Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Studio Nouveau Creates Cinematics for Capcom's Resident Evil 5
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 -- Culver City, CA -- Studio Nouveau, a cinematic and 3D animation production studio, is pleased to announce their recent completion of the game cinematics for the highly-acclaimed video game RESIDENT EVIL 5 for Capcom, a leading game industry publisher.
Studio Nouveau is an L.A.-based visual effects and animation studio providing 3D animation for film, games and broadcast with access to the most talented Hollywood VFX artists and animators. Studio Nouveau has earned a reputation for exceptional development of motion capture technologies and methods that helps directors become quickly acclimated to working with virtual actors and sets.
Studio Nouveau founder and CEO Frank Bonniwell has worked on blockbuster Hollywood films such as POLAR EXPRESS, MONSTER HOUSE, LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, and working in the role of Technical Director directly with James Cameron on his film project, AVATAR.
Capcom's RESIDENT EVIL 5 represents the latest installment of the series and boasts the stunning visual quality and engaging gameplay now possible on next-gen video game consoles. The RESIDENT EVIL series has generated global sales of 24 million. RESIDENT EVIL 5 released on March 13, 2009 in Japan, and March 13, 2009 in North America and Europe for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 game consoles.
Studio Nouveau's proprietary motion capture and animation production methodology and pipeline allowed live action director Jim Sonzero (Pulse) to bring traditional directing techniques to the Resident Evil 5 production. Based on Sonzero's needs, Studio Nouveau's technical team developed a pipeline for a virtual camera allowing a digital DP (Director of Photography) to use traditional cinematography methods on the RESIDENT EVIL 5 cinematics.
Bonniwell adds, "It was a great honor and privilege to work with a company of Capcom's stature and history on one of the premiere video game franchises of all time. Here at Studio Nouveau we're all playing Resident Evil 5 and are thrilled to see our work come alive in the game."
Studio Nouveau works on long and short-term projects creating full CG motion capture and hand-key framed film production for live action and animated films, game trailers and cinematics, commercial and broadcast clients and more.
About Capcom Entertainment
www.capcom.com
An industry leader in the video game industry for 25 years, Capcom's legacy of historic franchises in home and arcade gaming are testaments to an unparalleled commitment to excellence. Blockbuster franchises like RESIDENT EVIL, STREET FIGHTER, LOST PLANET, BREATH OF FIRE and the ever-popular MEGA MAN series set the standard in creative innovation, character development and unsurpassed gameplay. Capcom is involved in all areas of the video game industry and has offices in Tokyo, Osaka, California, England, Germany and Hong Kong.
About Studio Nouveau
www.studionouveau.biz
Studio Nouveau is a visual effects and 3D animation production studio created to bring a higher level of Hollywood production experience and expertise to companies inside and outside the traditional Hollywood Studio system. With the democratization of digital technology, Studio Nouveau is excited by the possibilities offered in games, new media and independent film production. Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and Movies
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
IAB BLOG: Is 3D hype or is it here to stay?
Friday, 24 April 2009
Sam Mendes was recently asked whether he would be using 3D anytime soon. He replied by saying, “I’ve been doing it for years – it’s called theatre.” Aside from loving the quote and hating him for being married to Kate Winslet it appears that 3D is the way forward.
Bolt, Monsters vs Aliens and soon to be released Avatar the eagerly awaited return to film of Lord Cameron’s 3D versions is going through a renaissance.
Having seen Jaws 3D first time around I’m not surprised it’s taken so long to come back, but it appears that brands are leaping on the bandwagon. Quickly following 3D ads shown during Superbowl is Crest’s “Kiss Me in 3D” which executionally is a massive let down, and very ambitious considering you have to have the glasses to view it online.
More cooler is the new campaign from Dare for BMW Z4 which although isn’t 3D viewing per se (like Bolt) it does allow you to use your webcam to drive the car in 3D.
Similar technology is being used in the launch of Ford Ka that uses your mobile to view a 3D model of the vehicle from a hidden symbol.
So is 3D hype or is it here to stay? Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and Movies
Monday, April 27, 2009
TMR: Zombie's 'H2' trailer premieres, McKean talks 'Tap,' and 'Avatar' details emerge
Welcome to The Morning Read.
I'm going to be merging the "On The Screen" column into the Morning Read on Fridays from now on. It just seemed to make more sense to us, and while today's may be a little weird while I figure out the format, I think in the long run, it'll make for a better Friday read for you guys.
Let's see what's going on out there first, before we get into this weekend's movies. Traditionally speaking, this is the weekend where the studios just plain give up, dumping whatever they don't mind seeing crushed by the arrival of summer's first big movies next week. So it's good we're trying the new format on an off week, so we can be ready for the onslaught of May.
Great interview with Bret Easton Ellis about his feelings on watching his work get adapted into films. Guy sounds ridiculously well-adjusted about it, even when the end result takes the sort of critical pounding that "The Informers" is.
Also thanks to the fine folks at the A/V Club, there's a new Michael McKean interview that's worth a look. I can't believe how many years its been since "Spinal Tap," and yet I'm still fascinated, and these stories about how the songs were written are absolute gold.
Call me crazy, but a TV series based on "Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown" isn't the worst idea I've ever heard. If it manages to capture any of the flavor of what Almodovar does on film, it could be a really welcome antidote to 99.9% of what my wife watches on TV right now, but in a way that would actually keep her watching.
[more after the jump]
Trust me... Spock saying he's open to more "Star Trek" appearances? This is a very good thing.
Turns out I do want what I haven't got. I'm not sure when this latest trend of high-value reissues of older CDs caught fire, but lately, it seems like everyone's putting out old albums with new bonus material included. And I know it's a cash grab, of course, but in some cases, I'll shell out, and based on Pitchfork's write-up of the live version of "Troy" that's included in this new edition of "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," Sinead O'Connor's biggest album, I think it's going to have to be the next thing I pick up. And if you don't know "Troy" at all, here's a live version that was linked from that article that I hadn't seen before. Pretty great.
I wish I were going to France for Cannes this year, but not just for the festival. I also wish I could go check out all the weird and wonderful tributes to Jacques Tati that appear to be going up all over the city right now. This one in particular just slays me:
If you don't know Tati's work, he's a sublime silent comedy filmmaker who just didn't happen to work in the silent era. His humor is gentle and silly, and even when it is socially pointed, it does it with a sly smile. He didn't leave a giant body of work, but every single one of his films is ripe for rediscovery by new audiences.
I'm sorry I hadn't mentioned this yet, but cinematographer Jack Cardiff passed away earlier this week. Cardiff was, simply put, one of the greats. His work on movies like "A Matter Of Life And Death" or "The Red Shoes" or "The African Queen" or even "Rambo: First Blood Part II" marked him as a remarkable visual artist, painting in bright primary colors in some cases, capable of sculpting with shadow in other cases, but always working to help sell not only the look of a film but the feel of a film. He was one of the great emotional cinematographers, and I can only hope that his work continues to influence young photographers coming up in the business.
The guys over at MarketSaw are completely insane about 3D in general and "Avatar" specifically, so how many copies of the new Empire do you think they've stuck together so far? Specifically, there's a layout of new photos from the production of the film and some interview material that has him geeking out.
I didn't hate the trailer for Rob Zombie's "H2," the sequel to his remake of "Halloween," and that shocks me. I thought his remake was terrible, but I'm actually sort of intrigued by the idea that he's playing with some radical reinventions this time. That's the only way the idea has any value, if you ask me, and this seems like Zombie's figured out that the closer he stays to what Carpenter did, the less scary it's going to be, and the less interesting it is. I may end up hating this movie, too, but at least he's bringing something new to the table.
