Category Archives: Promote Yourself!

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Sony Pictures Animation unveils slate

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MUMBAI: In a move signaling an expansion of its output and increased year-round production across multiple platforms, Sony Pictures Animation has announced its slate through 2018 which includes five theatrical features, three television series and one direct-to-video movie. Sony Pictures Animation’s slate includes a mix of originals and franchises, some previously announced, each with its own style and tone, underscoring the studio’s pledge to develop projects aimed both inside and outside of the Sony Pictures Animation family brand intended for traditional, as well as online, distribution platforms.

Sony Pictures Animation president Kristine Belson said, “We are meaningfully stepping up our level of production, while creating an environment that fosters the best talent. Our goal is to enlarge our presence in the animation landscape with a uniquely diverse slate, and our strategy to get there is to let artists drive the movies creatively.” Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group chairman Tom Rothman said, “I could not be more proud of the way Kristine Belson has rebuilt Sony Pictures Animation into the boldest home for animation in the industry.”

Theatrical Features
‘Smurfs: The Lost Village’, a fully-animated comedy that delivers a fresh new take on the blue creatures, hits theatres on 7 April 2017. The voice cast includes Demi Lovato as Smurfette, Jack McBrayer as Clumsy, Joe Manganiello as Hefty, Danny Pudi as Brainy, and Rainn Wilson as Gargamel, with Mandy Patinkin as Papa. ‘

Emojimovie: Express Yourself’ will offer a comic take on the secret world of our phones and the beloved characters that have become daily necessities in global interpersonal communication. The feature is targeting an August 2017 theatrical release.

‘The Star’ (working title) is scheduled for an 8 December 2017 theatrical release. A small but brave donkey and his animal friends become the unsung heroes of the greatest story ever told, the first Christmas. Sony Pictures Animation produces the movie in association with The Jim Henson Company.

‘Hotel Transylvania 3’, a follow-up to Sony Pictures Animation’s highest grossing film in the US and the biggest opening ever for a US September release, is scheduled to hit theaters on 21 September 2018.
Director Genndy Tartakovsky, who returns to helm this brand new adventure, says, “I thought I was done exploring the world of ‘Hotel Transylvania’ after the first two films, but while I was away from the franchise finishing my TV show ‘Samurai Jack’, an idea sparked that I got really excited about and made it irresistible to return and helm myself this third adventure.” Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg will be returning as the voices of Dracula, his vampire daughter Mavis, and her human husband Johnny.

Also, from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the geniuses behind ‘The Lego Movie’, comes an animated ‘Spider-Man’ feature slated for theatrical release on 21 December 2018.

Animated Series
A brand new animated television series, ‘Ghostbusters: Ecto Force’, will further expand the ‘Ghostbusters’ cinematic universe and focus on a new generation of Ghostbusters in the year 2050 who capture ghosts around the world with help from local teams—and some very cool gear! The younger-skewing Sony Pictures Animation project is being creatively spearheaded by Ivan Reitman and his production company Ghost Corps. It is is eyeing an early 2018 debut.

‘Hotel Transylvania’ will also have a TV show. It is targeted for a 2017 airdate. The animated television series, produced in partnership with Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, will focus on the teenage years of Mavis, Dracula’s daughter, and her friends. It will be airing on the Disney Channel worldwide.

Another movie that will make the transition to TV is ‘Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs’. It is slated for its television series incarnation airdate in 2017. The 2D animated small-screen series will expand on the adventures of the computer-animated feature films and will air on Cartoon Network in the US and Turner channels across EMEA, APAC and Latin American markets.

Direct-to-video
‘Surf’s Up 2: Wavemania’ will debut on home entertainment in the Spring of 2017. Directed by Henry Yu and produced by Michelle Wong, the follow-up to the 2007 Oscar nominee will hit the shores in time for the 10-year anniversary of the franchise. The project is in partnership with WWE Studios and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The voice cast includes WWE Superstars John Cena, The Undertaker, Triple H, Diva Paige and Mr. McMahon as an infamous big wave riding crew of penguins known as The Hang 5 which Cody Maverick convinces to let him join on their journey to a mysterious surf spot where legend has it they will find the biggest waves in the world.

