(AP) — Stan Winston, the Oscar-winning special-effects maestro responsible for bringing the dinosaurs of "Jurassic Park" and other iconic movie creatures to life, has died. He was 62.
Winston died at his home in Malibu surrounded by family on Sunday evening after a seven-year struggle with multiple myeloma, according to a representative from Stan Winston Studio.
Working with such directors as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Tim Burton in a career spanning four decades, Winston created some of the most memorable visual effects in cinematic history. He helped bring the dinosaurs from "Jurassic Park," the extraterrestrials from "Aliens, the robots from "Terminator" and even "Edward Scissorhands" to the big screen, and was a pioneer in merging real-world effects with computer imaging.
"The entertainment industry has lost a genius, and I lost one of my best friends with the death Sunday night of Stan Winston," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "Stan's work and four Oscars speak for themselves and will live on forever. What will live forever in my heart is the way that Stan loved everyone and treated each of his friends like they were family."
Winston won visual effects Oscars for 1986's "Aliens," 1992's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and 1993's "Jurassic Park." He also won a makeup Oscar for 1992's "Batman Returns."
Winston was nominated for his work on "Heartbeeps," "Predator," "Edward Scissorhands," "Batman Returns," "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and "A.I."
He last worked with director Jon Favreau on "Iron Man."
"He was experienced and helped guide me while never losing his childlike enthusiasm," Favreau said in a statement. "He was the king of integrating practical effects with CGI, never losing his relevance in an ever changing industry. I am proud to have worked with him and we were looking forward to future collaborations. I knew that he was struggling, but I had no idea that he would be gone so soon. Hollywood has lost a shining star."
At the time of his death, Winston was in the process of transforming his physical makeup and effects studio into the new Winston Effects Group with a team of senior effects supervisors. Winton's most recent projects included "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," "G.I. Joe," "Shutter Island" and Cameron's "Avatar."
"He ran at full throttle, in both work and play, and was a man of kindness, wisdom and great humor," Cameron said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "He was a kid that never grew up, whose dreams were writ large on the screens of the world. I am proud to have been his friend, and I will miss him very deeply."
As a child growing up in Virginia, Winston enjoyed drawing, puppetry and classic horror films. After graduating from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville in 1968, Winston moved to Southern California to become an actor but instead worked behind the scenes and completed a three-year makeup apprenticeship program at Walt Disney Studios in 1972.
Winston is survived by his wife, Karen; a son, daughter, brother and four grandchildren.
Marvel Blinks - Favreau's Armor Wars Continue
(CHUD.com) This morning Nikki Finke is reporting that Marvel Studios has put an offer out to Jon Favreau to direct Iron Man 2. She uses this as a way to discredit all the other internet reporting on the matter, but the fact is that it looks like the offer has been made due to pressure brought about by the publicity. I've spoken to some people on the inside, and while they couldn't confirm IESB's story - that Marvel was planning on not bringing him back - they did say that the lack of communication was deeply troubling.
Now it's a waiting game. If Finke is right and the offer has been made, what does it mean? Probably not a lot - even just a gesture - if the rushed release date is part of the deal. Stay tuned for more.
'Transformers 2' Just A Military Training Exercise
(comics2film.com) The website for the Virginia National Guard reveals that the local unit will be assisting in the filming of 'Transformers 2'.
Soldiers from the North Carolina and Virginia National Guard began assisting the producers of the hit move "Transformers" in the filming of a sequel June 2 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Guard Soldiers from both states are assisting the producers with equipment and personnel through a joint agreement between the Department of Defense and DreamWorks Pictures.
In 2007, DreamWorks released "Transformers," a movie based on the 1980's cartoon and toys that could "transform" from one object to another. The United States military was portrayed in the first film and will have a roll in the second. A release date for the sequel is not available.
Filming for the sequel began recently and the Department of Defense identified experienced National Guard units in North Carolina and Virginia for assistance.
The Department of Defense frequently provides equipment and Soldiers for motion pictures as long as the United States Government does not incur additional costs from their involvement. Many of the star actors of the film portray U.S. Soldiers, and representatives from the United States Army were on hand to assist the director in ensuring actors portray U.S. servicemembers accurately.
The mission provided an opportunity for Soldiers of the North Carolina and Virginia National Guard to work collaboratively in the planning of this mission. Additionally, Soldiers from both states were able to receive valuable training on essential equipment.
(blogs.orlandosentinel.com) Is Universal Orlando going to get its very own Harry Potter movie, unique and independent from J.K. Rowling's seven-book, eight-movie saga?
A London newspaper says yes. Universal is not saying much.