So it just occurred to me... once the "Ghostbusters" video game comes out and I drop off the map completely, who will post this column? Oh, you think I'm kidding? Well, then, you haven't seen this opening animation from the game, which sets off every nostalgic nerve ending in my body.
It makes me realize that even if "Ghostbusters II" wasn't great, I still wanted them to continue the series. I think it's hard to overstate my love for the entire "Ghostbusters" vibe, and this game looks like they nailed it. And I love that there's a written by credit at the start of the game. Very cool.
I found the woman that my son, Toshiro Lucas, is going to marry. Hope she likes younger dudes.
Does it remotely surprise me to learn that Kim Morgan is a big fan of Cronenberg's "Crash," and that revisiting it is her way of saying goodbye to the great J.G. Ballard? No. No it does not. This girl loves her cars.
Finally, to kick you into the weekend, let's look at what's playing out there right now.
Paramount and Dreamworks have decided to finally release "The Soloist," which was set to be one of the big fall Oscar-contender releases until... you know... they saw it. I'll give them this much... the reaction has been better than I think they expected. There have been some harsh reviews, but our own Greg Ellwood actually enjoyed it and thought it was a solid effort. Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx star in a story based on a truel-life situation where a reporter for the LA Times met, befriended, and wrote about a schizophrenic street musician. Joe Wright, so heavily hyped after "Atonement" and "Pride and Prejudice," directs.
Disney's doing everything they can to launch their new Disney Nature label, an extension of what they used to do with the True-Life Adventures, which my kid adores on DVD. The first release from the new imprint, "earth," is largely made up of footage from the BBC series "Planet Earth," which is a great BluRay. I'm not sure why they're building the launch of this new film series around material that's basically just repurposed from TV, but I'll bet it looks amazing on the bigscreen.
Gee, I wonder what "Fighting" is about. And more than anything, I wish there was some way for me to find out if there's any fighting in it. I was talking to Devin Faraci about this one the other day, and I think the truth is that Dito Montiel (the writer/director) just annoys me. There's this mannered, swaggering, faux-tough guy thing that certain young filmmakers love to indulge that just plain drives me up a tree. It feels thoroughly inauthentic to me. And Montiel's first film, "A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints," absolutely felt like that to me. As a result, I backed out of my "Fighting" screening at the last moment. It may be someone else's cup of tea, and if you want to see a shirtless Channing Tatum make his way through 86 different fights, then you're probably going to love this movie. And you're also probably my friend Jeff.
Is it just me, or does "Obsessed" look like seventeen different flavors of awesome? It looks terrible, mind you, but awesome-terrible. Ali Larter is the crazy white temp who decides she's going to come between married man Idris Elba and his wife Beyonce Knowles. It may be apocryphal, but I've heard the original title of the film was "No She Didn't," and if they had kept that title, I would be at the theater right now, openly worshipping the trashy genius.
I'm still laughing about how bad the reaction to "The Informers" was at Sundance this year. It sounds like a crazy mess of a film, indulgent and creepy, which is always a possibility when adapting Bret Easton Ellis. With a cast that includes Mickey Rourke, Kim Basinger, Amber Heard, and Billy Bob Thornton, it's going to take an IMAX screen to hold all the goddamn crazy.
James Toback's "Tyson" documentary also screened at Sundance this year, and I've managed to miss it over and over now. I'm fascinated by Mike Tyson, though, and Toback strikes me as a cautionary tale for how to squander the goodwill of the industry, so I'm dying to see what happens when you stick these two strong personalities together. Love him or hate him, Tyson was a major figure in the world of boxing for much of the '80s and '90s, and I'm curious to hear what he has to say for himself these days.
Also hitting screens this weekend, the long-delayed (for good reason) "The Mutant Chronicles," a low-budge SF film that manages to waste both Thomas Jane and Ron Perlman, "Il Divo," an Italian biopic about political corruption, "The Garden," a documentary about the battle over a community garden in South Central Los Angeles, and "Is Anybody There?," the Michael Caine film I mentioned last week, goes wider this weekend so even more people have a chance to see it.
That's it for this week for The Morning Read. I've got to run shoot an interview now for an upcoming BluRay release of a movie I've loved for a loooooooooong time, and then tonight, it's off to boldly go where no one (except for the gazillions of people who have already seen and reviewed it) has gone before.
See you guys here this weekend with some catch-up columns for the Motion/Captured Must-See Project and more.
Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and MoviesSunday, April 26, 2009
Trailer Watch: Avatar
So where's the teaser to Avatar?
In the 12 years since Titanic, James Cameron has created a short-lived and forgettable TV show, produced a handful of documentaries, and even supported one archeologist's assertion that he'd found Jesus' grave. Before Titanic, Cameron had directed five feature films within the same span of time, crowning his achievement with the highest grossing film to date. He's been hard at work over the last two-and-a-half years with what writer Paula Parisi said in 1998 would be the coolest movie ever made.
You'd think Twentieth Century Fox would want to promote the hell out of this thing. The film premieres December 18th.
Supposedly, this IMAX 3D release will utilize the same technology that brought U2-3D to vivid life last year. And if so, this would be a groundbreaking release. A game changer. A James Cameron film. Would this not make great fodder for a 90-second teaser, glimpsing the film’s scope and whetting the appetites of nerds and movie-lovers everywhere?
And yet, eight months out: nothing. Not even a poster.
I recall similar frustration expressed throughout the internets regarding another semi-recent Fox release—The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Creator/director Chris Carter kept a tight lid on the film's production. Fox put out a modest trailer a few months before its July 2008 release. The entire tone of the promotion was eerily reserved. And there's a better than even chance Fox kept it that way because the movie just wasn't all that good.
On the feature front, even the weakest entry in the Cameron library (excluding his Piranha sequel) is still a pretty good flick. You'd think after mowing down the box office with his last film, there'd be a degree of fueled anticipation, but someone somewhere apparently feels otherwise. Which means Avatar may not be all that good either.
Cameron has always faced criticism for putting flair over substance, but his work occasions surprising depth of theme (I'm thinking primarily of The Abyss and Terminator 2). I imagine Avatar would aspire to the same quality. Anyone who had a chance to read the film's treatment before it was pulled off the internet knows the film has big ideas at the helm. The treatment, however, has already received criticism for pushing a heavy environmental message, a topic that’s played a big hand to a number of recent sci-fi films, and to varying results.
This is assuming, of course, the director sticks to his early treatment. Cameron wrote the outline more than a decade ago, and details inevitably get tweaked given that much time to simmer.
Besides, this is all just speculation anyway. Titanic's trailer played at ShoWest about eight months before its December 1997 premiere, if I remember right. Before then, many thought that film would earn a fate worse than its namesake. $601 million later, and the word “titanic” reclaimed its mojo.
The role a trailer plays in the success of a film can vary. Some excellent trailers build buzz for mediocre films; others can thrive with little promotion on the strength of the film alone. The absence of an Avatar trailer affords few clues as to the quality of the actual product. But a glimpse, even a small one, at a film that industry insiders claim will change the face of going to the movies, could only bode well.
Audiences like to get stoked, and getting stoked can only help the film. They say even bad publicity is good publicity, you know. No publicity, however, never worked for anyone.
source Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and Movies
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Cover your eyes! 3D is exploding
It's stupendous! It's electrifying! It's amazing! It's a 3D movie (and magazine and TV) epidemic! Yes, the weirdly geeky movie gimmick from the '50s is enjoying a renaissance moment in the 21st century with its new incarnation, Digital 3D! We take a look at the past, present and future for the phenomenon.
