Software developer Foundry has launched the latest major release for its Nuke family of products, with Nuke and Hiero 11.0. The leading high-end compositing tool is back with a slew of new features and updates to boost artist performance and increase collaboration. The version was launched in beta in April.
“We’re delighted to announce the release of Nuke and Hiero 11.0 with new workflows for artist collaboration and a renewed focus on industry standards. Nuke, NukeX and Nuke Studio continue to be the go-to industry tools for compositing, editorial and review tasks, and we’re confident these updates will continue to provide performance improvements and further increase artist efficiency,” said Jody Madden, Chief Product and Customer Officer at Foundry.
Key features of Nuke and Hiero 11.0 include:
VFX Reference Platform 2017: The Nuke family is being updated to VFX Platform 2017, which includes several major updates to key libraries used within Nuke, including Python, Pyside and Qt.
Live Groups: Introduces a new type of group node which offers a powerful new collaborative workflow for sharing work among artists. Live Groups referenced in other scripts automatically update when a script is loaded, without the need to render intermediate stages.
Frame Server in Nuke and NukeX: Nuke Studio’s intelligent background rendering is now available in Nuke and NukeX. The Frame Server takes advantage of available resource on your local machine, enabling you to continue working while rendering is happening in the background.
New Lens Distortion in NukeX: The LensDistortion node has been completely revamped, with added support for fisheye and wide-angle lenses and the ability to use multiple frames to produce better results. It is now also GPU-enabled.
Timeline Disk Cache in Nuke Studio: Nuke Studio now has new GPU accelerated disk caching that allows users to cache part or all of a sequence to disk for smoother playback of more complex sequences.
Nuke and Hiero 11.0 is available online from Foundry and through accredited resellers.
Timeline Disk Cache in Nuke StudioFrame Server in Nuke and NukeX
Epic Games will be holding its first SIGGRAPH Unreal Engine User Group (and party!) on July 31 at L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre, from 4:30-9 p.m. (Register for free online.)
The User Group will feature presentations from companies including Epic, animation/VFX house Digital Dimension, architectural firm HOK and even self-driving car start-up Zoox — with a focus on how Unreal Engine is transforming content creation across animation, live-action films, AR/VR and beyond.
“These incredible customers are just a sample of those turning to Unreal Engine to create high quality, interactive content–whether for large-scale design visualizations, children’s animated TV shows, AR, VR or artificial intelligence applications,” said Marc Petit, Enterprise GM, Epic Games. “Visual fidelity in real time is what we’re known for — now we’re adding workflow tools that simplify pipelines considerably and we look forward to demonstrating them at Siggraph!”
Epic will also be making its presence felt around during SIGGRAPH in other ways. The company is coaching the VR Film Jam throughout the conference, and Unreal is the engine driving both of the first real-time productions in the Computer Animation Festival: Fortnite – A Hard Day’s Nite and The Human Race. Unreal’s power is also on display in “Meet Mike in VR” at the VR Village — a state-of-the art digital human performance in VR. Spearheaded by FX Guide‘s Mike Seymour as part of his PhD with the University of Sydney, Meet Mike is a widely-supported global research project that is pushing hardware and software limitations to provide a glimpse into the future of photorealistic, character-driven real-time production.
Epic Games CTO Kim Libreri will also deliver a keynote on real-time technology and the future of production at the DigiPro Symposium on July 29 (http://dp2017.digiproconf.org).
University of Portsmouth animation student Ellie Baily-Jones has earned the Best Campaign award from the Refugee Education Across Conflicts Trust (REACT) charity for her film The Teddy Bears Picnic. The animated short seeks to educate young people by recasting a family of teddy bears as a family of refugees struggling to survive. The iconic stuffed toys were chosen because of their symbolism of childhood and safety.
“I wanted my film to appeal to adults and families wherever they are and so I had the idea to base the film on a nursery rhyme as it would appeal to both audiences,” explained Baily-Jones. “What you see is a family unit who appear to be on the run and it soon transpires that they are refugees.”
The film was created as part of a course requirement to create a one-minute charity campaign.
“The aim of the unit is to connect students with industry and I was delighted with the students’ response and their engagement with this current social issue,” said course leader Eva Palacios. “Ellie is a very talented storyteller so I am very pleased she has won the award; it was well-deserved.”
REACT told the filmmaker that they selected her piece because it is told from a child’s perspective and carries a lot of emotion with its simple animation style. The award was presented by Giovanna Stopponi (producer, Native Voice Films) — who started the charity with NVF colleague Philip Cox in 2008 — along with a check for £250 at the University’s Graduate Show for Animation in London.
“I really enjoy storytelling and animation. I love the idea of creating short films and I am hoping to work as a 2D animator or art worker in children’s television. I would love to create my own television series for children,” added Baily-Jones. “[The award] was completely unexpected but I’m really pleased and happy that my work has been formally recognised. Winning the award coincided with graduating this week with a first class degree so my confidence has rocketed and I feel like it’s shown me that I’m good enough to be an animator/storyteller to make it my career.”
VIDEO: ‘LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2’ Official Kang the Conqueror Trailer
In the new spot revealed at SDCC, meet the time-travelling Super Villain who has stolen numerous cities from across time and space to form the expansive Open Hub World of Chronopolis — which includes Ancient Egypt, New York City in 2099, Wakanda, Xandar and other Marvel settings. TT Games also announced a new character, Carnom (Carnage + Venom), will join Howard the Duck (and Iron Duck), Gwenpool, Vulture, Cosmo the Spacedog, Doctor Octopus, Forbush Man, Greenskyn Smashtroll and Throg in the new game.
VIDEO: ‘Kuso’ – The First Three Minutes
Check out the opening minutes of Flying Lotus’ debut film, available exclusively on Shudder. “Broadcasting through a makeshift network of discarded televisions, Kuso depicts the aftermath of Los Angeles’s worst earthquake nightmare. Viewers travel between screens and aftershocks into the twisted lives of the survived, experiencing a hallucination that is half-Cronenberg, half-Ren & Stimpy.”
