Archive for June 18th, 2012

Miami, FL – June 2012… For those audio pros working location sound projects, the ability to depend upon consistent, first-rate performance from one’s equipment is essential. With little or no opportunity for a re-take, the job boils down to, ‘Get it right the first time or go home.’ Such is the case for the production crew of Miami, FL-based Accord Productions. To ensure they capture the audio with a high level of speech intelligibility and natural sound quality, the Accord Productions staff depends on Digital Hybrid Wireless® technology from Rio Rancho, NM-based Lectrosonics. more

CHICAGO— Editor Tom Pastorelle of The Colonie has joined with HY Connect to create a series of four spots for Blue Cross Blue Shield, Parachute, Horse, Guide and Birthday,” which are currently running in Illinois, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Parachute shows two men about to embark on a skydiving adventure, both left to choose between a secure and trustworthy pack and a pack with rips and duct tape holding it together. Horse shows a man and his decision to go with a safe older horse for his young daughter to ride as opposed to a larger bucking horse. Guide depicts a couple choosing between a muscular young trail guide with a GPS and an older man with a pet raccoon who uses a trail of breadcrumbs to plot his course. And finally, Birthday shows a princess themed birthday party full of young girls who are left to choose between a mime and a fairy princess as entertainment. All spots illustrate scenarios in which characters must make a decision with humorously obvious choices. more

Los Angeles-based creative agency Oishii Creative is celebrating its recent Gold & Silver wins at the 2012 PromaxBDA Awards Show, which were announced last week.

Its promo for Nicktoons “Voltron Force,” also won a One Show Entertainment Merit Award: http://www.oneclub.org/finalists/2012/.

2012 PromaxBDA North America Gold for Children’s Programming Spot:
Nicktoons “Voltron Force” Promo
http://www.oishiicreative.com/?p=1095

2012 PromaxBDA North America Gold for Art Direction & Design: Informational Graphics – Sports:
NFLN Snipe System

2012 PromaxBDA North America Silver for Art Direction & Design: Informational Graphics – Sports:
ESPN Pan American Games Graphics Package
http://www.oishiicreative.com/?p=1765

2012 PromaxBDA North America Silver for Art Direction & Design: Image Promo – Sports:
NFL Network Playoff Weeks

About Oishii Creative:
Oishii Creative is a full-service creative agency specializing in building and evolving brands for leading entertainment and consumer companies. We combine keen strategic insights with compelling creative and the latest technology to forge unique visual solutions. Recent clients include the NFL Network, Discovery Channel, Ovation, EA Sports, Nicktoons and Disney.

www.oishiicreative.com

DFT Digital Film Technology, provider of high-end film and digital post production solutions that preserve, manage, and deliver your pictures, announces the promotion of Pietro Troilo who is stepping up to assume the role of Software Product Manager.

Using his industry expertise and product & technology knowledge Pietro will lead the way for future development of the entire DFT Digital Film Technology software line. more

Boutique visual effects provider embarks on first feature film project for Hammer, an Exclusive Media company, and TPSC Films.

HOLLYWOOD—June 18, 2012—UnitZeroVFX, a division of the award-winning studio The Traveling Picture Show Company, announced today that it will serve as sole visual effects provider for Hammer’s The Quiet Ones, a supernatural thriller directed by John Pogue (Quarantine 2: Terminal) and starring Jared Harris (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Mad Men), Sam Claflin (Snow White and the Huntsman, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) Erin Richards (Breaking In, Being Human), Olivia Cooke (The Secret of Crickley Hall, The Fuse) and West-End theater actor Rory Fleck-Byrne. The film is produced by James Gay-Rees (Senna, Exit through the Gift Shop) and Ben Holden in association with TPSC Films.

