Archive for June 25th, 2012

– Company’s Up-and-Coming Filmmakers Bring Home cfp-e/shots Young Director Award and Cannes Lions For Their Work –

The Cortez Brothers, an LA-based company specializing in international productions, has returned from the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity with a number of awards for its young directorial talent.

“We had another great showing at Cannes, but this time is special because all our winners are up-and-coming directors who are just about to take off,” says Ed Rivero, Executive Producer of The Cortez Brothers. “It shows the market is opening up to new talent, which is amazing for all of us.”

To view the award-winning work, please visit: http://bit.ly/Omvv4f

Ricardo Maldonado, the company’s most recent addition, won two Bronze Lions in the PR Lions and Outdoor Lions categories for his 15-minute “To Peru from Perú” documentary. The film was also on the Short List in the Branded Content competition.

Ale Damiani, who hails from Uruguay, earned a Silver Media Lions in the “Best Use of Screens” category for his Pilsen “Papelitos” spot.

JP Irizarry directed the music video for salsa band El Gran Combo’s rewritten version of its hit song “No Hago Más Ná,” with new lyrics that conveyed an inspirational message. The video is part of the PR Lions Grand Prix-winning JWT San Juan, Puerto Rico campaign for Banco Popular.

Argentinian director Fernando Livschitz was honored as one of the 14th annual cfp-e/shots Young Director Award, which showcases young filmmaking talent from across the globe, for his “Inception Park” film in the Video Art Non-Europe category.

About The Cortez Brothers:
A Los Angeles-based company specializing in international productions, The Cortez Brothers has become a lightning rod for the worlds of entertainment and advertising, melding Hispanic/Latino culture and mainstream American sensibilities.

Founded in 2006, it brings bilingual, international talent under one roof, combining the forces of directors, writers and producers who are equally at home speaking English or Spanish. The Cortez Brothers produces a wide range of projects from feature films and television series to webisodes and commercials.

Recent clients include AT&T, Chevy, Coca-Cola, Dodge, Ford, Home Depot, McDonald’s, Pontiac, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Verizon and Allstate. The Cortez Brothers is one of the only woman- and minority-owned production companies in the entire US.

www.cortezbrothers.com

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First Korean film to benefit from Southpaw’s web-based asset management system is Mr. Go 3D, one of the most ambitious and expensive South Korean films of all time

Toronto, Canada – June 25, 2012 – Southpaw Technology, a leading developer of production asset management (PAM) technology for digital content creation companies, announced today that it has signed a 100-seat licensing deal with the Korean visual effects studio, Dexter Digital. Southpaw’s production asset management system TACTIC will initially be used to support Dexter Digital on a 2,000-shot visual effects project for an ambitious, full-length stereoscopic 3D film called Mr. Go 3D.

Based on a popular Korean comic, Mr. Go 3D is a sports comedy that tells the story of a gorilla from a Chinese circus that is trained to play professional baseball in Korea. The ambitious live action film is being shot in stereoscopic 3D and will utilize a combination of motion capture performances and digital effects. Its $20 million budget makes it one of the most expensive South Korean films of all time. To speed the creation of the digital assets to be used in the film, Dexter Digital turned to Southpaw Technology and its production asset management system TACTIC.

”We evaluated a number of asset management systems over a 3-month period, and found TACTIC and the team at Southpaw to be exactly what we were looking for,” said Yun Geuk KANG, CG Supervisor for Dexter Digital. “Not only does TACTIC handle 2D and 3D assets perfectly; its built-in project management and time tracking functionality help us understand exactly where we are in the project, what we’re spending on shots, and how to bill on upcoming projects. Plus, Southpaw’s support has been extremely responsive, which has been a great help in getting our studio up to speed.”

TACTIC is ideally suited to manage large VFX production workflows. As one of the only solutions capable of securely storing digital assets, and then tying those assets to production notes, status updates, tasks, and resources, TACTIC enables vast teams of digital artists to know what they are supposed to be doing when. And because each artist can also track the time they are spending on a given task, TACTIC is the only system that provides a real-time financial view of what assets and shots cost to create. This ultimately drives more efficiency into the process and helps studios complete even the most complex jobs on time and on budget.
“Though young, Dexter Digital is a very ambitious studio, with a state-of-the-art production pipeline, a talented staff and three massive projects already underway, one of which is arguably South Korea’s biggest CG production ever,” said Gary Mundell, CEO of Southpaw Technology. “Their use of TACTIC across their facility is a testament to the faith they place on our technology and our support. We look forward to many years of close collaboration and to the amazing content they will undoubtedly produce.”

