Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Vandervoort Dives Into "Riverworld'...

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Sci Fi has cast Canadian actress Laura "Smallville" Vandervoort to co-star in the Vancouver-lensed "Riverworld". Vandervoort played 'Supergirl' in the CW TV series.

Vandervoort will play the fiance of war correspondent 'Matt Ellman', who is killed, but awakens in a mysterious world populated by everyone who has lived on Earth.

"Riverworld" will air next year as a four-hour movie on Sci Fi.

"Riverworld" adapts the sci-fi books by author Philip José Farmer, with
Stuart "Charmed" Gillard directing for producer Robert Halmi.

Located millennia in the future, the 'Riverworld' is an Earth-like planet whose surface has been 'terraformed' to consist of one long river-valley, with an average depth of 1.5 miles, shallow near the shore then plunging to enormous depths towards the channel. The banks expand into wide plains then climb into jagged hills before a sheerly impenetrable mountain ridge, taller than the Himalayas. While the valley averages 9 miles in width, the river is 20 million miles long.

The story begins when the whole of humanity, from the first homo sapiens to people of the 21st century are simultaneously 'resurrected' along the banks of the river. Everyone awakens in a body equivalent to that of their twenty-five year old selves, except in perfect health and free of any previous genetic or acquired defects....


Monday, April 06, 2009

"Wolverine": UK Quad...

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The Dark Night...

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Vancouver-Lensed "Stargate Universe" to UK's Sky One...

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Sky One, the flagship entertainment channel of the UK's BSkyB, has acquired exclusive free/basic pay UK rights to Vancouver-lensed "SGU: Stargate Universe", starring Brit actor Robert "Trainspotting" Carlyle as 'Dr. Nicholas Rush'.

The agreement also gives Sky One non-exclusive VOD/download-to-own rights for the entire "Stargate" catalog from MGM Worldwide Television Distribution.

The series, executive produced/written by Brad Wright and Robert Cooper will debut October 2009 as a 2-hour movie on Sci Fi, directed by Andy Mikita.

"...SGU follows a band of soldiers, scientists and civilians, who must fend for themselves as they are forced through a Stargate when their hidden base comes under attack. The desperate survivors emerge aboard an ancient ship, which is locked on an unknown course and unable to return to Earth. Faced with meeting the most basic needs of food, water and air, the group must unlock the secrets of the ship¹s Stargate to survive. The danger, adventure and hope they find on board the Destiny will reveal the heroes and villains among them..."

Aside from Carlyle, cast includes actors Lou Diamond Phillips as 'Colonel Telford', Justin Louis as 'Colonel Everett Young', Brian J. Smith as 'Lt. Matthew Scott', Elyse Levesque as 'Chloe Armstrong', David Blue as 'Eli Wallace', Alaina Huffman as 'MSGT. Tamara Johansen', Jamil Walker Smith as 'MSGT. Ronald Greer' and Ming-Na as 'Camile Wray'...


Monday, March 23, 2009

"Alice", "The Phantom" and "Riverworld"...

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Sci Fi has ordered 3 new fantasy miniseries, including an update of "Alice in Wonderland", another version of comic book character "The Phantom" and an adaptation of author Philip Jose Farmer's "Riverworld" books.

All the projects will be four-hour movies from Robert Halmi's RHI Entertainment.

Both Vancouver-lensed "Riverworld" and Montreal-lensed "The Phantom" will air as backdoor pilots, with potential series orders.

The new Vancouver-lensed "Alice" will be written/directed by Nick Willing, who also did Sci Fi's Vancouver-lensed "Wizard of Oz" update "Tin Man".

Created as a newspaper comic strip by by Lee Falk in 1936, predating both 'Batman' and 'Superman' as the first costumed super-hero to appear in print, premise of "The Phantom" begins with 'Christopher Standish', a cabin boy for explorer Christopher Columbus, who marries and becomes the captain of his own commercial vessel. But his ship comes under attack by pirates and his only son 'Kit', the sole survivor, washes up on a 'distant African shore', befriended by the 'Bandar' tribe of pygmies.

Swearing revenge against 'piracy and injustice', Kit fashions a costume and becomes a feared figure, riding a white stallion, with a companion wolf running alongside.