more

Christie®, a global provider of visual display solutions, is proud to announce that the Dolby Theatre(SM), will be equipped with the Christie Duo™ for its big-screen needs, including the June 18 World Premiere of Disney•Pixar’s “Brave.”
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The green-carpet event, which marks the grand opening for the Dolby Theatre, is a special presentation for Film Independent’s 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival. Premiering in Dolby’s latest audio innovation, Dolby® Atmos™ and Dolby 3D, a state-of-the-art imaging solution providing audiences with a superior 3D experience, “Brave” is an epic tale set in the mystical Scottish Highlands where the film’s headstrong protagonist, Merida, is forced to discover the meaning of true bravery. The action adventure hits theaters nationwide on June 22, 2012.
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“To truly bring audiences into the onscreen adventure at the Dolby Theatre, we are pleased to be working with Christie to deliver a premium Dolby 3D experience,” said Doug Darrow, Senior Vice President, Cinema, Dolby Laboratories. “The Dolby Theatre continues our long commitment to Hollywood and the entertainment industry and the World Premiere of Disney•Pixar’s ‘Brave’ in Dolby Atmos and Dolby 3D, with the help of Christie, will transport the audience into the onscreen adventure with the most life-like experience ever offered.”
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Christie Duo, available for the 2K or 4K Christie Solaria™ Series digital cinema projectors, is an integration kit specially designed to optimize 3D and other special effects on the largest screens. It features a choice of configurations including a compact stacking system for 3D installations, or a physical configuration that exactly aligns every pixel on the screen for optimal 2D and 3D presentations. With automated features that calibrate, align and optimize the images for 2K or 4K projectors, Christie Duo delivers a completely seamless, premium movie experience for the world’s largest screens at a cost that all manner and size of exhibitors can afford.
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The Dolby Theatre will be using the configuration of two projectors stacked vertically. Whether used for world premieres or thousands of showings later, the Christie Duo promises the brightest picture quality available for 2D or 3D on premium-size screens.
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“Christie is dedicated to giving exhibitors of all types the best projection available for their unique needs, particularly as consumers come to expect 3D and other technical innovations,” said Craig Sholder, vice president, Entertainment Solutions, Christie. “With our technical expertise and worldwide network of installation partners, we can deliver quickly and cost-effectively, allowing our customers to create and deliver their own, branded premium theatre experience.”
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The Dolby Theatre(SM), the iconic Hollywood landmark at Hollywood & Highland Center®, will be the world’s stage for entertainment sound and imaging. Dolby has enhanced the venue with Dolby® Atmos™ and Dolby 3D, to create a world-class showcase for Dolby’s current and future technologies.
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The main stage at the Dolby Theatre is one of the largest in the United States, measuring 113 feet (34 m) wide by 60 feet (18 m) deep, and supporting a large, 60 feet by 32 feet white screen. Because it features live events as well as blockbuster movie premieres, the theatre’s projection system needs to adapt easily and quickly to changing needs. The technical quality of Christie’s Solaria™ projector, Christie Duo and Christie’s commitment to fast custom installation, gives the facility new capabilities for premium 3D and 2D projection now and for the future.
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About “Brave”
Set in the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland, Disney•Pixar’s “Brave” follows the heroic journey of Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald), a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to change her fate, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the unruly and uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane), unleashing chaos in the kingdom. When she turns to an eccentric Witch (voice of Julie Walters), she is granted an ill-fated wish and the ensuing peril forces Merida to harness all of her resources—including her mischievous triplet brothers—to undo a beastly curse and discover the meaning of true bravery. Directed by Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman, and produced by Katherine Sarafian, “Brave” is a grand adventure full of heart, memorable characters and signature Pixar humor. Opens on June 22, 2012, in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters. “Brave” is rated PG by the MPAA. Visit Disney.com/Brave, like us on Facebook, facebook.com/PixarBrave, and follow us on Twitter, twitter.com/disneypixar.

San Rafael, CA, June 18, 2012 — RipplFX will play host to producer and idea man Bob Kosberg, during a special, one-day event entitled “The Art of Pitching: How to Sell Your Ideas to Hollywood.” The event will be held at 32TEN Studios in San Rafael (Marin County), CA, from Noon-7:30 PM on Thursday, July 26th.