The Sunday Mirror of London reported on Sunday that Rowling wrote a new Potter story and that key actors and others involved in the Warner Bros. movie serial, including Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson are now shooting the movie version. It's set to play exclusively at the now-under-construction Wizarding World of Harry Potter area at Universal's Islands of Adventure The Sunday Mirror reported.
Here's the response from Universal spokesman Tom Schroder: "We're working hard to make the Wizarding World of Harry Potter an exciting and authentic experience for our guests – but we're not ready to talk about the specifics of its development."
Might the "authentic" be a reference to authentic movie experiences? Schroder wouldn't elaborate.
There's certainly precedent for such a thing. Universal's Shrek 4-D attraction is basically a mini-movie set between Shrek and Shrek 2, albeit an animated film without actors. Epcot's attraction, Honey I Shrunk the Audience features a mini-movie that brings together much of the cast of the Honey I Shrunk the Kids movies.
The Wizarding World is to include new guest areas and some reworking and retheming of the Lost Continent area, Wizarding World is supposed to feature immersive rides and interactive attractions, as well as shops and restaurants that will harken to Rowling's Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade village. At least part of the 20-acre area is supposed to open before the end of 2009, though Universal has sent out other signals that parts might not open until the summer of 2010.
1 Teraflop CGI Graphics Mojo
(pcworld.com) Imagine turning a movie into a game instantly, with the audience driving storytelling by defining the character. Advanced Micro Devices wants to make that possible in the future, with the company releasing new graphics chips that allow moviemakers and game developers to render three-dimensional images in real time.
AMD on Monday said it was releasing Radeon 4000 series graphics cards, which deliver 1 teraflop of graphics performance to increase the level of realism brought to images. The products will be available starting next week, and companies including Falcon Northwest will develop systems based on the new graphics chips.
The new processors include the ATI Radeon HD 4850, which will be priced in the US$200 range, and the Radeon HD 4870, which will be priced around $300, said Neil Robison, director of developer relations at AMD. AMD next month will formally announce the release date of the graphics card code-named R700, which will have two graphics processing units on a single card. Many industry observers expect the R700 to be released in August.
The new hardware will be an integral part of "Cinema 2.0," a concept introduced by AMD on Monday that will combine hardware and software tools to bring a higher level of realism and interactivity to films and games, said Rick Bergman, senior vice president of the graphics product group at AMD, at a press event in San Francisco.
Though special-effects rendition is advancing, movies lack interactivity and animated characters affect realism in games, Bergman said. AMD wants to enable movie studios and game developers to render 3D graphics in real time and make game graphics more like real life, Bergman said.
The ability to combine gaming and filmmaking benefits studios, as it allows directors to be more interactive on the fly. Directors could possibly make the movie and game simultaneously on set, said Charlie Boswell, director of AMD's digital media and entertainment business.
While mostly conceptual, Cinema 2.0 has been brought to life by Jules Urbach, whose company, Jules World LLC, rendered graphics to fit in movie environments using AMD's Radeon 4800 series chips. Urbach demonstrated the 3D virtual world of a lifelike New York City street developed entirely on a computer, with the ability to move around and zoom into locations.
Urbach's company is also rendering lifelike characters and scenes for a number of upcoming movies including "Dark Country" from Sony, which uses 3D cinematography to make the storytelling experience more realistic.
AMD is inviting game developers and Hollywood directors to take part in Cinema 2.0, although because graphics technology is developing rapidly, the company isn't sure whether it can create an industry standard of hardware and software services surrounding the Cinema 2.0 concept, Bergman said.
VFX Can Save Lives, For A Price
(jam.canoe.ca) The digital replacement of people, especially performers doing extreme stunts that risk injury or death, is the last frontier in movie special effects. Succeed, and injuries can be avoided -- and lives saved.
"Already, you can do almost anything," Karen Goulekas, an American effects specialist, told Sun Media on a visit to Canada. Her latest project is the fantasy thriller 10,000 BC, on which she served in the senior position of visual effects supervisor. Her other credits range from Titanic to Spider-Man and Venom.
"Of course, the human skin -- we're still all trying to get that," Goulekas said. "But the technology's there. It's really now all about somebody who wants to put the time and money into doing it in order to 'get' it. And it can be done.
"But it's still the Holy Grail: Who's going to get it done first and have it look really good?"
Goulekas says that one breakthrough was the creation of the fantastical Gollum for The Lord of the Rings, through the motion capture of actor Andy Serkis. That led to the conjuring of other human-like beings through this burgeoning animation technique, most spectacularly by director Robert Zemeckis in Beowulf. Among his performers, Angelina Jolie played Grendel's seductive mother. "But these characters are all highly stylized and not really human," Goulekas said.