"The Phantom" that appears in the current comic strip is Kit's 21st descendant.

The first 1940's 'Phantom' comic books were reprints from newspaper strips, published by Ace, King and Harvey comics. More recent comic books have been published by Charlton, DC and Marvel.

"Riverworld", to be filmed in Vancouver, has attached Stuart "Charmed" Gillard to direct.

Located millennia in the future, the 'Riverworld' is an Earth-like planet whose surface has been 'terraformed' to consist of one long river-valley, with an average depth of 1.5 miles, shallow near the shore then plunging to enormous depths towards the channel. The banks expand into wide plains then climb into jagged hills before a sheerly impenetrable mountain ridge, taller than the Himalayas. While the valley averages 9 miles in width, the river is 20 million miles long.

The story begins when the whole of humanity, from the first homo sapiens to people of the 21st century are simultaneously 'resurrected' along the banks of the river. Everyone awakens in a body equivalent to that of their twenty-five year old selves, except in perfect health and free of any previous genetic or acquired defects....


Sunday, March 22, 2009

Tofino, BC Location For "Twilight: New Moon"...




Director Chris "The Golden Compass" Weitz has started lensing Summit Entertainment's "Twilight" sequel "New Moon" in Tofino, BC.

"Twilight: New Moon" is the second film adaptation of author Stephenie Meyer's 4-volume, teen vampire romance novel series, intertwining ideas of immortality and love.

BC was a (super) natural choice for the new feature as production house CIS Vancouver (formerly Rainmaker) was responsible for handling 145 visual effects shots for "Twilight", filmed in Portland, Oregon, USA.

Released theatrically November 21, 2008, the 2-hour, PG-13 rated, $37 million budgeted "Twilight" grossed over $150 million at the North American (domestic) box office.
The first full day of "New Moon" shooting started inside Pacific Rim National Park Reserve at South Beach, near Wickaninnish Beach, before moving to Incinerator Rock at Long Beach.

"The weather is perfect for us...rainy and dismal", said Bill Bannerman, New Moon's co-producer.

"Everything is exactly what it should be."

Cast members filming on the day included Kristin Stewart as 'Isabella' and Taylor Lautner as 'Jacob Black'.

Crews will be in the Vancouver area for 3 months, followed by a location move to Italy, with principal photography wrapping in May for a November 20 release.


"...'Bella Swan' (Kristen Stewart) has always been a bit different, never fitting in with the trendy girls at her Phoenix, Arizona high school. When her mother 'Renee' (Sarah Clarke) remarries and decides to move with her new husband to Florida, Bella decides to live with her father, 'Charlie' (Billy Burke), in the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, and doesn't expect anything to change.

Until she meets mysterious 'Edward Cullen' (Robert Pattinson), a boy unlike any she's ever met. Intelligent and witty, his piercing eyes see straight into her soul. Soon, Bella and Edward are swept up in a passionate and unorthodox romance, as Edward can run faster than any cheetah, he can stop a moving car with his bare hands and hasn't aged since 1918. Most importantly, he's a vampire and like all vampires is immortal.He doesn't drink human blood, which is rare among the vampire population. Instead, they go on regular 'hiking' trips to feed on prey such as grizzly bears and mountain lions.

For Edward, Bella is the thing he has waited ninety years for - a soul mate.But the closer they get, the more Edward must struggle to resist the primal pull of her scent, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy.

And what will they do when 'James' (Cam Gigandet), 'Laurent' (Edi Gathegi), and 'Victoria' (Rachel Lefevre) come into town, with James setting his sights on Bella? Will true love prevail when Edward is forced to save her life and conquer his thirst?

The true question is, When you can live forever, what do you live for?..."



Saturday, March 21, 2009

Who Watches "Battlestar Galactica" ?

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The March 20 series finale of "Battlestar Galactica" on Sci Fi Channel delivered 2.4 million total viewers , with a 1.7 household rating.

The episode was the best performance for the series in total viewers since the Jan. 6, 2006 premiere of season 2.5...

Friday, March 20, 2009

Vancouver Film Production Update...

