Archive for November 19th, 2007

Did you know that the first blue screen effect in cinema was employed in the production of The Old Man and the Sea (based on the book by Ernest Hemingway, starring Spencer Tracy)? Commonly known as the “traveling matte� technique, utilizing separate “male� and “female� film mattes and a complex projection setup to achieve the final composite, the process was only available to high budget productions. Today, a better-quality effect can be achieved in digital post-production with the help of a specialized software filter. more

Award-winning self-paced training producer delivers must have guide for NewTek’s hot new portable production studio

Hoffman Estates, IL –November 20, 2007 – Class on Demand, a provider of professional educational products for creative markets, announced today the availability of the self-paced training title “Complete Training for TriCaster STUDIOâ€?. Released in July of 2007, TriCaster STUDIO provides broadcasters with all of the capabilities of a live remote production truck in one super portable chassis. “Complete Training for TriCaster STUDIOâ€? dives deep into the popular TriCaster release providing a perfect guide for broadcasters and live event producers learning the ins and outs of TriCaster’s extensive live production capabilities. more

Director Vincent Haycock of production company Vitamin has wrapped a three-spot TV effort for Infiniti via Miami-based ad agency Marca Hispanic. The 30-second Spanish-language ads will air in Miami, Los Angeles and New York, and star renowned Latin artists such as trumpeter Alfredo “Chocolate� Armenteros and chef Douglas Rodriguez, among others. The spots examine the intersection where design meets performance to promote the new Infiniti G, FX and QX series. The campaign, which was also edited by Haycock, breaks November 19th. more

Myrtle Creek, Ore. –— Nov. 19, 2007 –— Artbeats, the industry’s leading provider of high-quality royalty-free stock footage, today announced it has captured footage of last week’s oil spill off the coast of San Francisco. Using a CineAlta F900R HD camera, the Artbeats team shot a variety of subject matter showing pollution from the spill, including oil in the water, tar on the beach, dead wildlife, clean-up crews and more. Artbeats is the only stock footage company offering downloadable HD and SD royalty-free clips of this recent environmental occurrence. To view or purchase clips please visit www.artbeats.com/oilspill. more

On the heels a string of successful feature film VFX efforts for the Weinstein Company and Revolution Studios, rhinofx announces the opening of a Connecticut office dedicated to supporting feature film and video game effects. The new location offers 30% tax credits for all clients while creating additional capabilities such as cutting-edge technology with total integration with the New York office for features, spots and the video game industry. more

For the fourth year in a row, Riedel Communications is soaring as the official global supplier of the Red Bull Air Race World Series. Riedel, the leading manufacturer of intercom systems and one of the world’s biggest rental services for wireless and wired communications solutions, is at the forefront of the event providing the entire communications solutions, integrating both wireless and wired digital intercom systems. Additionally, Riedel is supplying the wireless video links for the race planes’ onboard cameras enabling stunning pictures to be delivered from the pilots’ perspectives. more

Solid State Logic is pleased to announce the installation of a C300 HD digital audio console with an XLogic Delta-Link MADI HD system in the newly remodeled Stage C at Wildfire Post-Production Studios. The C300 provides Wildfire with an intelligent and efficient way of dealing with a wide variety of input sources and output formats, while the Delta-Link MADI HD system supplies flawless data transfer between the C300 and Wildfire’s Pro Tools® HD systems. more

In this comical spot for Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain, Anonymous Content’s Brad Silberling creates a world where a talking equine expresses his love for the healthy snack bar. A thoroughbred, complete with British accent, discusses the disdainful quality of the oats and grains his master so diligently feeds him. The horse stands on his hind quarters as he gesticulates the point with his front legs, and partakes of the delicious, quality goodie. This high bred fancies work, hard jumping and racing, so he makes sure to take time to enjoy the good life with Nutri-Grain. more

Workflow for Media Prima’s “Catch-Up TV” service features the full range of Digital Rapids solutions from encoding through delivery

November 19, 2007 — Markham, Ontario: Digital Rapids — a leading developer of scalable solutions for content ingest, encoding, transcoding, protection, streaming and delivery — announced today that Media Prima Berhad, the leading media group in Malaysia, is using a complete range of Digital Rapids systems to power Catch-Up TV, their new online TV-on-demand service. more

LOS ANGELES – Nov. 19, 2007 – Capturing the essence of the holiday season, SWAY studio adds life, spirit and a sense of romanticism to the newest Chandon Sparkling Wine commercial entitled “After Party.� SWAY’s talented team of artists combined detailed character animation with high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) and their renowned photogrammetry techniques to add precision and energy to this fanciful spot which is currently airing on select US cable and network broadcast stations. more