The goal is to create "a photo-realistic" version of a human, Goulekas said, one as convincing as the sabre-toothed cat her team created for 10,000 BC. The idea is controversial. Prehistoric animals are acceptable, but some people are creeped out by the notion of digital humans. Should it even be pursued?
"Absolutely!" Goulekas said. "Not to replace actors, by any means. I don't see why you'd want to do that. But it would probably be the stuntmen who would be replaced.
"Instead of a stuntman doing a dangerous stunt, now you probably could have a closeup on your actors doing that dangerous stunt, if you could replicate them."
Stuntmen and even actors have been in danger on movie sets for the 100-plus years of cinema history. Just last week, a 23-year-old Chinese stuntman was killed, and six others injured, on the Beijing set of John Woo's $80-million historical epic Chi Bi, or The Battle of Red Cliff.
One report said the man was burned alive after a small boat, which was on fire, was deliberately rammed into a replica of an ancient warship. Woo was not on set. The shoot, which was immediately shut down, was under the supervision of a second-unit director.
There is no guarantee, of course, that using digital effects to replicate humans could have prevented this particular accident. Goulekas' point is that digital effects could create a better margin of safety.
In the current climate, not even James Bond is immune. Daniel Craig, who is known for doing his own stunts, was sent to hospital last week after suffering a minor hand injury filming the latest 007, Quantum of Solace.
One of the most infamous on-set tragedies occurred on Twilight Zone: The Movie. While John Landis was directing his segment at Indian Dunes, Calif., on July 23, 1982, a helicopter crashed in what was termed "a freak accident." When it fell, the chopper blades decapitated star Vic Morrow and killed two child actors.
Modern digital effects might have saved them. But it is also a question of money -- because effects are the most expensive option.
"We're budget and safety conscious," Goulekas said of the attitude on movie sets. "You go digital only when you have to."
Bernie Wrightson and Weightless CGI
(comicbookresources.com) CBR News attended the Big Apple Con in New York City earlier this month, where comics historian Peter Sanderson interviewed legendary horror illustrator Bernie Wrightson.
With the advent of CGI animation being used so much in modern films, especially superhero movies, Sanderson asked whether CGI affected Wrightson's designs. "Not really. It all starts on paper," the artist explained. "If you look at the old stop-motion stuff, like 'King Kong,' there's that kind of slight jerkiness to it. It has the signature of that particular technique, which has its own charm. CGI has its own signature also and I think most people can spot it. CGI really has no weight or depth. And the CGI artists have to be very, very good at their job to give it weight and dimension, so that it seems to be part of the real world. A really good example of CGI work would be 'Jurassic Park,' the first one. Those dinosaurs looked absolutely real. Stan Winston built some life-like dinosaurs and they used some pieces of that in the film, but they found that CGI just worked better and that it could cover a lot of the mistakes. CGI can enhance or augment what is done in the physical world."
(The Hollywood Reporter) Veteran screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan has been hired to write Robotech Warner Bros.' adaptation of the anime classic.
Additionally, Akiva Goldsman and Chuck Roven are boarding the project as producers, joining Tobey Maguire and Drew Crevello.
"Robotech" was a 1980s cartoon series from Harmony Gold USA and Tatsunoko Productions. It was re-edited and re-dialogued to combine three Japanese anime series to give the producers enough episodes to air as a daily syndicated series.
A sprawling sci-fi epic, Robotech takes place at a time when Earth has developed giant robots from the technology on an alien spacecraft that crashed on a South Pacific isle. Mankind is forced to use the technology to fend off three successive waves of alien invasions. The first invasion centers on a battle with a race of giant warriors who seek to retrieve their flagship's energy source known as "protoculture," and the planet's hope for survival ends up in the hands of two young pilots.
'H.R. Pufnstuf' on the Big Screen? Trippy...
(cinematical.com) Let's all take a moment and give a cheer for the good old days of children's programming, shall we? Back to when kid's shows had more drug references than a Cheech and Chong skit, and Stevie Wonder was jamming on Sesame Street. So I guess it was only a matter of time before Hollywood started to cash in on the nostalgia -- and in an interview with the Brothers Krofft about the upcoming feature film remake of Land of the Lost, IESB scored a tidbit about their next feature film. According to the Kroffts, H.R. Pufnstuf is lined up for a feature film adaptation -- the Kroffts didn't mention any names, but Marty told IESB that, "he was days from finalizing with a particular studio."
H.R. Pufnstuf premiered in 1969, and ran for seventeen episodes until finally going off the air in 1972. The story centered on a young boy named Jimmy who stumbled upon a magical 'Living Island' where everything was alive. Pufnstuf was the mayor of the island and protected Jimmy and his 'magic flute' from the big bad Witchiepoo. If you aren't familiar with the show, take a quick look at a clip and tell me what exactly Sid and Marty Krofft were 'puffin' on to come up with this -- no matter what they might say to the contrary.