Way back when: The jungle movie Bwana Devil (1952) enjoys the distinction of being the first full-length movie filmed in 3D, and it set up a cascade of other films using the technique, including Alfred Hitchcock's Dial M for Murder and Hondo, starring John Wayne. In a nutshell, it allowed moviemakers to take flat two-dimensional scenes and create the illusion of depth. Often, though, the 3D was more for marketing than for moviemaking. Still, it worked to great effect for Creature from the Black Lagoon, which was filmed in Wakulla Springs. The movie was considered by many to be the most memorable 3D movie from this so-called golden era of 3D. The whole craze faded out in the '60s because of the viewing complexity: awkward paper glasses (subject of a memorable Life magazine photo), double synchronized film projectors and silver screens. It just made your head hurt to view a movie that way.
Just when you thought it was safe: 3D reared its double-edged projection again in the early '70s and into the '80s with cheesetastic classics such as Jaws 3D and Friday the 13th — Part 3. Again, the clunky viewing experience proved its demise and it disappeared again.
A dreamer steps in: Jeffrey Katzenberg, chief executive of Dreamworks, began a big hard pitch to theater and movie industry heavyweights in the past few years to move them toward digitizing more screens because he intended to shoot all of his company's animated features in 3D beginning in 2009. His spiel: 3D can increase the industry's box office take, because theaters could charge as much as $5 more per ticket for 3D films; the technology keeps viewers away from DVDs (3D films can't be seen on disc, yet); and it discourages piracy because 3D movies are harder to record. He had reason to celebrate in early October last year, when five film studios agreed to help cover costs (up to $75,000 per screen) for converting roughly 14,000 screens to digital projection in the next three years.
3D to the max: Now that the technology for showing 3D has caught up with the technology for shooting the entire movie that way, expect an explosion of 3D events headed your way that tout the effect. Among them:
• Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience opened over the first weekend of March at No. 2 with $12.7 million in box office. (But it couldn't match the Hannah Montana 3D concert movie of last year, which had an opening of $31.1 million.)
• Tiger Beat, the iconic teen idol magazine, produced its first 3D issue that hit newsstands this week to celebrate the bros' new movie. Other teen superstars who participated in the 3D photo sessions include singer/actress Demi Lovato, iCarly stars Jennette McCurdy and Nathan Kress, Wizards of Waverly Place star Jake T. Austin and Nickelodeon's musical movie Spectacular! stars Nolan Gerard Funk and Victoria Justice. The issue includes free 3D glasses, and the mag's Web site promises bonus 3D photos online.
• The movie Monsters Vs. Aliens is headed our way March 27, just one of several Digital 3D movies released this year. Also scheduled are James Cameron's Avatar (May 22) Pixar's Up (May 29) and Robert Zemeckis' Christmas Carol (Nov. 6).
Home 3D home: While today's 3D is confined to the movies and to a few special TV episodes (NBC's Chuck last month), technology is gearing up to respond to demand for it for home entertainment. In fact, a study by the Consumer Electronics Association found that 16 percent of consumers are interested in watching 3D movies or TV shows in their home, and 14 percent are interested in playing 3D video games. And those geeky glasses that come with the experience? More than half of U.S. adults said having to wear special glasses or hold their heads still while watching a 3D TV would have no impact on them purchasing a 3D set for their home.
Information from BusinessWeek, the Los Angeles Times, Sensio.com and the Miami Herald was used in this report.
Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and MoviesMonday, March 30, 2009
The Morning Take: Tues., March 10
Ever wonder what it was like at the meeting when a classic film was being born? If so, check out the Mystery Man on Film blog, which has posted what is says it a link to the 125-page transcript of the story conference for “Raiders of the Los Ark” that included producer George Lucas, director Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan.
Our sister blog, ArtsBeat, has a report about a Los Angeles Superior Court judge who has ruled that author Clive Cussler must pay $13.9 million in legal fees to Crusader Entertainment, which made his “Sahara” into a box-office disaster starring Matthew McConaughey. Mr. Cussler had sued the company, Crusader Entertainment, in 2004, saying it had reneged on a deal to give him script approval, but a jury ruled against the author in 2007, the Associated Press reports.
The Hollywood Reporter has a story asking whether the $55.7 million opening weekend for “Watchmen” should be considered a success or a failure, considering the high expectations for the film. Reuters takes the position that it was a disappointment.
Cinematical.com wonders about the famous names who were not present at the recent Academy Awards - including Jack Nicholson and Javier Bardem - and tells why.
Drew Barrymore confirms that she’s being considered to direct “Eclipse,” the third installment in the “Twilight” series about teenaged vampires. The second installment, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” is due in November, directed by CHris Weitz.
And the usual casting and acquisitions news…
Variety says documentarian Asger Leth is to make his feature-film directing debut with “Cartel,” a thriller about a man trying to protect his son from Mexican drug cartels, with Sean Penn up for the lead role… DreamWorks Animation has signed a deal to make a computer-animated film out of an upcoming children’s book called “Dinotrux,” about a prehistoric world ruled by creatures that are half truck, half dinosaur… David Ayers, who wrote the film “Training Day,” will write and direct “Last Man,” about soldiers fighting aliens on a distant planet… Columbia has purchased the film rights to the upcoming Robert Goolrick novel, “The Reliable Wife,” about a Wisconsin farmer in 1908 who places a newspaper ad for a mate.source Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and Movies
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Yogurtistan Brings Easy 3D And Stock Options To The Browser
At the Engage! Expo, Yogurt is showing off the engine for its upcoming virtual world, Yogurtistan, with three interesting hooks that may help to set it apart in the increasingly crowded market: Yogurtistan runs in Flash 10 with no other plugins required, but in full 3D with good looking cartoonish characters and customization options; it is partnering with real-world vendors to allow users to spend their virtual currency on physical products; and every time a user spends a virtual Kayme, they gain stock in the company.
"We essentially do the IPO on the first day and sell our company on day one," explained CEO Cemil Türün. "The way to sell our company is to let people buy and spend our currency. If you just keep it, you don’t get anything, so there’s an incentive to spend. That’s a difference from the current economy where there’s an incentive to put it in the bank."
Türün put Yogurtistan's approach in contrast to social services like Twitter or Facebook, where heavy users add value to the service, but, as has been much bemoaned, don't necessarily receive any extra reward.
"It's very Internet," Türün said of the company's plans.
Yogurt is currently working with the SEC of Turkey, where it plans to launch a private beta in early April, but Türün is confident that the ability will come through. The company is aiming for a full launch in December, around the same time as James Cameron's "Avatar," and to take Yogurtistan international once its concept and technology are proven at home.
Alongside the stock options, users may be persuaded to spend their Kaymes simply because of the options available. Yogurtistan is also negotiating deals with banks to let users deposit their money and cash out more easily, something Türün says will come when the world gains traction, but at first it's simply partnering with vendors to accept virtual payments for at least certain items.
So far "10 key vendors" have signed on for Turkey, including its top bank, Gap of Turkey, Diesel of Turkey, and AMC of Turkey.
"If you go and earn free popcorn in the virtual world, you can go to the movie theatre and claim it. You can actually eat your virtual popcorn. And if you watch the movie you’re supposed to, you get 2 tickets for 1," explained Türün.
The company is also negotiating with other partners, like clubs, to offer special access or discounts to Kayme users or Yogurtistan members. For smaller vendors than Gap, the platform includes an API for adding a shop to Yogurtistan or adding its trading system. One perk, says Türün, is that you don't have to walk to every shop across one large virtual world, but each will be included in an easily searchable directory.
For now, though, Yogurt is most excited about its engine. The company has been working on 3D in the browser for some time. It previously was using Flash 9 in combination with Papervision, but wasn't satisified with the results.
Now it runs on Flash 10 and is compatible with OpenGL, which Türün says means it could also eventual work with the iPhone via OpenGL ES. Until then, it also maes it easier for developers to translate their OpenGL games via Yogurt's engine to Flash and for the company to include services like P2P voice and media in its world.
