(ComingSoon.net)
Warner Bros. has updated their release calendar, shifting the release date of Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim and announcing new dates for 300: Battle of Artemisia (which is rumored to soon receive a new title) and The Hangover Part III.
Pacific Rim, originally slated for May 10, 2013, will be released on July 12, 2013, putting it up against Columbia Pictures' Grown Ups 2.
Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Charlie Day, Rinko Kikuchi, Max Martini, Willem Dafoe, Robert Kazinsky, Clifton Collins Jr., Diego Klattenhoff and Ron Perlman, Pacific Rim arrives from a science fiction treatment by Travis Beacham and sees a future Earth defending itself from attacking creatures.
J.J. Abrams Builds "Star Trek" Wall Of Forbidden Secrets
(themarysue.com)J.J. Abrams is seriously concerned about wildlings. And by wildings I mean, paparazzi. The director recently felt the need to erect a wall on set of Star Trek 2 because of all the leaked shots surfacing online. Hit the jump to find out what it looks like.
Abrams was apparently extremely upset after he noticed that pictures from the secure set had found their way onto the internet. The photos depicted returning actors Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana as well as the film’s new villain, Benedict Cumberbatch. Saldana told MTV, ”J.J. was very upset. I have to say that. It’s not going to stop people from intruding, but they are, and it’s such a bummer because it only hurts them by stealing away the surprise.”
So, he built this. Or rather, had a team of workers build this: http://static03.mediaite.com/themarysue/uploads/2012/03/ Wall2.jpg
“The director ordered the installation of 30 large shipping containers, strung together to form a fence around the perimeter of a major outside shooting location,” reports MovieWeb. “While for the moment, all we have to look at is this photo of those shipping containers, the paparazzi has accepted this as a challenge, promising fans that they will get a ladder and beat J.J. at his own game. A breach is promised soon, with more pics too come.”
I enjoy a good set shot now and then but I can absolutely understand Abrams’ frustration. And frankly, this is one film I’d rather go in fresh to or at least see official shots rather than stolen ones from paparazzi.
“Battleship” to be Released in Vietnam Five Weeks Earlier than in USA
(english.vietnamnet.vn)This movie will be launched in Vietnam on April 13, one month earlier than the release date in North America (May 18).
This is a big event of Vietnamese film distributors because Hollywood movies have always been released in Vietnam later than in North America. However, this gap is being narrowed.
Battleship is a science fiction naval war film based on the classic children's game by Hasbro, the same company that made Transformers. The film was directed by Peter Berg and will be released by Universal Pictures. The film stars Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Brooklyn Decker, Rihanna and Liam Neeson.
The film was originally planned to be released in 2011, but was rescheduled to April, 2012.
Synopsis: In the Hawaiian Islands, an international naval fleet at Pearl Harbor engages in a dynamic and intense battle against an alien species known as "The Regents." The aliens come to planet Earth on a mission to build a power source in the ocean. Upon their visit, they come in contact with the naval fleet. The film is also purported to show both sides of the story, from the aliens' perspective, as well as the humans' so the audience knows exactly where the opponent's ships are.
The estimated US$200 million project was to begin filming in Australia's Gold Coast in 2010, but the production company changed location due to a lack of Australian government tax incentives.
Filming took place in the United States on the Hawaiian Islands of Maui and Oahu, as well as in Sherman Oaks, California to do a few apartment scenes and in Playa del Rey, California where they filmed a driving scene along with a shootout. Battleship was also filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States.
CG ANIMATED FILMS TOP DVD SALES CHART
(studiobriefing.net)Two animated family films topped the weekly Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart last week. Warners Happy Feet Two and Paramount/DreamWorks The Adventures of Tintin are looking to overcome their mediocre showing theatrically. The Happy Feet sequel earned just $64 million in theaters; Tintin, just $77.6 million. Debuting in third place was 20th Century Fox’s The Descendants. On Home Media magazine’s rental chart, Tintin came in at No. 1, largely due to the fact that the other two films will not be released on Netflix or Redbox, the principal rental outlets, for another four weeks. The Adam Sandler comedy Jack and Jill broke its crown, sliding to second place in its third week on the video rental chart.
Smurfs To Battle Spartans
(comingsoon.net)The 300 sequel, directed by Noam Murro and slated to star Rodrigo Santoro, Eva Green, Sullivan Stapleton and Jamie Blackley, will hit theaters on August 2, 2013, opening opposite Columbia Pictures' Smurfs 2 and Dean Parisot's RED 2.
Akira Storyboards Reveal a Movie You Probably Won't See
(io9) The live-action version of Akira is currently on hold, shelved for now over budgetary issues at Warner Bros. In January, director Jaume Collet-Serra was well into pre-production up in Vancouver until development came to a halt.
Today, io9 landed some storyboards ("Do Not Distribute" - they say) from the film that reveal elements that scream - yes, this is indeed "Akira." You've got motorcycles, the military and a big bubble-shaped explosion. It appears they were on the right track.