CALL FOR ENTRIES: GDC 2018 Independent Games Festival
Finalists will be playable at the IGF Pavilion at GDC (San Francisco, March 19-23), and compete for over $50K in prizes, which will be announced at the Awards on March 21. Submissions are open to all indie developers through October 2, 2017.
SDCC: Black Panther and the “Year of the Spider-Man” at Marvel’s Animation Panel SyFy Wire writer Matthew Funk breaks down the extra tidbits revealed a week after the appetizer announcements at D23. Most promising statement? “A lot of people both in our universe and in the cartoon’s are about to find out Black Panther is Marvel’s greatest hero.”
Award-winning animated preschool series Puffin Rock will be feathering a new nest when it migrates this month to Channel 5’s Milkshake! programming block in the UK. Narrated by Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, Moone Boy, The IT Crowd), the 2D series is co-produced by Oscar-nominated studio Cartoon Saloon, Penguin Random House, and kids’ media company Dog Ears.
“We were completely charmed by the sweet characters that occupy Puffin Rock and the artistry of the series,” said Sarah Muller, Head of Children’s Channel 5. “The show will be a fantastic addition to the new-look Milkshake! lineup. Also, I just really love puffins.”
Puffin Rock features an adorable family of puffins, and their laughter-filled adventures on a beautiful Irish island. Oona, and her cute little brother, Baba, explore, play and learn with their friends, and always make it home in time for a fish supper with Mama and Papa. O’Dowd adds an extra twinkle of comedy – sharing funny observations and interesting facts about the natural world.
Hoho Rights manages the UK and international licensing rights for Puffin Rock, excluding China.
Cologne-based WDR mediagroup has licensed Finnish animated kids’ program Gigglebug to Channel 5 for its popular preschool block, Milkshake! Produced by Gigglebug Entertainment, the series had an exclusive launch of the first five episodes on the broadcast brand’s recently launched YouTube channel on Monday, July 24. Two new episodes will be added every week.
Gigglebug will also be available to viewers through the milkshake.tv website.
“Gigglebug is just hilarious and we are so happy to be able to share it with the Milkshake! audience,” said Sarah Muller, Head of Children’s Channel 5. “The Milkshake! YouTube channel should provide an ideal platform for the property as UK families can enjoy episodes of this unique series.”
Consisting of two seasons of 52 x 5 min., Gigglebug aims to get kids and families laughing together, highlighting the healing power of laughter and how positive thinking helps children learn better. Set in the enchanted Greengown Forest, Gigglebug shows his sometimes grumpy animal friends that you can achieve anything you set out to do if you have an optimistic outlook.
Anttu Harlin, CEO & Producer at Gigglebug Ent., noted: says:
“We’re thrilled to bring the utterly positive world of Gigglebug to the UK. At its heart, Gigglebug began as a digital brand, so we can’t think of a better UK home than the exciting new Milkshake! online channels. It’s already become a firm family favourite across Finland and we have no doubt that kids and families across the UK will also fall in love with the show and share magical moments of giggles.”
The series was originally commissioned by YLE in Finland and SRF in Switzerland, and airs in numerous other European territories. The Gigglebug app has also proven an international hit, with more than 1 million downloads and top preschool app chart rankings in 64 countries.
The 29th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards took place Friday night during Comic-Con San Diego, honoring the best in the year’s sequential storytelling arts as well as the Will Eisner Centennial — March marked the 100th anniversary of the pioneering comics creator’s birth. Securing the most wins in the 31 categories were Saga with four wins and The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye with three.
This year’s Hall of Fame inductees were brothers and collaborators Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime Hernandez (Love and Rockets), George Pérez (Teen Titans, Wonder Woman), Walt Simonson (Thor, Detective Comics) and Jim Starlin (creator of Gamora and Drax the Destroyer).
Best Short Story – “Good Boy,” by Tom King and David Finch, in Batman Annual #1 (DC)
Best Single Issue/One-Shot – Beasts of Burden: What the Cat Dragged In, by Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse)
Best Continuing Series – Saga, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (Image)
Best Limited Series – The Vision, by Tom King and Gabriel Walta (Marvel)
Best New Series – Black Hammer, by Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston (Dark Horse)
Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8) – Narwhal: Unicorn of the Sea, by Ben Clanton (Tundra)
Best Publication for Kids (ages 9-12) – Ghosts, by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic)
Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17) – The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, by Ryan North and Erica Henderson (Marvel)
Best Humor Publication – Jughead, by Chip Zdarsky, Ryan North, Erica Henderson, and Derek Charm (Archie)
Best Anthology – Love Is Love, edited by Sarah Gaydos and Jamie S. Rich (IDW/DC)
Best Reality-Based Work – March (Book Three), by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell (Top Shelf)
Best Graphic Album—New – Wonder Woman: The True Amazon by Jill Thompson (DC Comics) Best Graphic Album—Reprint – Demon, by Jason Shiga (First Second)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material – Moebius Library: The World of Edena, by Jean “Moebius” Giraud et al. (Dark Horse)
Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia – The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, by Sonny Liew (Pantheon)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips (at least 20 years old) – Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy, Colorful Cases of the 1930s, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)
Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books (at least 20 years old) – The Complete Wimmen’s Comix, edited by Trina Robbins, Gary Groth, and J. Michael Catron (Fantagraphics)
Best Writer – Brian K. Vaughan, Paper Girls, Saga (Image)
Best Writer/Artist – Sonny Liew, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye (Pantheon)
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team – Fiona Staples, Saga (Image)
Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art) – Jill Thompson, Wonder Woman: The True Amazon (DC); Beasts of Burden: What the Cat Dragged In (Dark Horse)
Best Cover Artist (for multiple covers) – Fiona Staples, Saga (Image)
Best Coloring – Matt Wilson, Cry Havoc, Paper Girls, The Wicked + The Divine (Image); Black Widow, The Mighty Thor, Star-Lord (Marvel)
Best Lettering – Todd Klein, Clean Room, Dark Night, Lucifer (Vertigo/DC); Black Hammer (Dark Horse)
Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism – The A.V. Club comics coverage, including Comics Panel, Back Issues, and Big Issues, by Oliver Sava et al. (www.avclub.com)
Best Comics-Related Book – Krazy: George Herriman, A Life in Black and White, by Michael Tisserand (Harper)
Best Academic/Scholarly Work – Superwomen: Gender, Power, and Representation, by Carolyn Cocca (Bloomsbury)
Best Publication Design – The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, designed by Sonny Liew (Pantheon)
Best Webcomic – Bird Boy, by Anne Szabla (http://bird-boy.com)
Best Digital Comic – Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain/comiXology)
SPECIAL AWARDS
Russ Manning Promising Newcomer Award: Anne Szabla
Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing: Jack Kirby, William Messner-Loebs
Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award: Mark Andreyko, Joe Ferrara
Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award: Comicazi: Robert Howard, David Lockwood, Michael Burke; Somerville, MA
HALL OF FAME
Judges’ Choices: Milt Gross, H. G. Peter, Antonio Prohias, Dori Seda
Inductees: Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez, George Pérez, Walt Simonson, Jim Starlin
Through to July 31, web denizens can head to www.smoshmosh.com to take part in an interesting animation experiment: a crowdsourced cartoon where community votes determine which narrative paths are taken. Smosh Mosh was conceived by Janina Putzker — animation director, student at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and winner of last year’s prestigious Next Generation Short Tiger Award.