For a browser-based world, it looks like Yogurtistan will also offer a fair amount of customization options. Users will be able to purchase virtual currency, but also earn it by trading or selling with other users. The platform could support anything from a tip jar for VirtualWorldsNews.com, said Türün, to importing animations and virtual good designs from traditional development tools and selling them in-world.
Yogurt is targeting a slightly older demographic than has really been pulled into most worlds (15 or 16 and up), but the lack of a download, appeal of real-world purchases, and custom development options may bring them in. Also, as Türün points out, launching in Turkey may be especially helpful.
"Social spaces are very popular in Turkey. They’re very high in usage, but we don’t have our local examples like this," he said. "I expect to have a lot of use in Turkey first, and once we’re done with the proof of concept and technology, we’ll come to Russia, the U.S., and so on."
Yogurt previously worked as an agency for clients like Coca Cola, but took "more than a million" in funding in 2007 to develop its world. Türün says the company will likely look for more before it finishes development, but that it's on the right track with the original concept still well in place.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Jim Cameron's 'Avatar': Still no trailer?
According to a post from the AceShowbiz blog, James Cameron -- whose face surely appears in the dictionary, right next to the definition of "prickly perfectionist" -- has now refused to approve eight different trailers for "Avatar," his much-anticipated sci-fi epic that's due out this December from 20th Century Fox. The post says Cameron is now at work on his own trailer, and the tireless wonderers, who run the online rumor mills, are wondering about it surfacing in some form at ShoWest later this month.
My sources at Fox aren't so hot right now. And marketing chief Tony Sella never returns any of my calls. But it would hardly be a shock if Cameron is being especially prickly about how to best present the images from "Avatar." If the response to "Watchmen" over the past year is any indicator, the blogosphere tends to wildly overreact to every action -- or perceived action -- involving any hotly anticipated fanboy film.
As it turns out, the original post about Cameron's trailer displeasure, which came from the 3D blog MarketSaw, isn't exactly the kind of story you'd take to the bank. It's essentially a rumor-mill item, concluding with the disclaimer: "Strength of rumor: 8 out of 10 (trusted source)." (A disclaimer other bloggers somehow forget to pass along.) Rival studio marketers say its a little early to be worried about a trailer delay, since Cameron could easily wait until a big early-summer film, like Fox's own "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," to premiere the "Avatar" trailer.
Anyway, is rejecting eight different trailers really such a big deal? I doubt that the studios keep statistics on this sort of thing, but I'm guessing that if there's a record for most rejected trailers, David Fincher still has Cameron beat by a mile.
Photo of James Cameron by Kevork Djansezian / Associated Press
Friday, March 27, 2009
IMAX Corporation reports fourth quarter 2008 financial results
HIGHLIGHTS
----------
- Company reports fourth quarter 2008 net loss per share of $0.21, or
loss per share of $0.11 excluding charges related to the Company's
introduction of digital and launch of its joint revenue sharing
initiative
- Company installed a total of 60 systems in 2008, including 46
digital; 64 digital systems currently in operation
- IMAX total network grows by 17% in 2008 to 351 theatres; commercial
network increases 29% to 231 theatres
- Watchmen: The IMAX Experience officially kicks off highly anticipated
2009 movie slate, delivering approximately $8.0 million in gross box
office through first six days
IMAX Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs
The Company achieved several important strategic milestones in fiscal 2008 that it believes positions it for significant growth in 2009 and beyond:
- Successfully launched its IMAX digital product, with 46 digital
systems deployed in the second half of 2008.
- Installed a total of 60 IMAX projection systems (including two
digital upgrades), the most installations in any given year in the
history of the Company. Eighteen were under sales/sales type lease
agreements (15 of which were recognized as revenue), 41 were under
joint revenue sharing arrangements, and one was an operating lease.
The Company ended 2008 with a total of 351 IMAX systems in operation,
a 17% increase over 2007, and its commercial network grew to 231
theatres, up 29% over last year.
- Secured $18.0 million in funding in May 2008 through a private
placement of common stock to its largest shareholder at market prices
of $6.60 per share and re-negotiated its $30.0 million credit
facility such that it is no longer subject to any EBITDA maintenance
covenants provided the Company is in compliance with certain minimum
liquidity requirements.
- Broadened its studio relationships, including signing a multi-picture
deal with Walt Disney Pictures.
- Signed deals for 90 new systems: 42 under joint revenue sharing
arrangements and 48 under sales/sales type lease/operating lease
arrangements.
Messrs. Gelfond and Wechsler continued, "We believe that the combination of these very significant initiatives creates a more compelling business proposition for ourselves and for our constituencies. Given the rate at which we are capable of installing new systems, the proven reliability of the systems to date, the positive feedback we are getting from our studio and exhibitor partners, and, perhaps most importantly, the response from the consumer, we feel very pleased and confident about our digital roll-out thus far."
For the three months ended
"Our fourth quarter revenue results primarily reflect the near-term impact of
The Company installed and recognized revenue on six theatre systems that qualified as either sales or sales-type leases in the fourth quarter of 2008, compared to five in 2007, and installed 26 new systems under joint revenue sharing arrangements in the fourth quarter, compared to two in the year ago period.
Fourth quarter gross margin of
Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased to
At the end of 2008, the Company's backlog consisted of 213 theatre systems compared to 186 theatre systems in backlog at the end of 2007. Included in the 2008 and 2007 system backlog totals were 106 and 104 theatres under joint revenue sharing arrangements, respectively.
As of
The Company believes that its joint revenue sharing business model makes it significantly more affordable and less capital intensive for exhibitors to be in the IMAX business while at the same time driving greater recurring revenue for the Company. Following its 100-theater deal with AMC signed in
During the fourth quarter, the Company continued its roll out of IMAX digital projection systems with the successful delivery and installation of 32 digital projection systems (including two digital upgrades), and ended 2008 with 46 digital systems in operation. To date, 64 IMAX digital systems are in operation.
Messrs. Gelfond and Wechsler continued, "Our joint revenue sharing model, coupled with our digital technology, are the catalysts behind our record network growth, record year-end systems backlog and record number of
The Company's 2009 movie slate currently includes 11 titles (one IMAX original production and 10 DMR titles), compared to eight movies (all DMR titles) in 2008. The Company believe these titles include some of the most highly anticipated films of the year, such as Watchmen: The IMAX Experience (WB,
The year officially kicked into gear last weekend with WB's Watchmen: The IMAX Experience. The IMAX release contributed
Messrs. Gelfond and Wechsler commented, "Our film slate is the fuel that drives our go-forward business model, and we are very pleased with how the slate for 2009 has come together. We are on track to show a record 11 titles in the IMAX network this year, which is only possible because of our introduction of digital, and we likely have room for one more title in the fall. Our ability to show 10 to 12 titles a year, versus the six to seven we have been able to show historically, gives us greater ability to capture more box office revenue, especially in our joint revenue sharing theatres. Our 2009 slate also includes some of the most highly anticipated 3D titles of the year, starting with DreamWorks Animation's Monsters vs. Aliens on
Messrs. Gelfond and Wechsler concluded, "Given our film slate, anticipated network growth and the strength we are seeing in the movie industry overall, we believe there is good reason to be optimistic about our business performance in 2009. Our number of contracted theatre systems planned for 2009 coupled with the quality of our movie slate is providing increased visibility into our business. Similar to 2008, our goal for 2009 is to have the bulk of our 2010 movie slate finalized this year. To that end, we are speaking to every major
Conference Call Information
The Company will host a conference call this morning at
About IMAX Corporation
IMAX Corporation is one of the world's leading entertainment technology companies, specializing in immersive motion picture technologies. The worldwide IMAX network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event
IMAX(R), IMAX(R) Dome, IMAX(R) 3D, IMAX(R) 3D Dome, Experience It In IMAX(R), The IMAX Experience(R), An IMAX Experience(R), IMAX DMR(R), DMR(R), IMAX MPX(R), IMAX think big(R) and think big(R) are trademarks and trade names of the Company. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com.
