WB Talks Directing ‘Justice League’ with Affleck

Warner Bros. is reportedly set to meet with actor/director Ben Affleck to discuss him possibly directing the studio’s planned Justice League superhero epic.According to a report in Variety, the studio and Affleck are set to meet in the next few days to discuss the project, which would unite on the big screen such A-list DC Comics superheroes as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash and Aquaman.Affleck has plenty of comicbook movie history of his own, having starred as a comicbook artist in Kevin Smith’s Chasing Amy and as the titular hero in 2003′s Daredevil for Marvel. Affleck’s co-star in that film, Jon Favreau, went on to direct the first two Iron Man films for Marvel Studios.Affleck has directed three features so far: Gone Baby Gone, 2010′s well-received The Town and the upcoming Argo. Sources at the studio told the trade he may be primed to step up, as Favreau did, from mid-level budgeted films to blockbuster status.Getting Justice League off the ground would be a big boost for WB’s DC Entertainment division, which so far has struggled to find success for any heroes beyond the iconic Batman. Last year’s Green Lantern received a lukewarm reception, and next year’s Man of Steel reboot of Superman is the only other DC pic in the WB pipeline. Justice League would likely not be ready for release before 2015.A previous attempt to make a Justice League movie with director George Miller ran afoul of budget issues and reports that The Dark Knight Rises helmer Christopher Nolan was none too keen on there being a competing version of Batman in front of moviegoers.Justice League is one of DC’s iconic properties, having launched in 1960 as an updated version of the World War II-era Justice Society of America. The team of superheroes idea was an immediate hit, inadvertently prompting DC Comics rival Marvel to get back into superheroes and revolutionizing the genre with the 1961 release of Fantastic Four.Justice League also inspired the long-running animated series, Super Friends, as well as a four-season run on Cartoon Network from 2001-2004.

DWA’s ‘Dragons: Riders of Berk’ Bows Sept. 4 on CN

DreamWorks’ Dragons: Riders of Berk, a new animated series based on the Oscar-nominated feature film How to Train Your Dragon, premieres Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on Cartoon Network.Dragons is the third episodic television series from DreamWorks Animation, and its first on Cartoon Network.This weekly animated series follows the continuing adventures of Hiccup and his dragon Toothless on the Viking island of Berk, along with the band of dragon trainers, all of whom now have dragons of their own. Through their training, the young riders develop special bonds with their dragons by learning about each dragon’s unique powers, discovering entirely new species and battling against new villains as they explore whole new worlds they never dreamed existed.Dragons: Riders of Berk features the voices of Jay Baruchel (Hiccup), America Ferrera (Astrid), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Fishlegs) and T.J. Miller (Tuffnut), all of whom are original cast members from the feature film. In addition, Tim Conway (Mulch), Chris Edgerly (Gobber), Mark Hamill (Alvin the Treacherous), Julie Marcus (Ruffnut), Nolan North (Stoick), Zach Pearlman (Snotlout), Stephen Root (Mildew) and Tom Wilson (Bucket) voice main characters throughout the series.DreamWorks Animation’s sequel to How To Train Your Dragon is scheduled to be released in theaters on June 20, 2014. Dragons: Riders of Berk is produced by DreamWorks Animation. Art Brown and Douglas Sloan are show runners. The series is co-executive produced by Sandra Rabins. Anthony Bell serves as supervising director.

Major LightWave Upgrade Announced at SIGGRAPH

The LightWave 3D Group announced today LightWave 11.5, the most-recent version of its Emmy-winning 3D modeling, animation and rendering software.A complete 3D pipeline, LightWave 11.5 adds features to streamline productivity, including a new Genoma character animation and rigging system for Modeler, predator and prey flocking, Instancing, soft-body Bullet Dynamics, interchange support for Adobe After Effects and Pixologic’s GoZ Fiber Mesh, major workflow enhancements and more.“LightWave 11.5 elevates artistic freedom with innovative new features and workflow enhancements that are designed to streamline productivity,” said Rob Powers, president, LightWave 3D Group. “From fast interactive stereoscopic rendering in the VPR to physically accurate hard-body and soft-body Bullet Dynamics, LightWave 11.5 continues to reinforce its leadership position as an end-to-end pipeline.”LightWave 11.5’s new features and enhancements include:

• Genoma: A new modular instant-rigging system that can be used to quickly rig a simple biped or quadruped for animation in Modeler without the need for specialized rigging tools. It offers modular rig presets that consist of skeletal parts such as spines, wings, arms, legs, hands and feet. Complete rigs for biped and quadrupeds can easily be customized using Genoma.
• Modeling Tools: New functionality and architectural advancements in Modeler allow for faster interactivity, performance, and tool development. LightWave 11.5 introduces many new tools like UV Unwrap, Edit Edges, Place Mesh, Slice, Thicken and Heat Shrink that emphasize the system’s power and lay the groundwork for future third-party modeling tool development.
• Soft-Body Bullet Dynamics: Bullet now includes soft-body dynamics for effects such as cloth, rubber, jelly or other deforming properties. Bullet meshes are also now reactive to bone deformations and wind forces can also be added for rippling effects.
• Flocking: A specialized particle system that allows items to move in very organic ways, Flocking offers new prey and predator behaviors that allow flocks to chase other flocks or have flocking agents seek out and chase the closest prey. Neutral flocks do not chase or chase but still affect other agents for collision avoidance. Other new features include Plane, Pursuit and Arrive directors and the addition of node controls.
• Interchange Tools: A new GoAE button allows you to select elements in a scene and see them in Adobe After Effects—including animation, lights and camera setting. Changes can be made using Camera Tracker in After Effects before returning to Lightwave. GoZ technology for Pixologic’s ZBrush allows you to send models to and from LightWave with automatic node flows for textures and normal maps. ZBrush styling tools can also be imported to LightWave and attached to objects.
• Instancing: Now includes Per-Object control of scale, stretch, offset, rotate and nodal controls, along with new Copy and Paste functions and Path Mode optimizations for greater flexibility and workflow.
• ViewPort Preview Renderer: VPR transforms how artists work in LightWave with fast interactive onscreen rendering. LightWave 11.5 now supports depth-of-field and motion blur effects and stereoscopic rendering in VPR.
• Pricing and Availability: Purchase or upgrade to LightWave 11 for $1,495 and automatically receive LightWave 11.5 at no extra cost when publicly available. Upgrade pricing from earlier versions of LightWave is $695. LightWave 11.5 is expected to ship Q4 2012 at a suggested retail price of $1,495. Educational pricing is also available. Visit www.lightwave3d.com to purchase or locate an authorized LightWave reseller.

Autodesk, Lightstorm, Weta Develop Tech for ‘Avatar’ Sequels

Autodesk has partnered with Lightstorm Entertainment and Weta Digital to develop the next generation of virtual production technology.The three companies have been working to further expand the virtual production workflows and technologies that were first developed for “Avatar.” Some of the tools and enhancements resulting from the collaboration have been incorporated into certain products in the latest Autodesk Entertainment Creation Suites.“Creating the virtual production pipeline on ‘Avatar’ was a groundbreaking process that only enabled us to scratch the surface of what is possible. Together with Autodesk and Weta Digital, we have used the knowledge gained from this first experience to clearly define the ideal process and then develop the technology needed to streamline our workflow. With the resulting pipeline, on the ‘Avatar’ sequels, I will be able to devote more of my energy to the creative side of the moviemaking process, and dig deeper into all that is possible with virtual production,” said James Cameron.