Garrett Hedlund of TRON: Legacy was the only confirmed cast member and he was likely playing the blond fella you see in the art below. Helena Bonham Carter, Ken Wattanabe and Kristen Stewart were reportedly circling roles.
Sylvain Despretz (Gladiator) is responsible for the art.
Take a look: http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/169941-akira- storyboards-reveal-a-movie- you-probably-wont-see
DreamWorks China Venture to Produce First Animation Film
(.prokerala.com)A joint venture between DreamWorks Animation, producer of Hollywood blockbusters such as "Kung Fu Panda", and its Chinese partners is scheduled to release its first animated film in 2016, the head of the US studio said Tuesday.
Ultimately, Oriental DreamWorks will become a landmark entertainment center in Shanghai, just like Broadway in New York and Hollywood in Los Angeles, said Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of DreamWorks Animation (DWA), who began a two-day inspection tour of the Shanghai-based joint venture Monday.
Katzenberg said there are seven animation proposals competing for Oriental DreamWorks' maiden production, Xinhua reported.
He said the joint venture, promoted as a Chinese family entertainment brand, will closely link elements of Chinese history, culture and literature in its various productions.
For 2012, work will focus on assembling talents into a competent team, Katzenberg said, adding that a studio will be set up with leading DreamWorks expertise, especially on three-dimensional (3D) technologies.
The joint venture was first announced in February during Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's visit to the US.
DreamWorks has most recently taken the spotlight with "Kung Fu Panda" and "Kung Fu Panda 2". Both achieved impressive box office success in the Chinese market, with the latter reaching ticket sales of 470 million yuan ($75.2 million).
Wrath of the Titans Explores the Makhai in a New Featurette
(iTunes Movie Trailers) Warner Bros. has released, through iTunes Movie Trailers, a brand-new featurette for their upcoming Wrath of the Titans, due in theaters on March 30th in both 2D and 3D. This one focuses on the mythological battle demons, the Makhai, and you can check out the video in the player below.
VIDEO - Take a look: http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=88314
Terry Gilliam’s Debut Animated Film, Storytime
Terry Gilliam’s funny debut film, Storytime, features three early examples of the Monty Python animator’s twisted take on life. The film is usually dated 1968, but according to some sources it was actually put together several years later. The closing segment, “A Christmas Card,” was created in late 1968 for a special Christmas-day broadcast of the children’s program Do Not Adjust Your Set, but the other two segments– “Don the Cockroach” and “The Albert Einstein Story”–were broadcast on the 1971-1972 British and American program The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine, which featured Gilliam’s Pythonesque animation sequences at the beginning and end of each show. Whatever the date of production, Storytime (now added to our collection of 450 Free Movies Online in the Animation Section) is an engaging stream-of-consciousness journey through Gilliam’s delightfully absurd imagination.
VIDEO - Take a look: http://www.openculture.com/2012/03/terry_gilliams_debut_ animated_film_storytime.html
35 CG-Centric Movie Sequels Currently in the Works
(denofgeek.com)It’s been nearly five years since we started doing our annual round-ups of the current movie sequels that are in the works, and this year marks the longest list of all. Furthermore, what the 35 we've rounded up here doesn’t include are the projects that we suspect might have been lost to development hell, which we’ve detailed down at the bottom. Hollywood does love its follow-ups.
The projects that we do talk about here each have some chance of happening, and we’ve done a release date cut off of films due after October 2012 at the earliest. Thus, this summer’s collection of sequels – including The Dark Knight Rises, Madagascar 3, Ice Age 4, G.I. Joe 2, The Expendables 2, Men In Black 3, Wimpy Kid 3, The Bourne Legacy – aren’t included either.
And yet, with those exclusions, we’re still left with the many projects we're about to talk about.
Regular readers will know we don't like splitting lists over multiple pages, but we've had to in this instance. The reason? Er, simply because our back end system wouldn't let us fit it all on one page, unless we took all the pictures out.
Without further ado.
300: Battle Of Artemisia
For fairly obvious reasons, the second 300 film will be taking place before the first one. It’s been stuck in development limbo for a little while, with the likes of Guy Ritchie linked at one point. However, it’s now going to be called 300: Battle Of Artemisia, with Noam Munro directing. Munro has been down to direct Die Hard 5, before eventually parting company with that project.
The new 300 film, which is due out in 2013, will feature Eva Green and Jamie Blackley in its cast.
Adventures Of Tintin 2
Never mind that it didn’t make as much cash as expected in America, the worldwide box office performance of The Adventures Of Tintin: Secret Of The Unicorn more than made a sequel a given (nearly $400m worldwide, of which more than three quarters came from outside the US).
Peter Jackson is set to direct the next film, although he won’t be getting to it until he’s done with his two Hobbit movies. That suggests 2014 would be optimistic for Tintin 2. Anthony Horowitz is working on the script, which will be based on more than one book. There are plans for at least one further film after this one, too.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Sony has much confidence in its upcoming reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, with Andrew Garfield slipping his frame into the webslinger’s suit. So much so that it’s already earmarked a release date for the sequel. There’s no messing around, here: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be out on 2nd May 2014. The key players, in front of and behind the camera, are locked in to return.
