One word can be used to sum up the night the 50th annual Annie Awards were presented – F*ck. Writer, Director, and Producer Guillermo del Toro used it during his acceptance speech. So did Jenny Slate, who famously dropped an F-bomb on her former series SNL, when she took home the prize for Best Voice … Continue reading “Del Toro’s Pinocchio wins 5 Annie Awards”
ASIFA-Hollywood announced nominations today for its 50th Annual Annie Awards recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio from Netflix and A24’s Marcel the Shell with Shoes On drew up nine and eight noms, respectively, with Disney/Pixar’s Turning Red next with seven. This year’s Best Animated Feature nominations include: Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red (Pixar Animation Studios), Guillermo del Toro’s … Continue reading “Pinocchio, Marcel, Turning Red leads Annie noms”
Richard Miller, who was the Industrial Light and Magic sculptor behind Princess Leia’s golden slave bikini in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, has passed. Per the Hollywood Reporter, he passed after an extended stay in hospice care. Miller was 80. Fon H. Davis, a close friend of Miller’s, posted the sad news on Instagram. “I … Continue reading “Richard Miller, sculptor of Princess Leia’s gold bikini, passes at 80”
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is renowned for its unique creatures and environments, but they are rarely fully realized until post-production. This, in turn, requires the actors to create a mental picture of their scene partners and surroundings. Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder, however, changed that. Now playing exclusively in theaters, Thor: Love and Thunder is the … Continue reading “Thor: Love and Thunder adopts new technology”
And here we thought the Winter Olympics were being played in China. Universal Pictures and NBC Sports launched a groundbreaking 14-day campaign between the latest film in the $5 billion Jurassic World franchise and NBCUniversal’s coverage of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games from Beijing, China, that will culminate during the Opening Ceremony on February 4. In collaboration with NBC Sports, … Continue reading “NBC Sports, Universal drop Olympic athletes into Jurassic World campaign”
Next summer, Jurassic World: Dominion will rule the Earth. However, this summer, F9 will rule movie theaters around the Earth. So, to thank fans worldwide for their passion for two of Universal Pictures’ most beloved franchises, Universal and Amblin Entertainment announced that beginning June 25, every IMAX screening of F9 will feature a Special Extended … Continue reading “Jurassic World: Special preview before F9 Imax”
One lucky civilian may take the stratosphere this Fall with SpaceX and Shift4, as announced in the Super Bowl campaign spot “Join Us” out of agency Known. Directed by Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World), shot by John Schwartzman and produced by our friends at Durable Goods, the wistful ad belies the gravity of the offering–a … Continue reading “One inspired winner will suit up with Shift4 and SpaceX”
On Thursday, December 10, 2020 during The Walt Disney Company’s Investor Day webcast, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy announced an incredible number of new films, series, and surprises that will expand the Star Wars galaxy. After the show’s unprecedented success, winning seven Emmy Awards, The Mandalorian has inspired two spin-off series called The Rangers of the … Continue reading “Disney, Lucasfilm announce plans for ‘Starwars’ & more”
The key to success is to smash from the heart. At least when you are fighting off supervillains. So says “Professor Hulk” in one of three short teaser films from leading-edge video game developers Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix to promote the new Marvel’s Avengers game. The companies have assembled an all-star team, led by … Continue reading “Avengers become mentors in new campaign”
Oscar-winning creative studio Framestore announced today that it has grown its team in New York with two new VFX Supervisors, Nick Tanner and Steve Sanchez, as well as Supervising Producer, Heino Henning. They will be reporting into New York Managing Director, Charles Howell. With over 20 years of creative problem-solving experience, Tanner is regarded as … Continue reading “Framestore bolsters team with Senior Hires”
Brands are now coming out in full force (see what I did there?) for their cross-promotions with the film that could possibly outgross this year’s Avengers: Endgame. Yes, we’re talking Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and United is all in with their tie-“fighter”-in. Last week, we reported on United’s new Star Wars branded Boeing … Continue reading “mcgarrybowen, United go full force for ‘Star Wars’”
When my daughter Chloe was say, 5 or 6, we would watch the classic animated show Justice League on Cartoon Network. Chloe, in her pajamas, would run to our TV and scream out every superhero’s name that would appear on screen during the opening credits. “Batman.. Wonder Woman… Green Lantern… Superman… Martian Manhunter… Flash… Hawkgirl.” … Continue reading “Dad, daughter play ‘Star Wars’ fantasy for EA, Xbox”
He was the man who came up with the title, The Empire Strikes Back. Not George Lucas. Gary Kurtz. And today, The BBC is reporting that the producer on Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, lost his battle to Cancer and passed away on Sunday in North London, England. According to a statement by … Continue reading “Gary Kurtz, Producer on ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Empire Strikes Back’ dies”
DCEU’s Black Adam, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson doesn’t officially hit theaters until October 21, 2022 (with showings in some cities beginning October 20) but there have been several test screenings already and had its official premiere in New York earlier this week. The official review embargo for Black Adam has lifted and the early … Continue reading “What say the critics about Black Adam?”
Chevrolet China and McCann Shanghai have launched the very first brand video for the Chevrolet Black Bowtie emblem, which was introduced to the China market in 2005. Brought to life through an exploration of the significance and striking visual impact of the color “black”, the brand value of Chevrolet’s “Born Powerful” theme echoes the spirit of today’s Chinese youth who dare to break through traditions and … Continue reading “Chevrolet and McCann launch video for Chinese branding”
Good news for the LA production community. FilmLA issued an update regarding regional filming activity. After posting three consecutive record-breaking quarters, local filming in the second quarter (“Q2”) of 2022 was down by -5.8 percent over the same period last year. From April through June, FilmLA recorded a total of 9,220 Shoot Days (SD) compared … Continue reading “LA film production returns to pre-pandemic levels”
Great news for the Los Angeles Production community. FilmLA today issued an extremely positive update regarding regional filming activity. On-location film production in Greater Los Angeles saw a strong start this year, setting a new first-quarter record with 9,832 Shoot Days (SD). The last time FilmLA reported such high filming levels from January through March … Continue reading “Production in LA hits record first quarter”
According to FilmLA’s latest report, on-location filming in the fourth quarter of 2021 (October-December) remained robust, setting an all-time quarterly record of 10,780 Shoot Days (SD)* This is four percent above the previous three month high of 10,359 SD set in Q4, 2018. It is also an increase over the previous quarter, revealing a brisk … Continue reading “A record quarter for L.A. production, but not record year”
A diverse group of 32 talented creatives in 14 countries and regions have been named winners in the prestigious Young Guns 19 competition, celebrating creative professionals age 30 or younger. A program of The One Club for Creativity, the world’s foremost non-profit organization recognizing creative excellence in advertising and design, Young Guns is the industry’s only global, cross-disciplinary, … Continue reading “The One Club announces Young Guns 19 winners”
If you have not seen Denis Villeneuve’s Dune yet, you are missing out on one of the most epic and daring pieces of filmmaking to come along in some time. The Warner Bros. film is simply a marvel to behold. This jaw-dropping reaction can be attributed to the French Canadian Director’s design team. Planet Arrakis … Continue reading “Bringing Planet Arrakis to actual life in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune”