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HOT TUB TIME MACHINE
Apr 19/09 - Jun 30/09

MORDECAI
Mar 09/09 - May 22/09

RAMONA
Apr 14/09 - Jun 09/09

TRON
Apr 06/09 - Jul 01

AMERICAN PIE: BOOK OF LOVE
Mar 30/09 - May 11/09

ON THE RUN
Mar 09/09 - Apr 03/09

SMOKIN’ ACES: BLOWBACK
Feb 16/09 - Mar 27/09

V
Mar 13/09 - Apr 04/09

VAMPIRE DIARIES, THE
Mar 23/09 - Apr 08/09

DEFYING GRAVITY
Jan 19/09 - Jun 17/09

SMALLVILLE ~ SEASON 8
Jul 07/08 - Apr 06/09

STARGATE UNIVERSE
Feb 11/09 - Oct 23/09

SUPERNATURAL ~ SEASON 4
Jul 03/08 - Mar 27/09

Monday, March 16, 2009

"SyFy": Imagine Greater- July 7...

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After 16 years of programming, SCI FI Channel will evolve into "SyFy", starting July 7.

By changing the name the new brand will "broaden perceptions and embrace a wider, more diverse range of imagination-based entertainment including fantasy, paranormal, reality, mystery, action and adventure...as well as science fiction"".

"Imagine Greater" will become the new brand message and tagline.

"While continuing to embrace our legacy and our core audience, we needed to cultivate a distinct point of view with a name that we could own that invites more people in and reflects our broader range of programming," said the network.

"Syfy allows us to build on our 16 year heritage of success with a new brand built on the power that fuels our genre: the Imagination. Syfy ushers in a new era of unlimited imagination, exceptional experiences and greater entertainment that paves the way for us to truly become a global lifestyle brand."

The new brand evolution will launch in tandem with the debut of the new Toronto-shot FBI/supernatural drama series "Warehouse 13" and the return of Vancouver-lensed "Eureka"...

Sunday, March 15, 2009

"V": The Reptilian Agenda Invades Vancouver...

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The ABC TV pilot, remaking the 1980's alien invasion series "V" started shooting in Vancouver March 13 with Yves Simoneau directing for producer Kathy Kilroy and Executive Producers Scott "The 4400" Peters, Jace Hall and Steve Pearlman. DP is David Franco.

Filming continues to April 4.

'The Visitors ' are alien reptilian humanoids who disguise themselves to look human, prefering to eat live prey.

Warner Bros. TV is producing the pilot, which was sold as a spec script to ABC.

HDFilms principal Jace Hall is the former head of Warner Bros. videogame division.

"Whenever I mention ‘V’ to anybody, they still have a lot of good memories about the original movie and series," said Peters.

"Everybody has that imagery of the uniforms, or the visitor eating a hamster. It’s a science fiction icon and too good to pass up."

Peters said the new "V" follows catastrophic events after the masses blindly follow a new leader, with a a focus on 'Erica Evans', a US Homeland Security agent.

As in the 1980's version, the show will open with an army of spaceships hovering over the world’s major cities, with the 'visitors' secretly planning "to serve man" (on a dinner platter).

The original "V" was a ratings hit in 1983, spawning a sequel and weekly TV series, airing in the 1984-85 season...



Friday, March 13, 2009

ELAN Awards Announce Final Nominees...

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"The ELAN awards give our industry a chance to celebrate the talents and creativity of the people who create these art forms," said Kelly Zmak, President of Radical Entertainment, at a press conference, announcing the Final Nominees for this year's ELAN Awards for the best in Video Games, Animation and Visual Effects.

"At a time where we are surrounded by bad news and a barrage of negativity, the ELAN awards give us a chance to celebrate the positives of our industry and the people who make it great."

Taking to the podium next was the Founder/Producer of the ELAN Awards, Holly Carinci who thanked Radical by naming the game developer as the ELAN'S first ever inductee as a "Founder of the ELANS".


The ceremony date/venue of this year's ELAN Awards is Saturday, April 25th in the Pacific Ballroom at the Fairmount Hotel Vancouver, hosted by actor Tom "Spongebob Squarepants" Kenny.

