Archive for August 1st, 2011

Cinesite casts the final spell on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

London, UK, August 1, 2011 – Cinesite, one of the world’s leading film visual effects houses, has contributed complex visual effects for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Cinesite has worked on every Potter film in the series bringing the total shot count to nearly 2000 during the course of this epic eight-part franchise.
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After spending more than a decade churning out advertising campaigns for top brands such as Nike, HP and Toyota on both the agency and production sides of the business, Betsy Beale is bringing her considerable talents and experience to jumP’s LA office.

“Betsy encompasses all we are looking for in a powerhouse EP: incredible experience and a certain something that makes her loved by all,” noted jumP MD Dee Tagert “We connected instantly and share a vision for our LA office, one I am supremely confident she will deliver.”

Following collaborations with top agencies Wieden + Kennedy, GS&P and Saatchi at esteemed studios chrome and Lost Planet, and after spending a number of years at Y&R and TBWA\Chiat\Day, San Francisco, Beale feels well prepared for her new challenge. “Having been around the business for a long time, you know who’s good, and jumP more

In the latest of a long string of projects with Merkley+Partners, Face The Music recently composed the soundtrack for a Mercedes-Benz spot starring tennis great Roger Federer. The :30, which began running on TV during the French Open (a :60 ran online only), features an earnest Federer serving tennis balls ever faster as the speed measurements appear on a nearby device. When his efforts top out at 135 miles per hour, the frustrated superstar glances at a white Mercedes-Benz parked nearby and inspiration hits. Soon, he is cruising through the desert at 197 miles per hour, the tennis ball riding shotgun in the high-powered convertible.

With a few days to deliver a unique finished piece, Face The Music worked closely with the agency and client to create the modern, aggressive and energetic music track that both desired. They approached the spot like a cue more

ATLANTA, AUGUST 1, 2011—Behind the scenes of In Touch Ministries’ weekly television program In Touch With Dr. Charles Stanley, production has become much more comfortable and efficient thanks to the addition of teleprompters from Autoscript, the world’s leading teleprompting company and a Vitec Group brand. An easy-to-use solution for users and engineers alike, Autoscript LED 19 +TFT+ (LED19TFT) teleprompters have enabled In Touch to clearly convey important messaging despite bright lights, distance and other common challenges faced on a sound stage.

The goal of In Touch Ministries, the non-profit ministry founded by Dr. Charles Stanley, senior pastor of First Baptist Atlanta, is to lead people worldwide into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and strengthen the local church. While Dr. Stanley’s outreach began as a local broadcast in Atlanta, today the weekly television and radio broadcasts of In Touch With Dr. Charles Stanley can be seen and heard domestically more

Leading International Edit House Cut+Run Opens In Asia

The continued growth and success of international offline edit house Cut+Run is cemented by the launch of its new editing facility in Hong Kong, the hub of Asia. Cut+Run owner, Steve Gandolfi says: “Our next incredible journey begins, in such an amazing region within an exploding market.”

With a presence in the ever growing and creative Asian market for the last two years, James Tomkinson (Managing Director, Cut+Run London) notes the increase in, and demand for, creative editors in the region.

“This demand is twofold, firstly more western directors are now shooting in Asia and are expecting the same excellence there as they receive from Cut+Run in London, New York & LA. Equally exciting though is that demand is also coming more

Culver City, CA—John Adams, whose talent for crafting smart, funny, true-to-life stories has made him one of the top comedy directors in advertising, has joined bi-coastal Original for exclusive representation. Adams joins Original after a ten-year run at Los Angeles-based Form where he directed campaigns for Bud Light, AT&T, Home Depot, Snickers and many other national brands.
“John is a phenomenal talent, an A-list director in every sense of the word,” said Original partner/executive director Jeff Devlin. “I have been a fan of his for years and continue to be impressed with the incredible spirit and enthusiasm that he brings to his projects.”

Adams began his career on the agency side as a copywriter and producer, including tenures at Hal Riney & Partners and Wieden & Kennedy. He broke into directing while more

–New release supports stereo 3D TVs, ARRI Alexa and RED formats–
–Booth demonstrations feature first look at Python and Web integration for RV–

Tweak Software will be previewing the newest features for its RV image and sequence viewer for VFX and animation artists at SIGGRAPH 2011. The company will unveil RV 3.12, which includes support for ARRI Alexa and RED formats, cost-effective stereo reviews using 3D TVs and a host of new features, and will also be demonstrating Python scripting for RV in booth #963.

“RV has a dual personality. It’s a tool for artists who want refined, elegant way to work with images and it is also a customizable platform for facilities who need to integrate image review with their own tools and pipeline,” said Seth Rosenthal, co-founder of Tweak Software. “This release will have some great artist tools and will expand RV’s customization options more

Company to showcase new version with unique renderfarm-in-a-box demo at SIGGRAPH 2011

At SIGGRAPH 2011 Thinkbox Software will announce the public beta of Deadline 5.1, the newest version of the company’s popular render farm management solution for Windows, Linux and Mac OSX-based render farms. In addition to feature and performance enhancements, the new release includes integration with the Shotgun production management and collaboration system, and with Draft, Thinkbox’s image templating and slating system. The software’s full feature set will be showcased in demonstrations with a unique renderfarm-in-a-box configuration.

Deadline is a hassle-free administration and rendering toolkit that offers management options for render farms of all sizes, and the flexibility to run the software on a wide range of platforms and rendering packages. Because Deadline enables studios to communicate seamlessly across locations, the tool is gaining popularity among visual effects companies with massive global render farms. Version 5.1 adds:
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Will introduce standalone cross-platform volumetric particle renderer, Krakatoa SR 2.0

At SIGGRAPH 2011 in Vancouver, Thinkbox Software will unveil Krakatoa MX™ 2.0, the latest version of its high volume particle rendering, manipulation and management toolkit, with new creative features and improved performance. The company will also introduce Krakatoa™ SR 2.0, a standalone cross-platform particle renderer for Linux, Windows and Mac.

Krakatoa MX provides an efficient pipeline for particle acquisition, caching, modifying, deforming, shading and rendering inside Autodesk 3ds Max. It enables artists to recreate natural phenomena and solid objects, or create abstract images in unparalleled detail. Key new features in Version 2.0 include:

• Hair rendering support – Krakatoa™ MX supports the conversion of 3ds Max Hair&Fur, Hair Farm and regular Bezier splines into particles. The dedicated PRT Hair object provides optional view-dependent particle distribution and advanced controls over hair shading using Krakatoa Channel Modifiers. Krakatoa™ more

New spot directed by Scott McCullough for Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing highlights the dangers of secondhand smoke in outdoor environments.
AUSTIN, Texas—A new public service campaign for Austin, Texas’ Live Tobacco-Free program makes the point that secondhand smoke is a danger wherever it occurs, indoors or out. Conceived by Sherry Matthews Advocacy Marketing, Austin, and directed by Scott McCullough, the new 30-second spot, in English and Spanish versions, shows a large tanker truck driving through Austin as a worker in a haz-mat suit sprays unsuspecting residents with thick, billowy clouds of noxious fumes.
People at an outdoor restaurant, kids playing in a park and pedestrians strolling along a path react in horror and disgust as they are enveloped by the sooty smoke. The voiceover notes that secondhand cigarette smoke contains 7,000 chemicals, many harmful to humans, and directs consumers more