a blog of links related to computer animation and production technology Sponsored by ReelMatters.com
www.awn.com/news/disney-bumps-avatar-sequel-2021-sets-dates-three-unnamed-star-wars-movies
Three new as-yet-untitled Star Wars films will release on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning in 2022 — December 16, 2022, December 20, 2024 and December 18, 2026.
Four forthcoming Avatar films will release on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning with in 2021 – the first, originally scheduled to debut December 18, 2020, has been pushed to December 17, 2021.
www.awn.com/news/maxon-acquires-redshift-rendering-technologies
Developers of Cinema 4D acquire a powerful and flexible GPU-accelerated renderer.
drive.google.com/file/d/1adi2nB7oMhpxAF1nh74lcT2VrfrVY3qu/view
In response to the complaint, Cinesite had originally claimed that employees were not entitled to the overtime pay specified in the province’s Employment Standards Act, because animation artists were high-technology professionals developing information systems.
The Employment Standard Branch’s investigating officer, however, ruled that the exclusion did not apply to studio workers whose primary job was using commercially available software to create visual effects.
www.awn.com/news/roper-technologies-acquire-foundry-544m-deal
The management team, led by CEO Craig Rodgerson, will continue to lead the business from its London headquarters. Foundry’s name and brands are not expected to change as a result of the transaction.
Roper anticipates funding the transaction using its revolving credit facility and cash on hand. During the first 12 months of ownership, Roper expects Foundry to deliver approximately US$75 million of revenue. Roper expects the acquisition to be immediately cash accretive. Foundry has a strong history of growth in revenue, EBITDA, and cash flow, which Roper expects to continue.
The transaction is expected to close in April 2019, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.
edition.cnn.com/2019/03/21/asia/china-cultural-soft-power-intl/index.html
In 2014, President Xi Jinping called for a stronger national effort to boost China’s global popularity in proportion to its economic rise. “We should increase China’s soft power, give a good Chinese narrative and better communicate China’s message to the world,” he said. But nnless the Communist Party relaxes its censorship of domestic films, experts say Beijing’s dreams of wielding Chinese soft power globally through its film industry could stall.
The US film industry is quite successful in China — likely to become the world’s largest cinema market in coming years, according to industry insiders — even though regulators only allow a limited number of foreign films to be screened each year.
China has not enjoyed the same success in Western markets. Italian film director Gianluigi Perrone says that is because while Hollywood films often also carry a patriotic message, it is done with greater subtlety.
“The ‘soft power’ in US films has been very subliminal and subtle since the post-WW2 era,” says Perrone, who has experienced censorship in China. “The messages in Chinese films have to be so explicit that it’s too direct for Western audiences. It overcomes the entertaining part.”
Consequently, some independent filmmakers who want to create more nuanced films are bypassing the domestic market.
Even huge popularity is no longer enough to save a director or a seemingly anodyne piece of entertainment from the censor’s gaze.
www.cartoonbrew.com/vr/breaking-google-spotlight-stories-shuts-down-171383.html
It marks the end of an era when tech companies invested heavily in vr animation content with open-ended non-monetary goals to develop the technology. Facebook, too, launched a similar initiative — Oculus Story Studio — which it shuttered in May 2017.
www.polygon.com/2019/1/16/18178332/game-developer-union-crunch
variety.com/2019/gaming/news/liz-schuler-game-developers-unionize-1203141471/
AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Liz Shuler took to Kotaku with a post that asks workers in the games industry to fight for adequate pay, sensible work hours, and against toxic work conditions.
“We’ve heard the painful stories of those willing to come forward, including one developer who visited the emergency room three times before taking off from work,” writes Shuler. “Developers at Rockstar Games recently shared stories of crunch time that lasted for months and even years in order to satisfy outrageous demands from management, delivering a game that banked their bosses $725 million in its first three days.”
“Growing by double digits, U.S. video game sales reached $43 billion in 2018, about 3.6 times greater than the film industry’s record-breaking box office,” she writes.