“I made about eight short films over the years, and the productions were all very straightforward”, said Putzker. “This time, I wanted to have something unpredictable deciding the story’s fate, because I think unique and original ideas always emerge from randomness in the beginning.”
The website allows the community to interactively peruse and select the heroes, villains, locations and plot twists that will make it into the pilot episode.
“It’s really an experiment,” Putzker added. “The media landscape today is changing very fast, so maybe the approach of creating content should change too. Can I make a good story out of everything? We’ll see.”
Co-producing the project is VR director and 3D artist Philipp Maas, who is also leading social media engagement efforts.
“With Smosh Mosh, we try to build the community first and produce content afterwards. It’s quite hard to reach a big audience with your already finished short film. We think it’s not enough to produce funny content, you need to let people participate in the process as early as possible,” said Maas. “With our target audience being mainly young female adults who love cartoons, we also try to raise awareness about topics they should care about.”
“But in a funny way,” Putzker continues. “The gender gap is real and the number of female directors shockingly low. It’s maddening that even within today’s animation industry, some people find it difficult to recognize me as a director. I’ve experienced this more than once.”
Once online voting closes, the results will be disclosed to the fan community, with work on the pilot script beginning immediately. While the project is partially funded by the German Federal Film Board — which awards the Next Generation Short Tiger prize (5,000 euro) with German Films — Putzker hopes to secure additional funding to produce and release the pilot by the end of the year.
Miss anything? Check out previous rundowns here and here.
WB Releases Second ‘Ninjago’ Trailer
If you’re a fan of brickified animation, awesome robot-piloting ninja action, improbable villains and just a touch of romance, then the new The LEGO Ninjago Movie trailer will really knock your block off! Learn more about La-loyd’s struggles with his peculiar parentage and see where the true threat lies in the next LEGO adventure when you scroll down. In theaters September 22.
Darkwing Duck Confirmed for ‘DuckTales’ Reboot
Fans of both duck-iverses have something big to quack about as the Disney XD series panel revealed the masked mallard will be visiting Duckburg for the first time, where he’ll reconnect with crossover characters Launchpad and Gizmoduck. It’s unclear when DW will appear, but there is a new clip to help fans wait it out til the one-hour series premiere on August 12. Let’s get dangerous!
TBS Unveils Trio of Original Toons
Panel-goers were the first to get a look at the original animation lineup making its way to TBS for the 2017-2018 season. J.G. Quintel (Regular Show) gave a peek at his coming-of-middle-age comedy Close Enough; Olan Rogers and David Sacks introduced Gary and Mooncake of Final Space; and Carson Mell revealed the odd goings-on of Tarantula (scroll down for clips!) American Dad! co-creator and EP Matt Witzman was on hand with a teaser — new episodes begin July 24.
DC Expands Original Animated Movies Universe
Warner Bros. Animation, DC Ent. and Warner Bros. Home Ent. made the most of the premiere of Batman and Harley Quinn (PS, don’t miss the Fathom Event screening this Friday) to announce the upcoming animated movies lineup. As previously revealed, first up is Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, followed in spring 2018 by Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay (original story) and the first of a two-movie treatment of Death of Superman to round out 2018 (drawing on the same material as Superman Doomsday) — the second part will arrive in early 2019 in Reign of the Supermen, with all kinds of alternates mixing it up in the Man of Steel’s absence.
VIDEO: ‘SpongeBob: Legend of Boo-Kini Bottom’ Sneak Peek
At a special Saturday panel, voice actors Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick), Rodger Bumpass (Squidward), Carolyn Lawrence (Sandy) Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs) and surprise guest Brian Doyle Murray (Flying Dutchman) performed a live table read of a fan-picked classic episode, “Shanghaied,” before this first-look clip was unveiled by Vincent Waller (co-EP), Marc Ceccarelli (co-EP), Mr. Lawrence (story editor, voice of Plankton) and Screen Novelties’ Chris Finnegan, Seamus Walsh and Mark Caballero. The Halloween special premieres in October!
See previous announcements from San Diego Comic-Con here!
