Archive for July 17th, 2012

XL Video supplied LED screens, cameras/PPU, mapping and projection for the recent International Music Summit in Ibiza.

Working together with The Shop Ibiza & IMS, XL Video provided two Barco O-Lite 510 curved LED screens which greeted delegates in the reception of Ibiza Gran Hotel, Marina Botafoch, as they arrived for the conference.

For the Gran Finale show, XL Video was tasked with providing a spectacular projection on to the Cathedral above Dalt Vila.

Unlike the usual preparation for a projection mapping project, the mapping had to be done based on photographs and on-site measurements, and then line-up and programming were done on location in Ibiza by XL Events’ Technical Director, David Mulcahy.

Special permissions were required to turn off the architectural lighting on the buildings and a set of custom masks were applied to ensure the projections didn’t spread to adjacent houses.

XL Video specified six high-brightness HD projectors to cast images on to the building and tower, and the output was controlled using four Coolux Pandora’s Box media servers and enhanced with the use of Incite’s Media Manager Pro and Coolux’s Widget Designer Pro software.

As the sun began to set, the building lit up with the conference logo and was followed by content for the DJs and artists appearing, interspersed with atmospheric graphics that captured the party mood.

The Gran Finale concert took place in the plaza below the projections. On stage XL Video specified its versatile new Pixled F-10 LED product which clad the DJ booth, and three more flown screens of F-10 above the stage, creating a dynamic and ever changing set for the artists and DJs to play out from.

A further screen of Pixled F-10 was set up in the garden of the Gran Hotel, showing sponsors logos and other information throughout the conference as well as providing a backdrop to the Pioneer DJ stand

XL Video has established relationships with a number of electronic dance music (EDM) artists involved in the summit, working with them to take the creativity of their recordings and develop exciting visual live performances.

XL Video’s support of the International Music Summit further reinforces this commitment to building this ever-growing genre of music into a viable touring business.

Photo credit: projection photo to Arno Lippert

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Industry Experts Enlisted to Judge 3rd Annual Competition

(Burbank, CA) Createasphere announces that the submission deadline for its third annual DAMMY Awards, recognizing excellence in innovative digital asset solutions, is August 2nd. Entrants are urged to submit their materials before that date at http://www.createasphere.com/En/dammy-guidelines.html.

Createasphere has assembled a blue-ribbon panel of industry experts to judge the third annual DAMMY Awards. This year’s judges include:

Fran Alexander, BBC Information and Archives – As Taxonomy Manager, Ms. Alexander oversees the migration of the BBC Archive’s legacy taxonomies to a new enterprise-scale system and has devised taxonomy mapping and ontology curation strategies.

Lisa McIntyre, GSD&M – Ms. McIntyre leads all the digital asset management approaches at this Austin, Texas-based advertising agency.

David Riecks, ControlledVocabulary.com – Mr. Riecks, founder of ControlledVocabulary, was named “Pioneer of Digital Preservation” by the Library of Congress for his work in photo metadata standards.

Categories for entries include:

DAMMY of the Year
Recognizes an outstanding individual that has positively impacted the success and growth of the digital asset industry and community.

Best Storage, Archive and/or Preservation Solution
Recognizes the most innovative solution for storage, archive, and/or preservation, which could include software, hardware, a specific project, or services.

Best Strategy or Solution for Digital and Media Asset Management during the Acquisition of Content
Recognizes streamlined and innovative workflow at the content acquisition or creation stage. Submissions can include content providers, software, hardware, or consultants.

Best Example of Asset and Media Repurposing
Recognizes a company, organization or technology that has demonstrated profitability with multi-use of assets and media to increase or create an additional revenue stream or product.

Best Strategy Ease of Use for End-User Interface
Recognizes a company, organization or technology that has created ease of use for end users in a DAM System interface reflecting an intuitive user experience.

The entry fee for each category is just $55 US and there is no charge for the DAMMY of the Year submission.

The DAMMY Awards will be presented on September 28, 2012, at a gala luncheon ceremony at Manhattan’s New Yorker Hotel. Tickets to attend are available for purchase online at https://www.eiseverywhere.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=41536&.

The submissions process is an exceptional opportunity for companies and individuals working in asset management to articulate their approach, processes and execution, whether they are involved in media, entertainment, publishing, marketing and sales, IT, libraries, government or private enterprise.

Past winners across the categories have included ADAM Software; Hallmark Cards; UPS; 5th Kind; Showtime Networks; and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. DAMMY of the year winners have included Jason Bright of Media Beacon and Thomas Schleu of Canto Software.