Before handing the podium over to Victor Lucas, creator, executive producer and co-host of "The Electric Playground", Carinci revealed the new ELAN statuette that winners will receive, produced by Bill Henderson and Offload Studios .

Lucas then announced the ELAN Final Nominees:

VIDEO GAME FINAL NOMINEES

1. VIDEO GAME OF THE YEAR

Gears of War 2 Epic Games / Microsoft
Cliff Bleszinski, Design Director Epic Games; Ray Davis, Lead Programmer Epic Games; Chris Perna, Art Director Epic Games

Fallout 3 Bethesda Softworks
Todd Howard, Game Director;Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer & Writer; Gavin Carter, Lead Producer

Fable II Lionhead Studios / Microsoft Games
Peter Molyneux, Lead Designer; Louise Copley, Executive Producer; Dene Carter, Creative Director

Left 4 Dead Valve

2. BEST CONSOLE GAME

Gears of War 2 Epic Games, Microsoft
Epic Games: Rod Fergusson, Senior Producer; Cliff Bleszinski, Design Director; Ray Davis, Lead Programmer; Chris Perna, Art Director

Fallout 3 Bethesda Softworks
Todd Howard, Game Director; Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer & Writer; Gavin Carter, Lead Producer

Fable II Lionhead Studios / Microsoft Games
Peter Molyneux, Lead Designer; Louise Copley, Executive Producer; Dene Carter, Creative Director

Left 4 Dead Valve

3. BEST PC GAME

Fallout 3 Bethesda Softworks
Todd Howard, Game Director; Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer & Writer; Gavin Carter, Lead Producer

Crysis Warhead Crytek / Electronic Arts
Péter Antovszki, Sound Director; Gábor Mogyorósi, Art Director; Bernd Diemer, Producer

Lord of the Rings Online™: Mines of Moria™ Turbine, Inc.
Jeffrey Steefel, Executive Producer

Left 4 Dead Valve

4. BEST CASUAL/ARCADE GAME

Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst Big Fish Games
Pat Wylie, Adrian Woods, Chris Campbell, Producer

Defend Your Castle XGen Games
Skye Boyes, Executive Producer; Jordan Dubuc, Project Lead; Robyn Dubuc, Design & Marketing; Taylor Schaerer, Visual Arts Lead

4 Elements Playrix Entertainment Playrix Entertainment

5. BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD GAME

Club Penguin :Elite Penguin Force Handheld: 1st Playable Productios/Disney Interactive
Tobi Saulnier, Founder & CEO, 1st Playable Productions; Zhenelle Falk, Producer/ Designer; Andrew Carroll, Lead Programmer; Ian McConahey Stead, Lead Artist

Planet Rescue: Ocean Patrol Handheld: Magic Pockets / Ubisoft
Eric Zmiro, President/Technical Director; Eltienne Jacquemain, Creative Director;

Hooked On: Creatures of the Deep Mobile: Infinite Dreams / Nokia
Brandon Crick, Marketing Manager

Party Island Bowling Mobile: Digital Chocolate
David Fruin, Studio Director; Mike Saperstein, Director of Game Development; Paul Abbassi, CTO; Trip Hawkins, CEO

6. BEST SOUND in a VIDEO GAME PRODUCTION

Mike Larson, Audio Director; Steve Jablonsky, Composer; Jamey Scott, Sound Designer; Joey Kuras, Sound Designer
Gears of War 2 Epic Games, Microsoft

Brian Tuey, Lead Sound Design
Call of Duty:World At War Treyarch / Activision Publishing

Mark Lampert, Audio Director Fallout 3 Bethesda Softworks

Russell Shaw, Composer; Kristofor Mellroth, Audio Lead
Fable II Lionhead Studios / Microsoft Games

7. BEST ART DIRECTION

Chris Perna, Art Director
Gears of War 2 Epic Games, Microsoft

Istvan Pely, Lead Artist
Fallout 3 Bethesda Softworks

Denis Dyack, President & Executive Producer; Carman Dix, Art Director
Too Human Silicon Knights / Microsoft Games Studio

John McCormack, Art Director; Mark Smart, Lead Environment Artist; Jon Eckersley, Lead Creature Artist; Adam Sibbick, Lead FX Artist
Fable II Lionhead Studios / Microsoft Games