Nickelodeon Gives Fans an Exclusive First Look at ‘Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie’
At Friday’s panel — featuring original series voice actors Lane Toran (Arnold), Jamil Walker Smith (Gerald), Francesca Marie Smith (Helga), and Anndi McAfee (Phoebe); movie newbies Mason Vale Cotton (Arnold) and Benjamin “Lil’ P-Nut” Flores, Jr. (Gerald).; series creator Craig Bartlett and composer Jim Lang — fans got to see a fresh clip featuring beloved characters and fresh looks for the stars. Check it out below and see a previously released sneak peek here.
‘Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Teams Up with ‘Usagi Yojimbo’
Nick also revealed an all-new episode and character art (by Ciro Nieli) for the upcoming three-part Samurai story arc created in collaboration with Usagi Yojimbo creator Stan Sakai and TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman for season 5 — kicking off July 23 at 9 a.m. The beans were spilled at a Friday panel featuring Nieli, Eastman, Sakai, Yuki Matsuzaki (voice of Miyamoto Usagi), Rob Paulsen (Donatello), Greg Cipes (Michelangelo) and Eric Bauza (Tiger Claw).
New Character & Fresh Designs Revealed for ‘Young Justice: Outsiders’
Warner Bros. and DC gathered the sers creative team to give panel attendees an inside look at the 2D series — coming soon to the previously hinted at DC-branded digital service. Producers Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti and art director Phil Bourassa debuted new looks for the DC Super Heroes, and revealed that a new character, Thirteen, will be joining the Young Justice universe. Outsiders is produced by WB Animation under EP Sam Register.
‘Marvel’s Inhumans’ Trailer Revealed!
Marvel Entertainment unveiled the official trailer for upcoming ABC series inspired by the fan-favorite comic books (Sept. 29). The spot reveals a bad-ass cast, lead by Anson Mount as Black Bolt, Serinda Swan as Medusa, Eme Ikwuakor as Gorgon, Isabelle Cornish as Crystal, Ken Leung as Karnak, Ellen Woglom as Louise, Sonya Balmores as Auran, Mike Moh as Triton, and Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones’ Ramsay Bolton) taking another villainous turn as Maximus — and of course Lockjaw, the giant teleporting CGI bulldog. The first two episodes will run in IMAX for two weeks starting Sept. 1.
IDW Publishing News
The comics co. is busy as ever. Popping up on our fine-tuned nerd radar are announcements of a five-issue Ghostbusters: Answer the Callseries featuring the characters from the 2016 flick, written by Kelly Thompson with art by Corin Howell (Oct.); five-part TMNT/Ghostbusters (O.G. style) crossover sequel from writers Erik Burnham and Tom Waltz with art by Dan Schoening, Pablo Tunica, Tadd Galusha, Mark Torres and C.P. Wilson III (Nov.); six-issue The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. IV: The Tempest mini-series from Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill (June 2018); Jem and the Holograms: Dimensions anthology series from a rotating talent roster, with the first issue featuring a tale by Kate Leth illustrated by Tana Ford and one by writer-artist Sophie Campbell (Nov.); and a new Sonic the Hedgehog line due in 2018 in partnership with SEGA. Plus, the approach of Shelly Bond’s new imprint Black Crown, launching with Kid Lobotomy by Peter Milligan and Tess Fowler (Oct.) followed by Assassinistas by Tini Howard and Gilbert Hernandez (Dec.)
Radio Flyer Unveils Kiddy Landspeeder
In “reasons why you are jealous of small children” news, Radio Flyer is displaying an awesome battery-powered kids’ vehicle modeled on Luke Skywalker’s X-34. The driveable landspeeder features a responsive dashboard with light-up buttons and Star Wars sound effects, reaches 5 mph (including moving in reverse), and is coming to Toys ‘R’ Us Sept. 5. The bad news is it costs $500, but the worse news is that it can only accommodate lifeforms up to 130 lbs. See it in action in the commercial.
(Photo Caption/ID, from left to right: Static, Kid Flash, Robin, Wonder Girl, Spoiler, Blue Beetle, Thirteen, Arrowette, Arsenal and Beast Boy.)Ghostbusters: Answer the CallBlack CrownJem and the HologramsTeenage Mutant Ninja TurtlesHey Arnold
Things are getting into gear for The World Animation Celebration 2017, with the WAC animated short film festival judges just announced and the exciting reveal that key creatives are confirmed for a panel discussion of top-rated Nickelodeon toon The Loud House! WAC is presented by Animation Libation Studios and Animation Magazine, and will be hosted by Sony Pictures Animation at its Culver City, CA lot on September 30 & October 1.
The Loud House Panel will feature series creator and executive producer Chris Savino, art director Amanda Rynda, production manager Sean Santka, writer Kevin Sullivan and storyboard artist Jordan Koch. Time and location details will be announced soon.
The Loud House, which is set to launch its third season this fall, relates 11-year-old Lincoln Loud’s struggles to survive the bedlam of his large family — especially being the only boy in a family with 10 sisters. With his best buddy Clyde, Lincoln always comes up with a plan to stay one step ahead of the chaos … whether that plan works is another story.
Through an exclusive option agreement with BANDAI NAMCO, the classic game Galaga will finally get an origin story with a new animated series from Swedish and Los Angeles-based producer The Nuttery Entertainment. The announcement was made from San Diego Comic-Con.
The tooned up brand extension, titled Galaga Chronicles, will encompass an animated series as well as licensing & merchandising program. The Nuttery’s LA-based team will be bringing the 8-bit arcade game into the high-def dimension in partnership with top Hollywood writers and producers.
“We are incredibly honored to be able to work on such an amazing legacy property and help launch it into the animated space. There is such a deep love for this game from fans around the world and our team is excited make sure the next chapter in the Galaga saga is equally impressive and inspiring as its humble 8-bit beginnings,” said Magnus Jansson, CEO of The Nuttery.
Galaga Chronicles will take a multi-tiered approach across new and established media platforms, taking fans into a newly created meta universe that will re-imagine the brand based on existing lore and introducing new characters and storylines.