Showtime’s Paul Nicholson, VP of Print & Broadcast Production, says, “It was such an honor to be recognized by Createasphere. It was a real testament to the hard work and attention to detail that my team put into our digital asset management system at Showtime. We really make the end-user experience a priority, and so it was especially great to win an award in this category. My sincerest appreciation to the Createasphere organization for putting together a wonderful event that recognizes the leaders in our industry and acknowledges the efforts of the DAM community.”

For more information about the DAMMYs and complete submission guidelines please visit http://createasphere.com/En/dammys.html or call Createasphere at 818.842.6611.

About Createasphere
Createasphere is the premier business development partner for technology enabled entertainment, marketing, and communications organizations. We advance careers and technologies by connecting world-class professionals globally online and in person.

Createasphere was founded in 2001, and over the past decade has grown into a global company that in 2011 produced seventeen events over three continents as well as five websites. Createasphere became part of Diversified Business Communications in 2008, and now drives their entertainment, media, technology strategies and properties division. Currently, Createasphere produces the Entertainment Technology Expos in Los Angeles; the Digital Asset Management Conference in New York, Los Angeles, and Europe; The DAMMY Awards in New York; the Executive Marketplaces for Houses of Worship in Los Angeles and Chicago; Post Production Master Classes in New York and Los Angeles; and the online news and content portals ProVideoCoalition.com and DamCoalition.com.

Connect with Createasphere on:
Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/createasphere/120410987973181)
Twitter (https://twitter.com/createasphere)
LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/company/createasphere)
Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/createasphere)

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Contact:
Chris Purse, 818.303.8088
ignite strategic communications
chris@ignite.bz or mimi@ignite.bz

In a bid to expand its digital color services for commercials, music videos, and long-form content, Pleasant Post has partnered with freelance colorist Tristan Kneschke. After collaborating exclusively with Kneschke for years on a multitude of projects – including recent campaigns for Royal Caribbean, Lenovo and GM – Pleasant Post is bringing him in on a more formal basis to offer its clients a cost-effective color correction solution to complement its full menu of postproduction services.

Working on DaVinci’s Resolve hardware and software solution and a state-of-the-art OLED mastering monitor, Kneschke will deliver high-end color work of the caliber that clients have come to expect from much higher-end equipment. “We’re lucky to be partnering with an artist as talented as Tristan. Between his skills as a colorist and our competitive rate structure, we’re offering an obvious solution for clients who are budget-conscious yet still demand quality, perfection and speed when doing their final color grade,” stated Pleasant Post EP Sarah Roebuck.

Kneschke, who is also an offline editor, brings a long history working with top-tier clients, with spots for Pepsi, Trojan Condoms, Cheerios, Citibank, Converse, Budweiser, Louis Vuitton, Nike, Microsoft Zune, and Google to his credit. He has worked with a slew of top-flight agencies including Crispin Porter + Bogusky, McCann Erickson, JWT, Dentsu, Laird+Partners, Digitas and Vice.

“Pleasant Post has always been a forward-thinking company, and as color correction became more affordable, we immediately understood the value of providing the service for our clients,” noted Kneschke. “I’m psyched that I’m working on much better creative than ever before.”

Visit Pleasant Post

About Pleasant Post
We believe in doing things smarter and more efficiently. Harnessing individual talent, dedicated teamwork, and the latest advances in technology, we deliver top shelf work consistently across the globe. From LA to New York. From Mount Everest to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. From creative editorial, to color correction, to audio mixing, we break down barriers and find innovative solutions to bring our clients the highest quality product possible.

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

TORRANCE, Calif., July 16, 2012 – The annual Honda Summer Clearance Event campaign begins today and features well-known tunes to conjure up the rush consumers experience when they first drive off the lot in a new vehicle. RPA, Honda’s long-time agency of record, created this entertaining and memorable campaign to get the attention of consumers.

“Buying a new Honda sparks a happily-ever-after moment that is almost magical,” said Susie Rossick, Senior Manager at American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “The iconic songs in this campaign stir up those same powerful emotions, reminding people in an unforgettable way that this is the best time of year to get a great deal on a Honda.”

Six spots are pitch-perfect parodies of Hollywood movie-ending clichés, with the action-adventure, family comedy, buddy, college adventure, girl-power and inspirational genres each taking a turn onscreen. Following a farewell from a friendly salesperson, an instantly recognizable song kicks on, the elated driver zooms off and the credits roll.

