News Stories

Weekend Game Hunting: California dreamin’ edition [USA Today / E3]

6.3.2011

[By Brett Molina, USA TODAY]

T-minus three days until the video game industry’s future goes on full display at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

Game Hunters will have you covered all next week, with previews, news and live coverage galore. Check out our readers’ guide for more details. Also, find out what titles we chose for our 20 most anticipated video games at E3.

Since I will spend most of my weekend packing and prepping for E3, my schedule will be light, and quite mobile friendly.

Here’s what is on my gaming menu:

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. Thank goodness for plane rides. I’ll have plenty of time to sink into this remastered classic.

Super Stickman Golf. My new favorite iOS game. It’s golf but with crazy courses and an emphasis on physics. Controls are really simple, too. Players just move a cursor to aim then fire off a shot.

Infinity Blade. The multiplayer addition is quite fascinating. Controlling the knight is similar to before, but battling as enemies is a bit different. Players have a meter to adjust the speed of attacks and simply swipe across the screen to execute. There’s also a Fury attack players can unleash that delivers greater damage. So far, it’s really fun. I just wish developers offered more weapons and gear at mid-range prices.

See the original post here: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2011/06/weekend-game-hunting-california-dreamin-edition/1

Steven Spielberg Says Animation Reaching ‘Turning Point’ at Dedication of USC’s Katzenberg Center for Animation

6.3.2011

DreamWorks Animation’s Jeffrey Katzenberg says investing in the next generation of animators is “imperative.”

[by Carolyn Giardina, Hollywood Reporter]

Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were on hand to recognize the work of their palJeffrey Katzenberg as the new Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Center for Animation at the USC School of Cinematic Arts was dedicated on Wednesday.

Offering thanks to the Katzenbergs, Spielberg noted that the new facility comes at “almost a turning point in the world of animation.”

“Animation has very much become a part of mainstream moviemaking today,” Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation CEO, told The Hollywood Reporter. “ We need great movie making and we need the next generation. I think it is imperative that we invest in their education, and that we give them the best tools and the best teachers to give them a career path.”

Underscoring the growth in the industry, Katzenberg observed that it takes 400-500 to make a movie such as Kung Fu Panda 2 or the upcoming Puss in Boots. “Right now we have about 2,300 employees at DWA-the vast majority of them are artists.”

“You have always been someone who has given of yourself to everybody,” Lucas said, adding that Katzenberg gives students “someone to aspire to be.”

Katzenberg thanked Lucas and Spielberg for their mentorshop. “This is really the home that they’ve built,” he said, noting that for he and his wife “to invest in and to hopefully be a part of next generation artists, filmmakers, storytellers and dreamers is a blessing for us.”

“You are already renowned for your philanthropy,” USC president Max Nikias said as he thanked the Katzenbergs.

Said School of Cinematic Arts dean Elizabeth Daley: “A name like the Katzenberg name is inspiration. It means labeling the school as quality; it
means setting a standard for us to aspire to.”

Members of the DWA family that were in attendance included actor Jack Black (Kung Fu Panda 2), producer Bonnie Arnold and directors Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders(How to Train Your Dragon).

The Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Center for Animation is located on the second and third floors of the recently completely animation building. The Katzenberg’s gift goes toward outfitting the facility with materials and equipment used in the instruction of visual effects, 2D and 3D animation, and stop-motion animation.

See the original post here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/steven-spielberg-says-animation-reaching-194380

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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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