This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Important factors that could affect these statements include ongoing discussions with the SEC and OSC relating to their ongoing inquiries and the Company's accounting, the performance of films, the signing of theatre system agreements, the viability of new technologies, businesses and products, the timing of theatre system deliveries, the mix of theatre systems shipped, the timing of the recognition of revenues and expenses on film production and distribution agreements, risks arising from potential material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting and fluctuations in foreign currency and in the large format, general commercial exhibition and out-of-home entertainment markets. These factors and other risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
IMAX CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
In accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles
(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except per share amounts)
Three Months Year Ended
Ended December 31, December 31,
------------------------ -----------------------
2008 2007 2008 2007
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Revenues
Equipment and product
sales................... $ 9,764 $ 10,773 $ 27,853 $ 32,500
Services................. 14,470 18,171 64,985 69,149
Rentals.................. 2,495 2,147 8,207 7,107
Finance income........... 1,065 1,074 4,300 4,649
Other.................... 270 138 881 2,427
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
28,064 32,303 106,226 115,832
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Costs and expenses
applicable to revenues
Equipment and product
sales................... 7,154 8,433 17,182 21,546
Services................. 10,753 15,331 44,372 50,090
Rentals.................. 3,654 1,083 7,043 2,987
Other.................... 71 - 169 50
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
21,632 24,847 68,766 74,673
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Gross margin............. 6,432 7,456 37,460 41,159
Selling, general and
administrative expenses 9,503 12,982 43,652 44,705
Research and development 1,306 1,609 7,461 5,789
Amortization of
intangibles............. 137 141 526 547
Receivable provisions net
of recoveries........... 863 1,102 1,977 1,795
Asset impairments........ 28 562 28 562
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Loss from operations..... (5,405) (8,940) (16,184) (12,239)
Interest income.......... 99 215 381 862
Interest expense......... (4,400) (4,128) (17,707) (17,093)
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Loss from continuing
operations before
income taxes............ (9,706) (12,853) (33,510) (28,470)
Recovery of (provision
for) income taxes....... 663 338 (92) (472)
Loss from continuing
operations.............. (9,043) (12,515) (33,602) (28,942)
Earnings from
discontinued operations - 2,370 - 2,002
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Net loss................. $ (9,043) $ (10,145) $ (33,602) $ (26,940)
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Loss per share
Loss per share -
basic & diluted:
Net loss from
continuing operations $ (0.21) $ (0.31) $ (0.79) $ (0.72)
Net loss from
discontinued
operations............ - 0.06 - 0.05
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Net loss............... $ (0.21) $ (0.25) $ (0.79) $ (0.67)
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Weighted average number
of shares outstanding
(000's):
Weighted average number
of shares used in
computing basic loss
per share............. 43,421 40,444 42,393 40,309
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Weighted average number
of shares used in
computing diluted loss
per share............. 43,421 40,444 42,393 40,309
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Additional disclosure:
Depreciation and
amortization (1) $ 5,272 $ 4,944 $ 18,071 $ 17,738
(1) Includes $0.3 million and $1.4 million of amortization of deferred
financing costs charged to interest expense for the three months and
year ended December 31, 2008, respectively (December 31, 2007 - $0.3
million and $1.3 million, respectively)
IMAX CORPORATION
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
In accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles
(In thousands of U.S. dollars)
December 31, December 31,
2008 2007
------------ ------------
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents...................... $ 27,017 $ 16,901
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for
doubtful accounts of $2,901 (2007 - $3,045)... 22,982 25,505
Financing receivables.......................... 56,138 59,092
Inventories.................................... 19,822 22,050
Prepaid expenses............................... 1,998 2,187
Film assets.................................... 3,923 2,042
Property, plant and equipment.................. 39,405 23,708
Other assets................................... 16,074 15,093
Goodwill....................................... 39,027 39,027
Other intangible assets........................ 2,281 2,377
------------ ------------
Total assets................................. $ 228,667 $ 207,982
------------ ------------
------------ ------------
Liabilities
Bank indebtedness.............................. $ 20,000 $ -
Accounts payable............................... 15,790 12,300
Accrued liabilities............................ 58,199 61,967
Deferred revenue............................... 71,452 59,085
Senior Notes due 2010.......................... 160,000 160,000
------------ ------------
Total liabilities............................ 325,441 293,352
------------ ------------
Commitments and contingencies
Shareholders' deficiency
Capital stock common shares - no par value.
Authorized - unlimited number.
Issued and outstanding - 43,490,631 (2007
- 40,423,074)............................... 141,584 122,455
Other equity................................... 5,183 4,088
Deficit........................................ (247,009) (213,407)
Accumulated other comprehensive income......... 3,468 1,494
------------ ------------
Total shareholders' deficiency............... (96,774) (85,370)
------------ ------------
Total liabilities and shareholders'
deficiency.................................. $ 228,667 $ 207,982
------------ ------------
------------ ------------
IMAX CORPORATION
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
In accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting
Principles
(in thousands of U.S. dollars)
The Company has eight reportable segments identified by category of
product sold or service provided: IMAX systems; theater system maintenance;
joint revenue sharing arrangements; film production and IMAX DMR; film
distribution; film post-production; theater operations; and other. The IMAX
systems segment designs, manufactures, sells or leases IMAX theater projection
system equipment. The theater system maintenance maintains IMAX theater
projection system equipment in the IMAX theater network. The joint revenue
sharing arrangements segment provides IMAX theater projection system equipment
to an exhibitor in exchange for a share of the profits. The film production
and IMAX DMR segment produces films and performs film re-mastering services.
The film distribution segment distributes films for which the Company has
distribution rights. The film post-production segment provides film post-
production and film print services. The theater operations segment owns and
operates certain IMAX theaters. The other segment includes camera rentals and
other miscellaneous items.
Three Months Year Ended
Ended December 31, December 31,
------------------------ -----------------------
2008 2007 2008 2007
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Revenue
IMAX systems............. $ 11,611 $ 12,314 $ 34,783 $ 40,782
Theater system
maintenance............. 4,342 4,035 16,331 15,991
Joint revenue sharing
arrangements............ 1,408 726 3,435 2,343
Films
Production and IMAX
DMR................... 3,364 5,224 17,944 19,863
Distribution........... 2,087 2,369 9,559 11,018
Post-production........ 1,974 2,402 6,929 5,693
Theater operations....... 2,520 4,141 14,040 16,584
Other.................... 758 1,092 3,205 3,558
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Total.................... $ 28,064 $ 32,303 $ 106,226 $ 115,832
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Gross margins
IMAX systems(1).......... $ 4,512 $ 4,074 $ 18,374 $ 20,239
Theater system
maintenance(2).......... 1,938 1,303 7,117 6,970
Joint revenue sharing
arrangements(3)......... (1,872) 287 (1,865) 1,362
Films
Production and IMAX
DMR................... 980 697 6,992 4,915
Distribution........... 462 (37) 3,120 3,484
Post-production........ 711 1,023 3,451 2,552
Theater operations....... (439) (146) (132) 1,137
Other.................... 140 255 403 500
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Total.................... $ 6,432 $ 7,456 $ 37,460 $ 41,159
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
(1) Includes a charge of $1.5 million and $2.4 million for the three
months and year ended December 31, 2008, respectively, (December 31,
2007 - $3.2 million and $3.3 million, respectively), in costs and
expenses applicable to revenues, primarily for the write-down of
film-based projector inventories.