Kosberg’s talk is designed to help anyone who has ever thought they had a great idea — someone who doesn’t need to have a completed script or even be a writer. He will demonstrate how to formulate succinct, persuasive and compelling pitches that can land ideas onto TV or the big screen. For ticket sales and a slate of the day’s events, please see: http://robertkosbergpitch.eventbrite.com/

Kosberg will cover topics such as:

**How to find a good idea
**What a “high-concept” idea really is
**How to pack¬age a “saleable” idea
**How to sell a one-line idea, con¬cept or story
**How to pitch a com¬pleted script
**Style points and salesmanship
**What makes a great pitch
**Getting your pitch to Hollywood’s decision makers

Participants will also have the opportunity to present their own 90-second pitches, receive immediate feedback, and have a chance to win a one-on-one consultation with Kosberg. Each participant will also receive a free copy of Kosberg’s new mobile app, which has been developed by RipplFX. Entitled “Mr. Pitch,” the app will be available on the Apple and Android platforms in July 2012, and offers users frequent and easy access to Kosberg’s expertise, by submitting pitch ideas online for immediate and personal feedback from Kosberg himself. The app also features bonus material like rewards, badges, and video content.

Kosberg will be speak¬ing inside the 32TEN Theater, located within 32TEN Studios (the historic facility originally occupied by George Lucas’ ILM.) The theater is where the first THX sound sys¬tem was installed and where sev¬eral Lucas¬Film movies have been staged. Kosberg has helped numerous people who have attended these events to sell ideas and concepts to such stars as Drew Barrymore, Katherine Heigl, and Barbra Streisand. These projects were set up at Fox, Dreamworks, and Sony.

About Bob Kosberg:

In Hollywood, Bob Kosberg is known as one of the best idea men and pro¬duc¬ers in the enter¬tain¬ment busi¬ness. He has pitched and sold over seventy-five projects, and has pro¬duced numer¬ous fea¬ture films and tele¬vi¬sion movies includ¬ing “Com¬mando” with Arnold Schwarzeneg¬ger, which grossed $200 mil¬lion, and “12 Mon¬keys” with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt, which grossed $150 mil¬lion. Since Octo¬ber 2003, Kos¬berg has run the Fea¬ture Film Divi¬sion of Bruce Nash Enter¬tain¬ment, based at the Sunset-Gower Stu¬dios. He is con¬sid¬ered one of the top speak¬ers on the lec¬ture cir¬cuit and par¬tic¬i¬pates in speak¬ing engage¬ments all over the world. For more infor¬ma¬tion, visit www.moviepitch.com or

http://robertkosbergpitch.eventbrite.com/

About RipplFX:

Headquartered at 32TEN Studios, RipplFX is a transmedia production company and mobile app developer designing content delivery strategies for the publishing, education and entertainment industries across multiple platforms. The company is currently building a library of content for distribution across multiple platforms for books, games and films. Nicole Lundeen serves as RipplFX’s CEO. For more information, visit: www.ripplfx.com

About 32TEN Studios:

Launched in early 2012 by longtime entertainment industry leaders Tim Partridge and Greg Maloney, 32TEN Studios is a production services company offering digital and practical FX, as well as stage rentals, and whose facility was designed and first occupied by ILM. The company provides its services to producers of major motion pictures, independent films, TV programs, commercials, industrials, web content and multi-media projects.

32TEN Studios is located at 3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA, 94901.
The phone is 800 717 3210, and the website is: www.32ten.com

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A.C.T Lighting is pleased to announce that Mike Gillis has come on board as a salesperson for A.C.T Lighting Canada, the company’s new office, which opened in suburban Toronto in May.

“We’re excited to have Mike join us,” says Andrew Beck, general manager of A.C.T Lighting Canada. “Mike has a solid reputation in the industry and excellent customer service abilities. His knowledge of the cable business and the relationships he has developed over his years in the Canadian market will serve us well.”

