Please find inserted below and attached as a Word doc file, a media release from my client Future Reality regarding the installation of a Discreet inferno system to handle post-production duties on the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.
Sorry – no pics are available.
Regards,
P
++++++++++++
NEWSRELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE USE
Weta Chooses Full Featured Discreet inferno* for Lord of the Rings
(April 2000) – Weta Digital, the renowned effects company based in Wellington, New Zealand, has installed the most powerful Discreet inferno* system in the Southern Hemisphere for use on the production The Lord of the Rings.
Unprecedented in scope, this film by director Peter Jackson breaks new ground in movie-making by filming the three titles in this saga – The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King – not consecutively but concurrently, as though they were all one giant motion picture production. The trilogy is being produced for New Line Cinema.
Weta Digital is the effects company behind the Jackson directed features The Frighteners and Heavenly Creatures, and the television series Xena – Warrior Princess and Hercules.
“inferno* will be the hero compositing seat in our visual effects facility,” said Jon Labrie, Weta‘s Chief Technical Officer. “By working with Future Reality and SGI we were able to upgrade our in-house equipment. For our purposes there is nothing else out there that matches inferno*”
inferno* is running on an eight CPU SGI Onyx 2 rack system configured with 2 GB RAM. The installation includes half a terabyte of Discreet Stone R18 fibre channel disk arrays.
Weta Workshop is executing armour, miniatures, creatures and special effects make-up under the direction of supervisor Richard Taylor.
Weta Digital is executing the special visual effects under the direction of visual effects supervisor Mark Stetson. Visual effects producer for Weta is Charlie McClellan.
The Lord of the Rings began shooting throughout New Zealand on October 11, 1999 and will continue principle photography through to December 2000. Weta Digital will be producing visual effects shots through release of all three films.
“After years of preparation for this tremendous undertaking, inferno* is a key part of our post-production strategy,” said Labrie. “The inferno* configuration as powerful as anything I’ve seen in the world – it’s as good as it gets.”
Lord of the Rings Credits:
The Lord of the Rings is written by Jackson, his longtime production partner Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Stephen Sinclair. The producers are Barrie M. Osborne, Tim Sanders and Jackson. The executive producers are Saul Zaentz, Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein. Walsh and Rick Porras are associate producing under Jackson’s WingNut Films Banner.
About Future Reality:
Future Reality is a supplier of creative technology – systems, software and services for the Australian and New Zealand film, broadcast television, post-production and multimedia industries.
Future Reality provides real-time integrated turn-key systems for digital image creation, visual effects, image manipulation, production and creative editing.
For more information please contact Future Reality in Sydney Tel:
+(61 2) 9906 5455, Melbourne Tel: +(61 3) 9876 8355, Auckland New
Zealand Tel: (+(64 9) 360 3210, Email: info@future.com.au or visit
the Web site at http://www.future.com.au.
ENDS
*From Discreet
Discreet’s inferno* and flame* visual effects tools were recently awarded a Scientific and Engineering Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in recognition of their definite influence upon the advancement of the motion picture industry.
