, considering that Beacham’s previous work left many worried that his Pacific Rim script would suffer from a lack of substance to go with all the flash and bang.
Similarly, the diverse range of talent that del Toro has “consulted” about Pacific Rim – and who, the filmmaker says, have all ultimately “chipped in with ideas that I love!” – should help ensure the final movie turns out better than his previous big-budget sci-fi monster flick, Mimic. Not having to deal with loads of studio interference should also help, as del Toro has long claimed was the case with that 1997 title. But, we digress…
On the topic of the human-controlled mechanical suits (or, rather “robots”) that will be present in Pacific Rim, del Toro had the following to say, with regards to their design:
I never “bend” a property to fit me. I just fall in love with the stories and give it my everything, so – don’t worry about [Mechas like The Golden Army in 'Hellboy 2']. These are proper robots but they obey our own sensibilities in design. I am not making them gear or steampunky at all but I also don’t want them to be just a “riff” on preexisting designs from Anime or games.
It would definitely be easy for del Toro to partially rip off the design of “piloted Mechas,” from films like Avatar and The Matrix Revolutions – or animated series such as Neon Genesis Evangelion – but, if anyone can devise a clever new variation on that trope, it’s the guy responsible for imagining the fantastical creatures of Pan’s Labyrinth. Then again, did anyone really expect any less from del Toro?
One last thing to note – del Toro also mentioned that “a top-tier composer” will be providing the score for Pacific Rim, but that it won’t be someone he’s worked with previously. That sadly discounts Oscar-nominee Javier Navarrete (The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth) as an option, but hopefully a fitting alternative will be selected.
Pacific Rim remains set to hit U.S. theaters on May 10th, 2013.
SGI Shares Plunge 23%
(cbsnews.com) SAN FRANCISCO — Silicon Graphics International Corp.'s shares plummeted 23 percent Wednesday after the provider of computer equipment and services reported its profit margins are shriveling. The sell-off produced the steepest one-day plunge in the stock since Rackable Systems bought Silicon Graphics out of bankruptcy court for $42.5 million and adopted the company's name nearly three years ago.
THE SPARK: After the market closed Tuesday, SGI reported a loss for its most recent quarter and provided a disappointing earnings outlook for the rest of its fiscal year ending in June. Management traced most of the company's problems to Europe, citing the continent's fragile economy amid government debt woes and the high cost of doing business there. About 48 percent of SGI's revenue comes from outside the U.S.
SGI, which is based in Fremont, Calif., lost $2.3 million, or 7 cents per share, in its fiscal second quarter, which spans October through December. If not for certain accounting items, the company said it would have earned 4 cents per share, Even on that basis, the results were far below the average earnings estimate of 25 cents per share among analysts polled by FactSet.
Even more unsettling for investors, SGI's margins are still being squeezed. Although management anticipates bringing in more revenue than previously budgeted, SGI's adjusted earnings per share for the year ending in June are expected to range from 15 cents to 30 cents. The previous forecast had called for adjusted earnings per share of 60 cents to 80 cents. Analysts, on average, had forecast 67 cents per share.
Ridley Scott Already Thinking About A Sequel To Prometheus
(perezhilton.com) Ridley Scott has been seriously bitten with the sci-fi bug, as after he completed Prometheus, he decided to direct a follow-up to Blade Ranner - and is now apparently already thinking about a sequel to the aforementioned Alien prequel!
He explains:
"I just thought Prometheus was so enjoyable - returning to the world of science fiction was so fun - that I wanted to [go back to Blade Runner, too]. I'm also thinking about what the hell I might do for a Prometheus 2."
And when questioned about the validity of his comment, he responded by knocking on a wooden table and smiling!
Oh, hell to the yes!
If Prometheus is as good as we think it's going to be, then get moving on the next one! Please!
"Nerd Oscars" Puts Hollywood's "Backroom Boys" in the Spotlight
(TheWrap.com) The Academy's Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony has been dubbed the nerd Oscars before -- but after Saturday night's show at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, you could also call it the anti-Oscars.
After all, the show began with something that the big show has decided to do away with this year: the live performance of an Oscar-nominated song, in this case the Oscar-winning "Falling Slowly" from Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.
It included far more smart guys than movie stars. Not one of the winners had his speech interrupted by music, even if he pulled out a piece a paper and read a list of thank-yous.