In “Action Adventure,” a Honda owner points his Accord toward, the desert horizon to the beat of Judas Priest’s “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming.” Another spot, “Family Comedy,” set to Pete Townshend’s “Let My Love Open the Door” captures the antics of shopping for an Odyssey with three kids in tow. “College Movie” shows a new Civic owner and his college buddies jamming through town to Outasight’s “Tonight Is the Night.” Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” Derek and the Dominos’ “Layla,” and OneRepublic’s “Good Life” are the soundtracks for the other three spots.

“In this campaign, we directly address six key demographics with executions that are colorful and big like Hollywood blockbusters. Breaking through was a priority because of the clutter in the marketplace,” said RPA ACD/Copy Sarah May Bates at RPA.

Spots will air on high-profile network programs such as “America’s Got Talent,” “Castle,” “NCIS,” “The Middle,” “The Office,” “Two Broke Girls,” “Vampire Diaries” and cable networks, including A&E, Animal Planet, Bravo, Discovery and TBS. Print ads will be featured in several national publications that include “People,” “Sports Illustrated,” “TIME” and “USA Today.”

Online ads will run in top automobile and consumer websites, including AOL Autos, Automotive.com, AutoTrader, Autobytel, Bing, Car and Driver, Cars.com, Edmunds, Facebook, Google, Jumpstart, Kelley Blue Book, Motor Trend, MSN Autos, Road & Track, Source Interlink Media, Vehix and Yahoo! Autos.

In addition, a Summer Clearance sweepstakes will begin on July 16 at http://shophonda.com/. Users can enter for a chance to win free gas for a year or be awarded instant-win $100 American Express gas card prizes.

Visit RPA
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Credits
Client: American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Spot Titles: “Action Adventure,” “Big Victory,” “Buddy Film,” “College Movie,” “Family Comedy,” “Girls Rule”
First air date: July 16, 2012

Agency: RPA
ECD: Joe Baratelli
GCD: Jason Sperling
CD: Curt Johnson
ACD/Copy: Sarah May Bates
Sr. AD: Jeni Stewart
Agency Executive Producer: Gary Paticoff
Senior Producer: Brian Donnelly
Broadcast Production Coordinator: Ryan Radley
Broadcast Production Assistant: Grace Wang

Production Company: Partizan
Director: Jeremy Konner
Head of Production: Lori Stonebraker
Producer: Bridget Blake-Wilson

Editorial Company: The Reel Thing
Executive Producer: Doug Klekner
Editor: Lance Pereria (“Action Adventure,” “Big Victory,” “Buddy Film,” “College Movie,” “Girls Rule”)
Editor: Scott Dearborn (“Family Comedy” only)

Music
“College Movie” (Civic)
Artist: Outasight, Track: “Tonight Is the Night”

“Girls Rule” (Accord)
Artist: Wojahn Bros
Artist: Cyndi Lauper, Track: “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”

“Buddy Film” (Pilot)
Artist: Wojahn Bros
Artist: OneRepublic, Track: “Good Life”

“Big Victory” (Civic)
Artist: Wojahn Bros
Artist: Derek and the Dominos, Track: “Layla”

“Action Adventure” (Accord)
Artist: Judas Priest, Track: “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”

“Family Comedy” (Odyssey)
Artist: Wojahn Bros
Artist: Pete Townshend, Track: “Let My Love Open the Door”
About RPA
RPA, headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif., is a leading independent advertising agency. RPA builds momentum for brands by offering its clients truly integrated campaigns that resonate throughout its disciplines, which include traditional advertising, interactive, and direct and event marketing. RPA’s client list includes American Honda, both the Honda and Acura brands, ampm, ARCO, Castrol, California Department of Public Health, Intuit Small Business, La-Z-Boy, Farmers Insurance Group and Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. For more information, visit http://www.rpa.com.

About Honda

Honda offers a complete lineup of Honda cars, trucks and service through a network of 1,037 Honda dealerships within the United States. In 2012, Honda will mark 30 years of producing automobiles in the region, which began with the Accord in Marysville, Ohio in November 1982. Having produced over 23 million vehicles in North America, Honda currently operates 7 major automobile manufacturing facilities in the region.

Connect with Honda:
Media Newsroom (for journalists): www.hondanews.com
For consumers: http://automobiles.honda.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Honda
YouTube: www.youtube.com/honda
Flickr: www.flickr.com/hondanews
Twitter: www.twitter.com/honda
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/honda
Honda on Google+

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

In the latest campaign for Keystone Light, Tool Director JJ Adler captures the super Smooth Musings of Keystone spokesman, Keith Stone.