“While you’re fighting through exhaustion and putting your soul into a game, Bobby Kotick and Andrew Wilson are toasting to ‘their’ success,” she says.
“They get rich. They get notoriety. They get to be crowned visionaries and regarded as pioneers. What do you get? Outrageous hours and inadequate paychecks. Stressful, toxic work conditions that push you to your physical and mental limits. The fear that asking for better means risking your dream job.”
Some of the biggest players in game development and publishing have fostered hostile and unforgiving environments where our favorite games are made.
Co-founder and vice president of Rockstar Games Dan Houser seemingly bragged that staff were pulling 100-hour weeks to get the much-anticipated “Red Dead Redemption 2” ready for its launch last year.
Similarly, companies like Telltale have laid off the majority of their staff with little to no notice or severance. Many developers took to Twitter afterwards to air their grievances and express their hopes for change under the hashtag #AsAGamesWorker.
Ethan Roffler
I recently had the honor of interviewing this VFX genius and gained great insight into what it takes to work in the entertainment industry. Keep in mind, these questions are coming from an artist’s perspective but can be applied to any creative individual looking for some wisdom from a professional. So grab a drink, sit back, and enjoy this fun and insightful conversation.
Ethan
To start, I just wanted to say thank you so much for taking the time for this interview!
Daniele
My pleasure.
When I started my career I struggled to find help. Even people in the industry at the time were not that helpful. Because of that, I decided very early on that I was going to do exactly the opposite. I spend most of my weekends talking or helping students. ;)
Ethan
That’s awesome! I have also come across the same struggle! Just a heads up, this will probably be the most informal interview you’ll ever have haha! Okay, so let’s start with a small introduction!
Daniele
Short introduction: I worked very hard and got lucky enough to work on great shows with great people. ;) Slightly longer version: I started working for a TV channel, very early, while I was learning about CG. Slowly made my way across the world, working along very great people and amazing shows. I learned that to be successful in this business, you have to really love what you do as much as respecting the people around you. What you do will improve to the final product; the way you work with people will make a difference in your life.
Ethan
How long have you been an artist?
Daniele
Loaded question. I believe I am still trying and craving to be one. After each production I finish I realize how much I still do not know. And how many things I would like to try. I guess in my CG Sup and generalist world, being an artist is about learning as much about the latest technologies and production cycles as I can, then putting that in practice. Having said that, I do consider myself a cinematographer first, as I have been doing that for about 25 years now.
Ethan
Words of true wisdom, the more I know the less I know:) How did you get your start in the industry?
How did you break into such a competitive field?
Daniele
There were not many schools when I started. It was all about a few magazines, some books, and pushing software around trying to learn how to make pretty images. Opportunities opened because of that knowledge! The true break was learning to work hard to achieve a Suspension of Disbelief in my work that people would recognize as such. It’s not something everyone can do, but I was fortunate to not be scared of working hard, being a quick learner and having very good supervisors and colleagues to learn from.
Ethan
Which do you think is better, having a solid art degree or a strong portfolio?
Daniele
Very good question. A strong portfolio will get you a job now. A solid strong degree will likely get you a job for a longer period. Let me digress here; Working as an artist is not about being an artist, it’s about making money as an artist. Most people fail to make that difference and have either a poor career or lack the understanding to make a stable one. One should never mix art with working as an artist. You can do both only if you understand business and are fair to yourself.
Ethan
That’s probably the most helpful answer to that question I have ever heard.
What’s some advice you can offer to someone just starting out who wants to break into the industry?
Daniele
Breaking in the industry is not just about knowing your art. It’s about knowing good business practices. Prepare a good demo reel based on the skill you are applying for; research all the places where you want to apply and why; send as many reels around; follow up each reel with a phone call. Business is all about right time, right place.
Ethan
A follow-up question to that is: Would you consider it a bad practice to send your demo reels out in mass quantity rather than focusing on a handful of companies to research and apply for?
