From CinemaTech: I arrived at the LA Convention Center this afternoon just in time to find a seat in the back of the hall for George Lucas’ opening keynote at SIGGRAPH 2005… (George Lucas) talks a bit about Peter Jackson’s visual effects shop, Weta Digital, which he visited recently. “Weta is like ILM was 20 years ago.” He invited Jackson to come see ILM now, and see if that’s really the direction he wants Weta to go. [More]
Month: August 2005
From CinemaTech: I arrived at the LA Convention Center this afternoon just in time to find a seat in the back of the hall for George Lucas’ opening keynote at SIGGRAPH 2005. (No special seating for media or bloggers – boo hoo.) Lucas is introduced as “the father of digital cinema” and then a short film on his career lauds him as “a tireless champion of digital projection… (Lucas) talks a bit about Peter Jackson’s visual effects shop, Weta Digital, which he visited recently. “Weta is like ILM was 20 years ago.” He invited Jackson to come see ILM now, and see if that’s really the direction he wants Weta to go. Referring to ILM, he says: “A big corporation has its downside. Companies are kind of like sharks. If they don’t swim, they die. You either have to grow and get bigger and bigger, or you begin to collapse. I think ILM, we’ve all agreed, has reached a level that we want to stick with. We don’t want to get any bigger. We’re the oldest, we’re the largest, we’re the most advanced. And that’s a fun position to be in.” He says if a studio or someone else wanted to build a bigger shop, ILM wouldn’t necessarily try to compete. [More]
From IMDB: The Lord Of The Rings star Elijah Wood is such a fan of rock music he’s decided to launch his own record label. Wood will open the as-yet-untitled label later this year and he’s hoping to attract a wide range of acts. The 24-year-old says, “Since I was 13, I’ve been utterly obsessed with music. There’s a wealth of amazing bands out there who have nowhere to go. I want to have the chance to release things that might not necessarily get released otherwise. My taste is pretty eclectic, so my label won’t have a specific sound. Though if Radiohead are ever looking for a deal, I’d sign them any time.” But, despite his willingness to help musicians secure a record deal, Wood has no plans to release his own album. He tells British magazine Q, “I don’t have a great love for bands with actors in them. Me prancing around onstage? That’s not going to happen.” [More]
Orlando Bloom, the British heartthrob of “Lord of the Rings” fame, said he’s glad finally to lay down his sword as he plays his first contemporary role in director Cameron Crowe’s upcoming film. Bloom, who has starred as a warrior in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, the epic “Troy” and the Crusader drama “Kingdom of Heaven,” plays a young Kentucky aristocrat in “Elizabethtown,” due for release later this year. [More]
A big-budget Hollywood sci-fi film featuring aliens and Vikings is to be shot in New Zealand – and it is likely to star Kiwi actor Karl Urban. Outlander, set during the time of the Vikings, is the only Hollywood production – other than Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones – known to be filmed in New Zealand in the next 12 months. Urban confirmed Outlander in an interview about his next film Doom, based on the popular sci-fi computer game. Doom is to be released in October. Urban told film website Aint It Cool News he was in negotiations to play the lead in Outlander – a pilot from a distant solar system chased by an alien predator. He crash-lands on Earth at the time of the Vikings. Urban said Outlander would be shot in New Zealand, with Wellington special effects company Weta creating the film’s creatures. [More]
No, this isn’t a Sean Bean love-fest film ‘Lord of the Beans’ is Big Idea Production’s newest video release coming out in late October. Take a look at this VeggieTales Production. Thanks to Rachel for the link. [More]