News Stories

Film survives amid digital world

2.5.2012

[Variety]

Indeed, the industry’s digital changeover has been dramatic in areas like episodic television, but bigger-budget studio films have been slow to follow the trend. Johnathon Amayo, VP of production and post-production for Moviola Digital, believes the percentage of movies shot on film currently ranges between 50% and 70%, since many established helmers still insist on using film to get a certain look for their project. Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder, among others, have persisted with film for various projects for aesthetic reasons. Snyder and d.p. Larry Fong pushed to shoot “300” on film to get the painterly, grainy look they felt would mirror the feeling of the comicbook that inspired the movie.

Panavision alone has more than 600 film cameras it rents out to filmmakers throughout the world. And both Panavision and Arri, which also rents out cameras, can build them for a client who asks.  …

With ‘War Horse,’ Steven Spielberg continued his decided preference for shooting on film – although he made the 3D ‘Tintin’ on digital.  …

See the full story here: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118049691?refCatId=13

Five Years With Blu-ray – Part Two

2.5.2012

[TweakTown]

…

CES 2011 saw hardware manufacturers attempt to counteract consumer complaints regarding 3D technology. Most manufacturers responded with superior and enhanced 3D glasses which allowed more light to pass through the lens and reductions in 3D cross-talk. Twentieth Century Fox and Panasonic also used the show to jointly announce the release of the Star Wars saga for the end of the year.

A steady stream of anticipated releases made their way to the format during the last year, cult classicTron and its sequel Tron: Legacy and other 3D releases such as Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas and Toy Story. Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park Trilogy also saw light of day and sold in very strong quantities. Disney also unveiled two of the most beloved movies from its collections – The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, in 2D and 3D variants.

So this brings us to today. What will the next five years bring for Blu-ray? That will be discussed in the third and final part of the series shortly…

Read the full story here: http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/4530/five_years_with_blu_ray_part_two/index.html

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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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