8. BEST GAME DESIGN

Cliff Bleszinski, Design Director; Rod Fergusson, Senior Producer; Lee Perry, Senior Gameplay Designer; Dave Nash, Lead Level Designer
Gears of War 2 Epic Games, Microsoft

Todd Howard, Game Director;Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer & Writer
Fallout 3 Bethesda Softworks

Peter Molyneux, Lead Designer; Dene Carter, Creative Director; Iain Wright, Lead Level Designer; Mike West, Lead Scripter
Fable II Lionhead Studios / Microsoft Games

Gabe Newell
Left 4 Dead Valve

9.OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL INNOVATION

Tim Sweeney, Technology Director; Daniel Vogel, Engine Team Lead; Unreal Engine Technology Team
Gears of War 2 Epic Games, Microsoft

Todd Howard, Game Director;Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer & Writer; Guy Carver, Technical Director
Fallout 3 Bethesda Softworks

Simon Carter, Load Game Architect and Technology Director; Guilloume Portes, Lead Tools & GUI Programmer; Jonathan Shaw, AI Director; Alex Dowdeswell, AI Director
Fable II Lionhead Studios / Microsoft Games

Gabe Newell Left 4 Dead Valve

ANIMATION FINAL NOMINEES for the 3rd ANNUAL ELAN AWARDS

1. Best Feature Length Animated Production

Winner: WALL-E Selected by children's votes Disney / Pixar

2.Best Animated Television Production

Toot & Puddle Mercury Filmworks / National Geographic Kids Entertainment
Clint Eland, Executive Producer; Tara Sorensen, Executive Producer; Marianne Culbert, Supervising Producer; Jerry Popowich, Creative Producer

Zeke's Pad My Pad Prod's / Avrill Stark Entertainment; Bardel Entertainment Inc. / Flying Bark Productions
Delna Bhesania, Producer; Liz Scully, Producer; Leonard Terhoch, Producer; Avrill Stark, Producer

Wapos Bay: The Series Wapos Bay Studio National Film Board of Canada
Dennis Jackson, Producer;Melanie Jackson, Producer; Anand Ramayya, Producer; Derek Mazur; Exc. Producer

Dex Hamilton: Alien Entomologist March Entertainment / SLR Productions; Parthenon Kids
Daniel Hawes, Executive Producer/Producer; Ryan Lussing, Creative Producer/Visual FX Supervisor

3. Best Animated Short Subject

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (intro cinematic) Blizzard Entertainment
Jeff Chamberlain, Director; Phillip Hillenbrand, Producer

Turbo Dogs RacerDogs Productions Inc. / Hultu Studios; CCI Releasing Inc.
Kristine Klohk, Producer; Rodney MacDonald; Arnie Zipursky, Executive Producer; Christopher Waters

4. Best Director for an Animated Production

Christian Larocque, Director
Toot & Puddle Mercury Filmworks / National Geographic Kids Entertainment

Dennis Jackson,Director;Melanie Jackson, Director;Cam Lizotte, Director Wapos Bay Studio National Film Board of Canada
Wapos Bay: The Series

5. Best Voice Over in an Animated Production (All genres)

Winner: Tom Kenny
SpongeBob SquarePants Nickelodeon

6. Best Character Animation

Winner: Graham MacDonald, Animation Director; Emma Gignac, Animation Director; Kim Buck, Animation Supervisor; Justin Sels, Animation Supervisor
Toot & Puddle Mercury Filmworks / National Geographic Kids Entertainment

7. Best Art Direction

Teo Kiriakov, Art Direction; "Diamond" Dave Merritt, Art Direction
Toot & Puddle Mercury Filmworks / National Geographic Kids Entertainment

Zoe Evamy, Senior Art Director; Patricia Atchison, Art Director
Zeke's Pad My Pad Prod's / Avrill Stark Entertainment; Bardel Entertainment Inc. / Flying Bark Productions

VISUAL EFFECTS FINAL NOMINEES for the 3rd ANNUAL ELAN AWARDS

1. Best Visual Effects in a Visual Effect Driven Feature Film

Spin VFX / 20th Century Fox Max Payne
Jeff Campbell, VFX Supervisor; Eric Doiron, Compositing Supervisor;Mark Schreiber, Lead Animator; Tim Sibley, Lead FX TD