“We are extremely happy with the new direction The Nuttery is taking our beloved Galaga brand. While the re-imagining of the game into animation will be unique, and for the first time in Galaga‘s history, story and character-based, there is also a great respect for its history,” said says Hirotaka Watanabe, Executive Officer, BANDAI NAMCO Ent. “The story incorporates almost everything the preceding 35 years of incredible gaming the brand has offered fans as well as remaining true to the United Galaxy Space Force timeline. We couldn’t be more excited about what is to come and to present our dedicated fanbase with the next generation of Galaga entertainment!“
Fans can join the fight and follow the project’s development through GalagaChronicles.com and @GalagaChronicles on Instagram.
Submissions are open for the 21st Holland Animation Film Festival — HAFF 2018. Taking place March 21-25 in Utrecht, The Netherlands, the fest is a unique and energetic international meeting place for all professionals, animation lovers, students, upcoming talents and all interested audiences. The program features competitions, thematic tracks, panels, exhibitions, installations and more.
Films for the international Features, Shorts (narrative and non-narrative), Student Films and Dutch Animation (shorts, student films, TV films, commissions) competitions can be submitted now through to Friday, December 1, 2017. Entry form and more information available here.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2018 Residency Program for Overseas Media Arts Creators in Tokyo. Part of the Project to Support Nurturing of Media Arts Creators organized by the Government of Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, the 60-day residency will accommodate three artists working in media art, video, games, animation, manga, etc. The deadline for submissions is September 19, 2017.
During their stay, the artists will get to experience Japanese media arts culture, meeting with local creators to discuss their works, and give the visiting residents support to create significant works while stimulating cross-cultural dialogues. There is no application fee, and the program covers travel expenses and insurance, housing, workspace, expert assistance and a living allowance. Residents are responsible for their production expenses.
The 2018 residency period will be January 12 to March 12. The program includes:
Creation of a new work: Participants will begin a new work while in Japan and present the finished work or one part of a work in progress at the end of their stay.
Education/training: Participants will present the progress of their work being created as part of the program and will receive guidance from accomplished Japanese experts on a regular basis.
Visits/exchange events: Participants will visit media arts creators and studios and participate in exchange events with artists and students enrolled in art programs at educational institutions.
Applicants must currently live outside of Japan and be a citizen of a country other than Japan, who have previously had work shown at international festivals. They must also be between ages 20 and 35 (although special concessions may be made based on career history), be fluent in English or Japanese, be in good health, have no criminal record, and be able to participate in remote interviews (i.e. over Skype).
For details on the application process, click here.
To create a digital playground for all the web-slinging action in Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures’ recently released Spider-Man: Homecoming (starring Tom Holland as a scrappy young Peter Parker), director Jon Watts and VFX supervisor Janek Sirrs turned to Deluxe’s Method Studios to craft the film’s memorable Washington Monument sequence, and Deluxe’s Iloura to build detailed environments.
For the Washington Monument moments — in which Spidey saves his friends from impending doom and establishes himself as a superhero in the making — a team of artists under Method VFX supervisor Matt Dessero (also additional VFX supervisor for production) initially pre-vized and then refined the sequence to hone in on action and story beats. To accurately recreate the landmark, a small Method team navigated government restrictions to survey the Washington Monument in D.C. and take high-resolution reference photography. Sirrs also captured aerial plates in the city that were used for shots and to reconstruct digital matte paintings.
Live-action footage was shot on various indoor and outdoor stages in Atlanta, with partial replicas of the façade and top of the Washington Monument. Method integrated plate footage with a CG replica of the Washington Monument and its surrounding environment for a seamless, high-stakes scene.
“Having a full CG set allows more creative freedom once principal photography has wrapped, and also enables more dynamic camera movements,” said Dessero. “And obviously we couldn’t very well damage a national landmark, so we reconstructed it digitally. However, that was challenging in the sense is that there were limitations on the areas we could fly over, again for security. To get everything we needed from a different vantage point, we carefully mapped our shoots ahead of time.”
Method also needed to create the customary tourist crowd, capturing more than 300 actors on an Atlanta soundstage to insert in the sequence — along with CG vehicles for wider shots. For the digital double of Spider-Man, Method heavily referenced motion-capture sessions with Holland for extra authentic action. Plus, the studio created the very cool Spider-Man Mark I suit asset, shared by all the vendors who worked on Spidey shots. The physical suit was shot in high-res by Sirrs and the Method team and recreated over a digital body cast of Holland.
Over at Iloura, the team primarily focused on the Department of Damage Control sequence. Led by VFX supervisor Dan Bethell, Iloura artists digitally transformed a warehouse set into a full 3D environment with Spider-Man swinging through the rafters. With Spider-Man shot practically on wires and stunt rigging, Iloura added expressiveness to the otherwise static Spider-Man eyes and blended all scene elements. Studio artists also animated the flying drone used by Spider-Man as a surveillance device.
FUN Union’s preschool series BabyRiki is winning over digital viewers in China, where it hit the 25 million views mark just seven days after its platform release on top national outlets Tencent Video, iQiyi, Youku, Mango TV and Beva.
“BabyRiki resonates with toddlers and parents due to its appealing characters and beautiful setting. The series was developed alongside child psychologists to ensure that children would learn through fun and engaging storylines. It has no violence or evil characters and focuses strongly on developing social-emotional skills,” said FUN Union CEO Christine Brendle.
The good news follows the recent announcement for CCTV Animation co-pro series Krash and Hehe, due in 2019. FUN Union has also established a proprietary edutainment platform at Riki.cn to engage parents and kids with videos, songs and games. BabyRiki will roll out to an additional 20 platforms by the end of the summer, followed by a regional licensing business kick-off.
BabyRiki addresses all aspects of a child’s life. From physical wellbeing to social-emotional wellbeing and soft skills, the musical stories are based around age-appropriate experiences with educational concepts introduced in familiar surroundings and context for infants. It is produced in a mixed technique using 3D CGI and live-action video.