Attack The Block 2
There’s not been much movement regarding a follow-up to Joe Cornish’s sleeper hit Attack The Block. However, the director said last autumn that he’d had several ideas for an Attack The Block 2, but that it wasn’t likely to be his next film. After that? An Attack The Block sequel may yet be in the offing.
Avatar 2 and 3
The wait for James Cameron’s Avatar sequels is going to be a long way, it’s been confirmed recently. The last update we had on the project was that Avatar 2 wouldn’t be with us until 2016 at the very earliest, which suggests that Avatar 3 will follow the year after. Both films will be blue.
The Avengers 2/Avengers Re-assemble
It’s little secret that Marvel has locked the likes of Chris Evans down for lots and lots of films, and three of them will be Avengers movies. The first Avengers is out this summer, and then presumably Marvel will leave the usual two to three year gap until the next one. Might Joss Whedon be tempted to return to direct? We’ll get a clearly idea of that the other side of the summer, but he's been chatting about his thoughts on a follow-up at least.
Batman
It’s no surprise, this, but just because Christopher Nolan will conclude his own Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises later this year, that doesn’t mean the caped crusader’s big screen adventures will be over. The current thinking is that Nolan and Emma Thomas will assume producer roles, as the Batman franchise will then undergo its latest cinematic makeover.
You have to say: the person who follows Nolan into the director’s chair has a bit of a thankless task on their hands…
Beetlejuice 2
A project firmly back on the radar, with Michael Keaton revealing earlier this year that he’s met with the screenwriter for the film, and he’s very keen to do it. Seth Grahame-Smith and David Katzenberg are writing the screenplay, and the movie is apparently high up Warner Bros’ radar, and possibly Tim Burton’s, too. Blimey.
Bruce Almighty 2
There’s already been one sequel of sorts to Bruce Almighty, with Steve Carell taking centre stage in Evan Almighty, when Jim Carrey passed on the chance to return. However, things change. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Jim Carrey was interested in a follow-up, with Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul touted to write the script.
Carrey’s not the box office draw he once was, which might explain why he’s now being linked to sequels to his earlier films. Our guess is that he’ll pick one of Bruce Almighty 2 and Dumb And Dumber 2 (which we’re coming to shortly) to progress.
Captain America 2
The smart money suggests that we’re looking at the summer of 2014 for the second standalone Captain America movie, with Chris Evans set to reprise the title role. Shooting on the movie is believed to be starting before the year is out, although a director, as yet, hasn’t been announced for the film. One will be soon, though, with screenplay work already well, well underway.
Chronicle 2
It’s been confirmed that Max Landis, screenwriter of the first Chronicle, is penning the follow-up to 2012’s sleeper hit. With over $100m banked worldwide, and great reviews, Chronicle is also ripe for a follow-up.
Will director Josh Trank return? That’s less clear. Rumours link him to Spider-Man spin-off, Venom, amongst other big projects. Hopefully, though, he can be tempted back to continue the Chronicle story.
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew
Voyage Of The Dawn Treader, the third movie in the Narnia movie franchise, was the best but least commercially successful. It also hasn’t put too many people a fourth Narnia movie, not least because it’s just the kind of film that works well in the back catalogue. Think of the boxset.
The next Narnia book to hit the big screen will be The Magician’s Nephew, and it’s still in the early stages of development. At the earliest, a 2014 release is mooted, but there’s no certainty of a green light, here.
Clash Of The Titans 3
You know how this works. To keep the distance between blockbuster sequels down to two years rather than three, studios set in motion a further chapter, even before the most recent film has been released.
Thus, last year Warner Bros recruited Dan Mazeau and David Leslie to start working on a treatment for Clash Of The Titans 3, although whether it ultimately presses forward will depend on the kind of business that Wrath Of The Titans does at the box office. If it does well, expect the Kraken to be re-re-released.
Cloudy 2: Revenge Of The Leftovers
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs remains one of the most delightful animated surprises of recent years, and its quality was matched by a good performance at the box office, too.
The sequel is thus due, which is being penned by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein (Horrible Bosses). Original directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord are stepping back into producer roles this time, with Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn directing. And the working title? Cloudy 2: Revenge Of The Leftovers. Let’s hope they get that outstanding voice cast back.
The film is set for release in December 2013.
Cloverfield 2
Another long-mooted sequel that looks no closer to happening, but one that the key personnel are still keen to make. Drew Goddard, who penned the first film, and also directed The Cabin In The Woods, has reiterated his desire to make the film. The problem? Well, you can guess. The schedules of director Matt Reeves and producer JJ Abrams are hardly empty, and until that changes, Cloverfield will remain a one-off.
Death Race 3
Luke Goss is back for the second sequel to Death Race, which will also feature Danny Trejo, Ving Rhames and Dougray Scott. It’ll no doubt be headed straight to DVD again, but the second movie was really quite palatable, so don’t necessarily write it off. It’s out later this year.