Talk of a feature film first appeared back in 2002, when Columbia Pictures and Nickelodeon toyed with the idea of bringing Pufnstuf to a new generation of kids, but the project fell apart soon afterward. Maybe now that CGI is par for the course for any kid's flick, it might make some of those Living Island inhabitants a little easier on the production budget.
Japanese Animation Industry To Unionize?
(twitchfilm.net) It will if Satoshi Kon, Toyoo Ashida and Tomoki Kyoda have anything to say about it. The directors of Paprika, Vampire Hunter D and Eureka Seven, respectively, the three men are among the highest profile on the fifteen member board of the Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA), an organization looking to essentially become a union representing Japan's animation community. The bulk of the work there is done by freelancers and while these three are obviously well enough known and respected to be secure there are many who aren't so fortunate. I say good on them for trying to improve work conditions.
Concept Designers Bring The Cool
(features.cgsociety.org) Gnomon held its seventh annual Gnomon Workshop: Live! event this past weekend, two days packed full of experts worth pages of IMDb credit lists. Mostly focusing on conceptual design, guest speakers brought personal art and stories to share with a packed house. Located in the green screen stage room, various industry specialists regaled the attendees with stories about their rise through the ranks, with advice and demonstrations of workflow. Add a few raffles for items such as signed copies of Scott Spencer's new book, "ZBrush Character Creation" and you have one terrific weekend.
Saturday's guest speakers, many of which previously studied at Gnomon, included James Clyne, Iain McCaig, George Hull, Kenneth Rocafort, and Mark Gabbana. Clyne gave an excellent talk about feature film production techniques. McCaig was up next, and is better than coffee. With the energy of a six year old, McCaig actually had the crowd cheering on occasion as he shared information on his upcoming book "Shadowline", a compilation of the behind the scenes work he had done through his years in the field. He spent $100,000 securing the rights to publish his own creations after many calls and letters to studio legal departments. Shouting random page numbers at his encouragement, the audience was able to see selections of his work and hear stories of each.
George Hull shared insights on what inspired him for various illustrations, such as spiders for The Matrix sentinels, and bee attacks to simulate the collective consciousness. He also advised that it is better to be fired for having an opinion than not be hired because you don't have one. Rocafort, working through a translator, gave a demo on his comic book penciling techniques. Gabbana closed the day with some truly bizarre and entertaining work that frequently consisted of evil clowns or numbers that don't necessarily have meaning. He likes to add a little mystery to his work. He often works in very small, very high resolutions.
Tyruben Ellingson, Erik Tiemens, Wayne Barlowe, Habib Zargarpour and William Stout shared their expertise on the second day. Stout, with his 35 years in the industry offered years of knowledge, dispensing gems such as film is not art; it's called the "movie business" because that is what it is, a business. Your finest work often happens in pre-production, when you create images to excite the producers, but once the film enters production the demands on time force you to produce rather than create. He feels, however, art in film will return when one can create a film individually without any outside hindrances or obligations. He never wants to experience McCaig's dilemma, so includes a clause in his contracts that states he owns the right to use his own art in retrospectives of his work. He recommends any designer include that clause, and if the studio won't give it to them to "walk away, it's not worth it." That tidbit was met with a round of applause. Stout then read a character description from a book and designed that character before our eyes in a matter of minutes, explaining his methods as he worked.
Ellingson offered advice such as, have a little patience, but don't use patience as a tool. "Don't lock it down and say, 'Some day, when I know how to do Maya renders backwards with a mirror'… Don't be afraid to go to the people in your network." He also shared his realization that if you render an image too thoroughly, often a director feels uncomfortable asking you to make necessary changes. Looser renderings encourage conversation. Tiemens gave a fantastic demo of his workflow, starting with tiny thumbnails of more or less random brushstrokes until he found appealing shapes that inspired him. Then, pulling each of those shapes into one scene, he built a beautiful painting in a matter of minutes, working so quickly my camera could not capture his brush tools without motion blur.
Zargarpour gave a demo of an upcoming release of Autodesk's Mudbox, still in the Alpha stage. No release date was offered, but the software has some compelling features. A 64 bit machine can handle 100 million polys, and he said using the program was as fast as a pencil and paper and as easy as sculpting butter. Barlowe wrapped the day with a slide show of his work starting from his first experiment in composition at the age of 14, a surprisingly strong piece for one so young, to his work today in his novel, "God's Demon." From landscapes to comic strips, and clowns to demons, the Gnomon event successfully covered it all.
VFX DAILY NEWS - 06/17/08
(AP) — Stan Winston, the Oscar-winning special-effects maestro responsible for bringing the dinosaurs of "Jurassic Park" and other iconic movie creatures to life, has died. He was 62.