(2) Includes a charge of $0.1 million and $0.1 million for the three
months and year ended December 31, 2008, respectively, (December 31,
2007 - $0.6 million and $0.6 million, respectively), in costs and
expenses applicable to revenues, primarily for the write-down of
film-based service inventories.
(3) In 2008, the Company adjusted the estimated useful life of its film-
based IMAX MPX projection systems in use by existing JRSA theaters,
on a prospective basis, to reflect the Company's accelerated
transition to a digital projection system for these theatres,
resulting in increased depreciation expense of $1.3 million and $1.5
million for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2008. Also
includes launch expenses associated with the opening of new joint
revenue sharing arrangement theatres of $1.5 million and $1.8 million
for the three months and year-ended December 31, 2008, respectively.
SOURCE IMAX Corporation
Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and MoviesThursday, March 26, 2009
James Cameron: Go Easy on the AVATAR Rumors, I’m an Astronaut.
“As usual the rumor mill is grinding out mostly spurious stuff. …I have no idea where that [rumor] came from but I haven’t rejected any trailers (yet) since I haven’t seen any yet. They’re still working on them for presentation, which presumably will be soon. …Every once in a while, as we are absorbed in some intensely detailed discussion about sub-surface scattering or the way a tail is moving in the animation, I’ll just stop and have this moment of clarity, as if seeing it for the first time. And I realize that’s what the lunar astronauts must have felt like.”
Does that analogy to walking on the moon sound like damage control? Not at all, right? Rastafarian babe Thundercats or not, AVATAR is the event movie to beat in 2009. Michael Bay and McG’s “my robot is bigger and more realistic” debate is not on Cameron’s radar screen.
Discuss: Let us know what you think about Cameron’s statement in the comments. And if there is a film you’re looking forward to more this year, explain.
Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and MoviesWednesday, March 25, 2009
Why Avatar is my most looked forward to film of the year
We're looking forward to lots of films this year. But James Cameron’s Avatar is at the top of Simon Brew's list...
As the trailers for the assorted summer blockbusters start jostling for position, and now that Watchmen has finally made its theatrical bow, a friend caught me cold a few days back and asked me a simple question: what's the film I'm most looking forward to seeing this year.
I said, almost instinctively, Avatar. Never mind that I can't wait for Coraline. Nor the fact that I can't wait for Armando Ianucci's film debut, In The Loop. Heck, there's Michael Mann's Public Enemies which is making me sweat up just at the thought of how cool that could be. Throw in Star Trek, The Surrogates, Up and a good number more I could list, and there's plenty to look forward to.
But none of them are Avatar. And to paraphrase Scream 2, this isn't from someone who's got a "hard on for Cameron". I loved Aliens, never went mad for - but greatly admired - the Terminator movies, was impressed by The Abyss, could take or leave True Lies, and Titanic could only be consumed by excising the entire first half.
Yet Avatar represents a bona fide gamble, and a major one, in the science fiction genre. That simply doesn't happen anymore. Science fiction, outside of a few key franchises, is a big gamble, especially so on a non-franchise production. And you strongly suspect that if the green light for Avatar had been needed in the last six to twelve months, it simply wouldn't have happened.
For it's believed that Fox has pumped somewhere in the region of $US200m into the film (and you can add $US100m to that if you believe some sources), which doesn't - at least from where I'm sitting - look like it's got a $US200m audience to aim for. There aren't big movie star names here, much though we love seeing Sigourney Weaver getting a juicy role again. But along with Sam Worthington, Zoe Saklana, Michelle Rodriguez and Stephen Lang, she's going to struggle to open a movie to Tom Cruise levels. Cameron in the past has delivered the biggest grossing film of all time, but Avatar would do well to get a quarter of Titanic's $US600m US box office take.
And yet no matter how the end product turns out, the sheer experience of Avatar has got to be worth the gamble of a ticket price.
Firstly, there's the fact that this is the film that will tell us once and for all if 3D is the future of cinema. Sure, various animated films are going 3D this year, and the tantalising delight of Final Destination 4 in 3D is one that I'm struggling to resist. But this is James Cameron we're talking about. Whereas some will approach 3D by looking at what's available and making the best of it, he's going to push the technical potential of this so hard that it'll be, technologically, the most advanced 3D movie to date.
Factor in too that, no matter what you may make of Cameron the screenwriter (and I can take him or leave him, depending on the film in question), as a director there are few who do spectacle or scale quite on his level. Titanic was a messy film, but from the moment the boat hit the iceberg, it was hard to find any kind of big screen spectacle that could match it. Over a decade on, few directors comprehend the potential of a really big screen in quite the way that James Cameron does, and given that he has new 3D toys to play with as well, it's quite mouthwatering what the man could do with it all.
Finally, this is the film that the man has been working on, on and off, for a good decade now, and is only making it now because the technology for him to realise his vision has become even vaguely accessible. He's sat on this one for some time, and I can't wait to see why.
I'm not blind to the problems here. There's a real potential that this could become a technical circus at the expense of a good film, and what I've read of the story and plot - and I'm deliberately keeping myself away from too many details - makes it look interesting, but not yet compelling.
But for me, nothing quite beats a night out at the cinema when there's someone behind the camera pulling out all the stops to give me something really special. I love small dramas, I love indie movies and I've got several creaking shelves packed with world cinema DVDs. Yet does anything quite beat going to see a really big film in a really big cinema with a really big bucket of popcorn on your lap? Life has few pleasures quite like it, and whether it wilts or soars, Avatar is nonetheless the biggest film, in a couple of senses, of the year. The sheer scale and ambition of it marks it, for me, as an absolute must-see.
December 18th 2009 is firmly inked in my diary. And I really hope I'm not disappointed.
Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and MoviesMichelle Rodriguez Interview, AVATAR
More than ten years in the making, Avatar marks Cameron's return to feature directing since helming 1997's Titanic, the highest grossing film of all time and winner of eleven Oscars including Best Picture. WETA Digital, renowned for its work in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy and “King Kong,” incorporates new intuitive CGI technologies to transform the environments and characters into photorealistic 3D imagery and create an alien world rich with imaginative vistas, creatures and characters.
Michelle Rodriguez is a fabulous person and we really appreciated her time. Here’s what she had to tell us:
Q: How did James Cameron find you?
Michelle Rodriguez: James saw me in “Girlfight.” It's that movie. It's the only movie I was ever a lead in, and I guess I did a good job because people watched it and liked it.
Q: Can you talk about your character in Avatar?
Michelle Rodriguez: I'm basically a pilot, a pilot in another planet.
Q: How was it being directed by Cameron?
Michelle Rodriguez: Are you fucking kidding me? That guy is so amazing. He thinks in 12 dimensions at all times. That’s what I love about him. You could sit there and you could talk for hours about the advancements in molecular science or you could sit there and you can talk about mythology and story building, character building. You could talk about cameras, the history of film, the history of Russia. You could talk about flying to another planet. You could talk about space research. You could talk about underwater adventures. You could talk about how he constructed special technology for underwater adventures. Or you could sit there and talk to him about how he developed his own fricking cameras with his brother. I mean, like, this guy is a genius.
Q: Have you seen the footage and how does it look?
Michelle Rodriguez: This is the beauty of working with that technology. You know, the majority of the time when you work on something that’s greenscreened, from my experience from watching behind the scenes or having my little touch of greenscreen in “S.W.A.T.” or something, you get to see what you’ve done immediately and have something to work off of. The majority of time when people work in a movie with greenscreen you don’t have that. You don’t have the ability to go and see what you just did. So, you’re working with a golf ball or you’re working with an “X” on a green wall and you’re just hoping that you’ve really hit your mark interacting with this. You’re just kind of trying to remember as much of your make-believe time at the age of 5 as you possibly could to get you through it. But, with this technology that he’s got, you just go there and you see what you’re interacting with right there because it’s a mixture of live 3D footage, the props on the set, and the virtual world that he spent God knows how long creating. It's fucking amazing. It's hardcore. I can't even imagine anything bigger.