For more information about TACTIC, please email contact@southpawtech.com or visit www.southpawtech.com.

About Southpaw Technology Inc.
Southpaw Technology provides production asset management solutions to the media & entertainment and enterprise markets. Available as a web-based solution for Mac OSX, Windows and Linux, TACTIC combines all the asset and production management functionality teams, departments and companies need to keep digital productions on track and on budget, including asset management, project management, workflow management and communication tools. Customers include Proctor and Gamble, Lockheed Martin, Saatchi and Saatchi, Nissan North America, Legend3D, GENER8, 2G Digital, Inhance Digital, ToonBox Entertainment, and many digital content creators. For more information, please visit www.southpawtech.com.

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© 2012. Southpaw Technology Inc. All trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

New Tracks – Must See Special Events

SAN FRANCISCO: Let the buzz begin… Deep into preparation for an extraordinary 133rd AES Convention, the planning committee began meeting in January to develop innovative new programs for the event set for Oct. 26-29 at SF’s Moscone Center. Veteran co-chairs Valerie Tyler and Jim McTigue recruited a stellar collaborative team, mixing seasoned convention pros with enthusiastic new Chairs to insure a, highly relevant Convention. “Our objective is to infuse our events with meaningful tracks that anticipate and inform shifting industry trends,” Tyler says. “As San Francisco remains a bastion of innovative thinking, we are well-positioned to keep ahead of the curve.”

“Highlighting these new track introductions is a Project Studio Expo with a two-day series of clinics on best practices, and techniques on all aspects of creating and operating a small studio. They’ve invested in this gear, we want to help them take full advantage of it.” Jim McTigue states. “This year’s Convention will also see the introduction of two new tracks. Nathan Brock will chair the Networked Audio Track, and Brian McCarty will Chair the Sound For Pictures Track. Additionally,” McTigue adds, “we have confirmed a notable Keynote Speaker TBA soon.”

The Convention will also feature a remodeled Student Product Design Competition, which will tap into student’s unlimited capacity for ‘blue-sky’ thinking. Education Committee co-chairs John Krivit and Ezequiel Morfi and advisor Scott Dorsey anticipate a wealth of revolutionary ideas.
“The Committee is mounting a variety of events which will be hard to miss,” reports AES executive director Bob Moses. “On top of that list is a rare screening of The Wrecking Crew. This highly anticipated documentary about the studio musicians who played on countless Gold & Platinum hits has been withheld from distribution due to complex performance rights issues. Technical Tours Chair Jessica Livingston has secured an AES screening of the film. It promises to be a very hot ticket.”

Moses regards these special events as prime examples of the enduring need for ‘on-site conventions.’ “During the first six months of my Executive Directorship I’ve spoken with hundreds of exhibitors, educators, attendees, event developers and participants,” he says. “Virtually every one of them has emphasized the value of the ‘human connection.’ Social media remains a vital and constantly growing part of our messaging effort. But, the opportunity for face-to-face networking remains indisputable. On site conventions will continue to play an integral role in the AES mandate to help our attendees ‘Listen, Learn and Connect.’”

The 133rd AES Convention Committee boasts an all star-line up analogous to the famed Wrecking Crew. The key difference is Convention Committee members are volunteers! Co-Chairs Jim McTigue and Valerie Tyler are pooling their time and energy with: Broadcast/Streaming Chair, David Bialik; Education Co-Chairs, John Krivit and Ezequiel Morfi; Facilities Chair, Bob Megantz; Game Audio Chair, Steve Martz; Historical Chair, Bill Wray; Live Sound Chair, Michael “Bink” Knowles; Master Classes/Tutorials Co-Chairs, Mike Wells and Jose “Vene” Garcia; Networked Audio Chair, Nathan Brock; Papers Co-Chairs, Veronique Larcher & Alan Seefeldt; Product Design Chair, Conrad Cooke; Sound For Pictures Chair, Brian McCarty; Special Events Chair, Christopher Smith; Tech Tours Chair, Jessica Livingston; Volunteers Co-Chairs, Evan Peebles and Michael McConnell and, Workshops Co-Chairs, David Bowles and Jeffrey McKnight. AES Executive Director Bob Moses; Deputy Director, Roger Furness; Director, Convention Management, Chris Plunkett; Business Development Manager, Steven Green; and Chief Information Officer, Steve Johnson continue to provide exceptional organizational support to the complex effort.