To develop the next generation of virtual production technology, Weta Digital forged a particularly close relationship with Autodesk and its development team. As the visual effects studio on “Avatar,” and “The Adventures of Tintin,” as well as the upcoming “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” Weta Digital has established expertise in the virtual production process.“After completing ‘Avatar,’ we had a clear understanding of the developments needed to make the process more creative and efficient. We knew that by bringing the whole digital pipeline more in line with the traditional onset style of shooting we could open up brand new ways for directors like Jim to make their films. When we’re charting new territory like this, it’s invaluable to have a partner like Autodesk whose tools are the platform and the standard in the industry,” said Joe Letteri, senior digital effects supervisor at Weta Digital.As part of the Entertainment Creation Suites 2013, the new virtual production enhancements will help studios of all sizes adopt this revolutionary moviemaking process. The tools, found in Autodesk MotionBuilder and Autodesk Maya software, will help improve performance, workflow and image fidelity.MotionBuilder now loads, saves and merges files together much faster than before, and is more closely integrated to the Editorial workflow. Motion capture and live input data can be recorded to disk in the software’s non-linear editor so directors can record multiple takes in rapid sequence; actors can act out their scenes un-interrupted; and stage crew can work instantly with Editorial to build and refine shots. Furthermore, the software now includes HD SDI video output support, which allows MotionBuilder to be integrated into studio video broadcast systems, designed to introduce zero frames of lag. This gives creative visionaries and camera operators more accurate real time feedback on their virtual camera work.

‘Avengers’ Lifts Disney’s 3Q; Whedon Agrees to Helm Sequel

Avengers is turning out to be a gift to Disney shareholders — one that looks to keep on giving.The studio announced that Joss Whedon will return to write and direct the sequel to the Marvel superhero blockbuster — by far the biggest-grossing movie of the year with $1.4 billion in ticket sales — the same day it reported third quarter revenue was up 4 percent to nearly $11.1 billion for the quarter and profits up 24 percent to $1.8 billion over the same quarter last year.“We had a phenomenal third quarter, delivering the largest quarterly earnings in the history of our company,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “Earnings per share were up 31% over last year, driven by growth in every one of our businesses. We also delivered record earnings per share for the first nine months of our fiscal year, and we believe our results clearly demonstrate Disney’s unique value proposition and great potential to deliver long-term growth.”Disney’s bottom line was boosted by increased attendance at its theme parks, which were revved up by the opening of California Adventure’s Cars Land, based on the Pixar animated films. Overall studio entertainment revenues were flat, with the success of Avengers offset by declining home entertainment revenues. Cable networks and broadcasting revenues both showed strong increases.Disney announced Whedon’s taking on Avengers 2 is part of an exclusive deal the filmmaker has signed with Marvel Studios that will run through June 2015. The deal also will see Whedon help develop live-action TV series for Marvel Television and contribute creatively to other Marvel feature movies.

DWA Sets China Facility; Will Co-Produce ‘Kung Fu Panda 3'

DreamWorks Animation is heading east.The company announced a joint venture called Oriental DreamWorks, which will establish itself at a new complex in Shanghai called the “Dream Center” and will be the co-production home of the upcoming feature Kung Fu Panda 3.The company will focus on film and TV production and the company anticipates that more than 2,000 animation film and television production professionals from China and around the world will join the company for projects that will feature Chinese cultural elements.Plans for the facility call for the release of Kung Fu Panda 3 in 2016, followed in 2017 by the first feature-length animated film created solely by Oriental DreamWorks. One to three event films per year are expected after that.Oriental DreamWorks is a joint venture established by China Media Capital, Shanghai Media Group, Shanghai Alliance Investment Ltd. and DreamWorks Animation. The Chinese companies will hold a majority stake of about 55 percent in Oriental DreamWorks and DreamWorks Animation will hold about 45 percent.The “Dream Center,” intended as a must-see cultural and entertainment destination for tourists and Shanghai citizens alike, will open in 2016. With an investment exceeding 20 billion yuan (about $3.1 billion), the facility will be built on a T-shaped block in Xuhui Riverside. Plans feature designs from a number of international architectural masters and incorporate a series of theaters, cinemas, creative enterprises, tourist attractions, restaurants and commercial facilities.The parties plan to employ the world’s top architects and designers to complete the intricate design of “Dream Center,” incorporating the use of plants and the elements of water, mud, coal, and oil that are located along the Xuhui Riverside. The intention is to achieve a seamless transition between old and new buildings and traditional and modern styles. The development will feature first-class facilities, providing unique experiences and leading-edge cultural trends in Shanghai. The development will include “Dream Walk,” the world’s largest IMAX screen, to be used for high-profile film premieres and events, as well as a central theater area and an interactive animation exhibition.“The Chinese film industry has been growing at a rate of more than 30% per year, which makes China a vital region of international film consumption. I anticipate that Oriental DreamWorks will not only surprise us with great films, but also will achieve success across the entertainment industry landscape,” said Pimin Zhang, Deputy Director-General of the State Administration of Radio Film and Television of China. “Oriental DreamWorks is a creative exploration of Chinese and foreign cultural exchanges. Our shared dream is to make full use of precious cultural resources, develop a world-class production team, create world-class animated films, and thus contribute to the exchange of Chinese culture throughout the world.”Jeffrey Katzenberg, Chief Executive Officer of DreamWorks Animation said, “Together with China Media Capital and our other joint venture partners, I am very pleased to establish Oriental DreamWorks in Xuhui in order to bring a high-quality, multi-media cultural and entertainment center to the area. Today’s signing ceremony is a historic milestone that represents tremendous and ever-growing opportunities for Oriental DreamWorks.”