Q: Are you looking forward to being in one of the most anticipated films of the year and can you talk a little bit about the expectations that go with that?
Michelle Rodriguez: Me? You know what? I’d serve James Cameron coffee every day for four years and I would consider that college. I don't give a rat's ass how people receive whatever we did. I am just incredibly honored to have been seen by him and for him to like keep me in mind for a project that he's had for the last, what, eight years? To call me up and say, "Hey, I want you to be a part of this," no matter what anybody says, because everybody was talking so much schmack about me, and it's so hard to get a job when all these people are talking shit about you in the press, just because you're growing up. You know, I used to poop in my pants too, and I learned how to use the bathroom eventually. People were so hard on me, so it's really important for me to have individuals that get it, that know, that can see in my eyes or see me on screen and know what I'm capable of and not be scared to hire me because of some commercial hoopla that people are saying. That was very important.
Q: In light of that, how would you assess your career and your life from your point of view?
Michelle Rodriguez: I’m very happy. I wouldn’t take back anything.
“Avatar” opens in theaters on December 18th. Look for our upcoming interview with Michelle for “Fast and Furious” which opens in theaters on April 3rd.
source Watch TV on PC - 12,000 TV Channels and Movies
Friday, February 27, 2009
3D films back in cinema, but porn will lead
Horror, animation and concert movies are out or on the way, but adult entertainment will push boundaries with the new technology
This is the year Hollywood’s billion-dollar 3D movie gamble will be played out on the big screen, with dozens of 3D films, across all genres, set for release in the coming months. You can already watch the horror movie My Bloody Valentine in 3D; and Coraline, a stop-action 3D animated feature based on a story by Neil Gaiman, opens in May. Even the Jonas Brothers, a boyband, are jumping on the bandwagon with a 3D concert movie. More than 30 3D films are in production, including Avatar, the first feature directed by James Cameron since Titanic, due at the end of the year.
Betting that the format will offer something consumers can’t get on their new HDTV screens at home, Hollywood is quickly converting cinemas and heavily promoting forthcoming 3D films such as the blockbuster Monsters vs Aliens. Its producer, DreamWorks, handed out 150m sets of special glasses so American viewers could get a taste of the experience by watching a 3D trailer at half-time during the recent Super Bowl.
As heavily as Hollywood is boosting the theatrical experience, however, it is at home that most people will experience the coming revolution. Companies such as Mitsubishi, Panasonic and Samsung are busily developing 3D TV systems. The market is expected to be worth $16 billion in the next decade. Most of the new Hollywood 3D films, though, won’t be available for home viewing until next year at the earliest. And there aren’t enough of them to fill more than a couple of days’ viewing. So where will the product come from for this new kind of television-watching?
Within the industry, the dirty secret is that 3D will be carried into the homes of consumers not by mainstream Hollywood, nor even by satellite providers such as Sky, but on the back of the apparently insatiable desire for new ways of watching pornography.
“3D TV will be taken to the next level as the adult entertainment industry once again pushes the boundaries with new tech,” says the online technology site T3.com. “The porn industry is going nuts for it now, and that’s traditionally where all the innovation is — multiangle DVDs came about thanks to porn, after all.”
That should not be a surprise. Pornography has been the driving force behind every significant new entertainment delivery system in the past few decades — the VHS home-video revolution of the 1980s, the satellite TV boom of the 1990s, the internet today. Right now, porn distributors are at the forefront of developing the technology to stream and download video on the internet, and to find ways to make people pay for it.
The porn industry is actually banking on the revolution even more than mainstream Hollywood, because it’s flagging. Thanks to the ease with which porn can be accessed for free on the internet, legally and illegally, the industry’s DVD sales have gone decidedly limp, dropping by as much as 50%, according to some estimates. So, at the recent Adult Entertainment Expo, producers were almost ecstatic at the opportunities offered by 3D systems, whose booths attracted bigger crowds than the nude porn stars nearby.
“Once film-makers get the hang of it, feet will be hanging out of the screen and you’ll be dodging the money shot,” said Tony Ross, president of Glacier Media Systems, which makes the new IceBerg entertainment system and is happy to promote the porno possibilities of its technology. The Iceberg can convert standard DVDs to 3D, which can then be watched with special glasses, made by Nvidia.
Although the Iceberg currently costs just under $2,000, the price is expected to drop fast, and less sophisticated 3D TV systems are already available, costing just a few hundred dollars. “With the glasses on, things just pop out at you... sometimes in pairs,” said Charlie Demerjian, writing about the porn experience for a technology magazine. “You almost have to duck to avoid getting hit with large silicone objects.”
What’s funny is that 3D porn is nothing new, for all the media brouhaha recently when a Hong Kong producer announced that he was going to be making the “first” 3D porn film, 3D Sex and Zen, a $4m remake of an erotic classic, Sex and Zen. “Just imagine you’ll be watching it as if you were sitting beside the bed,” said Stephen Shiu Jr. “There will be many close-ups. It will look as if the actresses are only a few centimetres from the audience.”
That was all marketing hype. A number of striptease shorts were made in 3D in the early 1950s and shown in cinemas. In 1954, the movie French Line was released, starring the Hollywood siren Jane Russell. It wasn’t porn, but the ad copy hyped up the sexual excitement of seeing the busty Ms Russell in the new format: “JR in 3D! It’ll knock both your eyes out!”
The first known hardcore 3D porn film was The Starlets, made in 1976. In fact, the film was marketed as a “4D” film, the fourth dimension being the ability to arouse the viewer. The Stewardesses, made in 1971, showed the potential of 3D pornography by taking an astonishing $27m, making it the most successful 3D film of all time. The distributor had 10 technicians flying to cities all over America to set up the projection systems and screens needed to show the film. To modern eyes, The Stewardesses is unbelievably cheesy and inadvertently hilarious, but in the era before hardcore porn became widely available, it delivered a real thrill.
“Think of it as the Titanic of 3D boobie movies,” said the 3D movie buff Dion Conflict in an essay titled Why They Call It the Cockpit. The Stewardesses is being remade and should be released next year, just in time for your new 3D TV.
If the past is anything to go by, as well as mainstream Hollywood movies and cheesy porn in three dimensions, we can, thankfully, expect the new technology to attract a highly esoteric range of film-makers and artists keen to experiment with its possibilities. Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein (also known as Flesh for Frankenstein) — actually directed by Paul Morrissey and filmed at the Cinecitta studios, in Rome — was originally released in what was known as Space-Vision 3D. Frankenstein remains an innovative and unique 3D pleasure, if perhaps overindulging in gore, as disembowelled viscera fly towards the viewer. Then again, sex and violence have always been big sellers, in 2D, 3D or 4D.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
3-D films growing in popularity on area IMAX, cineplex screens
The 8-year-old Davenport girl was among the first audience members for the three-dimensional movie, which opened nationally on Friday.
Caelei is already a fan of 3-D movies, having seen “Hannah Montana in Concert: Best of Both Worlds Tour” last year in theaters.
“It’s kind of cool that it pops out,” she said of the three-dimensional effects.
Movies in 3-D have been a staple at the Putnam since the Davenport museum’s IMAX theater opened almost seven years ago. Putnam President and CEO Kim Findlay said the theater is the only 3-D facility from St. Paul, Minn., to St. Louis and Chicago to Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Dean Fick, the Putnam’s director of theater operations, said 3-D movies consistently outsell their two-dimensional counterparts, most of which are documentaries at the museum.