Despicable Me 2
Work is afoot on the return of Gru and his army of minions, with Despicable Me 2 due to arrive in cinemas in the summer of 2013. Original directors Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin are also on board, and the film has snagged the voice talent of Mr Al Pacino, too, who will be playing Gru’s nemesis. After Jack And Jill, that man has some credibility to re-build...
District 9 2
A film that’s being held up, it seems, by the busy schedules of those involved in it. In particular, Sharlto Copley and director Neill Bloomkamp have their respective plates full for the time being, while producer Peter Jackson…, well, you know full well what he’s up to.
There’s still seeming intent to make the film, but it may yet take another year or so for the respective pieces to slide into place.
Ghost Rider 3
The underwhelming box office returns for Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance might have killed this one stone dead, but as late as February of this year, plans for Ghost Rider 3 were still afoot. Nicolas Cage, not the kind of actor who jumps at sequels, was said to be interested, and co-director Mark Neveldine had also suggested that he might be back. We would imagine that the odds of Ghost Rider 3 are long, though, although stranger things have happened. Ghost Rider 2, for instance.
Ghostbusters 3
The news that Bill Murray definitely won’t be returning for the Ghostbusters reunion has put the long-mooted sequel on shaky ground.
Originally, Sony reportedly said that it wouldn’t make the film without Murray on board, although such talk has relaxed of late. But there’s still little doubt that Murray’s absence has thrown things into jeopardy. Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis still have a script, and Ivan Reitman is still down to direct.
Beyond that? Ghostbusters 3 still has a chance of happening, but it’s a diminishing one.
Gnomeo & Juliet: Sherlock Gnomes
It seems lots of people are keen to get on the Sherlock Holmes bandwagon right now. There’s the hit BBC series, headlined by Benedict Cumberbatch, the pair of movies from Guy Ritchie, and CBS planning its own TV adaptation with Jonny Lee Miller as the famous sleuth.
The sequel to animated hit Gnomeo & Juliet? It looks to be seeking similar inspiration. Elton John’s Rocket Pictures has put Gnomeo & Juliet: Sherlock Gnomes into motion, with Kevin Cecil and Andy Riley working on a script. Whether Kelly Asbury will return to direct is unclear, though.
Green Lantern 2
Hmmm. Up until the moment that people got to see Green Lantern for the first time, Green Lantern 2 seemed a done deal. A script had been worked on, Ryan Reynolds was locked in to return, and nothing could go wrong. Sadly, the critical savaging that Green Lantern attracted translated into underwhelming box office numbers, leaving Warner Bros with a tricky decision to make.
Thus far, the studio has been bullish about pressing ahead with another Green Lantern film, not least we’d guess because it wants its own Justice League movie at some point in the future. We know that director Martin Campbell won’t be involved if it does go ahead, though. Don’t hold your breath for this one…
Hancock 2
Every time we think that a follow-up to Hancock is dead, out pops another piece of news that suggests it might still be on the radar. It’s been a victim of the busy schedules of both star Will Smith and director Peter Berg so far, but it's not going away. In fact, Berg, currently finishing up his work on Battleship, still has it very much on his slate, and Smith is understood to be keen to reprise the title role.
How To Train Your Dragon 2
How To Train Your Dragon was brilliant. It made money, too. How To Train Your Dragon 2 was thus greenlit, with the voice talent returning, and is due in the summer of 2014. There’s not a fat lot more we need to tell you, there.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Suzanne Collins had written three books in The Hunger Games series, and even before the first had seen the inside of a cinema, work had begun on adapting the second for the big screen. It looks like Gary Ross will be back to direct the second film, and Simon Beaufouy (The Full Monty, 127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire) is on scripting duties. Beaufouy has promised a faithful adaptation of the book, and Catching Fire is due in cinemas on November 22nd 2013.
I Am Legend 2
Since we’ve been doing these annual sequel round-ups, I Am Legend has been a regular inclusion. Without wishing to spoil the film, a direct follow-up would be a pretty challenging proposition.
The answer? A prequel, with Will Smith tapped to return. It’s a project that’s being more talked about than acted upon in recent years, though, at least until Warner Bros recruited a screenwriter. This is a recent development, with Arash Amel brought in to pen the script. Depending on how that turns out, and that’s some kind of solid progress, the film may or may not move forward over the next year or so.
The Incredibles 2
While doing the interview rounds for last year’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, director Brad Bird said that he retained an interest in making another The Incredibles movie, but not until he had the right idea for it. Pixar sequels are notoriously spaced apart, so there’s no massive concern there. We just look forward to the film when it finally happens.
Indiana Jones 5
George Lucas continues to work away on a MacGuffin that doesn’t involve aliens for the fifth, and presumably last, Indiana Jones film. You know the score, here. Spielberg will come back to direct. Harrison Ford is happy to star. But it’s Lucas that holds the key to the Indiana Jones movie, and until he’s happy he’s cracked the story, the wait for Indy 5 goes on.
