News Stories

FilmFunds Continues To Expand Website Reach & Mission With Appointment Of New CEO Jason Scoggins

5.29.2012

[Press Release]

… Scoggins will join Christian Paris, who serves as President of FilmFunds 3D, which polls public opinion on the most popular films audiences want to see in 3D and will then offer conversion services to content owners through 3D LiveFlix technology. Paris joined FilmFunds when it acquired Duran Duboi USA in December 2011. Joshua L. Weinstein also joins FilmFunds as Head of Content, where he will oversee the site’s News section serving as editor-in-chief and working with a staff of writers to develop features and original content. Weinstein previously was a reporter for The Wrap, as well as a freelancer at Variety and writer for the largest newspapers in Maine and Florida.

FilmFunds launched in beta last summer at the Toronto International Film Festival as a platform for filmmakers to promote their projects to film lovers and connect with financiers. Under the Scoggins’ leadership, FilmFunds will become the ultimate destination website for movie lovers, aspiring filmmakers and established professionals. Its consumer audience will continue to have the opportunity to engage with filmmakers and one another, and to help influence the trajectory of new projects. Among the site’s existing and new features: …

Movie lovers can browse through film and television projects, decide which should get pushed towards production, and promote them. FilmFunds will offer rewards to its most active users such as fun movie swag, signed script copies, even a producer credit on movies that they help get made. …

See the full press release here: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/filmfunds-continues-to-expand-website-reach-mission-with-appointment-of-new-ceo-jason-scoggins-2012-05-29

Is 3D Television Here To Stay?

5.29.2012

[techmaish Blogging, Social Media, Tech]

When 3D movies first burst into existence in the 1950s, audiences adorned with green and red spectacles flocked in their thousands to see the latest cinematic creations at movie theaters across America.

In 2010, 3D television was brought to our homes through 3D-enabled televisions. Cue some rather bulky glasses and the ability to watch our favorite films in full 3D whilst sitting on our sofas.

Later the same year, the first glasses-free 3D experience was planned by Toshiba and it was brought into the market in 2011. By 2015, the company hopes to make their glasses-free television open to the mass market.  …

Just a fad or paving the way?

You’ve got to admit, 3D television is pretty impressive. It’s certainly not merely another form of a console or a new version of a digital camera. Instead, it deserves its place as a popular technological advancement of the 21st century.

3D TV could go two ways; remain at the popular position it currently holds in our technological world, or continue to grow and evolve to fit ever-changing needs and ideals in the tech community. I predict the latter will happen…

See the full story here: http://www.techmaish.com/is-3d-television-here-to-stay/

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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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