Big Bad Boo Studios has committed to a second 5 x 7-min. season of its animated preschool series Lili & Lola, which will be delivered to multiple platforms including Big Bad Boo’s proprietary bilingual VOD service, Oznoz.
Lili & Lola follows the adventures of two sisters, who live in a small apartment in a big city. Created by Shabnam Rezaei and Aly Jetha of Big Bad Boo, the original series debuted in 2015 on Oznoz. The show also airs on several TV stations including Shaw Multicultural Canada, ICI Television Montreal, and TenTV. The show airs in English and in Persian, catering to bilingual families with a cultural angle.
“I am excited that Lili & Lola has found a home and an audience. We can’t wait to do [season two], especially for our fan base on Oznoz who has been waiting patiently for more episodes,” says Rezaei, who initially created the show for the Farsi-speaking community around the world.
Lili & Lola is the first original program on Oznoz, which already offers popular series in multiple languages such as Sesame Street,Thomas and Friends, Babar and others in Arabic, French, Spanish, Chinese, Persian, German and others. Big Bad Boo’s previous shows like Mixed Nutz and 1001 Nights air in 120 countries on channels such as Cartoon Network, Teletoon, Disney, CBC, Al Jazeera Children’s Channel, Discovery Kids, PBS and Globo TV.
The official judges panel for The World Animation Celebration 2017 international short film animation festival have been announced, with pros from across the animation and visual effects spectrum on board. WAC is presented by Animation Libation Studios and Animation Magazine, and will be hosted by Sony Pictures Animation in Culver City, CA on September 30-October 1.
Meet the judges:
Stephen Chiodo: President and creative director of Chiodo Bros. Productions Inc. Stephen Chiodo has established himself as a highly creative special effects director with an expertise in stop-motion animation. Chiodo perfected his animation and directorial skills at Rochester Institute of Technology, where he was awarded Best Young Director at the Cannes Film Festival for his 10-minute short, Cricket. In the early ‘80s, he collaborated with Tim Burton and Rich Heinricks as a technical director and animator for the acclaimed short, Vincent. Chiodo’s directing credits include the first feature length clay animated film I Go Pogo and the cult classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space. His also created the stop-motion character animation for New Line Cinema’s Elf, and creating the cast of marionettes for Paramount’s Team America: World Police. Recently, Chiodo has directed pilots for CNN, ShowTime, Relativity Media and the Disney Channel as well as creating content for new media outlets on the Internet. Chiodo has also been sharing his experiences and knowledge by teaching stop-motion animation at the prestigious California Institute of Art.
Rick Farmiloe: For over 30 years, Rick Farmiloe has been animating childhoods by breathing life and hilarity into memorable, iconic characters. He is best known for the lovable Disney sidekicks Scuttle, LeFou, and Abu in the classic Academy Award-winning films The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. At the age of five, while watching Walt Disney’s Pinocchio, Farmiloe was bitten by the cartoon bug. After years of creating his own cartoons for family and friends, he was determined to be a Disney animator — in January 1982, he was hired by Walt Disney Productions. During his 11 years under contract, Farmiloe animated on seven features, including: The Black Cauldron, The Great Mouse Detective, Oliver and Company, and The Rescuers Down Under. Other feature film credits include: The Swan Princess, The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Shrek, Rugrats Go Wild, Curious George, The Simpsons Movie, The Boxtrolls, The Iron Giant: Signature Edition, and four Tom and Jerry direct-to-DVD films. In 2011, Farmiloe was an animator on two Annie Award-winning productions: Adam and Dog, which also received an Oscar nomination, and Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters.
Anthea Kerou: Anthea Kerou is a 3D character animation professional with 12 years of experience on feature film animation and visual effects. She has worked at studios such as Blue Sky, Disney, DreamWorks, Sony, and Digital Domain, and on films such as Bolt, Horton Hears a Who, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Shrek Forever After, and Transformers 3. She has also been a 3D character animation teacher for six years at schools such as The Academy of Art, Animation Mentor, and AnimSchool, and values supporting new talent to grow their storytelling and acting animation skills. Kerou has worked extensively in leadership training, where she supports teams in achieving their highest potential, personally and professionally.
Lee Lanier: Lee Lanier has worked as a professional computer animator and visual effects artist since 1994. He has over 70 features, shorts, music videos, trailers, and commercials to his credit. While at Buena Vista Visual Effects at Walt Disney Studios, he created VFX for numerous feature films. While at PDI/DreamWorks, he served as a senior animator on Antz and Shrek. Along the way, he directed a series of independent, animated short films that went on to play 200+ film festivals, museums, and art galleries worldwide. His work has been featured at such venues as Sundance, Slamdance, SXSW, the Ottawa International Animation Festival, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and the Smithsonian Institution. As a world-renowned expert in the animation and VFX fields, Lanier has written high-end software books that have sold 30,000 copies, has authored VFX training videos for lynda.com, has taught VFX compositing at the Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood, and is a member of the Visual Effects Society. A strong supporter of the arts, Lanier co-founded the Dam Short Film Festival – Nevada’s largest film festival – and continues to serve as its executive director. He also co-manages the Boulder City branch of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School. In addition, he curates The Art Space gallery in Boulder City and is a member of the Boulder City Art Guild. Lanier has recently turned his skills to painting, creating his first two series in 2015.
Audu Paden: Audu Paden has been turning big pencils into little ones professionally for over 30 years. He has produced and directed over 300 hours of television programming. Including 15 CGI features. His credits include: Monster High, Animaniacs, Ever After High, Stuart Little 3, Spider-Man the animated series for MTV, Max Steel, Extreme Ghostbusters, Project Geeker, Pinky and the Brain, Tiny Toon Adventures, Taz-Mania, Rugrats, The Simpsons, Tak and the Power of Juju for Nickelodeon, and Hot Wheels: Battle Force Five for Cartoon Network. Paden has received the Peabody Award, the Media Access Award, A Gemini and two Daytime Emmys. Raised in West Africa and the United States, he encourages the rumor that he was raised by apes. He went on to study theater at Northwestern University and film at UCLA.