The Embassy VFX, Inc. / Ironworks Prod's; Marvel Studios / Paramount Pictures Iron Man
The Embassy: Winston Helgason, Visual Effects Supervisor; Charlie Bradbury, Visual Effects Producer; Stephen Pepper, Compositing Supervisor; Michael Blackbourn, CG Lead

2. Best Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series, Miniseries or MOW

Supernatural Films It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester / WB/CW
Ivan Hayden, VFX Supervisor; Grant Lindsay, VFX Producer; Mark Meloche, Lead Artist; Colin Jenken, Lead 3D

Bartleby Co. and The Halcyon Co. in assoc. with Warner Bros. Televisions Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Jim Lima, VFX Supervisor; Steve Galich, SFX Coordinator

Pix Ray VFX / Sullivan Entertainment Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning
Andrew Szerszen, VFX Supervisor; Guy Gatenby, Lead Matte-Painter; Michael MacInnis, Lead Composer

3. Best Visual Effects in an Independent/Short Film

Winner: Rock Garden: The Love Story Pix Ray VFX / Gloryous Production, 2.8 Pictures
Andrew Szerszen, VFX Supervisor; Guy Gatenby, Lead Matte-Painter; Michael MacInnis, Lead Composer

4. Best Visual Effects Shot

Winner: Spin VFX / 20th Century Fox Max Payne
Jeff Campbell, VFX Supervisor; Eric Doiron, Compositing Supervisor;Mark Schreiber, Lead Animator; Tim Sibley, Lead FX TD

5. Best Digital Environment

Spin VFX / 20th Century Fox Max Payne
Jeff Campbell, VFX Supervisor; Eric Doiron, Compositing Supervisor;Mark Schreiber, Lead Animator; Tim Sibley, Lead FX TD

Pix Ray VFX / Sullivan Entertainment Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning
Andrew Szerszen, VFX Supervisor; Guy Gatenby, Lead Matte-Painter; Michael MacInnis, Lead Composer

Pix Ray VFX / Gloryous Production, 2.8 Pictures Rock Garden: The Love Story
Andrew Szerszen, VFX Supervisor; Guy Gatenby, Lead Matte-Painter; Michael MacInnis, Lead Composer

6. Best Animated Character

Winner: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian MPC / Walt Disney and Walden Media
Greg Fisher, Animation Supervisor; Peta Bayley, Lead Animator; Julio del Rio Hernandez, Lead Animator; Tom Reed, Head of Rigging


STUDENT FINAL NOMINEES for the 3rd ANNUAL ELAN AWARDS

1. Best Student Video Game

Origamee Blue Skies / The University of Abertay, (Dundee, Scotland)
Richard Barlow, Programmer & Team Lead; Alberto Fustinoni, Programmer; Aby Cox, 2D Artist; Kevin Dunlop, 3D Artist

The Booty Bandit Masters of Digital Media, Centre for Digital Media, GNW, (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Brian Ford, Christine Jung, David Marhal, Ken Pratt

Deguiyu Masters of Digital Media,Centre for Digital Media,GNW, (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Bryant DJ Davey, Xbox Director; Su Yon Sohn, Web Presence Director; Liam Kelly, Support

Number 6 Six Studios / Universitat Pompeu Fabra-IDEC (Barcelona, Spain)
Carles Salvany Pedró, Artist/Animator; Albert Aguilar, Programmer; Fernando Suárez Peña, Programmer; Rodrigo Santoro Rojas, Artist

2. Best Student Animated Production
Midnight Ballet Vancouver Film School (Vanacouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Jin Xie

Nutty The Neurotic Ninja Squirrel Jason Haniuk / California State University Fullerton (USA)
Jason Haniuk

Snared Algonquin College Animation Program (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)
Algonquin College Animation Pogram

3. Best Visual Effects in a Student Project
Winner: Space Bar Lost Boys Learning (Comox, British Columbia, Canada)

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Janyse Jaud Is Marvel's "Hela' and 'Lady Deathstrike'...