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Pictured (l-r) Even Peebles, Alan Seefeldt, Chris Plunkett, Veronique Larcher, Jessica Livingston, Jeffrey McKnight, Valerie Tyler, Christopher Smith, David Bowles, Bill Wray, Michael Knowles, Jim McTigue, Steven Green, Roger Furness, (A/V consultant) Dave Molnar, Bob Moses and Bob Megantz. Not pictured: David Bialik, John Krivit, Ezequiel Morfi, Steve Martz, Mike Wells, Jose Garcia, Nathan Brock, Brian McCarty, Conrad Cooke, Michael McConnell

The Audio Engineering Society was formed in 1948 by a group of concerned audio engineers. The AES counts over 14,000 members throughout the U.S., Latin America, Europe, Japan and the Far East. The organization serves as the pivotal force in the exchange and dissemination of technical information for the industry. For additional information visit http://www.aes.org

WOODBURY, NEW YORK – Hitachi Kokusai Electric America, Ltd., today announced that Moo TV—a video production and creative services company in Madison, TN—purchased eight Hitachi Z-HD5000 studio and field HDTV cameras to provide video support and big-screen multimedia presentations during concert tours and other live events.

As Pollstar’s “Video Company of the Year” for the past two years, Moo TV provides live multi-camera production, specialized personnel, and digital content creation services to top country artists, including the Zac Brown Band, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, and Alan Jackson.

The first four Hitachi Z-HD5000 HD cameras were purchased late last year for use on Zac Brown’s annual holiday tour between Christmas and New Year’s Day, including a sold-out New Year’s Eve concert at Philips Arena in downtown Atlanta. The second four were purchased for Toby Keith’s “Live in Overdrive” concert, which has a busy, national concert schedule this year through next. All eight cameras were purchased because both Zac Brown and Toby Keith wanted to upgrade their concert’s live video and multimedia presentations from standard- to high-definition.

“While we were planning to go high-def for the Zac Brown Band in March 2012, the band decided just after Thanksgiving 2011 that they wanted to go hi-def in time for their holiday concerts. With less than four weeks’ notice, we had to scramble for HD cameras and the other HD gear needed to support live multi-camera HD production,” said Chuck Young, general manager for Moo TV.

“Before we made this multi-million dollar investment, we called truck operators and others we knew in video and broadcast businesses to find out what cameras they recommended, and the name Hitachi kept coming up,” Young said. “With very little lead time, Hitachi sent us a Z-HD5000 camera to evaluate and play with. Our engineers put it on scopes and really liked the picture quality. When we told Hitachi we needed four units very quickly, we were treated like gold, and the equipment was delivered just in time for Zac Brown’s concerts.”

Young worked directly with Hitachi Vice President Sean Moran and Southeast Regional Sales Manager Danny Stephens. After years of shooting in the field with legacy Sony BVP-550 cameras, Young said their move to HD was a quantum leap that impacted every aspect of their infrastructure, including routing and production switchers, and required an intensive learning curve.

“One big change was from triax to fiber-backed cameras and fiber cable runs. I was concerned whether fiber would hold up to forklifts moving equipment, long-distance transport via semi-trailers, and other rough handling typical of live events,” said Young. “Sean recommended Gepco heavy-duty ‘stadium jackets’ to protect the fiber cable runs. We ordered 12 of them, and these casings have solved the problem.”

Due to the tight turnaround, some equipment—such as sled supports used to stabilize imaging with longer lenses—was not readily available from the factory and Hitachi proactively sent loaners to Moo TV. While the lenses on the Z-HD5000’s are SD, Young says the cameras still give them a dramatic improvement in picture quality. During a live show, some cameras are positioned on tripods at the front-of-house, while others serve as handhelds carried around the venue.

“Shots of the crowd’s reaction and participation splashing onto 40-or-50-foot video walls and other on-stage projection surfaces are now a vital part of any live concert,” Young said. “Because the Z-HD5000’s are so lightweight, our camera operators find they’re easier to shoulder for long periods of time while angling for the best shot. These cameras are real workhorses. Much of the time we’re running them in all kinds of horrible weather and challenging theatrical or natural lighting conditions at music festivals, fairs, and other outdoor concerts.”

Theatrical lighting, projection and display technology are such that HD video hasn’t been used much for concerts, but Young sees this trend starting to change. Last April, country singer/songwriter Toby Keith also gave Moo TV very little notice that he wanted to use HD video for his fast-approaching summer tour. Once again, Young turned to Hitachi for four more cameras. “This was a huge investment for us, but Sean and Danny put all our concerns at ease,” Young said. “I was so impressed with the service that I knew I’d chosen the right cameras even before we ever started using them.”