(The choice of pronoun is not sexist: Not one of the 30 winners was female.)
And near the end, it featured a very lengthy and literate speech that took to task all those who think the Academy Awards need updating or freshening.
You won't find any of those things at the big show in two weeks, but they were all on display at the Sci-Tech Awards, an annual tribute to the people who put the Sciences in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Sci-Tech Awards are a night when an actress (this year, Milla Jovovich) gets to use phrases like "mico-voxels" and "active servos" and "inner actuators" and "motion vector fields" and "high-efficiency anti-halation layer."
"I won't be taking questions," said Jovovich after donning a pair of glasses but before tackling the lengthy and technical descriptions of the eight achievements that were awarded with Sci-Tech Awards by the Academy's Scientific and Technical Awards Committee.
In a way, the Sci-Tech Awards honor the folks who give the tools to the ones who'll be getting higher-profile Oscars two weeks from now.
It's easy to say that if it weren't for these guys, Harry Potter wouldn't have his magic and the Transformers wouldn't be able to transform -- but it goes beyond that, because the technological advancements also make it possible for cinematographers to shift focus quickly, and directors to position cameras on moving vehicles, and for films to be preserved for generations to come.
They help the big-budget CGI flicks and the smaller art movies; they can help Martin Scorsese make "Hugo," and help preserve the old films that are celebrated in "Hugo."
So while the Sci-Tech Awards are occasionally the subject of a punchline or two on the Oscar show, they're also a necessary part of what the Academy does.
And they drew a full house to the Beverly Wilshire's ballroom -- including Oscar show producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer, who sat near the front but were powerless to stop even the lengthiest of the night's speeches.
And as one winner, Pictorvision's Michael Vellekoop, said, "It's really exciting to climb out into the limelight for us backroom boys."
As usual, the evening began with the Sci-Tech Committee chair, Richard Edlund, welcoming the guests and adding, "Just as in part years, we'd like to ... begin the evening's festivities with some great entertainment."
At that, a chuckle came from one table; at the Sci-Tech Awards, "entertainment" typically means a ventriloquist straight from Branson, Missouri.
But this time the Academy wasn't messing around: They'd called Hansard and Irglova, whose "Falling Slowly" is one of the most beloved Oscar-winning songs of recent years.
And the duo were eager to participate: "The Oscar show is such an amazing memory for us," Hansard told TheWrap before going on, "that it was a no-brainer for us when they asked."
Their three-song set was warm, inviting and exceptionally well-received, with Hansard saying "this is for Whitney" before going into a tender final verse of Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic," and then dedicating "Falling Slowly" to publicist Ronni Chasen, who was killed in a shooting in November 2010.
Edlund and Academy president Tom Sherak then congratulated the winners and lauded the achievements of the Academy's Science & Technology Council, which presents public programs, is working to set industry standards for visual formats, and has just released "The Digital Dilemma 2," the follow-up to its well-received 2007 report on film preservation.
The Sci-Tech Awards themselves come in three types: the Technical Achievement Award, which brings with it a certificate; the Scientific and Engineering Award, a plaque; and the Academy Award of Merit, an Oscar statuette.
On Saturday, the Academy bestowed two certificates, for one achievement; 23 plaques, for six achievements; three Oscar statutettes; and two honorary awards, the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation and the Gordon E. Sawyer Award.
"Sitting in front of the computer 10 hours a day really doesn't prepare you for this kind of speech," said Mark Elendt, who as one of the creators of "micro-voxels in the Mantra software" was one of the night's first winners.
Two of the night's winners, Dr. Jurgen Noffke (designer of ARRI Zeiss Master Prime Lenses) and John D. Lowry (head of the company that created the "Lowry Process" for noise reduction and image enhancement) passed away before the ceremony, leading to emotional moments onstage, particularly when Lowry's team and his widow accepted his award.
The presentation of the three Academy Awards of Merit, which went to the ARRILASER Film Recorder, was what the Sci-Tech Awards calls an "upgrade" -- the achievement won a plaque in 2001, but over time has proven itself to be so important that the committee voted to award it Oscar statuettes this year.