Sherie Pollack: Sherie Pollack is a four-time Emmy-nominated animation writer/director who has directed over 100 produced TV series episodes. She delights in wearing many animation production hats and her credits include Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer, The Fairly OddParents, Disney’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Pepper Ann, Carsey Werner’s God, the Devil and Bob, The Simpsons, Duckman, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, Rocko’s Modern Life, Hey Arnold, Scooby-Doo, Clarence, We Bare Bears, MAD TV and FernGully. Pollack’s animated short film, N’ cest pas earned first place in the Sydney Film Festival, The Cine Eagle Award, New York Expo’s Special Jury Award and UCLA’s Spotlight Award.
Robb Pratt: Robb Pratt is a Disney veteran, having started in the feature animation studio in 1994 as a traditional animator. After animating on such modern Disney classics as Pocahontas, Fantasia 2000, Hercules and Tarzan, Pratt eventually joined Disney TV Animation as a storyboard artist, where he has boarded such shows as Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Kim Possible, and directed the Disney Channel hit series The Replacements. As an independent animated filmmaker, Pratt produced and directed the short films Superman Classic, Bizarro Classic and Flash Gordon Classic. He is currently a director on the Disney Channel Series Elena of Avalor.
Charles Solomon: An internationally respected critic and historian of animation, Charles Solomon has written on the subject for the New York Times, Newsweek (Japan), Rolling Stone, the Los Angeles Times, The International Herald Tribune, Variety, the Manchester Guardian, and National Public Radio. His books include The Art of Frozen, The Art of the Disney Golden Books, The Toy Story Films: An Animated Journey, Tale as Old as Time: The Art and Making of Disney’s Animated Classic Beauty and the Beast, The Art of Toy Story 3, and Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation, which was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and the first film book to be nominated for a National Book Critics’ Circle Award. In 2008, he received the LA Press Club Award for radio feature reporting. in 2015, Solomon received ASIFA-Hollywood’s June Foray for service to the art of animation.
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Animation Magazine, now celebrating its 30th anniversary year, is the oldest publication promoting the business, art and technology of animation worldwide through its print and digital magazine, website, daily newsletter, job board and events.
Animation Libation Studio is a global animation studio and gateway between higher education and the industry that makes it possible for newly emerging artists to work together with seasoned industry professionals from around the world to create original content for film, television, and the web.
A world leading animation and family entertainment production company, Sony Pictures Animation is following its worldwide hit franchises Hotel Transylvania and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and spring release Smurfs: The Lost Village with The Emoji Movie (July 28) a surprising and comic take at the secret world inside our phones; the inspirational feature The Star (Nov. 10); plus Hotel Transylvania 3, Peter Rabbit, Goosebumps: Horrorland and an animated Spider-Man feature from directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord in 2018. The studio’s recent home entertainment releases Open Season: Scared Silly and Surf’s Up 2: WaveMania are available on DVD and digital. Sony Pictures Animation is a division of the Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group.
‘Fortnite’ Trailer Rewrites Traditional CG Workflows
Epic Games has released a 3-minute launch cinematic trailer for its toon-styled multiplayer survival game, featuring a detailed cityscape, complex characters and explosive VFX (130+ shots) entirely assembled, lit, color corrected and rendered in Unreal Engine 4.16 in real time.
“While we’re clearly not going for photorealism in this piece, we did want to breathe more life and believability into the characters. By doing real time deformations in Unreal Engine, we had more control over facial expressions and could fine tune those performances interactively by utilizing Alembic caching.” – Michael Gay, Director of Cinematic Production.
The Unreal Engine User Group at SIGGRAPH (July 31, 4:30 p.m.) will examine the making of this spot — register for free here.Fortnite will have an early access launch for PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One, PC and Mac on July 25.
Saddington Baynes Striding Forwards with R&D and Experimental VFX
R&D arm SBLabs continues to follow its mission to train artists and perfect technical discipline to tackle commercial projects, generating some interesting works in the process. Love Is Love for London Pride was created using FLIP Fluid Solver, with viscosity and customised colour mixing. The centerpiece statue was simulated using 3D photo scans, before being rendered with Arnold. For VFX Dancers, procedurally generated geometry, particle simulations and fur were created with shaders, driven by custom attributes, and then attached to motion capture — rendered with Mantra. A combination of motion capture and cloth simulation, using Flipbook (a player in Houdini that creates a sped up render) went into Gangnam Style. And ‘InflataSean’ stars a human replica generated by processing data from full-body scans. Simulations were then applied to produce an inflation effect. — rendered in Mantra/Arnold.
Woodbury University Establishes Applied Computer Science Department
In line with the increasing blur between the tech and creative films, the LA school will launch the new department housed in the School of Media, Culture & Design this fall. Successor to MCD’s Media Technology Department, the program is a hybrid design/technology B.S. degree that prepares students for technical careers in the creative industries. In addition to building skills in such as coding and project management, students can design a customized concentration with elective studio courses chosen from the design departments — including Animation and Game Art & Design. More on MCD here.
MAXON Exhibitor Plans Announced
The 3D software solutions developer can be found at SIGGRAPH booth #701 and on the Main Stage, where a top notch line up of guest artists will share Cinema 4D tips, techniques and insights into the creative pipeline to demonstrate its applications on a variety of exciting projects for VFX, motion graphics, live events, games, VR/AR, visualization, and more — from Ghost in the Shell to Lady Gaga. (All presentations will stream live on C4DLive and be available on Cineversity.com following the show.) Around the showfloor, there will be dedicated stations at the Advance Micro Devices booth #301, and the B&H Booth #915, with MAXON demo artists showcasing the latest bells and whistles on Cinema 4D.