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Credits
Client: Keystone Light / MillerCoors
Spot Title(s): Man Bag (featured), Capri, Rainbow
Air Date: June 2012

Agency: Saatchi NY
Chief Creative Officer: Conway Williamson
Creative Director: Justin Ebert, Alex Lea, Ian Falcon
Associate Creative Director: Ron Villacarillo
Senior Art Director: Jacqueline Mellow
Senior Copywriter Mike Maher
Art Director: Taylor Lucas Junior
Producer: Ian Kelly

Production Co.: Tool
Director: JJ Adler
EPs: Brian Latt, Oliver Fuselier, Dustin Callif

Editorial: Cut+Run NY
Editor: Alex Dondero
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

What is mezamashii? It is Japanese for “brilliant,” or “eye opening”; a word that sports apparel maker Mizuno believes perfectly captures the spirit of running. The brand delivers this sentiment beautifully in “Manifesto,” a stirring new spot for their “Mezamashii Run Project” featuring a track from Butter composer Judson Crane. Working via McKinney, Crane teamed up with Humble Director Sorrel Ahlfeld and Editor Eric Wais on the project.

Manifesto follows runners’ journeys over misty landscapes of plains, bridges, tunnels, forests and stadium stairs. Crane’s lilting soundtrack accompanies a powerful narrative poem evoking the liberation of running. “It was important to keep this spot from feeling like a typical sports montage, but still maintain the drive and energy that is synonymous with athletes in motion,” noted Crane, who carefully selected the track’s instrumentation to project the artful tone he felt the piece demanded. The soundtrack juxtaposes classically inspired piano and cello lines with the aggressive pulse of a distorted double bass to achieve the perfect balance between originality and the dynamism so closely associated with athletics.

Butter’s corps of composers labored for a few weeks, generating several strong options to find the optimal match for the footage before settling on Crane’s piece. “We spent a lot of time talking about the duality of running: the physical aspect, which is about drive and stamina and athleticism; and the emotional aspect, which is very calming and meditative,” noted Butter Producer Ian Jeffreys. “We wanted to capture both sides of the experience, but in particular it was that emotional experience – the zen-like feeling of connecting to something eternal and primal – that had to define our work.”

Visit Butter
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Credits
Client: Mizuno
Spot Title: “Manifesto”
Air Date: June 2012

Agency: McKinney
Agency Producers: Brian Fox / Naomi Newman
CD: Jonathan Cude
Writer: Robyn Gunn
Art Director: Will Dean

Production Company: Humble
Director: Sorrel Ahlfeld
Editor: Eric Wais

Music Company: Butter
Composer: Judson Crane
Producer: Ian Jeffreys
About Butter
Butter is a creative sonic collective committed to maximizing the impact and effectiveness of music and sound design for moving pictures and environments. Working within a collaborative environment featuring four in-house composers, access to myriad others throughout the sound world, and a core creative team, the studio emphasizes a friendly, inviting atmosphere.

Clients include Smart Car, Kayak, Keystone beer, Clinique and Lysol, via high-profile agencies, including Merkley + Partners, Saatchi & Saatchi and Euro RSCG. Butter also scored a stirring film portraying the construction of the new buildings at the World Trade Center site in New York. The studio has had work shortlisted at Cannes.

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

Sacramento, CA Jampro Antennas, Inc. — a world leader in the manufacture and design of radio frequency components and antennas for radio and television transmission — today announced the successful commissioning of a digital television transmission antenna system for XHWX-TV in Monterrey, Nuevo Léon, México. The station, broadcasting on analog channel 4 and digital channel 39, is an affiliate of the TV Azteca Trece network and produces regional news, programming and advertisements.

The recent installation employed Jampro’s elliptically polarized JCPD EPOL panel array for VHF Band I. The new transmission system, has significantly improved the station’s coverage. Jampro provided a turnkey solution, including the antenna, patch panel, power splitter, transmission and rigid lines, and on-site commissioning.

“Our solution was tailored to provide optimum signal strength and long-term reliability in Monterrey’s high desert climate,” said Alex Perchevitch, president of Jampro. “We are very pleased to continue our relationship with TV Azteca by welcoming their affiliate into our growing family of satisfied users.”