The evening culminated with the two honorary awards -- including Sci-Tech's top honor, the Gordon E. Sawyer Award. It went to legendary visual effects creator Douglas Trumbull, whose career in effects includes "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and, recently, "The Tree of Life." Trumbull also has worked as a director, inventor and advocate for improved methods of filming and exhibition.
"I want to accept this in terms of an affirmation of my work, which is ongoing," said Trumbull, who went on to describe his current vision: "I am trying to figure out how to make a movie that you are in, rather than looking at."
The goal, he said, is simple: to enable Hollywood to make movies "so big and cool and so spectacular that people want to go out to the movies to see them."
But the other honorary winner, visual effects technologist Jonathan Erland, gave the night's biggest, longest and most all-encompassing speech.
An early member of ILM who worked on "Star Wars" and went on to work in research and development on a large number of film-related projects, Erland delivered an enormously long speech that paid tribute to his mentors ("what a league of exemplars they were") and then to the Academy itself.
He mentioned the Chinese curse "may you live in interesting times" and quipped, "We're now way past interesting -- we're all the way to white-knuckle fascinating."
But the way for the Academy to adjust to the new, changing era, he insisted, was not to change in an attempt to stay relevant, or to make alterations in the Oscar show to attract a younger audience.
"The show exists to support the awards, and the awards exist to support the Academy's mission to promote the excellence of motion pictures," said Erland. "If we are now to become what some people think young people want today, what the hell will they have to grow up for?"
He also called for the creation of a new Science Branch of the Academy, said he was creating a new nonprofit institute for motion picture study, and said, "I look to history to light a way to the future."
Along the way, he found a quote from screenwriter and director William C. DeMille that might as well serve as the unofficial motto for the Sci-Tech Awards: "If we don't get the science first, you ain't gonna get no art."
Disney's "Maleficent" Next For Angelina Joli
(darkhorizons.com)Speaking at Berlinale to promote "In the Land of Blood and Honey", actress Angelina Jolie confirmed that Disney's "Maleficent" will be her next project.
"I haven't acted in two years, and I haven't done anything else since this [Land of Blood and Honey]. The next thing I am looking at is a Disney movie" the actress revealed to The Hollywood Reporter.
"Maleficent" is Linda Woolverton's revisionist take on "Sleeping Beauty" which switches the focus to the evil Queen of the story. The project has taken on a new energy in recent weeks as "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland" production designer Robert Stromberg has come onboard to direct.
Jolie was also linked to a Luc Besson movie which was to begin shooting in April but that appears to be no longer the case.
And the BAFTAS Go To "Rango"
(animationmagazine.net)The weekly shower of big awards to Gore Verbinski’s feature Rango continued on Sunday (Feb. 12) when the quirky CG-animated movie received the Best Animated Feature BAFTA Award during a star-studded event at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden. The film’s competition in this category were Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin and Sarah Smith’s Arthur Christmas.
"Beetlejuice 2" Status - Don't Hold Your Breath
(darkhorizons.com)Author Seth Grahame-Smith tells STYD that the "Beetlejuice" sequel he's writing for Warner Bros. Pictures is moving along nicely.
"I met with Michael Keaton last week, we talked for a couple of hours and talked about big picture stuff. It's a priority for Warner Bros. It's a priority for Tim" he tells the site.
So how long before he gets to work? "Right now, I am writing an animated movie for Tim based on an idea of mine. Then I adapt 'Unholy Night' [based on the upcoming book]. The third I am hoping is 'Beetlejuice' in terms of writing schedule."
Doug Chiang's 'ROBOTA: Vengeance' on Kickstarter
The game ROBOTA: Vengeance tells a side story within the ROBOTA universe. At its core, it is a fast paced robot fighting and adventure game specifically designed to take advantage of the latest in gaming technology on mobile, tablet and social platforms.
But it is also much more. In the game, you will build your own custom robot in order to defeat giant enemy robots and genetically modified dinosaurs in gladiatorial combat while searching for the secrets that lie within you.
You play the role of a robot and must battle your way through increasing larger and harder foes in order to reach your goal and unlock the secrets to your origins. On your quest, you enhance and improve yourself by repairing and upgrading your parts as you go.