About Hitachi

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 400,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2009 (ended March 31, 2009) consolidated revenues totaled 10,000 billion yen ($102.0 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials, logistics and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at www.hitachi.com.

Hitachi Kokusai Electric America, Ltd. designs, manufacturers and markets video cameras, digital transmission, processing and recording devices for the broadcast television, cable, video production, and industrial vision markets. For more information, please call (516) 921-7200 or visit Hitachi’s web site athttp://www.hitachikokusai.us . Hitachi Kokusai Electric, Inc. (TSE, OSE: 6756), is a Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT) group company.

Full versions of all press releases and product images are posted on the web site in the pressroom section: www.hitachikokusai.us

Los Angeles, CA, June 25, 2012 — Independent music publishing company pigFACTORY Music, whose roster includes recordings and songs performed by artists such as Jordin Sparks, Demi Lovato, Fatboy Slim, Iggy Pop, and Meatloaf, has just signed iconic 80s rock band Tesla to an international publishing administration and synch representation deal. The announcement was made today by Keatly Haldeman, CEO, pigFACTORY Music.
The new deal allows pigFACTORY to exclusively administer the publishing for all songs that Tesla has written and license for synchronization all of Tesla’s songs and later recordings.
Said Haldeman, “We’re honored that Tesla has chosen pigFACTORY to represent their music. Tesla continues to put out great songs and relentlessly tours for its loyal fan base. We are excited to expose Tesla’s new music to the TV/film/advertising community and to shine a spotlight on their hits such as “Love Song.”

** ABOUT TESLA:
Tesla is an American hard rock band formed in Sacramento, CA, in 1984. They have sold 14 million albums in the United States. The band originally formed as City Kidd, and was renamed Tesla during the recording of their first album, 1986′s “Mechanical Resonance.” The band derived their name, certain album and song titles, and some song content from events relating to inventor and electrical engineer Nikola Tesla. The band’s original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Jeff Keith, guitarists Frank Hannon and Tommy Skeoch, bassist Brian Wheat, and drummer Troy Luccketta.
Tesla’s music is often referred to as hard rock. The band’s lyrics also strayed from the themes popular in hard rock, particularly in the 1980s at the beginning of their career. A further distinction from their contemporaries was their T-shirt-and-jeans image which was in strong contrast to glam metal bands of the time, which were characterized by big hair, leather pants, and flashy makeup. Also in the early days of their career, Tesla toured with David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper, Def Leppard, and Poison, which incorrectly resulted in the band being categorized as a Glam metal band.

It was three years before the band released their second album, “The Great Radio Controversy.” The album helped solidify the band’s growing reputation and fan base, and produced the hit single, a classic ’80s power ballad “Love Song”. In 1990, Tesla released “Five Man Acoustical Jam,” a live album featuring acoustic renditions of hits such as “Comin’ Atcha Live”, “Gettin’ Better”, “Modern Day Cowboy”, and “Love Song”. The album also featured a number of covers most notably a version of “Signs,” a 1971 hit by the Five Man Electrical Band.
In 1991, Tesla released their third studio album “Psychotic Supper.” The band itself considers this to be their best album. The 1998 Japanese reissue import of Psychotic Supper contains three previously unreleased songs, including “Rock the Nation”, “I Ain’t Superstitious”, and “Run Run Run.” In 1994, the band released their fourth studio album “Bust a Nut.” After the release of “Bust a Nut,” Skeoch departed because of his struggle with substance abuse, and the band moved forward as a four piece for a short while. In l994, the band members parted ways.
After a break of six years, The Sacramento Bee reported that Tesla had reformed in 2000 with the help of local radio personality Pat Martin of KRXQ. The band played an emotional sold out show at Arco Arena in Sacramento on October 25, 2000, and soon thereafter recorded the double live album “Replugged Live.” In 2002, they were featured in the Rock Never Stops Tour alongside other 1980s rock bands, and 2002 saw the release of another live album “Standing Room Only.”
The band released “Into The Now” in 2004, followed by “Reel to Reel I & II” in 2006 on their own label Tesla Electric Recording Company. In between those albums, Dave Rude joined the band to replace outgoing member Tommy Skeoch and “Forever More” was released in 2008.
In 2009, Tesla was among the performers on the cruise ship “ShipRocked;” in 2010, the band’s studio burned to the ground, and in 2011, Tesla played at a rally for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. Tesla also released an acoustic album, “Twisted Wires and the Acoustic Sessions,” during 2011.
Tesla is currently on an arena tour with Scorpions playing for thousands of screaming fans all over the USA.