Iron Man 3
No pressure, but Iron Man 3 will be the first big Marvel film post-The Avengers, and it’ll be interesting to see just how that impacts on the standalone adventures of Tony Stark.
The basics, then. Robert Downey Jr is returning in the title role, and a release date has been earmarked. The film is set for May 3rd 2013. What makes Iron Man 3 particularly interesting, though, is the choice of director. Shane Black, who hasn’t helmed a film since the wonderful Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, is calling the shots. He’s also contributed to the script, and he might just be the main reason to watch the movie.
John Carter 2
Treatments are in place for a further two John Carter movies, although the likelihood of them getting made isn’t particularly strong. The box office returns for the first movie haven’t been at the level you’d need for such a massively expensive film thus far, and it’s going to take a sizeable non-US take to steer John Carter back to cinemas. If it happens, though, Andrew Stanton is reportedly keen to remain heavily involved.
Journey 3
Jules Verne will be pleased. Journey To The Center Of The Earth was a pre-Avatar 3D hit, one which spawned a sequel earlier this year, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Turns out, the sequel stood alone comfortably well, made a decent amount of cash, and now plans are afoot for Journey 3. The Rock is set to return, as is Josh Hutcherson. Journey 2 director Brad Peyton is interested in directing again, we hear.
Jurassic Park 4
It’s over a decade since the last film, but the appetite for a fourth Jurassic Park film hasn’t dissipated. Steven Spielberg will produce again, rather than direct, and development work continues. Producer Kathleen Kenendy told us at the end of last year that it's going to need a great script to get the project moving, but efforts are being made to find one.
Kick-Ass 2
Mystery continues to shroud Kick-Ass 2, a film that doesn’t appear, as of yet, to have a script or director attached. However, Mark Millar, the creator of the comic, gave an interview earlier in the year, where he said that Kick-Ass 2 would be shooting this summer.
If that’s the case, then it’s unlikely that Matthew Vaughn will be directing again, given his commitments to the X-Men franchise. We'd also suspect there might be a more formal announcement soon.
Kung Fu Panda 3
The success of the second Kung Fu Panda movie ensured a third, and the second film left things nicely poised for where, narratively, the next movie could go. DreamWorks boss has suggested that up to six movies in the series are planned, and so whilst Kung Fu Panda 3 hasn't been officially announced by the studio, we'd be amazed if it wasn't in cinemas in 2014, 2015 at the latest.
ZBrush On Mars - John Carter Gets Legacy Effects Treatment
(pixologic.com)John Carter may have explored Mars, but for the movie it didn’t begin there. Before anything can actually be made for film, it must start as a concept. This has traditionally been in the form of drawings and paintings, but thanks to advancing technologies and innovative studios, an entirely new form of Concepting is coming forward.
In our interview with Scott Patton of Legacy Effects, we look at how and why it can actually make more sense to start in 3D using digital sculpting software like ZBrush, before ever picking up a design pencil or building a maquette!
Let's begin by talking a bit about you. What's your background? What are some things you've done that we would recognize?
Well I started out as a make-up effects artist in the early 90's. I worked as a sculptor and effects designer. During my time in make-up effects I worked on about 200 movies in one way or another, either as a sculptor, designer, make-up artist, painter, puppeteer... whatever was needed.
Over the years I have worked on films like "Sin City", "Narnia", "Kill Bill" and "The Green Mile" to name a few.
In 2005 I made the decision to switch to exclusively digital sculpture, character design and concept work. Since then I've worked on films like "Avatar", "Iron Man 2", "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", "Pirates of the Caribbean, On Stranger Tides", "Snow white and the Huntsman", "Thor", "I am Number 4", "Cowboys an Aliens" and of course "John Carter".
View Sculpt Larger
Of all your creations, which is your favorite and why?
Hands down it was the stuff for "John Carter". Aside from the the fact that all the people involved with it were super cool, it was my all-time favorite book from my childhood. All the characters are so ingrained in my mind, it was defiantly a dream project. I love this martian world!
Tell us a bit about your company and its history.
Well I work for Legacy Effects. It is literally the legacy of the Stan Winston Studios. It is owned by John Rosengrant, Alan Scott, Lindsay Macgowan and Shane Mahan. When Stan Winston died in 2008 the guys decided to make a new start with Legacy.
I came on in 2005 for Avatar and have been there ever since.
Full article with pics: http://www.pixologic.com/interview/john-carter/legacy/ 1/
FX Makeup Maverick Barney Burman Continues Family Tradition
(scifitalk.com) The term family business applies in Barney Burman’s case. With his uncle Ellis Burman he shares working on Star Trek in two different forms. Ellis worked on Star Trek Nemesis and Star Trek Enterprise, while Barney worked on JJ Abrams Star Trek and recieved an Oscar. His father Tom Burman did the great make-up on Cat People. He chatted with us about his work on Grimm
Transcript of Phone Press Conference
Burman assistant works on Silas Mitchell Weir
Well I wanted to know how does the effects on Grimm compare to other TV series you’ve worked on, like the X-Files for example.