About Jampro
Jampro Antennas Inc., established to answer the need for quality broadcast systems at a reasonable price, is a leading supplier of antennas, combiners & filters and RF components for every application in the broadcast industry. Reputed for innovation and customization, Jampro builds each system to the specifications of the individual broadcaster. From the first system delivered in 1954 to those installed today, the Company is committed to consistent performance and quality founded on solid engineering. Today, over 15,000 broadcasters worldwide benefit from the quality and performance provided by Jampro systems. For additional JAMPRO information, please visit: www.jampro.com.
###

Jampro contact: Sonia Del Castillo
916-383-1177 • Sonia@jampro.com

Press Contact: Desert Moon Communications
Harriet Diener • 845-512-8283
harriet@desertmooncomm.com

VIENNA, Austria – Asian Pro Music (APM) has carried out a complete audio/visual upgrade of the Palace of the Republic in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. With more than 16 years experience, APM is on the government tender list required under Kazakhstani law, and won a competitive bid for the contract “to completely equip The Palace with high-end AV technology, from A to Z,” according to the company’s sales coordinator, Kamila Seidemetova.

Built in 1970 — with a 3,000-seat flat auditorium situated under a tented roof, with no balcony tiers — the structure was recently completely renovated. At the same time its technical infrastructure has been boosted as part of a complete AV fit out by APM Music, which includes a high performance HARMAN AKG CS 5 Digital Conference System.

The Palace is mainly used as a large concert hall that can also be adapted to host various film festivals, awards, conventions and big annual meetings. It sets out to be one of the most technologically advanced concert halls in Central Asia, and when the Mayor of Almaty spoke through the CS5 during the City’s annual report presentation, the AKG conference system passed its evaluation test with flying colors.

By this time the system was already on APM Music’s specification list. The requirement was for synchronized translation for 3000 people spanning seven languages, with a conference system that would serve 20 people. In addition it needed to be sufficiently versatile for use during festivals, certain movie screenings and musicals.

As the official distributor of HARMAN Professional brands, APM had earmarked AKG as far back as February 2011. “There was never any doubt about using it for this particular project,” said Mr. Seidemetova. “Furthermore, our partner and friend Thomas Giczy of AKG recommended this particular system as being best fit for purpose — largely based on the quality of the audio.”

APM CEO, Maxim Vostrov endorsed this move. “We decided that AKG Acoustics would provide the best high-end conference and synchronized translation system. This was proved justified, as once the installation was complete, the high quality and simplicity of operation were immediately noted. Correct placement of the infrared emitters allowed us to obtain crystal clear sound on all eight channels of synchronized translation.”

The modular, expandable AKG CS 5 covers any application from a small discussion setup to large, complex conference systems, built around very few components, yet maintaining maximum flexibility and outstanding price/performance. It guarantees optimum intelligibility as well as intuitive, fatigue-free use.

The mic stations, designed to be shared by two persons, will not only reduce costs significantly, but also occupy less space on conference tables.

The system in Almaty for 20 delegates combines the CS 5 BU base unit with CS 5 BOB breakout box, to provide an additional 16 analogue channel output, CS 5 VU voting units, CS 5 DU delegate units, CS 5 IU interpreter units, GN 30 CS and GN 50 CS (30cm and 50cm) goosenecks, plus various infrared transmitters/receivers and headphones.

The AKG specification was the highlight of a multiple HARMAN-brand installation, which included the integration of JBL cinema loudspeakers (including 4732 three-way screen array, 4642A subs and 8350 surrounds), Crown CTs 2000 amplification (with IQ3USP3CN PIP module), dbx and BSS processing and Soundcraft MH3 and Vi6 digital mixing consoles.

In addition to the design and provision of the AV systems, APM were also responsible for the stage mechanics, architectural acoustic optimization and large LED screens.

For more information about AKG, please visit http://www.akg.com and http://www.youtube.com/AKGacoustics. For more information about APM Music, please visit http://www.apm.kz/.

HARMAN (www.harman.com) designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment solutions for the automotive, consumer and professional markets — supported by 15 leading brands, including AKG®, Harman Kardon®, Infinity®, JBL®, Lexicon® and Mark Levinson®. The Company is admired by audiophiles across multiple generations and supports leading professional entertainers and the venues where they perform. More than 25 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with HARMAN audio and infotainment systems. HARMAN has a workforce of about 13,000 people across the Americas, Europe and Asia, and reported net sales of $4.3 billion for the twelve months ended March 31, 2012.