SiXiTS will create the game over a 5 - 6 month period. We are setting up a private online community exclusively for the Kickstarter backers to see the project prior to release and discuss their thoughts and feelings about the game's content and direction with Doug Chiang, ROBOTAs creator, and the SiXiTS team. This is a great opportunity to see and have input into the creative process that goes into creating an interactive and immersive world such as ROBOTA on a mobile device.
We will also be broadcasting video updates and progress on our Youtube channel.
VIDEO - Take a look: http://bryoncaldwell.blogspot.com/2012/02/doug-chaings- robota-vengeance-on.html
Harry Potter Wins the Visual Effects BAFTA
(joepavlo.wordpress.com)After a streak of eight vfx nominations in a row, the Harry Potter visual effects team finally turn that nomination in to a win on the final film of the series. Justice is done. Than you, Academy members!
Otherwise, it was a phenomenal night for The Artist – and deservedly so. OK, maybe a teensy bit too much so – but what a great film! Tinker Tailor did well too and although i agree that the film was stylish and well crafted, it still left me a bit cold. Good on them anyways.
My disappointments for the night was that no bling was flung at Midnight in Paris, my Week With Marylin or We Need To Talk About Kevin. Tyrannosaur, of course, got the outstanding debut award, but should have been nominated for more.
But… mustn’t grumble! All in all a great night for BAFTA and film in general. Stephen Fry was in his element as host and the show was filled with genuinely entertaining, moving and hilarious moments!
Transformers 3 Visual Effects Artistry Deconstructed
(slashfilm.com) It’s easy for some to completely write of Transformers: Dark of the Moon as a forgettable Summer big budget blockbuster, but I think it would be wrong to overlook the technical achievements of some of the awesome action sequences.
ILM and Digital Domain have both released videos breaking down all the work that went into the action you saw on screen. You might be surprised to find out that Optimus Prime, Autobots and Decpticons weren’t the only CG additions in the film. Whole real-world environments and complete shots were created within the computer – buildings, vehicles, bridges, skyscrapers, cities and planets.
For me, these visual effect breakdown videos are the closest thing we have these days to the “Movie Magic” specials from my childhood. While I agree those were more fun, and nothing will beat the magic of practical effects done right, its still fun to get a look behind the curtain and see how the magic was constructed. Watch the videos embedded after the jump.
LA Times Looking To Speak With VFX Artists
(vfxsoldier.wordpress.com)In my last post, VFX Artist and advocate Dave Rand mentioned that Richard Verrier, an LA Times reporter who covers labor issues in the Hollywood industry, is looking to report on VFX workers who have been adversely effected by the current climate in the VFX industry.
I encouraged workers who have written to me about joblessness, health insurance issues, employee misclassification, labor law violations, unpaid wages, and subsidies, to contact Richard Verrier.
Write to: Richard.Verrier@latimes.com
An article in the LA Times would help bring the current events in our industry to the forefront. Please take the time to tell Richard your story.
Soldier On.
Warners Adapting Fantasy "Landover" Series
(darkhorizons.com) Warner Bros. Pictures has optioned the film rights to Terry Brooks' "Magic Kingdom of Landover" book series says Variety.
Based on the first book in the series, 1986's "Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold!," the story follows a recently widowed lawyer who finds an advertisement in an upscale Christmas catalog claiming to offer a magical kingdom for $1 million by a man named Mr. Meeks.
After he purchases it, he discovers he must unite the kingdom's denizens and creatures to stop an evil demon bent on destroying the realm.
Akiva Goldsman's Weed Road Pictures, Andy Cohen's Grade A Entertainment, and Weed Road's Kerry Foster and Alex Block will produce.
Universal previously tried to adapt the property back in 2005 with a script by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel while Stephen Sommers was attached to direct.
Animation Studio Bests Pixar With Solid Record for Nominations
(online.wsj.com)When it comes to Academy Awards nominations, American-based licensing and film distribution company GKIDS is three for three. Since its founding in 2008, GKIDS has received an Oscar nod for every film it has released.
The three-person film outfit picked up two nominations in the best animated feature category this year for its movies "Chico & Rita" and "A Cat in Paris." The remaining nominations went to "Puss in Boots" and "Kung Fu Panda 2," both from DreamWorks Animation SKG, and "Rango" from Industrial Light & Magic, a division of Lucasfilm Ltd. The Academy Awards will be presented Feb 26.
'A Cat in Paris' is one of two GKIDS films nominated for an Oscar.
