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Sky Deutschland and Studio 100 Media extend successful Multi-Platform-Partnership

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Sky Deutschland and Studio 100 Media extend successful

Multi-Platform-Partnership

  • Extension and Expansion of existing co-operation between Sky Deutschland and Studio 100 Media
  • Expansion of non-linear rights and multi-year extension of exclusive broadcast rights to the Junior Channel transmitted by Sky Deutschland

Cannes, 13th April 2015 – Sky Deutschland and Studio 100 Media extend and enhance their partnership.  Sky viewers can continue to enjoy a broad selection of children’s programs including the remakes of the classic series “Maya the Bee” and “Vic The Viking” which continue to excite young viewers with their new computer animated look, as well as others such as “Mia and Me”, “My Little Pony – Friendship is Magical”, “Bibi Blocksberg” and films and series based on the Astrid Lindgren books.

The newly sealed agreement also includes the comprehensive expansion of non-linear rights.  This enables accessibility to a larger selection of Junior programs such as “Vic The Viking”, “Maya The Bee” and “Woodlies” available through the Sky on demand services Sky Go and Sky Anytime, as well as via Snap by Sky in Germany and Austria.

Constanze Gilles, Director of Partner Channels at Sky Deutschland: “Children’s programs are an important part of the Sky brand, they delight the whole family and Junior stands for wonderful children’s entertainment with both classics as well as with new CGI-series such as “Maya The Bee”.  We look forward to exclusively presenting ‘Junior’ content both through linear and on demand services on Sky.”

“Our collaboration with Sky remains a trusting, successful partnership and we are very pleased to extend this cooperation again. Next year, ‘Junior’ will have already been broadcasting for 20 years on German Pay TV on Air, showing best entertainment for the whole family, including the classics, live action formats and now additionally CGI  productions. ‘Junior’ has since become part of the Sky broadcasting family and is now also on Sky Anytime, as well as Sky Go and Snap by Sky.”

Selective Program Highlights:

“Marsupilami – Im Dschungel ist was los”, 2 series, 26 Episodes, from 2nd February, daily at 12:15pm.

“Maya the Bee”, special screening on 1st May from 4pm and on the following five Saturdays at 10am.

“ Michel Films for Whitsun”, special screening with episodes “Michel in der Suppenschüssel”, “Michel muss mehr Männchen machen” and “Michel bringt die Welt in Ordnung”, from  23rd to 25th of May, at 10am.

About Sky Germany:
Sky is the market leader in German and Austrian Pay-TV with over 1.4 Million viewers and a yearly turnover of approximately 1.7 Billion Euros.  The company offers a range of live sports, films, series, children’s programs and documentaries.  Sky Germany employs 2.500 employees and its main offices are situated in Unterföhring near Munich. The Company is part of Europe’s leading Entertainment group Sky plc.

(as on the 31st December 2014).

About Studio 100 Media:
Studio 100 Media is a 100 percent subsidiary of Belgian firm Studio 100 Group.  Based in Munich, Germany, the company is an international production and distribution company for high-quality and non-violent children’s entertainment.  It develops and acquires new formats and is also responsible for the global marketing of its own rights portfolio as well as of third party programming.

Since 2012 Studio 100 Media has through its subsidiary Studio 100 Film been involved in producing animation feature films for worldwide distribution.  The first project was the 3-D German/Australian co-production “Maya The Bee – Movie”. Further brands under the Studio 100 Media umbrella include ‘Heidi’ and ‘Vic The Viking’ – both as classic series’ and as CGI re-productions.

In addition to the licensing business Studio 100 Media is responsible for all marketing activities and for the development and production of merchandising and home entertainment products in GAS.

ontact for Media:

Sky Deutschland AG

Pia Halbig

Consumer Communications

Tel. 089 – 9958 6342

pia.halbig@sky.de

twitter.com/SkyDeutschland

Katharina Muck                                                       Devika Patel

Studio 100 Media GmbH                                         DP-PR

Tel.: + 49 (0) 89 960 855 133                                      Mobile: +44 (0) 7773 324 159

E-Mail: katharina.muck@studio100media.com  E-Mail: devika.patel@btopenworld.com

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Toonboom releases Harmony 12

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Harmony 12Today in addition to the new tiered buying model for Harmony, Toonboom released Harmony 12 which looks to have some pretty cool features, such as more bitmap brush options,  faster rendering times and a new Light Shading feature allowing you to auto add shadows from various perspectives. Below is a video walk through highlighting the newest features.

You can find out more about Toonboom Harmony at Toonboom’s website.

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Toonboom updates Harmony and Storyboard Pro to include subscription pricing

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Harmony-subscription

Big news today in the world of animation as Toonboom has just released a new subscription model for both their Harmony suite AND their very popular Storyboard Pro software to reflect the new Cloud business model like Adobe and Autodesk have done in the last two years.