Sammy 2: Escape From Paradise

Sammy and Ray, sea turtles and friends forever, are enjoying an atoll's water and sand, shepherding new hatchlings Ricky and Ella out to sea. Suddenly, a poacher swoops and ships them off to be part of a spectacular aquarium show for tourists in Dubai. The kingpin of the place, Big D the seahorse, enlists them in his plans for a great escape. After a series of thrilling adventures, our heroes head south to meet up with Shelly, Sammy's first and only love.

 

Me And My Shadow is the story of an extremely frustrated shadow, Shadow Dan - voiced by Bill Hader, who yearns for a dynamic life. Unfortunately, Shadow Dan happens to be stuck with the world’s most boring human as his “caster”, Daniel Grubb - voiced by Tony Award nominee Josh Gad. When a crime in the shadow world puts their lives in danger, Shadow Dan is forced to break the cardinal rule of all shadows (they lead, we follow) and take control of Daniel. During this adventure. It will be on cinema 14th March 2014

Rob Powers Promoted to LightWave 3D Group President

NewTek announced today the creation of the LightWave 3D Group, a division of NewTek, Inc., based in Burbank, Calif. The new division will focus on delivering visualization and 3D products for a range of industries—from architecture, computer-aided design and product development to advertising, game development and feature films. NewTek also announced former NewTek VP and head of 3D development Rob Powers has been promoted to president of the LightWave 3D Group. Powers will leverage his extensive experience in the visual effects and film production industries to accelerate growth worldwide for the LightWave 3D Group with new product offerings, strategic partnerships, and targeted sales and marketing initiatives.

“LightWave 3D has been the secret weapon in production pipelines for the past 20 years,” says Jim Plant, president and CEO, NewTek. “The formation of the LightWave 3D Group and the promotion of Rob Powers to president of the group was an executive decision to ensure that NewTek is well positioned for 20 plus more years of incredible growth,” continued Plant.

Powers has lead the development and implementation of many new features in NewTek LightWave 10 and LightWave 11, acting a liaison between studios, 3D artists and NewTek to incorporate productivity enhancements such as the VPR (Virtual Preview Renderer), anaglyph stereoscopic 3D preview  and many other features including advanced flocking, instancing, workflow improvements and interchange support. Before joining NewTek, Powers worked with James Cameron, serving as animation technical director and virtual art department supervisor for Avatar and as CG supervisor for Aliens of the Deep. Powers also worked with Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson as virtual art department supervisor for The Adventures of Tintin. Powers graduated from the University of Southern California’s Cinema Production program, and attended the Academy of Motion Pictures, American Film Institute.

Book of This Month

    
First new book this month is 3D Artist : Create Sci-Fi Creatures issues to 43. Can obtain in the market price of RM 39.90 per copy. CD also comes with free content.

Second new book this month is Digital Artist : Dark Fantasy issues to 34. Can obtain in the market price of RM 49.00 per copy. CD also comes with free content.This will be last issues for Digital Artist that will be replace new title Fantasy Artist.

In conjunction with 55th Malaysia's Independence celebration, The third new book this month is Tunku : Prince of Peace, word & pictures of the Tunku. Can obtain in the market price of RM 100.00 per copy. Concept of the book by Canvas Art Creative Sdn Bhd and published by MPH Publishing.