LipSync Post provided grading, online editing, sound, VFX and titles for BBC One’s three-part drama Death Comes To Pemberley, based on P.D. James’ acclaimed sequel to the Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice. The dramas, produced by Origin Pictures for BBC One, are scheduled for broadcast on December 26-28.
A new series of ads for Target were recently shot on minimalistic all-white sets at Hollywood Center Studios and yet rank among the most environmentally friendly spots ever produced on the nearly 100-year-old lot. Virtually all of the sets, props, wardrobe, and discards (such as food waste from catering and craft services) were earmarked for reuse, recycling or composting. It’s estimated that nearly four tons of potential waste products were diverted from local landfills on these two projects due to the production’s adoption of eco-friendly production practices.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was brought to life at Park Road Post Production, New Zealand, where the production team mastered both high frame rate stereoscopic 3D at 48 frames per second and immersive Dolby Atmos sound, and integrated it all into the digital cinema package process.
The main tool they used for the task was the DVS Clipster, which allows for the world’s first implemented high frame rate DCI workflow with Dolby Atmos.
Veteran post-production industry executive Stephen Buchsbaum has been appointed president and chief operating officer of Burbank headquartered 2G Digital.
Producers are the unsung heroes of the visual effects industry. Working on the periphery, their contributions aren’t always acknowledged, but their role as project manager, budget overseer, client advocate and cheerleader to the visual effects team is essential to the success of the project. If artists are the gears that drive the visual effects engine, producers are the grease that allows the gears to turn smoothly.
MTI Film recently completed an all-new digital restoration of North to Alaska, Twentieth Century Fox’s 1960 comedy starring John Wayne. Employing proprietary technology and image processing techniques, MTI Film scanned the original 35mm cut negative at 4K before putting the film through an intensive restoration process to address faded color, Newton rings, dirt, scratches and many other defects. MTI Film ultimately delivered fully restored 4K files to produce a new 35mm negative for long-term preservation, along with a 4K DCP Master and high definition masters in a variety of aspect ratios.
The Motion Picture Sound Editors will be honoring Randy Thom, director of sound design at Skywalker Sound, with its prestigious MPSE Career Achievement Award. Thom is a two-time Academy Award-winner (The Right Stuff, The Incredibles) and a 14-time Oscar nominee. He has contributed to more than 100 films as a sound designer and re-recording mixer. He will receive the award at the 61ST MPSE Golden Reel Awards ceremony held on February 16, 2014, at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and Suites, Los Angeles, California.
Thinkbox Software has acquired code to bring its particle renderer, Krakatoa, into Maxon’s Cinema 4D modeling and animation software. Initial efforts to link the plug-in with Cinema 4D were led by Ugly Kids artist Daniel Hennies, who collaborated with a developer to program a bridge to the stand-alone version of Krakatoa. Leveraging the C++ API of Krakatoa SR, Hennies and a small team were able to fully integrate the particle renderer with Cinema 4D and first demoed the technology at SIGGRAPH 2013.
The American Film Institute has announced a half million-dollar grant from the Time Warner Foundation to create five full scholarships to the AFI Conservatory for applicants from communities traditionally under-represented in film and television. The scholarships, named as Time Warner Fellowships, are part of the AFI Conservatory’s notable increase in scholarship opportunities for both current and incoming Fellows
Director David Applebee and cinematographer Colin Trenbeath covered 11 US cities in 30 days to capture interviews with some of today’s most inspiring innovators for their film The Limitless Generation – a look at the movers and shakers of Generation Y, which distills the essence of the Millennial generation’s search for value and success.