Winston died at his home in Malibu surrounded by family on Sunday evening after a seven-year struggle with multiple myeloma, according to a representative from Stan Winston Studio.
Working with such directors as Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Tim Burton in a career spanning four decades, Winston created some of the most memorable visual effects in cinematic history. He helped bring the dinosaurs from "Jurassic Park," the extraterrestrials from "Aliens, the robots from "Terminator" and even "Edward Scissorhands" to the big screen, and was a pioneer in merging real-world effects with computer imaging.
"The entertainment industry has lost a genius, and I lost one of my best friends with the death Sunday night of Stan Winston," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "Stan's work and four Oscars speak for themselves and will live on forever. What will live forever in my heart is the way that Stan loved everyone and treated each of his friends like they were family."
Winston won visual effects Oscars for 1986's "Aliens," 1992's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and 1993's "Jurassic Park." He also won a makeup Oscar for 1992's "Batman Returns."
Winston was nominated for his work on "Heartbeeps," "Predator," "Edward Scissorhands," "Batman Returns," "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" and "A.I."
He last worked with director Jon Favreau on "Iron Man."
"He was experienced and helped guide me while never losing his childlike enthusiasm," Favreau said in a statement. "He was the king of integrating practical effects with CGI, never losing his relevance in an ever changing industry. I am proud to have worked with him and we were looking forward to future collaborations. I knew that he was struggling, but I had no idea that he would be gone so soon. Hollywood has lost a shining star."
At the time of his death, Winston was in the process of transforming his physical makeup and effects studio into the new Winston Effects Group with a team of senior effects supervisors. Winton's most recent projects included "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," "G.I. Joe," "Shutter Island" and Cameron's "Avatar."
"He ran at full throttle, in both work and play, and was a man of kindness, wisdom and great humor," Cameron said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "He was a kid that never grew up, whose dreams were writ large on the screens of the world. I am proud to have been his friend, and I will miss him very deeply."
As a child growing up in Virginia, Winston enjoyed drawing, puppetry and classic horror films. After graduating from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville in 1968, Winston moved to Southern California to become an actor but instead worked behind the scenes and completed a three-year makeup apprenticeship program at Walt Disney Studios in 1972.
Winston is survived by his wife, Karen; a son, daughter, brother and four grandchildren.
Marvel Blinks - Favreau's Armor Wars Continue
(CHUD.com) This morning Nikki Finke is reporting that Marvel Studios has put an offer out to Jon Favreau to direct Iron Man 2. She uses this as a way to discredit all the other internet reporting on the matter, but the fact is that it looks like the offer has been made due to pressure brought about by the publicity. I've spoken to some people on the inside, and while they couldn't confirm IESB's story - that Marvel was planning on not bringing him back - they did say that the lack of communication was deeply troubling.
Now it's a waiting game. If Finke is right and the offer has been made, what does it mean? Probably not a lot - even just a gesture - if the rushed release date is part of the deal. Stay tuned for more.
'Transformers 2' Just A Military Training Exercise
(comics2film.com) The website for the Virginia National Guard reveals that the local unit will be assisting in the filming of 'Transformers 2'.
Soldiers from the North Carolina and Virginia National Guard began assisting the producers of the hit move "Transformers" in the filming of a sequel June 2 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Guard Soldiers from both states are assisting the producers with equipment and personnel through a joint agreement between the Department of Defense and DreamWorks Pictures.
In 2007, DreamWorks released "Transformers," a movie based on the 1980's cartoon and toys that could "transform" from one object to another. The United States military was portrayed in the first film and will have a roll in the second. A release date for the sequel is not available.
Filming for the sequel began recently and the Department of Defense identified experienced National Guard units in North Carolina and Virginia for assistance.
The Department of Defense frequently provides equipment and Soldiers for motion pictures as long as the United States Government does not incur additional costs from their involvement. Many of the star actors of the film portray U.S. Soldiers, and representatives from the United States Army were on hand to assist the director in ensuring actors portray U.S. servicemembers accurately.
The mission provided an opportunity for Soldiers of the North Carolina and Virginia National Guard to work collaboratively in the planning of this mission. Additionally, Soldiers from both states were able to receive valuable training on essential equipment.
Source: http://www.comics2film.com/index.php?a=story&b=33839
Secret Harry Potter Mini-Film Now Shooting?
(blogs.orlandosentinel.com) Is Universal Orlando going to get its very own Harry Potter movie, unique and independent from J.K. Rowling's seven-book, eight-movie saga?
A London newspaper says yes. Universal is not saying much.