Longtime Vicon Customer ILM Evolves Use of Mocap Beyond VFX

LOS ANGELES, CA – Vicon motion capture systems were used by VFX powerhouse Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to create visual effects for the summer’s biggest box office hit, The Avengers. The superhero-themed blockbuster features digital characters driven by Vicon motion-captured performances for scenes that showcase the Hulk, Iron Man, foot soldiers and virtual crowds.

ILM Digital Supervisor Mike Sanders has been working with Vicon systems for almost fifteen years at the company. “One of the first things we did on The Avengers was bring actor Mark Ruffalo in for a shoot on our mocap stage to do what we call ‘rapid prototyping’. We applied his performance captured by the Vicon cameras onto a 3D model of the Hulk to give him live performance feedback in real time. This allowed Ruffalo to explore his posture, motion and timing of actions as the Hulk, and was an exciting way for the director [Joss Whedon] and actor to engage with the digital character in a very interactive way.”

Over the course of a year, ILM completed approximately 24 motion capture shoots for The Avengers, both as front-loaded sequences for character motion libraries and fine-tuned shot-specific performances. Animation driven by the Vicon mocap data for the Hulk, Iron Man, foot soldiers and digital crowds was used throughout the film. Full body performance of the Hulk was captured with the Vicon system both on the mocap stage and on location during principle shooting, where Ruffalo was often performing in one of ILM’s Imocap suits alongside the film’s other cast members.

ILM is one of Vicon’s longest standing customers in the entertainment market and has used its motion capture systems on films including the Academy Award-winning Rango, as well as all of the films in the Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean, Iron Man franchises and many others. ILM has seen its use of motion capture technologies evolve over the last 17 years from a strictly post production and visual effects role to a tool used across the pitch, pre-production, production and post production phases in the life-cycle of a typical project.

“At ILM the motion capture stage is another tool in the artist’s arsenal,” Sanders explained. “Sometimes studios will hire us for pitch viz, to rapidly prototype characters and very quickly produce a cut scene of a movie that’s at 80-90% render quality to help convince IP stakeholders whether or not they should move forward with developing that property. We’ve also used mocap to capture virtual camera moves, actors in character exploration or motion study sessions during casting, to help studios evaluate a director’s ability to develop certain projects and for location scouting in digital environments using a tracked virtual camera.”

ILM also uses Blade, Vicon’s motion capture software, to reproduce an actor’s skeletal motion from a 3D point cloud. The point cloud is created using 2D data collected from the cameras during a performance. ILM’s proprietary animation system, Zeno, allows them to automatically retarget performance data from the mocap stage onto animator’s character rigs in real time. In live feedback sessions, Zeno can automatically generate decimated or lower level resolution characters off of the hero mesh so that the character’s topology is the same, but is optimized for speed and real time rendering.

ILM is currently evaluating the latest generation, 16 megapixel Vicon T-160 cameras. “The advanced resolution definitely helps us get cleaner data, less noise and sees markers farther and longer. It goes into occlusion a lot better, the calibrations are faster as well. Overall we’ve stuck with Vicon systems over the years based on the robustness and quality of the hardware, and the relationship and development service that we’ve always gotten from Vicon, which is critical for our industry,” Sanders concluded.

About Vicon
Academy Award®-winning Vicon is the world’s largest supplier of precision motion tracking systems, and match moving software. It serves customers in the CG animation industry, film, visual effects, computer games, and broadcast television, as well as engineering and life science industries.

Vicon is a subsidiary of OMG (Oxford Metrics Group – LSE: OMG), plc., a group of technology companies that produces image understanding solutions for the Entertainment, Defence, Life Science and Engineering markets. Other holdings include: 2d3, a manufacturer of specialised image understanding software for defence applications; Yotta DCL our highways surveying business in the UK; and OMG Life, our new consumer subsidiary.

Vicon and OMG global clients include: Life Science leaders University of Pennsylvania, the VA Hospitals, Shriners Hospitals for Children, Titleist Golf, The Andrews Institute; Engineering industry leaders Ford, BMW, Airbus, Lockheed, Pratt-Whitney, NASA, Caterpillar, International Truck, and Toyota; and Entertainment companies Sony Pictures Imageworks, Sony Computer Entertainment, Industrial Light and Magic, Sega, Nintendo, Ubisoft, Vivendi, Electronic Arts, Square Enix and many others.

For more information about OMG and its subsidiaries, visit: www.omgplc.com, www.vicon.com, www.vicon.com/boujou, www.moves.com, www.2d3.com, www.yottadcl.com, or www.viconrevue.com.

Vicon and Vicon MX are trademarks of OMG plc. Academy Award is a trade or servicemark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.