Archive for January 17th, 2008

IMAGINARY FORCES DIRECTOR OF EXPERIENCE DESIGN TALI KRAKOWSKY TO SPEAK AT AIGA/LA “DESIGN REMIXED� EVENT ON JANUARY 30TH

Free Design Event To Take Place At Apple Store In Santa Monica, California

On Wednesday, January 30th, Imaginary Forces Director of Experience Design Tali Krakowsky will be speaking at the AIGA/Los Angeles “Pro Sessions: Design Remixed� event, which is taking place at the Apple store in Santa Monica, California (1248 Third Street Promenade) at 7 p.m. The event is free and seating is on a first-come, first-serve basis. more

January 17, 2008

Calling All Creatives!
MyToons.com Bumper Blastoff Animation Contest – With $7,000 in Cash Prizes – Now Accepting Entries Through Feb. 28
Online Animation Community’s Bumper Blastoff Contest Calls for Animators to Create Animated Bumpers and Compete for Prize Money

SAN ANTONIO – In response to positive animator feedback, MyToons.com, the world’s premier online animation community, is now accepting entries for Bumper Blastoff, its newest international animation contest, through February 28, 2008. Contestants are asked to create original animated bumpers lasting 30 seconds or less, for a chance to win their share of $7,000 in cash prizes. All animators, from students to professionals, are invited to enter Bumper Blastoff at MyToons.com. more

(January 17, 2008) – DULUTH, Georgia – Wegener Corporation (Nasdaq: WGNR), a leading provider of equipment for television, audio, and data distribution networks worldwide today announced that WEGENER President and COO Ned L. Mountain has been selected as a panelist for this year’s SATELLITE 2008, occurring from February 25-28 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. more

Bicoastal production and management firm Anonymous Content has secured former independent rep Paul Muniz as the company’s in-house Head of East Coast Sales & Management. Lisa Sabatino will continue to occupy her in-house repping duties for the NY office. Independent David Wagner handles midwest duties, while staffer Michael Di Girolamo handles the west.
Head Of Commercials Dave Morrison comments on the hire, “With our ongoing commitment to keep the New York office’s capabilities of management and production commensurate with our robust LA operation, we’re truly thrilled to bring such a seasoned veteran in both directorial management and marketplace awareness onboard to assist in expediting our goals.” more

The Breif:
Version2 provides both the editorial and the design/effects in this split screen spot for Optimum. Editor Vito DeSario does double duty as he cuts a side by side shot of two network providers- Optimum and the other guys. Creative Director Kieran Walsh and Tim Farrell supply clever effects as we see how Optimum gives superior customer service and provides its clients with more than enough bandwidth to support their business. The two shots give us a simultaneous glimpse into how a successful company creates clout, and how the others fall short. more

Ben Taylor of Crossroads has been involved for the past few years with the critically acclaimed stage production of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys. Taylor has continually directed and shot film installments that pair and continue story lines throughout the play. Each narrative piece is actor specific and with each recurring cast change, new footage must be filmed. The most recent production is a run in Los Angeles at the Ahmanson Theatre which will utilize the original UK production design but has an almost entirely American cast. Taylor was called in to re-shoot for this current production, requiring more days of shooting and weeks in edit. He has been involved since the beginning, starting with the original London run, International Tour, and transfer to Broadway, where the acclaimed piece has received countless awards and nominations including six Tonys. more

Multi-faceted Design and VFX house Manic proudly welcomes Executive Producer/Director of Operations Melissa Warhaftig into the fold. Melissa will be working with EP/Head of Sales James Braddock to develop and implement a growth strategy for the ever expanding company. Melissa comes to Manic by way of jumP Editorial, where she was brought in as Supervising Producer to handle all of their Maybelline work. She created and streamlined protocol for the multi-million dollar campaign in areas including editorial, design animation, and high-end visual effects. Melissa has consulted clients on efficient production procedures in these disciplines and has helped companies incorporate photo-realistic strategies to enhance or replace product photography. Before working with jumP, Warhaftig was a Broadcast Producer with JWT. more

$10,000 grand prize for top animated short film

Oxford, UK (January 16, 2008)— Vicon, developer of Academy Award-winning motion capture systems and part of the Oxford Metrics Group, is currently accepting submissions for the Vicon Film Festival online at http://www.vicon.com/filmfestival/

With a grand prize of $10,000, the international competition aims to find the most creative and entertaining use of a series of motion capture sequences in an animated short. The competition is open to original short films (between two and five minutes long) using motion capture data made available for download from the Vicon Film Festival website. more

Hollywood, CA, January 18, 2008 — Eden FX, a Hollywood-based creator of visual effects for feature films, television programs and commercials, has completed an extensive array of digital effects and matte paintings to help illustrate The History Channel’s special presentation entitled “Life After People,â€? which will air from 9-11pm on January 21st. The company has also been awarded a large number of visual effects for two major, upcoming studio feature films, “Get Smartâ€? and “Nim’s Island.â€? Eden FX co-founders Mark Miller and John Gross made the announcement. more

Santa Monica, CA, January 18, 2008 – Jonathan Whitehead, Executive Producer of Unit 5 Productions, a full-service commercial production company located in Santa Monica, has announced that the company has signed five noted spot directors on an exclusive basis. These directors are Bill Timmer, Marcus Stokes, Suzanne Luna, Vincent Pagazza and John Shotwell.
(Photo is Marcus Stokes) more