The Sunday Mirror of London reported on Sunday that Rowling wrote a new Potter story and that key actors and others involved in the Warner Bros. movie serial, including Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson are now shooting the movie version. It's set to play exclusively at the now-under-construction Wizarding World of Harry Potter area at Universal's Islands of Adventure The Sunday Mirror reported.
Here's the response from Universal spokesman Tom Schroder: "We're working hard to make the Wizarding World of Harry Potter an exciting and authentic experience for our guests – but we're not ready to talk about the specifics of its development."
Might the "authentic" be a reference to authentic movie experiences? Schroder wouldn't elaborate.
There's certainly precedent for such a thing. Universal's Shrek 4-D attraction is basically a mini-movie set between Shrek and Shrek 2, albeit an animated film without actors. Epcot's attraction, Honey I Shrunk the Audience features a mini-movie that brings together much of the cast of the Honey I Shrunk the Kids movies.
The Wizarding World is to include new guest areas and some reworking and retheming of the Lost Continent area, Wizarding World is supposed to feature immersive rides and interactive attractions, as well as shops and restaurants that will harken to Rowling's Hogwarts Castle and Hogsmeade village. At least part of the 20-acre area is supposed to open before the end of 2009, though Universal has sent out other signals that parts might not open until the summer of 2010.
1 Teraflop CGI Graphics Mojo
(pcworld.com) Imagine turning a movie into a game instantly, with the audience driving storytelling by defining the character. Advanced Micro Devices wants to make that possible in the future, with the company releasing new graphics chips that allow moviemakers and game developers to render three-dimensional images in real time.
AMD on Monday said it was releasing Radeon 4000 series graphics cards, which deliver 1 teraflop of graphics performance to increase the level of realism brought to images. The products will be available starting next week, and companies including Falcon Northwest will develop systems based on the new graphics chips.
The new processors include the ATI Radeon HD 4850, which will be priced in the US$200 range, and the Radeon HD 4870, which will be priced around $300, said Neil Robison, director of developer relations at AMD. AMD next month will formally announce the release date of the graphics card code-named R700, which will have two graphics processing units on a single card. Many industry observers expect the R700 to be released in August.
The new hardware will be an integral part of "Cinema 2.0," a concept introduced by AMD on Monday that will combine hardware and software tools to bring a higher level of realism and interactivity to films and games, said Rick Bergman, senior vice president of the graphics product group at AMD, at a press event in San Francisco.
Though special-effects rendition is advancing, movies lack interactivity and animated characters affect realism in games, Bergman said. AMD wants to enable movie studios and game developers to render 3D graphics in real time and make game graphics more like real life, Bergman said.
The ability to combine gaming and filmmaking benefits studios, as it allows directors to be more interactive on the fly. Directors could possibly make the movie and game simultaneously on set, said Charlie Boswell, director of AMD's digital media and entertainment business.
While mostly conceptual, Cinema 2.0 has been brought to life by Jules Urbach, whose company, Jules World LLC, rendered graphics to fit in movie environments using AMD's Radeon 4800 series chips. Urbach demonstrated the 3D virtual world of a lifelike New York City street developed entirely on a computer, with the ability to move around and zoom into locations.
Urbach's company is also rendering lifelike characters and scenes for a number of upcoming movies including "Dark Country" from Sony, which uses 3D cinematography to make the storytelling experience more realistic.
AMD is inviting game developers and Hollywood directors to take part in Cinema 2.0, although because graphics technology is developing rapidly, the company isn't sure whether it can create an industry standard of hardware and software services surrounding the Cinema 2.0 concept, Bergman said.
VFX Can Save Lives, For A Price
(jam.canoe.ca) The digital replacement of people, especially performers doing extreme stunts that risk injury or death, is the last frontier in movie special effects. Succeed, and injuries can be avoided -- and lives saved.
"Already, you can do almost anything," Karen Goulekas, an American effects specialist, told Sun Media on a visit to Canada. Her latest project is the fantasy thriller 10,000 BC, on which she served in the senior position of visual effects supervisor. Her other credits range from Titanic to Spider-Man and Venom.
"Of course, the human skin -- we're still all trying to get that," Goulekas said. "But the technology's there. It's really now all about somebody who wants to put the time and money into doing it in order to 'get' it. And it can be done.
"But it's still the Holy Grail: Who's going to get it done first and have it look really good?"
Goulekas says that one breakthrough was the creation of the fantastical Gollum for The Lord of the Rings, through the motion capture of actor Andy Serkis. That led to the conjuring of other human-like beings through this burgeoning animation technique, most spectacularly by director Robert Zemeckis in Beowulf. Among his performers, Angelina Jolie played Grendel's seductive mother. "But these characters are all highly stylized and not really human," Goulekas said.