Barney Burman: Well like all TV, there’s a quick turnaround, but I personally think there’s much more of a fantasy element on Grimm that stimulates me personally. So there’s a lot more license for coming up with things that don’t necessarily need to be based in a scientific reality, even sort of a sci-fi reality, if that makes sense. And it’s just – it’s something that I just love because there’s so much more in my opinion, put into the character of these things that we’re seeing, rather than just the effect of it.
I also want to know when you first learned about Grimm, what did you begin to flesh out in your mind? Like was it the Big Bad Wolf, or something else?
Barney Burman: Well fortunately, there’s an episode coming up called The Three Bad Wolves, and there’s a character in that – well I guess Three Bad Wolves, not surprisingly based somewhat on The Three Little Pigs. There’s a pig character in that that I had been sort of dreaming about doing for awhile. And so the fact that this came up and was my first episode was kind of a beautiful synchronicity.
Hi. So what’s been your – I’m not sure how many you’ve done specifically on this series yet – as of yet, but what’s kind of your favorite makeup effect that you’ve done and why?
Barney Burman: Well the pig character was certainly one of them. I only hesitate in saying too much because my favorite has yet – one of my other favorites I should say has yet to be seen. Yes, I don’t want to give it away as far as what’s coming up. There was certainly – you know, one of the things when someone asks me what’s my favorite job overall, usually – and this is no actual - no exception, my answer is this one. The one I’m currently doing is the one I’m usually the most in to and excited about. And that’s been kind of happening per episode with this. Each episode I kind of get sort of reinvigorated and reenergized about what we’re making because, “Ooh, that’s new. That’s cool. That’s different.”
Full article with pics: http://www.scifitalk.com/2012/03/19/barney-burman-continues- family-tradition/
The 25 Highest Grossing Animated Films of All Time (Adjusted for Inflation)
(pajiba.com) Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax opened at the top of the box office this weekend with $70 million, which makes it the best opening of the year, the sixth highest debut for an animated film, and the second-highest debut for an animated film that’s not a sequel (behind The Simpsons). It’s also the third highes March opening ever, and the highest grossing opening weekend for a Dr. Seuss movie.
But it will probably never break the top 25 highest-grossing animated films of all time, once inflation is taken into account, although without any animated competition until late April, I do expect Lorax to come close.
Here are the 25 Highest Grossing Animated Films of All Time, adjusting for inflation.
1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ($853 million)
2. 101 Dalmatians ($782 million)
3. The Lion King ($697 million)
4. Fantasia ($650 million)
5. Jungle Book ($576 million)
6. Sleeping Beauty ($569 million)
7. Shrek 2 ($556 million)
8. Pinocchio ($527 million)
9. Bambi ($498 million)
10. Finding Nemo ($441 million)
11. Lady and the Tramp ($436 million)
12. Aladdin ($410 million)
13. Toy Story 3 ($408 million)
14. Toy Story 2 ($374 million
15. Shrek ($370 million)
16. Shrek the Third ($367 million)
17. Beauty and the Beast ($355 million)
18. Monsters Inc. ($353 million)
19. Toy Story ($343 million)
20. The Incredibles ($312 million)
21. Up ($307 million)
22. Who Framed Roger Rabbit ($298 million)
23. Cars ($291 million)
24. A Bug’s Life ($267 million)
25. Tarzan ($263 million)
Image Conscious: A Conversation with Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll
(flickeringmyth.com)“That was a good long time ago,” recalls veteran Industrial Light & Magic Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll who was part of the team which created the landmark alien pseudo pod for filmmaker James Cameron. “It was something that was very different, new, and exciting for us. I had worked for Dennis Muren [Jurassic Park] on a number of his shows as a motion-control camera operator in the effects animation department. I moved over to the computer graphics department on a television commercial right before The Abyss [1989] happened. It’s funny to have this history with Dennis; he asked if I would supervise the work in the computer graphics department on The Abyss to help keep everybody on track and to come in with a production mindset that we have real deadlines. We have to get this done and let’s figure out how we’re going to push all this stuff through. At that point there were not a lot of established procedures for what the roles were or how things were done. Faced with that, ‘How do you want to do or approach that one?’ ‘I don’t know. Why don’t we try this?’ ‘Let’s try it and see if that works.’ It felt like we were really inventing a lot of stuff there. It was great fun.”