Read more at: http://www.televisionpost.com/television/sony-pictures-animation-unveils-slate/ | TelevisionPost.com

 

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The New BEN 10 to Debut This Fall on Cartoon Network

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Ben10

Cartoon Network’s newest take on BEN 10, the animated phenomenon that had kids all over the world wanting to transform into their favorite alien, begins its global premiere this fall with Europe, the Middle East and AFRICA (EMEA), and the Asia-Pacific region (APAC), and will continue into 2017 with NORTH AMERICA and Latin America (LATAM). A new generation of fans can expect all the high-energy action and fantasy, along with the heart and humor that made it an international sensation when it originally premiered in 2006.

Building on the highly successful franchise about kid hero Ben Tennyson, Ben 10 will introduce a re-imagined Ben, his cousin Gwen, and Grandpa Max, as they travel the country during summer vacation. When Ben finds the Omnitrix, a mysterious watch that transforms him into 10 different friendly aliens, a world of extraterrestrial superpowers opens up to him. The series is produced by Cartoon Network Studios and created and executive produced by Man of Action Entertainment (Big Hero 6, Generator Rex), with John Fang (Mixels, Generator Rex) on board as supervising producer.

The popularity of the show launched three additional animated series (Ben 10 Alien Force, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Ben 10: Omniverse); two animated movies (Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix, Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens); and two live-action movies (Ben 10: Race Against Time, Ben 10: Alien Swarm).

A proven success for Cartoon Network, Ben 10 is an established sales sensation led by top-selling toys, interactive and home entertainment franchises generating more than $4.5 billion in global retail sales to date. Playmates Toys serves as the worldwide master toy partner for the new Ben 10 with a full line of toys based on the series and will include a range of figures, playsets, and role-play items set to launch at retail globally next fall.

About Cartoon Network: Cartoon Network is Turner’s #1 U.S. ad-supported cable network with kids 6-11. Seen in 192 countries and over 370 million homes, it is an industry leader with a global offering of the best in award-winning animated entertainment for kids and families, known for putting its fans at the center of everything by applying creative thinking and innovation across multiple platforms. Home to the original hit series Adventure Time, Steven Universe, WE BARE BEARS and The Amazing World of Gumball, Cartoon Network also takes its responsibilities to its audience seriously by addressing issues affecting families with the Stop Bullying: Speak Upcampaign and bypromoting education and creative development through its commitment to STEAM enterprises and an integral involvement in Computer Science for All, the White House initiative empowering young people to generate skills to thrive in our digital world.

Cartoon Network is part of Turner, a Time Warner company that creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult multi-platform content for consumers around the world. Turner brands and businesses include CNN/U.S., HLN, CNNInternational and CNN.com, TBS, TNT, TCM, truTV, Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Adult Swim, Turner Sports, Bleacher Report, iStreamPlanet and ELEAGUE.

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RAIN OR SHINE TRAILER LAUNCHES FROM GOOGLE SPOTLIGHT STORIES

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Google Spotlight Stories presents

the trailer for their newest story

RAIN OR SHINE

Directed by Felix Massie

The sun is shining, the birds are singing, there’s a spring in everybody’s step.

Everyone in London is enjoying a perfect summer’s day…

Until Ella steps outside.

Everywhere she goes it rains – is she going to ruin everyone’s day forever?

ABOUT “RAIN OR SHINE”

Together with Nexus Animation Studio, Google Spotlight Stories proudly presented a sneak preview of RAIN OR SHINE, directed by Felix Massie, at the Annecy International Animation Festival. The studio’s most interactive short yet — as with other Spotlight Stories, the viewer can look around, and in doing so, can find subplots and surprises, in addition to hold for the viewer to return to main view before returning.

ABOUT GOOGLE SPOTLIGHT STORIES

Google Spotlight Stories is a new form of storytelling made specifically for mobile and VR. In these 360-degree, interactive stories, your phone becomes a window to a world all around you. The sensors on your phone allow the story to be interactive; when you move your phone to various scenes, you are able to unlock mini-stories within the story.

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A Look Inside Boltron Ultimate

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Yesterday we posted the second episode of Boltron Ultimate and readers were asking how it was made, so we asked Chris Burns from Exit 73 to show us a bit more.