Now you can pay annually, monthly, or buy a perpetual license which is more or less buying it outright without a subscription.

For Harmony, $15 a month will get you the Essentials version which seems to be fairly robust except for the one Art layer limit and no 3d capabilities. The Advanced version gets you a number of other features including four Art layers as well as the ability to see 3d models placed in a scene by a Premium version but not access or edit them. Premium of course has all the bells and whistles that full blown Harmony has.
To see a list of different features of the various versions of Harmony available head over the the Toonboom site for more info.

Word is Toonboom will be phasing out Toonboom Studio and Toonboom Animate in October of this year.

Storyboard Pro subscription
As for Storyboard Pro, you now have the option to do a subscription which will cost you $38 per month. This in and of itself is a huge boon for storyboard artists seeking to use the software since the standalone version will set you back $950 and most freelancers can’t afford that cost easily.

 

To see more about Toonboom’s new Storyboard Pro pricing head over to their site.

Now if we could just get Wacom to do a Cloud model! 😉

 

 

 

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Storyboards from 15 of Your Favorite Films

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spartacusStoryboards from the film Spartacus

FlavorWire has a cool post up showing storyboard examples of 15 classic movies such as Spartacus (above), Taxi Driver, Star Wars, Jaws and many others.
From the Site:

Hitchcock was one of the first studio directors to rely heavily on storyboards in production of his films. He would map out his distinctive set pieces using storyboards — those cool drawings that show exactly what will be in the frame, and any movements the camera might make — and would then create them on set, often shot for shot. Hitchock wasn’t the first to do it, but he was an enthusiastic and consistent early adopter, and the filmmakers who followed with an eye for sharp camerawork (from Scorsese and Spielberg to the Coens and Nolan) frequently do the same. With storyboards on our mind lately thanks to their use in both the opening sequence and the climax of Argo, we decided to put together a gallery of some of our favorite storyboards from iconic movies. (Special thanks to the folks behind the “Drawing Board” column of the DGA Quarterly, where we found several of the storyboards to follow.)

You can read the entire post and see the storyboards here.

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Review: The Wacom Cintiq Companion

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Hello and Welcome!  I am your “geeky artist gal pal” Val, and this is my first-ever tech review.  I’ll be covering the “Cintiq Companion”, a portable drawing tablet from every artist’s favorite tablet company, Wacom.

wacom-cintiq-companion-front

Wacom Cintiq Companion v.01

Wacom recently announced the release of the second version of the Cintiq Companion… the Companion 2.
Yay!  This announcement doesn’t surprise me one bit as I just bought the first version of this tablet a few months ago, without any hint of a new one coming out soon.  Ha ha, this is how things often work out for me!  However, from what I’ve read of the Companion 2, there are very few changes.  So I hope this review will help to cover the pros and cons of all models, and help you to decide if this equipment is the right investment for you!

I think I can safely say that if you are used to an iPad, or you primarily use Apple products, you will most likely not like the Cintiq Companion.  Maybe that goes without saying, for the following reasons:

  1. Available OS choices (Windows 8 or Android)

  2. Resolution and/or graphics sizes

  3. Size, especially weight of the machine (nearly 4 lbs vs. iPad Air 2 now under 1 lb).

I opted to try the Windows 8 Companion (as I am a life-long PC girl), and I will also discuss the OS a smidge.  The general buzz I’d heard about Win8 did not get my hopes up… (I even tried using an iPad out of fear I might hate the new Windows).  HOWEVER, I gotta say I have been quite astonished with Win8 overall – I’m more pleased with it than I thought I would be.  (Perhaps also in part to that iPad I tried to use for many months, which led me to nothing but artistic frustration and, er, too much gaming.)

Windows 8 App view vs. regular Desktop view

WacomCintiqCompanionScreenshotsApp View

WacomCintiqCompanionScreenshots2Desktop View

Right, so Win8 surpassed my expectations.  Yes, there is the “app” view, but on this tablet I can seamlessly transition to the normal “PC desktop” view as well.  I’ve found myself a little in-awe over this fact a few times, because it finally reaches that all-in-one device pinnacle.  (That is, if only Win8 had all the app options my smartphone does.)  There are some other small cons to the software I can point to… for example using the bluetooth.

<Start rant:  Bluetooth has become a necessity in smart devices.  In Win8 I SHOULD be able to just swipe open the sidebar menu, tap a button and blah-bling! insta-bluetooth.  Unfortunately on this device I have to swipe open the sidebar menu > Settings > Change PC Settings > PC and devices > Bluetooth.  From there I oftentimes find myself having to un-pair and re-pair my bluetooth, because there’s no click-to-use-this-device-button-even-though-it’s-already-paired-and-should-be-connecting-but-isn’t-for-some-strange-reason.  End rant.>

So yeah, Win8 is indeed a “mixed bag”.  For my purposes as a professional artist, it works rather nicely.  The experience is bolstered by touch-screen capabilities, like switching between apps with a swipe, split-screen-ing, or zooming in and out using your fingers (whee!).  I imagine if I were more ambidextrous, I would “play” this tablet like a turn-table DJ.