Daniele
Depends how desperate you are… I would say research is a must. To improve your options, you need to know which company is working on what and what skills they are after. If you were selling vacuum cleaners you probably would not want to waste energy contacting shoemakers or cattle farmers.
Ethan
What do you think the biggest killer of creativity and productivity is for you?
Daniele
Money…If you were thinking as an artist. ;) If you were thinking about making money as an artist… then I would say “thinking that you work alone”.
Ethan
Best. Answer. Ever.
What are ways you fight complacency and maintain fresh ideas, outlooks, and perspectives
Daniele
Two things: Challenge yourself to go outside your comfort zone. And think outside of the box.
Ethan
What are the ways/habits you have that challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone and think outside the box?
Daniele
If you think you are a good character painter, pick up a camera and go take pictures of amazing landscapes. If you think you are good only at painting or sketching, learn how to code in python. If you cannot solve a problem, that being a project or a person, learn to ask for help or learn about looking at the problem from various perspectives. If you are introvert, learn to be extrovert. And vice versa. And so on…
Ethan
How do you avoid burnout?
Daniele
Oh… I wish I learned about this earlier. I think anyone that has a passion in something is at risk of burning out. Artists, more than many, because we see the world differently and our passion goes deep. You avoid burnouts by thinking that you are in a long term plan and that you have an obligation to pay or repay your talent by supporting and cherishing yourself and your family, not your paycheck. You do this by treating your art as a business and using business skills when dealing with your career and using artistic skills only when you are dealing with a project itself.
Ethan
Looking back, what was a big defining moment for you?
Daniele
Recognizing that people around you, those being colleagues, friends or family, come first.
It changed my career overnight.
Ethan
Who are some of your personal heroes?
Daniele
Too many to list. Most recently… James Cameron; Joe Letteri; Lawrence Krauss; Richard Dawkins. Because they all mix science, art, and poetry in their own way.
Ethan
Last question:
What’s your dream job? ;)
Daniele
Teaching artists to be better at being business people… as it will help us all improve our lives and the careers we took…
Being a VFX artist is fundamentally based on mistrust.
This because schedules, pipelines, technology, creative calls… all have a native and naive instability to them that causes everyone to grow a genuine but beneficial lack of trust in the status quo. This is a fine balance act to build into your character. The VFX motto: “Love everyone but trust no one” is born on that.
www.awn.com/news/report-skydance-distribution-partner-paramount-shocked-lasseter-hire
www.awn.com/news/john-lasseter-named-head-skydance-animation
https://www.awn.com/news/lasseter-deeply-sorry-my-actions
https://www.awn.com/news/mirielle-soria-paramount-animation-staffers-not-obligated-work-lasseter
www.cartoonbrew.com/law/the-public-domain-is-working-again-no-thanks-to-disney-169658.html
The law protects new works from unauthorized copying while allowing artists free rein on older works.
The Copyright Act of 1909 used to govern copyrights. Under that law, a creator had a copyright on his creation for 28 years from “publication,” which could then be renewed for another 28 years. Thus, after 56 years, a work would enter the public domain.
However, the Congress passed the Copyright Act of 1976, extending copyright protection for works made for hire to 75 years from publication.
Then again, in 1998, Congress passed the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act (derided as the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act” by some observers due to the Walt Disney Company’s intensive lobbying efforts), which added another twenty years to the term of copyright.
it is because Snow White was in the public domain that it was chosen to be Disney’s first animated feature.
Ironically, much of Disney’s legislative lobbying over the last several decades has been focused on preventing this same opportunity to other artists and filmmakers.
The battle in the coming years will be to prevent further extensions to copyright law that benefit corporations at the expense of creators and society as a whole.
www.awn.com/news/21st-century-fox-and-disney-shareholders-approve-historic-merger
Disney’s $71 billion cash and stock bid is approved by stockholders of both companies along with agreement to spin-off the new ‘Fox.’