ABOUT PIGFACTORY MUSIC PUBLISHING:

pigFACTORY Music Publishing specializes in the international placement of music in film, television, film trailers, advertising, and videogames, and in the collection of publishing royalties, worldwide. To that end, the company leverages an advanced digital publishing system to proactively exploit its clients’ music catalogues and track music publishing royalties on a global scale. The company represents top songwriters, artists, record producers, labels, and publishers, with a roster of over 250,000 songs, including an extensive selection of classic hits.

pigFACTORY is one of the only highly proactive independent publishers in the international marketplace to affiliate directly with a large number of royalty societies throughout the world. Via its direct memberships and partnerships, and by using state-of-the-art royalty software, pigFACTORY quickly and accurately registers its clients’ song catalogues with the publishing rights societies, and collects ‘at source’ in most major international territories.

The U.S. headquarters of pigFACTORY is 8075 W. Third Street, Suite # 540, Los Angeles, CA, 90048. The phone is 323/653-1200, and the website is www.pigfactory.com

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Company Conquers Triax, Timing and Tornados for Facility Overhaul

ARLINGTON, TX, JUNE 25, 2012—When Opening Day festivities commenced at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Bexel, a unit of the Vitec Group’s Services Division and a leading worldwide provider of broadcast services, had just wrapped up a major broadcast infrastructure overhaul for the facility, a project that was completed in less than two months. To ensure the 18-year-old ballpark had full broadcast capabilities, Bexel provided an infrastructure makeover that included more than 70,000 feet of new triax cable while also adding significant audio and fiber to many positions in the venue.

“Our goal was to replace the majority of the broadcast infrastructure in time for Opening Day,” says Justin Paulk, manager, Bexel Broadcast Fiber Solutions. “To do this, our team was required to demolish nearly 10,000 pounds of existing triax—a significant portion of the old infrastructure. Once that was complete we had to install new triax cable, audio cable and fiber cable in the venue. Bexel also provided on site coordination with the General Contractor for the new center field construction, ensuring that the cable runs required under Bexel’s contract and those associated with the new centerfield locations were closely coordinated to eliminate damage and maximize the efficiency of the installation.”

With an office located in nearby Irving, Texas, the Bexel team has had a standing relationship with the Rangers and is extremely familiar with Rangers Ballpark, having done work there over the last decade. “During the initial demo, we had to be very careful because we couldn’t just cut and remove everything; we had to make sure that we indentified and removed the correct cables,” adds Paulk. Following the demolition of the old cable, the Bexel team worked quickly to install 70,000 feet of new triax cable, 25,000 feet of 12-pair audio cables and 27,000 feet of 12-strand single-mode fiber.

In addition, the team equipped the facility with 96 new triax connectors, replaced all panels and re-terminated all of the existing audio and added 132 audio pairs. “Essentially we kept some of the newer existing triax that was installed when the scoreboard was updated several years ago, moved the existing audio cable over to the new panels and added more channels of audio and fiber. In all there are 126 strands of fiber now that didn’t exist before. The timing of this project was challenging, but the experience and efficiency of the Bexel crews allowed us to rise to the challenge and complete the overhaul before Opening Day,” says Paulk. Along with the specific upgrade for the Rangers, Bexel added SMPTE fiber cable for NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), including two SMPTE runs to center field and six pairs of audio and six fiber strands to an auxiliary interview room, to cover pitching sensation Yu Darvish for viewers in Japan. “We also put fiber in for the local media including KXAS-TV, KTVT and Univision.”

“While the time allotted was a bit of a challenge, it was a job well-done by the entire team,” concludes Paulk. “Not only did our expertise in fiber solutions help ensure this, but our standing relationship with the venue was extremely valuable. Despite delays caused by recent tornados in North Texas, we completed the project in about two months. It was definitely an exciting project to be a part of for us.”

About Bexel
Bexel is the pre-eminent worldwide provider of broadcast services including video and audio equipment rentals, fiber services, new audio sales, used equipment sales, and repairs/maintenance. Bexel provides brilliantly designed and flawlessly executed systems and solutions to all customers – including producers of the biggest and most important televised events in the world. For more information, visit http://www.bexel.com.

