Archive for August 4th, 2008

Arleta, CA & Vancouver, BC, Aug. 5, 2008 – MastersFX, one of the entertainment and media industry’s leading FX shops, has named Mark Ballou to the post of Effects Coordinator, it was announced by Todd Masters, founder of MastersFX. MastersFX specializes in prosthetic, animatronic, and makeup character effects for major studio and independent feature films, as well as for network and cable television shows, telefilms and commercials. more

Hollywood, CA, Aug. 5, 2008 – SonicPool, one of Hollywood’s leading post facilities, specializing in audio and video finishing, edit suite rentals, and full post-production services, has opened its new “Lake Superior� Room. In keeping with bays that have “Aquatic/Nautical� themed names, “Superior� offers its clients Avid DS-HD services for 2K, 4K and HD Finishing. The announcement was made by John Frost and Patrick Bird, co-founders, SonicPool, who said, “Many of our clients are finishing their projects in Avid Symphony HD and Final Cut Pro HD already, so we felt now was the time to invest in “Superior� so we could to continue to fulfill that growing demand.� more

Technicolor, the Services division of Thomson (Euronext 18453; NYSE: TMS), today announced that Rick Mischel has joined Technicolor Content Services as Executive Vice President, Animation & Interactive Services.

Technicolor’s Animation & Interactive Services business unit combines its Games division, led by Vice President of Interactive Chan Park, and growing Animation division co-located in Burbank and the Bangalore, India-based Paprikaas Studio. The combined division produces art and animation for the games, television and DVD/Feature markets; and provides audio, versioning and localization services to the games and animation community. Recent projects include high-end cinematics for Midway and Epic, audio work for Activision and Microsoft, and animation production services for the Back at the Barnyard CGI television series airing on Nickelodeon. more

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, August 4, 2008 –Filmmaker and performance artist Fritz Donnelly has made a reputation by selling thousands of copies of his films on the streets of New York City. His cult DVD tothehills 2, a collection of his short independent films about dreamers, professionals, hustlers, and “people like you and me,� as Donnelly puts it, has been picked up by a dozen distributors through a discovery and distribution festival known as From Here to Awesome, and Manhattan socialites are taking note. Last week, celebrity and rock n’ roll photographer Leee Black Childers, perhaps best known for being the assistant to the late Andy Warhol during the Factory days, left his own birthday party to attend “Read & Discuss the Articles in Playboy,� a party hosted by Donnelly and his girlfriend Christina Ewald at her hip Lower East Side performance space, HiChristina. Childers snapped several shots of party guests re-enacting Playboy photo shoots, and by the end of the evening, requested a copy of tothehills 2. more

The Netherlands, Amsterdam, August 4, 2008 – RF Central, a leading digital microwave technology provider, is unveiling its new and improved NLL-II 5.8 GHz portable digital microwave link at IBC (Stand 1.A30). Taking its former model to new heights, the updated NLL-II now offers both balanced microphone and line level inputs via switch selectable XLR connectors on both the transmitter and receiver. This makes the NLL-II ideal for use by roaming news and sports crews. As part of its new release, the redesigned NLL-II is now also equipped with phantom power for microphones. more

The Brief:

Directing duo Goetz Brothers of bicoastal/international Crossroads helm two :45 satirical spots for a fictional beverage brand (www.trubeverage.com) teasing HBO’s new vampire series, True Blood from the creator of Six Feet Under. more

IBC introduction of Slate HD and 2 M/E Live Integrated Video Production Systems

Billerica, Massachusetts (August 4, 2008) Broadcast Pix™, the company that redefined the production switcher as a live integrated production system, will demonstrate its popular and newly expanded Slate™ switcher line at IBC 2008 at the RAI Center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Stand 7.H31). Broadcast Pix’s Mercedes OB (Outside Broadcast) Van, containing a fully functional Slate live production system will be parked at the booth. more

Rascally Robot Comes to Life Inside Dirty Jobs, Deadliest Catch and Mythbusters

The creative folks at !mpossible Pictures are celebrating their recent completion of a clever campaign which cross-promotes Discovery Channel’s signature TV show franchises with Disney Pixar’s latest animated feature, Wall-E.

What sets this campaign apart are the clever and humorous ways in which the Wall-E character performs right within a Dirty Jobs junkyard, on the deck of a Deadliest Catch crab boat, and inside the Mythbusters’ workshop. more

SAN DIEGO — Aug. 4, 2008 — Broadcast systems integrator TV Magic has completed an A/V installation for the new city council chambers in the City of Aliso Viejo, Calif., providing audio, video, and control systems for use at city council meetings. The new digital equipment replaces a simple microphone and tape recorder setup previously used by the city during sessions held every other week. more

JULY 31, 2008: Randolph, NJ: Galileo Productions, a media production company located in Randolph, NJ announces the signed partnership agreement with The Northern New Jersey Speleological Society(a 5013c Corporation), to produce The Benefit For Caves Concert at Widow Jane Mine on August 8th 2009 in Rosendale, New York. more