Reallusion iClone 7 Is Biggest Update Yet
iC7 is now a virtual production platform with community inclusive tools and massive aggregation of real-time content, empowering individual creatives, teams and studios to pursue their visions. New features include: Physically-Based Rendering, NVIDIA Global Illumination (VXGI), 60-morph facial animation rig, character pipeline for Unity and Unreal, Live Mocap total body motion capture solution, techviz & previz with real camera system & camera switch (RED, Alexa, Canon); Morph Creator & Morph Animation LUT library with Film Looks Lighting & Shadow Pass, Shadow Casting, Matte Shadow & Invisible Mesh Plane; Temporal Anti-Aliasing; IBL Bake 360° Capture; HBAO+ (Enhanced Horizon Based Ambient Occlusion); Motion Curves with Graph Editor (7.1); and Visual Learning Library with hundreds of quick-reference feature videos
Highlights from This Year’s Emerging Technologies, Studio and Real-Time Live! Programs
SIGGRAPH 2017 organizers have lined up 7 installations and 8 workshops for the Studio program “Cyborg Self” including a study on superconductive levitation and a low-cost textile interface for wearable computing; 26 installations and 13 presentations for Emerging Technologies, like a touchable hologram solution; and 10 Real-Time Live! Presentations — including the making of interactive film “The Human Race” with real-time VFX with The Mill and Epic; Penrose Maestro tool set; and Star Wars Battlefront VR: Piloting an X-Wing for the First Time!
Love is LoveReallusion’s iClone7 – Global Illumation exteriorFortnite
Nickelodeon Unveils First Footage of ‘Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling’
Fans were treated to a sneak peek at the return of the wallaby at a panel with original series’ voice actors Carlos Alazraqui (Rocko), Tom Kenny (Heffer), Doug Lawrence (Filbert) and Charlie Adler (Mr. Big Head and Mrs. Big Head), series creator Joe Murray and Static Cling director Cosmo Segurson. Panelists reminisced about the classic series, hinted at the new movie and revealed exclusive art and behind-the-scenes material. Scroll down to watch the clip!
FOX Reveals ‘Kingsman’/’Archer’ Crossover Short
At their big panel, 20th Century Fox busted out a surprise announcement of a new animated short that will combine the action-packed worlds of live-action feature Kingsman: The Golden Circle (Sep. 22) and FXX’s Archer. Launched on Fox’s YouTube channel Thursday, the short features dashing agents Eggsy (voiced by Taron Egerton) and Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin), whose introduction goes about as well as you’d expect.
DreamWorks ‘Voltron Legendary Defender’ Season 3 Teaser Trailer
A packed room was treated to the season premiere and insights from EP Joaquim Dos Santos, co-EP Lauren Montgomery, Bex Taylor-Klaus (voice of Pidge) and Tyler Labine (Hunk) — plus an exclusive poster and copy of The Rise of Voltron book. Season 3 will debut August 4 with 7 episodes, followed by season 4 in October with six. S3 picks up in the wake of Zarkon’s defeat and Shiro’s disappearance, as the paladins struggle to move forward with no one able to pilot the black lion or the ability to form Voltron. The team must quickly devise a plan as the ascension of Prince Lotor (AJ Locasio) and his generals pulls the team into a perilous game of cat-and-mouse. More Voltron events are planned for the Con!
BoxLunch Exclusives: Funko POP!, ‘GoT,’ ‘Bob’s Burgers’
Speed over to BoxLunch.com to score Con exclusive Funko figures including Disney’s Aladdin & Abu Dorbz Ridez, super cute Beauty and the Beast and Sailor Moon key chain packs, and “armored” colorway POP! of The Mountain from Game of Thrones. The retailer is also sponsoring the GoT Hall H panel and off-site excited with exclusive tote bag, wildfire pin and offers. BoxLunch is also backing the Bob’s Burgers Belchers meet-up after the 5 p.m. panel.
The Nuttery Releases ‘Whiskey ‘N’ Zombies’ Trailer
The Sweden and LA-based studio revealed the official gameplay trailer for its first game since launching in March. Nuttery also announced it is partnering with Zombie Walk: San Diego to offer undead-heads a chance for their real-life costume character of a southern zombie made into a model for the game. The costume contest is set for SDCC Horror Cosplay Meetup on Saturday at the Children’s Park at 6:30 p.m.
Hasbro Highlights Transformers, My Little Pony, Star Wars, Marvel
Hasbro got started in style with the preview night unveiling of an 8-foot Songbird Serenade sculpture from MLP: The Movie (Oct. 6) at its booth, where you can also get your own Cutie Mark makeover at the Ponification Stations. The MLP panel on Fri. at 10:30 a.m. will gather cast and creatives for a sneak peek at the movie and Q&A with surprise guest.
The booth (#3213) will be home to plenty of giveaways, signings and more, on top of the must-see Toy Shop (#3329). Plus: Panels for collectors of Transformers (Thurs. 11 a.m.), Marvel (Sat. 5 p.m.) and Star Wars (Fri. 1 p.m.), and Magic: The Gathering artist signings.
Mixed Reality Marketing for ‘Dark Tower,’ ‘Walking Dead,’ ‘Valerian’
AR/MR marketing house Trigger unveiled a new AR app for The Dark Tower (download here), and is previewing the upcoming app for The Walking Dead at AMC’s DEADQUARTERS (outside Gate D) and offering a 360-degree production art gallery experience for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, narrated by MatPat of The Film Theorists (available here, Cardboard compatible). Trigger is also the shop behind the new Spider-Man Homecomingmobile app.
Gallery Nucleus at Comic-Con
Need some artsy flair on your duds, walls or sweaty Con bod? Swing by the Nucleus booth (#2643) any day for charming new prints (including Disney-inspired pieces by Joey Chou and Scott C), pins (love Nicole Gustafsson’s frog), and tees. You can see them all online.
Sailor Moon key chainsValerian and the City of a Thousand PlanetsRocko’s Modern Life: Static ClingPOP! of The Mountain from Game of ThronesMy Little Pony: The Movie