A Snapshot of The Vitec Group
Vitec is an international Group principally serving customers in the broadcast, photographic and military, aerospace and government (MAG) markets. Listed on the London Stock Exchange with 2011 revenue of £351 million, Vitec is based on strong, well known, premium brands on which its customers worldwide rely. Vitec is organized in three divisions: Imaging & Staging, Videocom and Services. Imaging & Staging designs, manufactures and distributes equipment and accessories for photography, video and events. Videocom designs and distributes systems and products used in broadcasting and live entertainment, film and video production and MAG. Services provides equipment rental, workflow design and technical support for camera, video, audio, fiber optic and wireless technology used by TV production teams and film crews. More information can be found at http://www.vitecgroup.com.

Long Island City, N.Y., June 25, 2012 — Commercial production house SFI (Simpson Films), headed by founder/director Jerry Simpson, has signed Lynn Reif Mutchler, Point Representation, as its Midwest Sales Rep. The announcement was made today by David Nelson, SFI’s Executive Producer.

Recent projects from SFI have included producing spots for Campbell’s Chunky Soup and Dannon Yogurt for Y&R; Pepsi/TBWA/Chiat Day; Avon/Ogilvy & Mather; Calvin Klein Fragrance/Baron & Baron, and 7Up/mcgarrybowen.

ABOUT LYNN MUTCHLER:

Through her company Point Representation, Lynn Reif Mutchler is a well established independent Rep for the Midwestern U.S. Point Representation handles Midwest representation for world class production companies, directors, designers, animators, FX specialists, and musicians. In addition to SFI, her clients also include Brand New School, Dewey Nicks / Concrete + Clay, Hotspur & Argyle (USA), and HIFI Music & Sound Design.

ABOUT SFI:

Located in Long Island City in Queens, NY (recently dubbed “Hollywood East” by the NY Times,) SFI has created a studio and production facility that includes two shooting spaces each with its own industrial kitchen, functional work spaces for visiting clients, as well as post-production rooms for color grading and editorial services.

SFI was founded in 1993 by acclaimed Director/Cinematographer Jerry Simpson and has since become known for its creative and innovative tabletop productions. With Jerry at the helm and behind the camera, SFI has produced countless campaigns for many of the world’s best known products and brands. His work as included shooting spots and campaigns for Anheuser-Busch, Applebee’s, Burger King, Campbell’s, Dominos, Dr. Pepper, 7UP, IHOP, Maybelline, McDonald’s, Miller, and Olay, among many others.

SFI is a collective of artists and producers that offers a wide-ranging set of creative skills to its clients. The company embraces the art of digital cinema and the future of integrated marketing, and constantly pushes the limits of technology

and innovation in order to provide a seamless workflow from production through supervised dailies. SFI offers the ability to take projects from conception to finish, by providing graphics, design, color grading, VFX and editorial services.

With its specialization in tabletop work, SFI has always stayed responsive to the needs of its clients and collaborates extensively in the preproduction process to ensure a successful shoot. SFI has recently expanded to offer an integrated approach to its clients that includes digital cinema, still photography, and post production services. In addition, SFI is developing a documentary film and a digital food magazine. For more information, please see:

http://www.simpsonfilms.com/

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Method Vancouver and sister company Stereo D collaborate on this high profile stereo feature

Vancouver, B.C. – June 25, 2012 – Method Studios, a Deluxe Entertainment Services Group company, has completed 223 shots on Twentieth Century Fox’s recently released “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.” The intriguing plot explores the secret life of America’s famous president and the untold history of the bloody battle between Lincoln and a horde of evil vampires. Method Studios’ Vancouver team created many complex visual effects sequences including the trestle bridge fire scene, an Abraham Lincoln digital double, digital crowds, a CG Civil War era train and fully digital environments including the Washington Capitol. The stereo conversion on the film was completed by sister company, Stereo D. Michael Owens was the production visual effects supervisor. Leading the Method crew were visual effects supervisor Randy Goux and visual effects producer Jinnie Pak.

“I was totally impressed with the Method team,” states Michael Owens. “Randy and Jinnie were very solution driven but never without great creative and design suggestions and ideas. The film’s director, Timur Bekmambetov, and the filmmakers were extremely pleased with their work. Over several years and quite a few projects, I’ve enjoyed working with Method Vancouver. It’s handy to have the confidence that they’ll always find a way to meet challenges, deadlines and budgets with work that very much pleases the filmmakers’ expectations.”

Randy Goux comments, “Timur wanted to see various visual styles from us which resulted in a very intense look/development phase at the start of this project. Our main sequence involved the collapse of a burning bridge which also featured Abe Lincoln and Will Johnson involved in hand-to-hand combat with a group of vampires. To make it more complicated, all of this action is happening on top of a moving train at night.