Unlike our typical projects (script, boards, layout, animation, post), we set this up as an authentic game production, I.E. creating assets (tons and tons of assets) and generating the story around the flow of the fight, to tell the story in one shot. We figured it would give it a more genuine feel, rather than just a pixelated animation. The idea was/is that if some interest comes down the pike, to make an actual game out of Boltron, we would simply submit the assets, and have the programmers take it from there, rather than generate new moves at the correct pixel ratio.  Figuring out the correct pixel ratio was a challenge as well, since we decided to use flash to create the art, so every frame, of every character is done one tiny square at a time. I’ve always welcomed challenges though when we started the studio, and this was one of those ideas, that needed a lot of trial and error before we could move forward. So the attachments are stills of what the files in flash looked like, before putting it together.

So when you say you drew this in Flash one pixel at a time are you saying you used the rectangle tool to draw rectangles over and over block by block to draw this stuff or did you use the pixel plugin I’ve seen? Did you draw it first in say Photoshop and then import? It seems kinda hard to get a nice design like you did by drawing originally with Flash. 

We would sketch it out with the brush tool first, relatively rough usually… Then we found the best way to achieve the sprite look was to blow up the flash canvas to 2200X2200 Click on the show grid and the snap to grid tabs, and then use the rectangle tool accordingly to build the image,   we would use the grid ratio of 10 pixels by 10 pixels and then shrink the final image to 25% of its original form.  We would still use symbols embedded like head symbols and puppeting elements too.  but all the original artwork was made one square at a time.  We tied using some plugins to achieve the pixel look, but it was super buggy and never felt quite right.  Also Boltron used a lot of robots, and getting symmetry with pixels was a lot easier actually counting out the squares than eyeballing it.

The sprite sheets/model sheets … so those are actually graphic Clips of animation nested inside or are they actually a sprite sheet where every motion is broken out as separate files?

Yes, we made them all loops, for the most part, so we treated the character animation almost like we would use mouth shapes for lipsync, rather than an “o” mouth we would say looks like its time for an “uppercut” or “cyber kick”.

How were those beautiful backgrounds done? Same way in Flash?

Backgrounds went through the same treatment, we would build out elements and build it almost like legos.  The beauty of referencing a game universe, is that we could reuse a lot of the elements and it not feel like a shortcut, since we have all seen how old school video games levels comprised.  I never felt cheated playing Super Mario Brothers, even though I know that the pipe on left is an exact duplicate of the one on the right.  So we applied the same theory here.

So when you built the film did assemble it entirely in Flash pans and all or did you do it with alphas and After Effects scene by scene and then export to Premiere or Final Cut.

We did all the animation strictly in Flash, embedding the scenes in one symbol and moving the camera accordingly.  It’s easier to see the playback instantly rather than hope it works out after a full render.  we would export the final animation as a PNG sequence and bring it into aftereffects to get it ready for youtube though.

The film really lends itself to the old console games, so much so I’d love to see a game made out of it. If someone chose to make a game out of this, what type do you see this as becoming? iOS/Android or console?

If I had my choice I would like to see it on Steam, That way the audience can judge it and take it from there on which way to push it.  I’m a firm believer in how the “free market” should dictate what gets made.  Steam has a nice way of getting an honest opinion on what’s seen without the bitter comments as seen on something like Youtube or Twitter.

How many more episodes will we see of Boltron Ultimate?
There will be 4 parts, that tell the whole story, each part though showcases a different type of game, so it doesn’t feel so repetitive.

 

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Award Winning Animation Studio ‘Brown Bag Films’ Opens New Flagship Studio and Expands Animation Team in Dublin

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Award Winning Animation Studio ‘Brown Bag Films’ Opens New Flagship Studio

and Expands Animation Team in Dublin

Dublin 27th May 2016 – Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor joined Cathal Gaffney, Managing Director, Brown Bag Films/COO 9 Story Media Group and Neil Court, Executive Chairman of 9 Story Media Group today at the inauguration of its new 30,000 square foot animation studio in Smithfield, Dublin.