“I feel like I owe George [Lucas] a great debt of gratitude for trusting me on those,” says John Knoll when discussing his work on the Star Wars prequel trilogy. “That was over an eight year period I got I feel a whole lifetime’s worth of experience out of them. Each one of those shows was 2000 shots.” Knoll was rewarded with an Oscar for Best Visual Effects for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006) which featured the character of Captain Davy Jones. “We had a good time on that. I’m very proud on how that turned out. It helps to have a director who has a strong visual sense and supports the right way to do things. We would discuss what the shooting methodology should be for different effects in that show; Gore [Verbinski] would take us seriously, make it happen and defend our requests against the inevitable wall you get.” When questioned about what it takes to be a successful visual effects supervisor, he answers, “Don’t let ego get in the way. Recognize that sometimes the best ideas come from unlikely sources. When I’m at dailies looking at shots I am open to input from the crew and I try not to have an ego about this. Sometimes the best ideas come from unlikely sources. The best ideas should be the ones that rule the day.” Holding the number 10 position on Entertainment Weekly’s The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood List of 2007, Knoll collaborated with his brother Thomas to produce Adobe Photoshop. “We succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. The whole time we were developing it, I was the number one cheerleader. I was convinced that this was going to rule the world. It’s a verb now.”
“I contacted him about wanting to get involved with 1906,” states John Knoll when discussing the origins of his collaboration with filmmaker Brad Bird on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011). “We got talking about it and then the project itself was delayed and put into turnaround. Brad moved on to Mission: Impossible and I was still very excited about working with Brad; I’m a huge fan of his films. When he got Mission: Impossible, I said, ‘Wow! I’d love to work on this with you.’” The movie franchise starring Tom Cruise is not unfamiliar territory for Knoll. “I supervised Mission I [1996]. It has been 16 years. The technology is nothing super revolutionary but has evolved gradually. We could be a lot bolder about the things we were doing. We have a scene that takes place in and around Red Square and none of our actors actually went to Red Square.” An adjustment was required for Bird who was making the transition from animation to live-action moviemaking for the first time. “On an animated feature you have more opportunities to do revisions to sequences where you can order up shots and, ‘Yeah. This stuff isn’t working. Let’s fix this and this.’ In live-action you’re a little more constrained by what you shot. We were sometimes going into shots to try to modify them to better reflect Brad’s current thinking about, ‘I wish this shot had a little more energy to it.’ Or it wasn’t apparent until he was cutting the sequence and the real shape of the sequence was emerging.”
“We have a group here that advises us on that,” remarks John Knoll who subcontracted other visual effects facilities to assist ILM on the action thriller. “It’s looking at the reels from the different companies, and talking with them. Sometimes it’s from past experience with them on previous shows and trying to cast appropriately for the success.” He gives examples such as with the Magnetic Suit Sequence where Jeremy Renner jumps down a shaft. “The majority of that work was done at Pixomondo. It’s a CG set extensions, wire removals. The fan at the bottom of that shaft is CG.” Australian company Fuel VFX helped on the signature stunt where Tom Cruise climbs the world’s tallest building. “There are definitely a number of visual effects in that sequence. A lot of it is Tom on the Burj Khalifa at 1600 feet doing the thing that is depicted in the movie. He has a whole bunch of safety cables on him so a lot of the visual effects are wire removal. When you look at the structure of the building it’s a bunch of curved mirrors so it’s the cable, the reflection of the cable, and the reflection of the reflection of the cable, and the reflection of the camera. This an IMAX sequence so it’s doing all of that at high resolution as well. The wire removals were challenging but then there are a number of shots we filmed on a smaller set fragment down at ground level. When Tom is swinging on the cable, releases it, and makes a desperate jump for this open window, those things were shot on this set fragment with building extensions done in CG.”
Not many practical effects were utilized. “We did a two day shoot at New Deal Studios where we shot some pyro elements. They’re all really effects elements such as explosions and debris chunks,” states John Knoll. “We have a very rich stock library that we’ve built up here over being in business for over 30 years. We have lots of explosions, dust, splashes and all those sort of things. When you need a practical element of one kind or another the first place you look is, ‘Do we already have that in the stock library?’ If we don’t have something we can use for that then you schedule a shoot to get a piece that we need.” As for what it takes for successful CGI augmentation, Knoll remarks “Good match moves and matte [paintings], and attention to detail.” He adds, “In a handful of fully computer generated shots you have to make sure that your style of cinematography matches the surrounding material, and the overall style of the show. A lot of set extension shots you just match move the production camera and that’s what you’re working from. We try never to put constraints on how you shoot plates, ‘Oh, boy this would be better if this wasn’t a Steadicam move because it would be easier to match move.’ You try to allow filmmakers the complete freedom to shoot it the way they would want to shoot it if it wasn’t visual effects.”
“It’s not like there is a visual effects style book for the Mission: Impossible films,” states John Knoll. “While they’re popcorn action flicks, they are meant to be reality base; the overriding thing is to make it look like photography. If you’re supposed to be in Red Square make it look like you’re really in Red Square.” In comparing the difficulty of incorporating visual effects in an everyday environment as suppose to a stylized reality, Knoll observes, “I’ve definitely done my share of way out there fantasy type of films. It’s a different base. Usually, that kind of very high end of creating whole worlds comes along with a little stylization. The stylization makes it a little bit easier to sell, and then there are very complex things which are part of that generated world. The more reality base high polish stuff is sometimes harder to execute.” He explains, “The principles all still apply. Its more pixels so bigger files. You have to put more detail into developing assets and everything is a bit slower.”