Goux continues, “The actors were shot on two static box car tops against green screen – the rest of the surrounding environment and effects were all CG with half of the shots needing to be rendered in stereo while the other half were converted by Stereo D. The director’s filmmaking style included the use of extreme slow motion so we had to develop a flexible system for creating complex volumetric smoke effects. Speed ramps in the action were in constant flux editorially, so at the very least we had to create all of our effects at 250fps in order to be able to keep up with editorial changes and the fine attention to detail needed for such slow moving effects.”

The fact that this action occurs at night presented specific challenges to the 3D artists and compositors and believable lighting was of key importance. The CG tree branches and leaves needed to cast moonlit shadows onto the actors and train and Method also added shadows of the actors into the CG smoke. Not only does the smoke give the sequence a sense of speed, it also adds a great deal of suspense as the vampires appear in and out of the darkness.

Sean Lewkiw, Method’s DFX supervisor, adds, “This film was a big technical challenge in terms of the pyro and rigid body destruction effects required and we developed many new tools to cope with this task. One additional aspect of the film that was challenging was producing many of the shots in full stereo which is particularly daunting for semi-transparent elements like fire and smoke. Doing traditional 2D tricks would destroy the stereoscopic effect so we took our time and produced many layers with incredible detail which were expertly composited under the watchful eye of our compositing supervisor Abel Milanes.”

Dan Glass, Method’s EVP and Senior VFX Supervisor concludes, “Every show we work on presents new creative challenges and we’re proud of our efforts and innovative problem solving on ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.’ Working with Stereo D for the conversion — sharing assets and project manageability — provided our clients with continuity and ease that’s important when everyone is under the time and budget constraints of completing a film.”

TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX Presents, A BURTON/BEKMAMBETOV/LEMLEY Production, A TIMUR BEKMAMBETOV Film, “ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER,” directed by Timur Bekmambetov from a screenplay by Seth Grahame-Smith and Simon Kinberg, based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith; produced by Tim Burton, Timur Bekmambetov and Jim Lemley; and starring Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
Feature visual effects work currently in production across the Method locations includes “Argo,” “Cloud Atlas,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” and “Seven Psychopaths.” Recent work includes “Wrath of the Titans,” “Men in Black,” “Dark Shadows” and “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.”

About Method Studios
Method Studios is an award-winning international visual effects group with facilities in Los Angeles, Vancouver, New York, London and Australia. As an artist-driven company known for its creativity, the company services high-end feature film, commercial, television and motion graphics clients in the global marketplace. Built around an exceptional team of visual effects professionals, Method’s international facilities provide a full range of visual effects services including conceptual design, look development, on-set supervision, 3D animation/CGI, matte painting, finishing and full stereoscopic workflow. With its global reach accented by its boutique accessibility, the company has the capacity to service its clientele wherever production is situated. Method Studios is wholly-owned by Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. www.methodstudios.com

About Deluxe
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc., is the leading provider of a broad range of entertainment industry services and technologies to the worldwide entertainment industry including the Hollywood studios, broadcast/cable/satellite providers, digital distribution, gaming as well as content owners and creators. Services for content creation in features, television and commercials are offered in production, post-production, digital distribution, marketing services and asset management. They include EFILM® and Company 3® digital intermediates; post-production and subtitling services; titles design and digital VFX; Blu-ray and DVD compression, encoding and authoring; advertising distribution and syndication services; digital cinema services, and 2D to 3D conversions. Deluxe has facilities in North America, Europe, India, Australia, and Hong Kong. Deluxe www.bydeluxe.com
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Unit Streamlines Setup and Operations for Live Broadcast Situations

DUBLIN, JUNE 25, 2012 – Studio Technologies Model 46 2-Wire to 4-Wire interface is making the comms connection for Observe Outside Broadcast, a premier remote broadcast and TV company that covers sports and entertainment events in Ireland. The Observe fleet of OB vans consists of the flagship HD1 high/standard definition truck, capable of fielding 25 cameras; the HD2 high/standard definition truck, offering eight camera capabilities and the SS3 standard definition truck, which supports 22 cameras. The trucks cover sports events that include RBS 6 Nations Rugby and international soccer games. Studio Technologies Model 46 units were chosen to interface efficiently between the existing 4-wire, 96-port RTS Telex matrix systems found in each truck and the remote 2-wire beltpacks carried by crew members.