Gillis launched himself in the lighting industry when he was a teenager providing local labor, tour support, rentals and lighting design; he went on to own four small- to medium-sized rigs, which he supplied in a package with crew, gear and trucking.

In 1987 he opened Phase Lighting with Michael Stone in Windsor and Concord, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan. “We were primarily a resale location and did installations, some touring and rentals, and provided rehearsal space for the top 40 Canadian bands of the day,” Gillis recalls. Phase Lighting was a leading distributor of the Kupo line of products.

Gillis launched Profile Technologies in 1993 and continued to distribute Kupo products; he also established Canadian distribution for Christie Lites until 2000. At that time Gillis was hired by TMB where he remained until March.

About A.C.T Lighting

A leading importer and distributor of lighting products, A.C.T Lighting, Inc. strives to identify future trends and cutting-edge products, and stock, sell and support their inventory. The company provides superior customer service and value for money to all of its clients.

For more information call 818-707-0884.

Tool Director Alma Har’el teamed up with Sigur Rós to create a music video for “Fjögur Píanó,” a haunting ambient track off of their new studio album, Valtari. Starring actor Shia LaBeouf, Har’el’s take on “Fjögur Píanó” uses modern dance, kidnappings, and surreal hallucinatory sequences to explore the relationship of one couple locked in a never-ending cycle of addiction and desire.

Visit Tool

Credits
Artist: Sigur Rós
Song: Fjögur Píanó

Staring:
Man: Shia LaBeouf
Woman: Denna Thomsen
Forces: Ryan Heffington, Austin Westbay

Production Company: Tool
Director/Writer: Alma Har’el
Executive Producers: Brian Latt, Oliver Fuselier, Dustin Callif

Editors: Joe Lindquist, Alma Har’el

Post Production: The Mill
Visual Effects Producer: Arielle Davis
Visual Effects Production Coordinator: Radiance Salem
Visual Effects Supervisors: Sarah Eim, Tara Demarco
Flame Artists: Tim Bird, Margolit Steiner, Nick Tayler, Robert Murdock, Shane Zinkhon, Steve Cokonis
Visual Effects Designer: Justin Sucara

Color Correction: New Hat
Colorist: Beau Leon
Assistant Colorist: Brandon Chavez
About Tool
Bicoastal Tool is an award-winning production company, representing top live-action directors and interactive directors for advertising projects. From funny… visually engaging… and/or interactive, Tool’s diverse roster of unique talent creates unforgettable commercial and digital content across all platforms.

More info: TRUST 646 452 3388 (NY) 310 451 5153 (LA) trustcollective.com

At the 2011 Billboard Music Awards: Beyoncé blew everyone off the stage with a dazzling performance of her hit single, Run the World (Girls). With a live television audience of millions watching, the superstar singer surged before a magnificent battery of bold and imaginative graphics. That visual display was the latest in a long line of standard-setting interactive stage visuals from the experts at ThinkBreatheLive (TBL).

TBL has again teamed up with Beyoncé, this time on her epic four-night Memorial Day weekend comeback concerts, “Back to Business,” which were staged at Atlantic City’s new Revel Hotel. Each show consisted of a two-hour, 23-song odyssey, the majority of which featured a massive TBL-generated interactive graphic display.

“Beyoncé is one of the great pure performers of our time, so we were absolutely honored and thrilled when she asked to work with us again – this time on a much larger scale,” stated TBL EP Kenny Pedini. “For a legend with such a carefully guarded image to trust us with the core components of such a grand event really speaks to level of work that TBL is putting out.”

The stage was an elaborate colossus that included myriad LED screens, including three 100-foot-plus monitors (one back LED, a mid LED that can hide or reveal the band members, and an LED floor), and several smaller screens on six towers. A blizzard of interactive visuals seesawed across the monitors throughout the show, ranging from a Tron-esque infinity treadmill floor to accompany End of Time to a slew of strobe lights and silhouettes complementing a slow-motion version of Baby Boy to interactive lasers moving to every step of the choreography in Schoolin’ Life.