In 2010, GKIDS's first film, "The Secret of Kells," snagged a nomination, but "Up," from Walt Disney Co./Pixar Animation Studios, took home the Oscar.
Pixar's flawless nomination record was broken this year when its eligible film, "Cars 2" failed to win a nod. Paramount's "The Adventures of Tintin," directed by Steven Spielberg, also was denied in the category. It did, however, receive a nod for best original score
GKIDS president and founder Eric Beckman believes "Cars 2" and "Tintin" were passed over because the business model for animated films is changing. "There's a hole in the market. These big studios release their expensive tent-pole films with over $100 million production budgets, but audiences want to see interesting, beautiful different types of animated movies," Mr. Beckman said.
"Chico & Rita," which was made for a budget of $13 million, comes from Spanish director Fernando Trueba, who won an Oscar for best foreign film for "Belle Epoque" in 1994. He collaborated with designer and illustrator Javier Mariscal for eight years to create the animated film, which tells the story of two Cuban performers, Chico, a pianist, and Rita, a singer, as they chase their dreams out of 1940s Cuba and to New York.
"Chico & Rita" is an animated film for adults, said Mr. Trueba. The movie uses hand-sketched scenes based on the Ministry of Public Works of Havana photo archives. The film also delves into adult themes of love, sex and betrayal. "Using adults is opening a door for us to do something more interesting with animation," said Mr. Trueba, adding, "We reach a different but very interested audience." The film opened last Feb. 10 on one screen in New York and will roll out in 14 cities throughout February.
Inspired by classic film noir pictures, "A Cat in Paris" tells the story of Dino, a house cat by day and a burglar's accomplice by night. Each scene was hand-drawn and takes place primarily in alleys, across rooftops and atop the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The $6.6 million budgeted "A Cat in Paris" is in French with English subtitles and is scheduled for release in the U.S. this summer, although it is already out internationally.
"We didn't send out 6,000 screeners or take out national ads in 'Variety,'" said Mr. Beckman of the Oscars campaigns for his two films. Instead he set up small private screenings on the Pixar and Disney lots, and courted the animation and film school communities in Los Angeles. "The Oscars are the great equalizer. You don't have to spend millions to reach millions, you look to a smaller group of people who know and like film," said Mr. Beckman. "But you've got to start with something super."
CG Starship Trooper Film's 1st Character Shot Posted
(animenewsnetwork.com)The official blog for the new computer-animated Starship Troopers: Invasion film posted the first image of one of the characters on Wednesday. According to the blog, the character is Major Henry "Hero" Varro:
He was the commander of the K-12 team at Fort Casey, but he is arrested for insubordination by Dr Carl Jenkins. He is a prisoner on the ship Alesia as he is being transported to Earth for court martial. While it's not immediately apparent why he's perceived as a threat, we do know that he retains the respect and admiration of all those that served under him. His experience, in combination with the undying trust of the troopers, is an asset the Federation won't be able to survive without indefinitely…
The new film draws design cues from Paul Verhoeven's loose 1997 live-action film adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's original novel. The blog had previously posted starship designs, as well as a rough illustration of a suit drawn by Shinji Aramaki (Appleseed). Aramaki is directing the new film, which is due out in summer 2012.
Flint Dille is writing the screenplay for the film after working as a story editor on The Transformers and G.I. Joe television series of the 1980s. The staff commissioned illustrator Hidetaka Tenjin (Macross Frontier, Macross Zero, Hellsing Ultimate) to create a teaser poster for the film. Joseph Chou (Appleseed films, Halo Legends, proposed live-action Evangelion) is producing the new project. Edward Neumeier and Casper Van Dien of the live-action Starship Troopers film are executive producers.
Take a look: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-02-09/cg- starship-trooper-film-1st- character-shot-posted
How 'The Phantom Menace' Influenced Blockbuster Special Effects, Despite Everyone Pretending Not to Notice
(popwatch.ew.com)When Star Wars hit theaters in 1977, it was a jaw-dropping spectacle of game-changing visuals, and when it hit my family’s VCR in 1992, it was still exactly that. Some films’ technical achievements endure through the ages and I have a feeling that, even without George Lucas’ digital face-lifts, the original trilogy’s effects would still look impressive today. Other FX milestones, like say the work of Ray Harryhausen, may not be quite so protected against the kitchification of time, but are still awarded their due reverence in the history of the field.
