Thursday, October 02, 2008

Sony Looks Into 4K Digital Technology...

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Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced that they will use 4K digital technology in the making of most of its filmed productions.

"With the industry moving rapidly to embrace the improvement in quality that digital cinema can offer, we believe that 4K resolution gives audiences the best seat in the house," said Gary Martin, president of Production Administration and Studio Operations for Sony Pictures Entertainment.

"That's why we will be making more of our filmed productions at full 4K resolution, scanning at 4K, using a 4K workflow process, and releasing a 4K DCP to theaters. The crisp and vibrant images provided by 4K are the only way to ensure that audiences both today and in the future will really be able to see the full range of what we can capture on film."

Sony Pictures already released "Hancock" in 4K, with the motion picture grossing more than $600 million at the worldwide box office to date.

Movies released in 4K can play in theaters with either 4K or 2K projectors.

Among the next motion pictures to be digitally imaged in 4K by Sony Pictures, and available for 4K distribution, are expected to be "2012: Farewell Atlantis", currently filming in Vancouver, "Salt," and "The Green Hornet," with more new titles TBA.

"This commitment from Sony Pictures continues the momentum that is building behind 4K," said Gary Johns, vice president, Digital Cinema Systems Division at Sony Electronics.

"Exhibitors are realizing that 4K is a reality now, for enhancing their customers' experiences, and studio support is a critical element to take advantage of the superior resolution of Sony's 4K projection system. The growing number of 4K-equipped theaters will now have even more 4K content potentially available to offer their customers...."


VIFF 2008: The Dragons & Tigers Award...

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For the 15th year @ VIFF, the 'Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema' to a new director from the Asia-Pacific region is given to a creative/innovative film made early in the director's career, which has not yet won significant international recognition.

With Brad Birarda continuing to sponsor the $10,000 award and the entire series, the jury for the 2008 award comprised: Ichiyama SHOZO, artistic director, Tokyo FilmEx festival and programmer for Cinema Digital Seoul; Elisabeth LEQUERET, critic for Cahiers du Cinema and Radio France Internationale, and Thai director Mr Pen-ek RATANARUANG, whose most recent feature is "Ploy".

This year's eight nominees were:
"GERMAN + RAIN" (Yokohama Satoko) - Japan, International Premiere
"KAZA-AANA" (Uchida Nobutero) - Japan, International Premiere
"LUCKY 7" (Sun Koh, K Rajagopal, Boo Junfeng, Brian Gothong Tan, Chew Tze
Chuan, Ho Tzu Nyen, Tania Sng) - Singapore
"mime-mime" (Sode Yukiko) - Japan, International Premiere
"PERFECT LIFE" (Emily Tang) - China, North American Premiere
"SWEET FOOD CITY" (Gao Wengdong) - China, North American Premiere
"SYNCHING BLUE" (Seo Won-Tae) - South Korea, Canadian Premiere
"THE 'THANK YOU' GIRLS" (Charliebebs Gohetia) - The Philippines,
International Premiere

"The eight films we watched were not all perfect," said the Jury.

"...and probably none of them was a masterpiece. But we enjoyed all of them in different ways, and found in each of them signs of great energy and talent...we want to single out two particularly strong films for Special Mentions:

"German + Rain" by Ms YOKOHAMA Satoko from Japan.
"...The main character is disturbing, yet unexpectedly fascinating. Taken with naturalistic performances from the entire cast, this is a strangely moving film..."

"Sweet Food City" by GAO Wendong from China.
"...For its use of an incredible location, and the very clever way it combines elements of documentary with fiction..."

This year's Dragons and Tigers Award goes to:

"Perfect Life" by Emily TANG from Hong Kong/China.
"...For the way it captures the harshness of Chinese reality through its fictional protagonist, and for the subtlety of its wonderfully free storytelling..."

"Perfect Life" will be screened again, Friday, October 3 at 3:45pm @ Vancouver's Vancity Theatre...

"Yogi" Is Smarter Than The Average Bear...

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Warner Bros. Pictures is developing a feature version of "Yogi Bear", the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon, with Ash "Surf's Up" Brannon attached to direct.

Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia, executive producers of "That '70s Show" (and screenwriters of Fox' "Tooth Fairy", currently shooting in Vancouver) are writing the screenplay.

Donald De Line is producing via his De Line Pictures, with producer Karen Rosenfelt.

The film is being developed as a live-action/animated hybrid along the lines of Fox's "Alvin and the Chipmunks", with 'Yogi Bear' and sidekick 'Boo Boo', rendered in CG.

Yogi's exploits are set in 'Jellystone Park', where he and Boo Boo steal picnic baskets, outwitting Park 'Ranger Smith'.

Yogi debuted in 1958 as a supporting character on TV series "The Huckleberry Hound Show", noted as the first 'break-out' character created by Hanna-Barbera, with a name derived from New York Yankees Hall Of Fame baseball player Yogi Berra.

In 1961 "The Yogi Bear Show" debuted, including segments featuring 'Snagglepuss' and 'Yakky Doodle'.

A musical animated feature film, "Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!", was produced in 1964.

Voiced by actor Daws Butler, Yogi was one of several Hanna-Barbera characters to have a collar, which allowed his body to be kept static with just the head redrawn in each frame when he was speaking, reducing the number of drawings needed for a seven-minute cartoon from 14,000 to 2,000...



We Watch The "Watchmen"...

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