The goal is to create "a photo-realistic" version of a human, Goulekas said, one as convincing as the sabre-toothed cat her team created for 10,000 BC. The idea is controversial. Prehistoric animals are acceptable, but some people are creeped out by the notion of digital humans. Should it even be pursued?
"Absolutely!" Goulekas said. "Not to replace actors, by any means. I don't see why you'd want to do that. But it would probably be the stuntmen who would be replaced.
"Instead of a stuntman doing a dangerous stunt, now you probably could have a closeup on your actors doing that dangerous stunt, if you could replicate them."
Stuntmen and even actors have been in danger on movie sets for the 100-plus years of cinema history. Just last week, a 23-year-old Chinese stuntman was killed, and six others injured, on the Beijing set of John Woo's $80-million historical epic Chi Bi, or The Battle of Red Cliff.
One report said the man was burned alive after a small boat, which was on fire, was deliberately rammed into a replica of an ancient warship. Woo was not on set. The shoot, which was immediately shut down, was under the supervision of a second-unit director.
There is no guarantee, of course, that using digital effects to replicate humans could have prevented this particular accident. Goulekas' point is that digital effects could create a better margin of safety.
In the current climate, not even James Bond is immune. Daniel Craig, who is known for doing his own stunts, was sent to hospital last week after suffering a minor hand injury filming the latest 007, Quantum of Solace.
One of the most infamous on-set tragedies occurred on Twilight Zone: The Movie. While John Landis was directing his segment at Indian Dunes, Calif., on July 23, 1982, a helicopter crashed in what was termed "a freak accident." When it fell, the chopper blades decapitated star Vic Morrow and killed two child actors.
Modern digital effects might have saved them. But it is also a question of money -- because effects are the most expensive option.
"We're budget and safety conscious," Goulekas said of the attitude on movie sets. "You go digital only when you have to."
Bernie Wrightson and Weightless CGI
(comicbookresources.com) CBR News attended the Big Apple Con in New York City earlier this month, where comics historian Peter Sanderson interviewed legendary horror illustrator Bernie Wrightson.
With the advent of CGI animation being used so much in modern films, especially superhero movies, Sanderson asked whether CGI affected Wrightson's designs. "Not really. It all starts on paper," the artist explained. "If you look at the old stop-motion stuff, like 'King Kong,' there's that kind of slight jerkiness to it. It has the signature of that particular technique, which has its own charm. CGI has its own signature also and I think most people can spot it. CGI really has no weight or depth. And the CGI artists have to be very, very good at their job to give it weight and dimension, so that it seems to be part of the real world. A really good example of CGI work would be 'Jurassic Park,' the first one. Those dinosaurs looked absolutely real. Stan Winston built some life-like dinosaurs and they used some pieces of that in the film, but they found that CGI just worked better and that it could cover a lot of the mistakes. CGI can enhance or augment what is done in the physical world."
More: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=16823
Lawrence Kasdan Penning "Robotech"
(The Hollywood Reporter) Veteran screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan has been hired to write Robotech Warner Bros.' adaptation of the anime classic.
Additionally, Akiva Goldsman and Chuck Roven are boarding the project as producers, joining Tobey Maguire and Drew Crevello.
"Robotech" was a 1980s cartoon series from Harmony Gold USA and Tatsunoko Productions. It was re-edited and re-dialogued to combine three Japanese anime series to give the producers enough episodes to air as a daily syndicated series.
A sprawling sci-fi epic, Robotech takes place at a time when Earth has developed giant robots from the technology on an alien spacecraft that crashed on a South Pacific isle. Mankind is forced to use the technology to fend off three successive waves of alien invasions. The first invasion centers on a battle with a race of giant warriors who seek to retrieve their flagship's energy source known as "protoculture," and the planet's hope for survival ends up in the hands of two young pilots.
'H.R. Pufnstuf' on the Big Screen? Trippy...
(cinematical.com) Let's all take a moment and give a cheer for the good old days of children's programming, shall we? Back to when kid's shows had more drug references than a Cheech and Chong skit, and Stevie Wonder was jamming on Sesame Street. So I guess it was only a matter of time before Hollywood started to cash in on the nostalgia -- and in an interview with the Brothers Krofft about the upcoming feature film remake of Land of the Lost, IESB scored a tidbit about their next feature film. According to the Kroffts, H.R. Pufnstuf is lined up for a feature film adaptation -- the Kroffts didn't mention any names, but Marty told IESB that, "he was days from finalizing with a particular studio."
H.R. Pufnstuf premiered in 1969, and ran for seventeen episodes until finally going off the air in 1972. The story centered on a young boy named Jimmy who stumbled upon a magical 'Living Island' where everything was alive. Pufnstuf was the mayor of the island and protected Jimmy and his 'magic flute' from the big bad Witchiepoo. If you aren't familiar with the show, take a quick look at a clip and tell me what exactly Sid and Marty Krofft were 'puffin' on to come up with this -- no matter what they might say to the contrary.