The Phantom Menace, however, is an interesting case. It’s one of the few films whose impressive technical achievements were in service of a story so bland and characters so one-dimensional (forget 3-D) that the annals of cinema history are unable to separate one from the other. This is unfortunate because, by all rights, the prequel not only boasted some of the most impressive digital effects to date, but also ended up influencing, for better or for worse, how Hollywood has made blockbusters ever since.
People often point to Gollum as the first fully CGI, motion-capture major character in a film, but they’re forgetting a certain floppy-eared, syntax-challenged Gungan. Now, some things are better left forgotten, and I’m sure many put Jar Jar Binks — the comic-relief figure audiences needed relief from – in that category. But it’s tempting to wonder: If Binks’ personality hadn’t been equivalent of taking a cheese grater to the face, would he currently be lauded as an important VFX stepping stone?* Similarly, the massive battle scenes in The Lord of the Rings were predated by the prequel’s droid-Gungan skirmish, yet the former is far better remembered than the latter.
The Phantom Menace was the first Star Wars film not to win the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, losing out to the bullet-dodging tai chi of The Matrix. There’s no doubt the Wachowskis blended their technology more seamlessly into their story; George Lucas was never very good at directing actors, and even less so when their only visual cue is a giant expanse of green fabric. (It only takes one look at Liam Neeson’s stoically unfocused stare whenever he’s supposed to be reacting to something that isn’t there to see that these actors were entirely on their own.) But The Phantom Menace still may have had more influence on subsequent big-budget films than people realize. Few blockbusters nowadays opt for the more contained aesthetic of The Matrix, but Lucas’ more-is-more, rolling hills of greenscreen, approach has essentially become norm. There’s very little that doesn’t look overbusy and plastic, and a 90 percent postproduction film like Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland owes a lot to Lucas opening that particular Pandora’s box of synthetic wonders, from which even James Cameron’s Pandora partially sprung.
Thomas Edison Inspires the Oscar Awards You Don't See
(physorg.com) February 11 is the 165th anniversary of Edison's birthday, and an appropriate date for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to hold their Scientific and Technical Achievement awards in a ceremony, hosted by actress Milla Jovovich at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Most people want others to notice the result of their hard work, whether it is a newly finished home renovation or a freshly painted car. But for the scientists and engineers who work behind the scenes on movie sets, the mark of their success is when audiences don't notice their work at all.
Making Clouds
Seeing clouds in the sky is common, but creating realistic-looking clouds is a challenge. Usually, Andrew Clinton, a 3-D graphics programmer and Mark Elendt, a senior mathematician with Side Effects Software, use computer software to generate voxels -- 3-dimensional pixels -- which show volume in order to create clouds, smoke, or fire, but there were limits to the software. There were times when Clinton and Elendt wanted to split a voxel into micro-voxels.
"For example, if a cloud is very far away (covering only a few pixels), the cloud might only be split into a few micro-voxels," said Clinton and Elendt. As a result Clinton and Elendt invented and integrated micro-voxels into Mantra computer software. Micro-voxels were used in 2007's "The Golden Compass" and "TRON: Legacy" in 2010.
Film Recording
In 1993 when "Jurassic Park" premiered in theaters, audiences were immersed a world of digitally produced images -- but they didn't even notice the artificiality.
"In order to bring these effect shots to the analog film world, a device is required which takes the digital images and records them onto 35-mm photographic film, picture by picture," said Johannes Steurer, principal engineer and project manager of the ARRILASER at ARRI. "These film elements can then be used in the ongoing film production process like regular film shots and distributed to the film theatres."
The ARRILASER is the first device where audiences could not tell if the images were digitally modified or not. According to Steurer, this changed the whole process of feature film production because now, you could complete feature films in digital.
"The device consists of a computer that receives the image data from a network, some complex control electronics, a set of laser light sources in various colors, a deflection system that scans the laser beam onto the film, and mechanism to advance the film," said Steurer.
Movies such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Pirates of the Caribbean series all used ARRILASERED technology.
Full article: http://www.physorg.com/news/2012-02-thomas-edison-oscar- awards-dont.html
No comments:
Post a Comment