A subsidiary of Toronto based 9 Story Media Group, Brown Bag Films employ 184 creative and production staff in its headquarters in Dublin, a studio in Manchester and an office in Los Angeles, and is known for producing hit animated children’s series including Octonauts, Doc McStuffins, Bing and Henry Hugglemonster.   Brown Bag is currently producing the CG adaptation of Richard Adams’ beloved novel Watership Down for Netflix and BBC.

The company intends to grow its footprint to a team of 255 by 2018, as continues to expand its global reach with award winning content.  Recruitment is ongoing with a number of open positions currently available on the company’s website.

Speaking at the opening event Minister Mitchell O’Connor said: “I am delighted to be here in Smithfield at the opening of Brown Bag Films’ new flagship studio.  It is hugely encouraging to see this company move into an expanded space with plans for future job growth.  Brown Bag is a great Irish success story since its foundation 22 years ago and is a fine example of what an innovative Irish company can achieve in the global market.  This exciting company is successfully competing in the dynamic and very competitive world of creative animation. It is clear to me that this announcement is a further illustration of the range of Irish talent available for dynamic companies across diverse sectors.  I wish Brown Bag Films’ and their team every success for the future.”

Founded in 1994 by Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O’Connell, Brown Bag Films is renowned for its rich heritage in 3D animation and content, which includes producing four of the top ten pre-school TV shows in the U.S. and entertaining 100 million kids across the globe.  9 Story Media Group is best known as an industry-leading 2D animator, with one of the largest studios in North America, and a highly successful international distribution division. Following last year’s acquisition, Brown Bag Films and 9 Story Media Group have joined forces to become a global leader in providing best-in-class content for young audiences. The combined company now boasts a team of almost 500 staff, locations in 4 different countries, 14 Emmy® awards and 2 Oscar nominations. As part of the integration following the acquisition, Cathal Gaffney was appointed Chief Operating Officer of 9 Story Media Group.

Cathal Gaffney, Managing Director, Brown Bag Films/COO 9 Story Media Group, said: “With an eight year history in Smithfield, we were keen to maintain our roots here.  Our new studio sets an incredibly high standard and is the perfect home for our outstanding creative and technical talent. This is a very exciting time to be working in the kids content business and we are currently recruiting for talent to work with us on exciting shows like Watership Down and Doc McStuffins.”

Neil Court, Executive Chairman of 9 Story Media Group, said: “I am so proud to be part of the exciting expansion of Brown Bag Films. The Smithfield site is one of the most creatively driven and technically advanced studios in the world. The investment in the new space demonstrates our unwavering commitment to growing our production capabilities in Ireland.”

Commenting on the expansion, Martin Shanahan, CEO IDA Ireland said “Brown Bag Films continues to draw international attention to the vibrant animation sector in Ireland through its award winning productions.  Ireland’s combination of creative and technical talent, and our love of storytelling and the visual arts makes it the perfect location from which to grow and develop global content.   IDA Ireland warmly support this investment, and the opportunity to create high quality jobs for talented people in this exciting growth area.”

BBF is a client company of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland.

About Brown Bag Films

Brown Bag Films are one of Europe’s most exciting, original and successful creative-led animation studios. After 22 years in business, their Dublin-based headquarters continue to produce cutting-edge animation for the international market, bagging numerous awards along the way. These include Oscar® nominations for Give Up Yer Aul Sins, Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty, seven Emmy® awards for Peter Rabbit, A Peabody award for Doc McStuffins and a host of BAFTA, Emmy® and Annie nominations.

Brown Bag Films’ much-loved TV shows are viewed by millions of children worldwide and include Doc McStuffins, Henry Hugglemonster, Bing, Peter Rabbit, Olivia, Noddy in Toyland, and Octonauts.  With a second studio in Manchester and an office in LA, Brown Bag Films are committed to producing the highest-quality, cross-platform animation with strong stories and engaging characters.