“The HD1 is the only OB truck in Ireland integrated around 5.1 and Dolby E, receiving full Dolby approval, so it is very much in demand,” says Alan Burns, managing director for Observe. “As we are so busy, we are always on the lookout for equipment that helps us streamline our operations, because you only get one chance at a live event to do things right. At NAB 2011, we literally stumbled upon the Studio Technologies booth, liked what we saw and purchased one Model 46. Once in service, everyone liked how the unit worked so much that we never looked back. We now have two Model 46 units in HD1, and one each in the HD2 and SS3 OB vans. The Model 46 helps us to solve problems in the field and delivers excellent audio quality.”

The Model 46 is designed to be the reliable connection between 2-wire full-duplex party-line intercom circuits and 4-wire audio circuits associated with matrix intercom systems. It provides two independent, full-featured, 2-channel interfaces. Each interface contains two hybrid circuits, which include an automatic nulling capability. The analog circuitry, under software control, provides excellent audio quality and high return-loss. The Model 46 is capable of supplying DC power, allowing direct operation of such devices as user beltpacks. It is also compatible with party-line circuits that include already include powering.

“The Model 46 has the unique advantage of being able to supply DC power directly to the beltpacks,” explains Burns. “With our original 2- to 4-wire system, we had an interface unit and a DC power unit. Both units used mains power to run and took up more space, two important items for an OB van. The Model 46 is capable of running with either wet or dry external signals, is seamlessly compatible with our RTS and Techpro beltpacks and the automatic nulling function is quite good. When you add to this the excellent visual interface and signal integrity, you understand why we put these units in each of our trucks. We also like that we deal directly with Studio Technologies to support the equipment, because we always have a line into the people that make the units. The Model 46 is in every way a winning formula for our operations.”

About Studio Technologies, Inc.
Studio Technologies, Inc. provides tailored, high-performance video, audio and fiber optic products for the professional audio and broadcast markets. The company was founded in 1978 with a commitment to design and manufacture dependable, individualized solutions for broadcast studio, stadium and corporate environments. Known for “designing for the way professionals work,” the company is recognized as an industry leader that has never wavered from its individualized design pledge. Product categories include fiber-optic transport, broadcast support, mobile broadcast, intercom and IFB, announcer consoles, loudspeaker monitor control systems, distribution amplifiers, cable testers and sound pressure level monitor systems. For more information, please visit the Studio Technologies website at www.studio-tech.com or call +1 847-676-9177.

Blackmagic Design has announced that Netherlands based Broadcast Rental has built a video routing network based around the Blackmagic Universal Videohub for use by Dutch Broadcaster NOS at the 2012 London Games.

The Universal Videohub is being used by NOS to distribute key highlights and games footage from their media headquarters at the game’s International Broadcast Centre (IBC) to other Dutch Olympic facilities; Holland Heineken House and Medal Plaza. The video routing solution will also be used by the broadcaster at the centre of operations in the IBC, a 24 hour media hub for around 20,000 broadcasters, photographers and journalists.

Controlled via PC touch screen monitors, the Universal Videohub will take in all signals from the Olympic Broadcast Services (OBS) and will distribute the signals to the Holland Heineken House, Medal Plaza, and to storage at the IBC. The signal will be locked and ingested via an EVS XT and IPDirector workflow to an Avid Unity System before it is packaged up with Avid Media Composer. The final output is then routed back through the Universal Videohub before being distributed to the Netherlands broadcast network and other Olympic screening facilities.

“Blackmagic’s Universal Videohub, as a routing matrix, will sit at the heart of our Olympic operations. Every audio and video signal will go via this router,” said Geert Paul Slee. “We wanted to use the Universal Videohub in particular for this job because it is completely customizable, can be controlled wirelessly and fits easily into small spaces, which makes it a very cost effective solution when you are using a piece of kit for multiple customers.”

Press Photography
Blackmagic Design’s Universal Videohub and all other products photos are available at http://www.blackmagic-design.com/press/images/.

About Universal Videohub
The Universal Videohub family consist of two fully customizable card based routers designed for the high end post production and broadcast industries. Universal Videohub is available in two models, a 72 x 72 and a 288 x 288 capacity size with the ability for customers to add a combination of SDI and optical fiber interface cards to fully customize their router. Universal Videohub 288 model also supports hot swap redundant cross-points and power supplies, so in the case of a fault, switch over is fully automatic for 24/7 reliability. Universal Videohub also includes powerful features such as SD, HD and 3 Gb/s auto switching, built in deck control ports and ethernet and serial router control with a wide range of Mac and PC software and hardware control panels.

About Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and film restoration software for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including stereoscopic 3D and 4K workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. For more information, please check www.blackmagic-design.com.