Live Music, a short CG-animated film created by Facebook users, debuted simultaneously this weekend in theaters and in Apple’s iTunes Store.
The short film is playing in theaters in front of the Sony animated feature Planet 51 on some 500 digital screens nationwide.
Created by a Facebook group of more than 50,000 artists and fans, Live Music is the result of a partnership between distributor Shorts International and Mass Animation. The final film credits 51 finalist animators from 17 countries.
‘To be available on iTunes and in theaters on the same day with Live Music is a big deal for everyone involved in the project,’ said Yair Landau, founder of Mass Animation, director of Live Music and former Sony Pictures’ vice chairman. ‘It’s fitting that our digital project is available on iTunes, the world’s most popular online music and movie store, in addition to being in movie theaters across the country.’
Accompanying the release of Live Music, Shorts International has produced the documentary Live Music: Behind the Screens. The 30-minute film charts the making of Live Music from its inception, interviewing key participants including some of the winning animators whose efforts can be admired in the final film. Live Music: Behind the Screens will be available on iTunes on Nov. 26, as well as broadcast on Shorts HD at 9 p.m. on the same day.