Talk of a feature film first appeared back in 2002, when Columbia Pictures and Nickelodeon toyed with the idea of bringing Pufnstuf to a new generation of kids, but the project fell apart soon afterward. Maybe now that CGI is par for the course for any kid's flick, it might make some of those Living Island inhabitants a little easier on the production budget.
Japanese Animation Industry To Unionize?
(twitchfilm.net) It will if Satoshi Kon, Toyoo Ashida and Tomoki Kyoda have anything to say about it. The directors of Paprika, Vampire Hunter D and Eureka Seven, respectively, the three men are among the highest profile on the fifteen member board of the Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA), an organization looking to essentially become a union representing Japan's animation community. The bulk of the work there is done by freelancers and while these three are obviously well enough known and respected to be secure there are many who aren't so fortunate. I say good on them for trying to improve work conditions.
Concept Designers Bring The Cool
(features.cgsociety.org) Gnomon held its seventh annual Gnomon Workshop: Live! event this past weekend, two days packed full of experts worth pages of IMDb credit lists. Mostly focusing on conceptual design, guest speakers brought personal art and stories to share with a packed house. Located in the green screen stage room, various industry specialists regaled the attendees with stories about their rise through the ranks, with advice and demonstrations of workflow. Add a few raffles for items such as signed copies of Scott Spencer's new book, "ZBrush Character Creation" and you have one terrific weekend.
Saturday's guest speakers, many of which previously studied at Gnomon, included James Clyne, Iain McCaig, George Hull, Kenneth Rocafort, and Mark Gabbana. Clyne gave an excellent talk about feature film production techniques. McCaig was up next, and is better than coffee. With the energy of a six year old, McCaig actually had the crowd cheering on occasion as he shared information on his upcoming book "Shadowline", a compilation of the behind the scenes work he had done through his years in the field. He spent $100,000 securing the rights to publish his own creations after many calls and letters to studio legal departments. Shouting random page numbers at his encouragement, the audience was able to see selections of his work and hear stories of each.
George Hull shared insights on what inspired him for various illustrations, such as spiders for The Matrix sentinels, and bee attacks to simulate the collective consciousness. He also advised that it is better to be fired for having an opinion than not be hired because you don't have one. Rocafort, working through a translator, gave a demo on his comic book penciling techniques. Gabbana closed the day with some truly bizarre and entertaining work that frequently consisted of evil clowns or numbers that don't necessarily have meaning. He likes to add a little mystery to his work. He often works in very small, very high resolutions.
Tyruben Ellingson, Erik Tiemens, Wayne Barlowe, Habib Zargarpour and William Stout shared their expertise on the second day. Stout, with his 35 years in the industry offered years of knowledge, dispensing gems such as film is not art; it's called the "movie business" because that is what it is, a business. Your finest work often happens in pre-production, when you create images to excite the producers, but once the film enters production the demands on time force you to produce rather than create. He feels, however, art in film will return when one can create a film individually without any outside hindrances or obligations. He never wants to experience McCaig's dilemma, so includes a clause in his contracts that states he owns the right to use his own art in retrospectives of his work. He recommends any designer include that clause, and if the studio won't give it to them to "walk away, it's not worth it." That tidbit was met with a round of applause. Stout then read a character description from a book and designed that character before our eyes in a matter of minutes, explaining his methods as he worked.
Ellingson offered advice such as, have a little patience, but don't use patience as a tool. "Don't lock it down and say, 'Some day, when I know how to do Maya renders backwards with a mirror'… Don't be afraid to go to the people in your network." He also shared his realization that if you render an image too thoroughly, often a director feels uncomfortable asking you to make necessary changes. Looser renderings encourage conversation. Tiemens gave a fantastic demo of his workflow, starting with tiny thumbnails of more or less random brushstrokes until he found appealing shapes that inspired him. Then, pulling each of those shapes into one scene, he built a beautiful painting in a matter of minutes, working so quickly my camera could not capture his brush tools without motion blur.
Zargarpour gave a demo of an upcoming release of Autodesk's Mudbox, still in the Alpha stage. No release date was offered, but the software has some compelling features. A 64 bit machine can handle 100 million polys, and he said using the program was as fast as a pencil and paper and as easy as sculpting butter. Barlowe wrapped the day with a slide show of his work starting from his first experiment in composition at the age of 14, a surprisingly strong piece for one so young, to his work today in his novel, "God's Demon." From landscapes to comic strips, and clowns to demons, the Gnomon event successfully covered it all.
Source with pics: http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=4559