Founded in 1994 by Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O’Connell, Brown Bag Films have worked with some of the world’s biggest entertainment names, including Disney, Nickelodeon, BBC, Amazon Studios, Acamar Films and Silvergate Media.www.brownbagfilms.com

About 9 Story Media Group

9 Story Media Group Inc. is a leading content creator, marketer and distributor of kids & family focused intellectual property. Recognized around the world for best-in-class brands such as Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, Wild Kratts, Numb Chucks andPeg + Cat, 9 Story represents over 2,150 half hours of animated and live action programming, seen on some of the most respected international channels and platforms.  With one of North America’s largest animation studios, 9 Story employs almost 300 creative and production staff in its Toronto facility and has produced over 900 half hours of award-winning children’s content. Last year 9 Story acquired the award winning animation studio Brown Bag Films, which employs over 184 staff members across Dublin, Manchester and Los Angeles.  Brown Bag is recognized for producing leading animated children’s series such as Octonauts, Doc McStuffins, Bing and Henry Hugglemonster.  9 Story is owned by senior management, ZMC (Zelnick Media Capital) and media entrepreneur Neil Court.  www.9story.com

 

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9 Story Media Group Acquires Worldwide Rights to Iconic Series GARFIELD AND FRIENDS

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Garfield

9 Story Media Group Acquires Worldwide Rights to

Iconic Series GARFIELD AND FRIENDS

Toronto, Canada – May 25, 2016 – 9 Story Media Group announced today that it has acquired Garfield and Friends, the classic animated series from Mendelson/Paws Productions.  The deal includes the fullGarfield and Friends library, which consists of seven seasons (121 x 30’) along with twelve specials and two direct to video titles. 9 Story has secured exclusive worldwide rights across all languages and platforms and plans to remaster the classic content to an HD format.

Produced from 1988-1995, Garfield and Friends is based on the iconic Garfield comic strip created by Jim Davis.  Syndicated in 80 countries and translated into 42 languages, 220 million people read the comic strip each day. The Garfield brand boasts 400 licensees across 5,000 products and has earned over 17 million fans on Facebook.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have Garfield and Friends join the growing 9 Story library,” said Natalie Osborne, Chief Strategy Officer for 9 Story Media Group. “Garfield is one of the most beloved and iconic characters of all time, and the classic television series will continue to delight audiences for generations to come.”

“This is the first time we’ve awarded the rights to a single distribution partner who will handle all markets and all platforms.  We’re very excited to see how the library performs, particularly given the opportunities in digital,” said Jim Davis.  “We are sure the classic TV library is in good hands with 9 Story. “

9 Story Media Group Inc. is a leading content creator, marketer and distributor of kids & family focused intellectual property. Recognized around the world for best-in-class brands such as Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, Wild Kratts, Numb Chucks and Peg + Cat, 9 Story represents over 2,150 half hours of animated and live action programming, seen on some of the most respected international channels and platforms.  With one of North America’s largest animation studios, 9 Story employs over 275 creative and production staff in its Toronto facility and has produced over 900 half hours of award-winning children’s content. Last year 9 Story acquired the award winning animation studio Brown Bag Films, which employs over 175 staff members across Dublin, Manchester and Los Angeles.  Brown Bag is recognized for producing leading animated children’s series such as Octonauts, Doc McStuffins, Bing andHenry Hugglemonster.  9 Story is owned by senior management, ZMC (Zelnick Media Capital) and media entrepreneur Neil Court.  www.9story.com

 

About Garfield:
GARFIELD was born on the comics pages on June 19, 1978. The creation of cartoonist Jim Davis, GARFIELD is a humorous strip centered on the lives of a quick-witted orange cat who loves lasagna, coffee, and his remote control; Jon Arbuckle, his owner; and Odie, a sweet but dumb dog. GARFIELD was introduced to the world in just 41 newspapers and is now the most widely syndicated comic strip ever, appearing in 2100 newspapers. The strip, distributed by Universal Press, is read by over 220 million people each day and is translated into 42 languages.

The success of the comic strip spawned an entertainment empire including television: Garfield and Friends, The Garfield Show, and a dozen primetime specials; movies: Garfield: The Movie and Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties; hundreds of best-selling books, and thousands of licensed products.

Garfield has long been considered an evergreen property because he has not only endured, but continues to be fresh and funny after 38 years in the limelight.

Follow Garfield, along with over 17 million other fans, on Facebook (facebook.com/Garfield) and Twitter (twitter.com/Garfield), and visit garfield.com, and Garfield’s free educational site, professorgarfield