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BC-based voice over artist Janyse Jaud, noted for several DC/Marvel animated series, recently played 'Hela' in Marvel's animated series "Hulk Vs Thor" and as 'Lady Deathstrike' in "Hulk Vs Wolverine".


The Marvel character Hela, daughter of 'Loki', ruler of 'Hel'/'Niffieheim', debuted in Marvel Comics "Journey Into Mystery" #102, (March 1964), @ 7 ft. tall, weighing 500 lbs with green eyes and grey hair.

By the decree of 'Odin', ruler of the 'Asgard' gods, Hela was crowned absolute ruler of the spirits of the dead.



'Yuriko Oyama', aka Lady Deathstrike, created by Dennis O'Neil and Larry Hama was further developed by writers Bill Mantlo and Chris Claremont, with artist Barry "Conan" Windsor-Smith designing her 'cyborg' look. The character debuted in "Daredevil" #197 as Yuriko and as Deathstrike in "Alpha Flight" #33. Her father 'Lord Dark Wind' created the 'adamantium' process that was forced onto 'Wolverine'. The villain 'Spiral' then bonded adamantium to her skeleton, accompanied by additional cyber-genetic enhancements.

Jaud is also noted for voicing 'Orange Blossom' in the upcoming “Strawberry Shortcake” feature, all female voices in DC/Warners "Batman Motion Comics", played 'Pinkie Pie' in Hasbro's "My Little Pony", 'Cymbeline' in "Bratz" and 'Baby Melissa Duck' in "Baby Looney Tunes".

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Sneak Peek "Wolverine: Uncaged"...

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"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" UNCAGED developed by Raven Software, Amaze Entertainment and published by Activision, is the new video game, scheduled to coincide with the release of the Fox feature, May 2009, for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, Wii and PlayStation Portable.


Monday, March 09, 2009

Fans Make Time For The "Watchmen"...

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Director Zack Snyder's "Watchmen" earned $55.7 million in ticket sales this past weekend to claim top spot at the box office. The film was also the biggest opening of 2009.

The Vancouver-lensed feature, budgeted at $125 million opened March 6.

Greg Foster, chairman/president of IMAX Filmed Entertainment, said the movie sold out on all 124 IMAX screens it was playing on during the weekend and was the second largest opening in company history behind 2008's "The Dark Knight."

For the year, movie attendance continues to soar, with revenue at $1.9 billion, up 16percent through the same point in 2008.

Even factoring in 2009's higher ticket prices, movie attendance is running 14 percent higher than last year...

BC Film: Motion Picture Production Up $250 Million...

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Motion picture production spending in British Columbia in 2008 was $1.2 billion, an increase of more than $250 million over 2007, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts Bill Bennett announced today.

“Our province continues to be a top location in the global film and television industries, with our stunning locations, skilled professional workforce and world-class motion picture infrastructure,” said Bennett.

“Even in these challenging economic times, the work we’ve put into strengthening and diversifying B.C.’s economy means that motion picture production and many other industries will continue to grow and thrive.”

According to data released today by the BC Film Commission, total motion picture production spending and numbers of projects in British Columbia in 2008 are up almost 30 percent over 2007, with the majority of the increase in foreign feature film activity. This sector totalled $442 million in 2008, an increase of 146 percent or $262 million over 2007.

“We were very fortunate to have increased our production activity and industry employment in B.C. last year, particularly when economic circumstances proved trying for so many sectors including ours,” said Peter Leitch, chair of Motion Picture Production Industry Association of BC and president of Mammoth and North Shore Studios.

While domestic spending as a whole decreased slightly, domestic animation spending increased 79 per cent, to over $96 million, compared to $53 million in 2007. Overall numbers of domestic television and film projects were also up, by 75 per cent and four per cent, respectively.

“The film and television industry is changing at a phenomenal pace,” said David Paperny, president of Vancouver-based, Paperny Films.

“The ability of B.C. companies to respond quickly and adapt to both economic and technological change are the defining characteristics of our industry and they will drive the industry's success over the long term..."

Rorschach: Never Despair, Never Surrender...

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Deluxe Adult Watchmen Rorschach Costume - Watchmen Costumes

Malin Ackerman: Maxim...

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