Oh, and of course the Win8 Companion runs FULL DESKTOP APPLICATIONS.

The Companion has no problems handling multiple layers in programs like Photoshop and Sketchbook Pro.

Like Photoshop.  Like Toon Boom’s Storyboard Pro.  Yes, I have drawn animatic sequences on my freakin’ tablet.  It is amazing, and there are only two things that I’ve noticed that I want to bring up in this regard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqvPuMpwt94

Firstly, the original Cintiq Companion (as well as Wacom’s smallest desktop Cintiq the 13HD) display measures a paltry 13.3”.  This means that full program menus, graphics, and buttons, etc., show up teenie-weenie-tiny on the screen.  For someone that grew up playing a Sega Game Gear in the 90’s, this is a familiar feel, and rather un-phasing.

Unfortunately for those without handheld-gaming experience, and those of you used to a screen that’s, say, 21.5” +, this may be a deal-breaker.  The size of the menus can make it feel like you’re clicking for a needle in a haystack.  In all honesty, I would advise against purchasing one of these machines if you don’t feel like you can or want to compensate for tiny graphics.  I’ve never worked on a widescreen display, (for example the Cintiq 27QHD *drool*), but I imagine that transitioning to a small screen this size if you did would probably suck.

(Sidenote:  To cut-down on menu-clicking, I do find myself wishing for more than four “ExpressKeys” to which I could attach program shortcuts.  These are the buttons beside the screen on the left, accompanied by the “Rocker Ring” and “Windows Button”.  Wacom has granted my wish in the Companion 2, which now has six “ExpressKeys” [see below].)

DTHW1210_LeftView_RGB

Wacom Cintiq Companion v.02

Speaking of “QHD”, this is one of the changes to the Companion 2, which features QHD resolution of 2560×1440, vs. HD of 1920×1080.  ← insert jaw-dropping googly-eyes here.

I don’t really need QHD to draw sketches of Harry Potter, but I imagine for painters it’ll be a dream….

Secondly, there’s the stylus pen, and how it interacts with the screen.  Which is, for the most part, un-remarkably like any of the other Wacom Cintiq models.  I have noticed with my Companion there’s occasionally an increased parallax effect…  that is, I notice the disconnect.  And then there is the way the stylus is calibrated (on purpose?) to work near the edges of the screen.  The cursor becomes seriously displaced.  Perhaps it’s to be able to access off-screen menus?  Regardless, it’s awkward.

WacomCintiqCompanionScreenshots3

Yay!  It’s a Cintiq pen!  The case is pretty sweet.  I dig it.

 

The pen itself is a regular style Cintiq pen, and comes in a very nice case with extra nibs and a nib-grabbing tool.  Oh, and a couple of “Personalization Rings”, should you be watching your pen more than the screen, or should anyone actually look at your pen close enough to notice the color accent.  *ahem*  Speaking of cases, the tablet itself comes with a great neoprene case, with a faux fur-like lining that definitely gives it a cozy home and soft cushioning protection.  Nice touch, Wacom.  However, when it comes to accessories, the accompanying display stand could definitely use a redesign.

You’d think it would be really neat because the idea behind it is fantastic – three different angled tiers to choose from, and I definitely make use of each angle.  However, the stand “attaches” to the tablet via “stand slots”.  Read: No locking mechanism.  There are small issues attached to this design – for example it falls off easily if you open it too far when attempting to stick it into the third-tier position, to put the display upright.

BCgirl_colorsketch

Taking a piece to finish.

Hmm, I think that about covers it!  Allow me to sum up by saying that the Cintiq Companion v.01 works, looks, and feels like a professional piece of equipment that is meant to get shit done.  Its functionality surpasses its awkwardness, and the ability to work this way from anywhere is worth the (approximately) $2k price tag for someone like me (pro artists).  I would not recommend it for hobbyists.

Finally, with the Companion 2, it looks as though Wacom has moved the power button position.  This is good news for right-handed artists using the ExpressKeys on the left side.  I personally find, with the original Companion, that I often grab the power button unintentionally.  It sticks out a bit (contrary to the photos on their website), so I end up accidentally putting it to sleep all the time.  FYI there is a way to turn this functionality off.

This change means that the Companion 2 has solved all of the Hardware issues I have encountered, making it more worth the price tag.  If you get one, I hope you enjoy it!!!

Cheerios!  – Val
http://www.boomcookie.com/

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2D Wednesday- Stromae-Carmen

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This week’s 2D Wednesday comes form the brilliant designer, writer and animator Sylvain Chomet who warns us about the hazards of being online and to actually look up at what’s around us! (Unless you’re reading Animationinsider.com, of course!)

You can read more about this week’s 2D Wednesday here on Buzzfeed.