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S.F. Int’l fest announces full program (3D shorts from 1900)

[By DENNIS HARVEY, Variety]

The S.F. Intl. Film Fest announced Tuesday the full program for its 54th edition, which kicks off on April 21 with Mike Mills’ “Beginners,” starring Christopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor (expected to attend) as father and son coping with the former’s very belated coming-out.

Official closer on May 5 is French helmer-thesp Mathieu Amalric’s “On Tour,” in which he stars as a beleaguered TV producer following an American burlesque troupe around the Gallic countryside.In between are a number of special events and tributes. Spotlight Centerpiece film on April 30 is Azazel Jacobs’ U.S. comedy of adolescent misery “Terri.” The Kanbar Award for excellence in screenwriting will go to Frank Pierson of “Cool Hand Luke” and “Dog Day Afternoon” fame, with a screening of the latter.

Also getting body-of-work nods are preservationist/restorer Serge Bromberg, who’ll present a program of rare 3D shorts dating back as early as 1900; and visual artist-experimental filmmaker Matthew Barney.

The annual State of Cinema address will be given this year by Christine Vachon, producer of “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Far From Heaven” and HBO mini “Mildred Pierce.” Other notable guests expected include helmers Otar Iosseliani (“Chantrapas”), Miranda July (“The Future”), Patricio Guzman (“Nostalgia for the Light”), Lech Majewski (“The Mill and the Cross”), Christopher Munch (“Letters From the Big Man”), and local makers Jay Rosenblatt, Lynn Hershman Leeson and Jennifer Siebel Newsom.

World premieres are Vanessa Roth’s docu “American Teacher,” Emily Lou’s U.S. haunted-house comedy “The Selling” and Oscar Godoy’s Chilean drama “Ulysses.”

See the original post here: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118034638?refCatId=13

 

Specification for Naming VFX Image Sequences Released

ETC’s VFX Working Group has published a specification for best practices naming image sequences such as plates and comps. File naming is an essential tool for organizing the multitude of frames that are inputs and outputs from the VFX process. Prior to the publication of this specification, each organization had its own naming scheme, requiring custom processes for each partner, which often resulted in confusion and miscommunication.

The new ETC@USC specification focuses primarily on sequences of individual images. The initial use case was VFX plates, typically delivered as OpenEXR or DPX files. However, the team soon realized that the same naming conventions can apply to virtually any image sequence. Consequently, the specification was written to handle a wide array of assets and use cases.

To ensure all requirements are represented, the working group included over 2 dozen participants representing studios, VFX houses, tool creators, creatives and others.  The ETC@USC also worked closely with MovieLabs to ensure that the specification could be integrated as part of their 2030 Vision.

A key design criteria for this specification is compatibility with existing practices.  Chair of the VFX working group, Horst Sarubin of Universal Pictures, said: “Our studio is committed to being at the forefront of designing best industry practices to modernize and simplify workflows, and we believe this white paper succeeded in building a new foundation for tools to transfer files in the most efficient manner.”

This specification is compatible with other initiatives such as the Visual Effects Society (VES) Transfer Specifications. “We wanted to make it as seamless as possible for everyone to adopt this specification,” said working group co-chair and ETC@USC’s Erik Weaver. “To ensure all perspectives were represented we created a team of industry experts familiar with the handling of these materials and collaborated with a number of industry groups.”

“Collaboration between MovieLabs and important industry groups like the ETC is critical to implementing the 2030 Vision,” said Craig Seidel, SVP of MovieLabs. “This specification is a key step in defining the foundations for better software-defined workflows. We look forward to continued partnership with the ETC on implementing other critical elements of the 2030 Vision.”

The specification is available online for anyone to use.

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