Several years ago, though, mainstream theaters began getting in on the 3-D bandwagon. The animated children’s tale “Coraline” and the horror movie “My Bloody Valentine” are current 3-D offerings, with at least a dozen more scheduled before the end of the year, including a 3-D concert by pop stars The Jonas Brothers that opens later this month.
Fick said the rush to three dimensions mirrors the first 3-D boom in the 1950s, when the advent of television was seen as a threat to the movies.
Now, the competition comes from computers and state-of-the-art home entertainment systems.
“It’s a threat from people staying home and not coming out anymore that’s leading the charge in the industry at this time,” Fick said.
Both Showcase Cinemas 53 in Davenport and Great Escape Theatres in Moline have 3-D capability, including the digital projection equipment needed for the effect.
Patrick Corcoran, the director of media and research for the National Association of Theatre Owners, said about 1,700 of 38,000 movie screens nationwide have 3D capability.
That number is expected to reach 2,000 by the time “Monsters vs. Aliens,” a 3-D animated movie that was previewed during the Super Bowl, opens late next month. More screens — almost 3,000 — originally were planned for that opening, he said, but the economy is forcing some theaters nationwide to cut back.
Showcase, which showed its first 3-D movie, Disney’s “Chicken Little,” in 2005, now has 3-D capability on three of its 18 screens. Great Escape has 3-D for one of its 14 screens.
Wanda Whitson, the director of corporate communications for National Amusements, which operates Showcase, reports that box office receipts for the 3-D “Coraline” and “My Bloody Valentine” are about six times more than the same titles in 2-D.
Those who recall the original incarnation of 3-D movies, in which audience members viewed the screen through oversized cardboard glasses with one red lens and one blue one, are finding major changes as well.
“This is not your mother’s 3-D,” Whitson said. “It has changed drastically and is a completely new technology from that of the early films of the ’50s like ‘House of Wax’ with Vincent Price. The technology was more complicated, and the glasses and film image on the screen often caused headaches. Today’s technology simplifies the process — and no more headaches.”
The appearance is different as well.
“They kind of look like Ray-Bans,” Corcoran said of the glasses.
Some theaters have a surcharge for 3-D movies and let their patrons keep the glasses. The Putnam, Fick said, has sturdier, reusable glasses that are cleaned between performances. The IMAX glasses have a vertical and horizontal polarization, he said, while some other theaters have a circular polarization in their lenses.
The movie industry is embracing 3-D as well, everyone interviewed for this article said. The Walt Disney Co. has said all of its future animated releases will be in 3-D — including re-releasing “Toy Story” in that format during October. Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron (“Titanic”), who has created two 3-D IMAX documentaries, is preparing a 3-D feature film, “Avatar,” to be released in December.
“He didn’t want to put it in theaters until he felt he could do it right,” Corcoran said.
Jessie Jimenez of Davenport, who brought 8-year-old niece Caelei to see the “Under the Sea 3D” preview at the Putnam, said she was impressed upon seeing her first 3-D movie — and also was impressed by the depth shown on the 3-D screen.
“We wish we had a lot more,” she said. “It’s like you’re living it, like it’s real.”
COMING SOON
There are plenty more 3-D movies coming before the end of the year, according to 3DMovieList.com, a Web site that also provides tentative release dates:
“Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience,” Feb. 27
“Monsters vs. Aliens,” March 27
“Battle For Terra,” May 1
“Up,” May 29
“Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs,” July 4
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” July 17
“G-Force,” July 24
“Final Destination: Death Trip 3D,” Aug. 21
“Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” Sept. 18
“Toy Story in 3D,” Oct. 2
“Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” Nov. 6
“Avatar,” Dec. 18.
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Wednesday, February 25, 2009
High-tech 3-D system debuts at Movieplex in Oneida
ONEIDA —Several new pieces of state-of-the-art technology are making their debut at the Movieplex Cinema in Glenwood Plaza this weekend.
In one auditorium, a new system will allow for digital and 3-D films to be shown at the Zurich Cinemas-owned theater. Being able to show digital films means a new level of quality and adding 3-D capabilities is a necessary step to take in order to prepare for the future of movies and other entertainment, said Zurich Cinemas Director of Operations Jamison Mills.
Already, there is a list of 3-D movies that Movieplex will now be able to show with a projector add-on from a company called RealD. On Friday, the PG-rated 3-D feature “Coraline” began its run.
There’s something special about being able to have 3-D at the theater, Mills said.
“The 3-D, as it stands right now, is something that people can’t get at home at this point and to see it on the big screen is incredible,” he said.
The effect is similar to what one would see at Disney World, said Mills, and there is a buzz in the industry about 3-D becoming the next big thing at the movies.
“There are some people out there who have some extremely high hopes for it,” he said, as some predict that in coming years, a majority of the movies released will be in 3-D.
It also seems evident that live concerts and sporting events will be coming to movie theaters on a regular basis in the future. Having this kind of system is a good way to get ready for that, Mills said.
When it comes to the digital component, there are a number of new benefits and many serve the movie goer. For one, sound quality goes up, as does the visual part of the experience.
“The quality stands up to time,” Mills said. “Running the film over and over and over again, you don’t have any deterioration of the picture on the screen with digital. It’s just a far superior format.”
There are benefits for people who work at the theater too. Oneida Movieplex Cinema General Manager Melinda Keil said that there are a few things that make dealing with digital much easier, especially the setup.
“It’s a matter of going over to a computer and pressing play on a screen,” she said.
With a Dolby-made server and Christie projector, the new digital movie system looks very different than all of the theater’s other projectors, which still use the 35 millimeter film reels. Mills said that film stock will become obsolete in the future as more theaters switch to the digital systems. Zurich company heads plan to put digital systems into all auditoriums in their six theaters in the future.
Using a computer server system, Keil is able to download a movie and related components from a disk drive that is sent to the theater. Once it’s in the system, she uses a rather simple interface to program the presentation. This will make life easier for projectionists, as with the older systems, they have to deal with about 5 to 7 reels per movie. Now all they’ll have to work with is a disk drive and computer.
“It’s just so much simpler,” she said.
It is also anticipated that there will be fewer chances for technology to fail using this system, Keil said.
To set up for the system, a new 15-foot by 36-foot screen was added to the second-largest auditorium in the Oneida theater, Mills said. An appropriate sound system was already in place, though when current projection systems are replaced with digital systems, there will need to be some speaker work done in other auditoriums.
The cost to see a movie in the auditorium that uses the digital system will be the same as seeing it in any other auditorium should it be a non-3-D feature. When 3-D features come to the theater, patrons will have to pay $2 extra to see these films.
Mills said that this covers several additional costs that the company incurs in showing the films and the glasses cost.
Instead of the mostly cardboard red and blue plastic lensed glasses that used to be associated with 3-D films, now the glasses are more similar to a plastic pair of sunglasses. They’re a novelty that is also produced by RealD and something that movie goers are welcome to keep after a movie.
But Mills suspects that not everyone will want to every single time and in those cases, there will be an alternative.
“If they aren’t going to do anything with them and would probably just throw them away, they can put them in a recycling bin and we’ll take care of them,” Mills said.
This way, the glasses can be sanitized and used for future showings.
Mills said that he’d rather not say how much was paid for the digital system and the 3-D component, but did say that it was “a significant investment per screen,” as one system has been added to one auditorium per Zurich Cinemas-owned theater.
Beyond “Coraline,” there are plenty of other 3-D releases that will be screened at Oneida Movieplex Cinema this year. These films include Disney’s “Jonas Brothers: 3D Concert Experience” starting on Feb. 27, Dreamworks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” starting on March 27, Disney-Pixar’s “Up” on May 29 and Fox’s “Avatar” by James Cameron on Dec. 18.