Filmmakers Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez recently shot the feature documentary Burn, a project that focuses on a year in the life of Detroit, as seen through the eyes of its firefighters, the men and women tasked with saving a city that many have written off as dead. The documentary was executive produced by Denis Leary and partner Jim Serpico and produced by Putnam and Sanchez.

JVC has introduced the DT-3D24G1U 24-inch HD 3D LCD production analysis LCD monitor.

Pirate Island follows legendary underwater archeologist Barry Clifford as he searches for pirate shipwrecks in the waters near Île Sainte-Marie, a tiny island off the coast of Madagascar. As with Somali pirates today, the Indian Ocean was terrorized in the 18th century by marauding seamen, who amassed huge fortunes by pillaging commercial vessels. Clifford, the only person to previously have found a pirate shipwreck, was seeking evidence of these early pirates and their booty.

The Hollywood Edge has announced the release of Segue Surround 5.1 HD, a first-of-its-kind sound effects toolkit featuring more than 1,100 whooshes, stingers, impact effects, atmospherics and other transitional elements created in true 5.1 surround sound. The large collection is well suited for films, broadcast television, radio, commercials, trailers, interactive media, podcasts and other types of programming requiring special sound treatments.

Louisiana-based Cineworks has opened a satellite operation at Second Line Stages to support film production at the Garden District sound stage facility and increase its capabilities in the Greater New Orleans area.

A new campaign for American Family Insurance evokes the company’s association with heartland values through finely crafted images of factory workers, motorcycle riders, newborn babies and kids diving into swimming pools. Conceived by Ogilvy & Mather, Chicago, the campaign involved a seven-day shoot in Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan. Post work was completed at Optimus, Chicago.

Blackmagic Design has announced that DaVinci Resolve 8.2 for Microsoft Windows public beta is now available for download in both the full-featured DaVinci Resolve 8.2 and free DaVinci Resolve Lite versions. The DaVinci Resolve 8.2 for Windows license is included with the Mac OS X version, so all current Mac OS X customers automatically get a license for the Windows version, and can download it now to use in their facility.

P+S Technik has opened a technical center in Hollywood to service and support the PS-Cam X35 and other P+S products in the United States.