Featured Stories

Sony Delivers Monster Sound for Hotel Transylvania 2

Mon, 10/05/2015 - 12:22 -- Nick Dager

Sony Pictures Animation’s monster hit Hotel Transylvania 2, currently topping charts and setting records at the worldwide box office, marks the return of the Drac Pack in an all-new comedy adventure. Like its hit 2012 predecessor, the new film is directed by Genndy Tartakovsky and features the voice talents of Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, and many others. Also back for the sequel are supervising sound editor Geoffrey G. Rubay and his sound team from Sony Pictures Post Production Services.

Defying the Challenges of a Desert Shoot

Mon, 10/05/2015 - 12:09 -- Nick Dager

Cinematographer Michael FitzMaurice recently concluded principal photography on the feature thriller Monolith. The Sky Italia Productions' project was shot in punishing desert conditions (Kanab, Utah and Mojave Airport, California), and is currently in post. In Monolith, the nail-biter story follows a young mother as she labors through the night to free her infant son from a monolith SUV before the desert sun comes up.

Aerigon Provides Aerial Footage for Wildest Dreams

Mon, 10/05/2015 - 12:01 -- Nick Dager

The Aerigon aerial remote camera platform, outfitted with a Red Dragon camera, was used by the Natural History Film Unit to capture some of the sweeping overhead images for the latest Taylor Swift video, Wildest Dreams. Staged as a period piece film shoot on the African Savannah, the richly produced music video incorporates stunning aerial scenes of wildlife, thanks in part to the stability and lift capacity of Aerigon, which allows filmmakers to use the cameras and lenses they need for their shots, including full in-flight camera controls.

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New Angelika to Open October 9 in San Diego

Fri, 10/02/2015 - 12:39 -- Nick Dager

Reading International will open the first Angelika Film Center & Café on the West Coast October 9. Dedicated to exhibiting quality films and events, the sleek and modern Angelika Film Center & Cafe is a unique venue for San Diego’s culturally rich community offering diverse programming and a creative menu of craft beverages and bites.

Zooming into Cinema

Fri, 10/02/2015 - 12:34 -- Nick Dager

When Fujinon added the PL 19-90mm zoom lens to its Cabrio line, the company anticipated resistance from the cinema community. As Mike Nichols, business development manager for sales and rental house AbelCine puts it, “Most feature film DP’s are accustomed to primes and prefer a more traditional cinema-style lens, particularly in a narrative set up. And while the removable servo is convenient, DPs may not yet see it as a lens that’ll work in a cinematic set up.” That’s starting to change.

Dragon Ball Z: A Group Effort

Tue, 09/29/2015 - 13:11 -- Nick Dager

As is the case with most things in life, the major success that Group 1200 Media has had with the Dragon Ball Z movie series boils down to one thing: a lot of hard work by a dedicated group of talented people serving a vibrant, loyal audience. Group 1200 Media is the parent company of a range of companies including Funimation, the anime division, and Funimation Films, the film distribution department. Funimation Entertainment recently announced that the home video release of the Group’s latest success, the anime film Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F will be available on digital HD starting October 9 and at retail outlets throughout the U.S. and Canada starting October 20.

Ant-Man, a Unique Perspective

Thu, 09/24/2015 - 11:41 -- Nick Dager

Ant-Man is a comic-book superhero that uses a special suit to shrink in size while gaining in strength. In the latest Marvel creation for the big screen, Ant-Man’s adventures involve a battle against a foe that uses similar technology for nefarious ends. The project, directed by Peyton Reed and photographed by Russell Carpenter ASC, extends the strong and successful working relationship between Marvel and Codex. Issues of scale and how to convincingly present it to the audience dominated most of the decisions about cinematography and visual effects. For guidance, the filmmakers looked at films with similar characters going all the way back to Darby O’Gill and the Little People, photographed with extensive forced perspective and giant props in 1959 by Winton Hoch ASC.

A Real Headcase

Wed, 09/23/2015 - 11:47 -- Nick Dager

Virtual reality has opened up a wide range of opportunities for innovation and storytelling, both for manufacturers and for the early adopters that are rewriting the book on how to use this new toolset. One of these early adopters is cinematographer Andrew Shulkind, one of the driving forces behind Headcase, which is the name both of a collaboration between filmmakers and a camera. As well as being a successful DP, Shulkind has always enjoyed experimenting with new and unique movie-making technologies, whether it’s lighting, cameras, lenses or workflows. Codex is one of the partners in Headcase and made this interview possible.

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