The Submarine Missile Launch Sequence in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is completely computer generated. “There are a lot of one offs where the assets needed to be developed,” reveals John Knoll. “It only plays in that one shot so you don’t get an economy of scale out of it.” Asked about the challenge of dealing with short as suppose to long shots, he answers, “Its different challenges. There are setup costs for everything. When you’re developing a CG asset the hope is you can hammer down the cost of that development over many shots so the proportion of its cost to a given shot is less. When something has to be developed, and it’s just work in a single shot then all of the cost of developing the geometry, textures and the look that is all burdened on that one shot.” Knoll is pleased with the end result. “It’s got good action but there are moments of situational humour which I think are good because it was something that was needed.”
J.J. Abrams Films Earn Big at Box Office
(thesudburystar.com)While J.J. Abrams' TV successes have waned, his movies generate tons of box office green. Here are his most recent big-screen blockbusters.
Star Trek (2009; director, producer): A hip reboot of Capt. Kirk's origin story, this one managed to please Trek fans and casual moviegoers alike. Box office: $385M.
Super 8 (2011; director, writer and producer): This monster thriller won over audiences, if not critics. Box office: $259M.
Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol (2011; producer and co-writer): We didn't think we wanted another Mission Impossible movie, but oh boy, we did. Box office: $691M. -- Steve Tilley, QMI Agency
“The Sweatbox”, the Documentary That Disney Doesn’t Want You to See
(cartoonbrew.com)Disney has kept The Sweatbox locked out of sight for the past decade, but the 2002 documentary was posted online yesterday by an eighteen-year-old cartoonist in the UK. First, a little background on the film from Wade Sampson:
In 1997, musical performer and composer Sting was asked by the Walt Disney Company to write the music for a new animated feature called Kingdom of the Sun. It was to be directed by Roger Allers who was basking in the success of his work on The Lion King. Sting agreed, on the condition that his wife, filmmaker Trudie Styler, could document the process of the production with their own production company, Xingu Films…Sting’s wife was given unlimited access when it came to Production No. 1331 (aka “Kingdom”). She and her camera sat in on story meetings for the movie, rolled while actors auditioned as well as taping Sting while he recorded the score. No one expected two years into the production, it would shift direction drastically.
The Sweatbox is at turns infuriating, hilarious and enlightening. You’ll cringe in sympathy with the Disney artists as you see the gross bureaucratic incompetence they had to endure while working at the studio in the 1990s. The film not only captures the tortured morphing of the Kingdom of the Sun into The Emperor’s New Groove, it also serves as an invaluable historical document about Disney’s animation operations in the late-1990s. If any questions remain about why Disney fizzled out creatively and surrendered its feature animation crown to Pixar and DreamWorks, this film will answer them.
UPDATE: I just checked another copy of the film and it appears that the version of The Sweatbox posted on YouTube is an earlier cut of the film. The final theatrical version was 86 minutes long with a significantly different opening. I haven’t watched both side-by-side to draw further comparisons between these two versions.
VIDEO - Take a look: http://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/the-sweatbox-the- documentary-disney-doesnt- want-you-to-see.html
Life Sized Star Wars TIE Fighter Sold On Craigslist After Ad Goes Viral (PHOTOS)
(huffingtonpost.com)Ever dreamed of owning a real life Star Wars space craft? Befriending one lucky Craigslist shopper may now be as close as you can get.
A life-sized replica of the TIE Fighter spacecraft featured in the Star Wars movie series was listed on Craigslist earlier this week and it wasn't long before the listing went viral on tech sites across the Internet galaxy. Just one day after Star Wars fans started drooling over the replica on sites like PC World and Gizmodo, the original Craigslist ad reported that the TIE Fighter, which can reportedly hold a person weighing up to 300 pounds in its cockpit, had been sold. After receiving "hundreds of calls, texts and e-mails," according to seller and builder Dave, it remains unclear whether it went for more than the original $150 asking price.
In an email to The Huffington Post, Dave, who declined to give his last name, explained that he built the TIE Fighter with his 9th-grade son for a church fundraiser. In addition to creating a super-cool space craft, the process also served as a great way of demonstrating the famed Pythagorean Theorem math equation. Dave said he already built a replica of the rival X-Wing fighter four years ago, so it was only natural that he add a TIE fighter to his fleet.
But Dave isn't the first to bring in the big bucks on Star Wars merchandise. Official Star Wars toys and action figures have raked in $9 billion over the years, according to 24/7 Wall St. But that doesn't include fan projects like Dave's or unreleased Star Wars merchandise. A recent post from the Action Insider Blog revealed a whole line of rejected merchandise that was designed to promote the movie Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. That means fans will likely never have the chance to own an R2D2 wet bar or a Darth Vader lava lamp.
Still, true fans may look for a new hope, perhaps in a galaxy far, far away.
Take a look: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/22/tie-fighter-life- sized-replica-craigslist- viral_n_1373432.html
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