As with last year’s Billboard project, TBL worked directly with Beyoncé, director Ed Burke, and choreographer Frank D. Gatson, Jr. throughout the creative process. “In our first meeting, we asked who our point person would be, and they said, ‘Beyoncé,’” stated TBL CD Andy Jennison. “And that was true – she was a fixture in our office. One of the things I love about working with Beyoncé is that she rolls up her sleeves and gets right into it. She doesn’t just come in to approve things, she becomes part of the creative process.”

During a series of pre-production meetings, Beyoncé’s team presented visual references in order to give Jennison and his team an idea of the flavors Beyoncé was looking for. Jennison quickly put together a treatment which maximized the usage of the various screens that Beyoncé would employ during her show. The team of 2D and 3D artists immediately began working on executing visuals that accented notes, choreography, and Beyoncé’s unique vision of graphic, modern and iconic imagery.

Jennison continued about the process. “Here is why I love working on these types of projects. This is a tremendously collaborative effort across multiple parties with lights, choreography, staging and a total full-on production to create Beyoncé’s vision. Each department respected each others’ craft and worked to make an amazing show.”

When asked about the schedule, the team didn’t beat around the bush. “We basically had about 6 weeks to create what should have taken 3 months”, said Pedini. “But that’s okay. You never have the luxury of time when it comes to these projects… or any type of project for that matter. The project is done at showtime. If they pushed the show back another two weeks, then we’d work two more weeks on it, and come up with more crazy ideas. But this is how we work. The first tour we did with Roger Waters back in 2006 (the “Dark Side of the Moon Tour”) was insane. We had three weeks to create all the visuals for the entire two-hour show. Challenging as hell but we were up for it. You assemble the team and push the start button. And you remove the stop button.”

TBL has been busy in the epic concert scene lately – As Roger Waters The Wall Tour finished its South American run, the Tour returns this summer to North America to play a series of US baseball stadiums. The visuals created by TBL originally for US and European arenas had to be completely reworked to accommodate the huge soccer stadiums of countries like Chile and Argentina. “To play in those enormous stadiums, Roger had to double the size of the wall which meant doubling the size of the visuals and creating some additional”, said Jennison. “I was at some of the shows in Sao Paolo and Buenos Aires. It was the biggest thing I’d ever seen. I’m very excited that Roger is bringing the show to US baseball stadiums this summer. Everyone should be able to see this amazing spectacle we’ve all built.”

Visit ThinkBreatheLive
View Media

Credits
Post/Effects Co: ThinkBreatheLive
Creative Director/Editor: Andy Jennison
Executive Producer: Kenny Pedini
Assistant Editor: Taylor Landesman
VFX Artist(s): Ian Mayer, Matt St. Leger, Adam Yost, Shyam-Thampi Rajendran, Alex Khaimov

About ThinkBreatheLive
From an unassuming film editing studio launched by a trio of ad community veterans in a three-room warehouse in 2001, Breathe has evolved into ThinkBreatheLive — an innovative hybrid, capable of creative direction, content creation, execution, editorial, design, animation and supervision, all set amid a rambling space that is stocked with musical instruments and often hosts jam sessions and sushi parties. Special projects – including video screen content for a live Beyonce performance at the Billboard Music Awards and Roger Waters’ Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall tours – highlight ThinkBreatheLive’s portfolio, which also includes efforts for leading advertising agencies BBDO, Merkley, MRM, Draftfcb, Saatchi & Saatchi, Grey Worldwide, Della Femina, Wishbone and Arnold NY; collaborations with talent from a variety of industries, including Petra Nemkova, Michael Imperioli and Dave Brubeck; documentaries about Miles Davis, James Brown, the Apollo Theater and Happy Hearts Fund; and PSAs on anti-smoking, gun control, tolerance and drug abuse.

More info: TRUST 646 452 3388 (NY) 310 451 5153 (LA) trustcollective.com