DOGDAD: I.ARTICLES

DOGDAD: I.ARTICLES: Courtesy of: Schools.com 1.Cardinal Quest: How I Made $60,000 From My Indie Game By Ido Yehieli , 17 Oct 2013 link: http://gamedevel...

'Slugterrainea' Animation in Production

Slugterrainea focuses on Elias Shane, a quick-footed kid who knows these craggy, drippy labyrinths of darkness like the back of his hand. But it takes more than an internal compass to stay alive in this world. Elias is a pretty active fighter, both in friendly duels and against the morally questionable, when equipped with SLUGS. These little critters are the live ammo for Elias and his pals (critters, which after being unleashed, are neither little nor mere "critters" for very long). According to Nerd Corps, Slugterrainea will integrate a healthy sci-fi/fantasy element into its story of one boy's subterranean adventure. Nerd Corps Entertainment has big plans for Slugterrainea (39x22), which was recently acquired for international television screens by Disney XD. The channel will air the CG series in the United States and overseas, as part of a distribution model that sees Disney XD handing all Slugterrainea cable broadcast rights. Nerd Corp has retained all terrestrial broadcast rights. The animated series is scheduled to debut sometime next year. "Disney XD has seen considerable increases year on year since they launched, and we're very excited that they are so on-board and recognize the potential for this show to have a massive appeal," Ken Faier, el Presidente, Nerd Corps, stated. "The world is deep and rich, and most importantly, fun. We know kids are going to want to enter this world and learn how to slug it out everywhere they can!" In Slugterrainea, Elias and others will fire their slug buddies through hi-tech weaponry/slings, in the process helping the tiny creatures transform into rather formidable beasts. But there's evil afoot in the world of Slugterrainea, when a sinister guy named Dr. Blakk unearths a few plans to convert the SLUGS into monstrous minions. Elias, from the looks of things, is going to have to step up his game if he's going to come out on top (and keep peace in the underground world). Key staff for the animated series includes Johnny Darrell (series director) and Rob Hoegee (story editor), who share credits from previous Nerd Corp titles League of Super Evil and Storm Hawks. Darrell most recently served as series director for Hot Wheels Battle Force 5. Hoegee's other credits of note include story editing or writing responsibilities for action hero cartoons Generator Rex, Legion of Superheroes, and Teen Titans. Nerd Corps Entertainment, in the meantime, is putting several resources into the groundwork for Slugterrainea toy and interactive property licenses. The animation studio also continues to develop a pair of other original properties for future release: Endangered Species, which tracks the dilemmas of a freedom-hungry bunny and an airsick-conscious seagull; and Rated "A" for Awesome, where a handful of kids (and their monkey), combat the everyday and the blah with the power of awesomeness.

Marvel to Host Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 is an upcoming American superhero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.It is intended to be the sequel to Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010) and will be the seventh installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, being the first major release in that franchise since the crossover film The Avengers (2012). Shane Black is set to direct a screenplay by himself and Drew Pearce, which will be based on the "Extremis" story arc by Warren Ellis. Jon Favreau, who directed the first two films, serves as executive producer along with Kevin Feige. Robert Downey, Jr. reprises his role as Tony Stark, with Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle reprising their roles as Pepper Potts and James Rhodes respectively.....

Marvel’s Iron Man 3 is slated for release in the U.S. on May 3, 2013.

Source: Marvel Entertainment

DreamWorks strikes deal for theme park

 
The New York Times reports that DreamWorks has made a deal with the company behind the United States’ biggest mall that would bring their characters to a new amusement park as part of a entertainment and retail mall in the New Jersey Meadowlands. Jeffrey Katzenberg said the park would involve the studio’s “characters, storytelling and technology in a unique and innovative family entertainment experience.” The theme park will be indoors and include rides, attractions, and a glass-enclosed wave pool.

Report:Metal Gear Solid 4 finally getting Trophies

Soon you'll be able to play 2008's Metal Gear Solid  in a way that counts toward your all-important cumulative PS3 game score. According to an early report out of Famitsu, a Japanese budget re-release in August will be accompanied by the long-awaited patch to add Trophies to the game. The budget "The Best" version will have Trophy support included, but a concurrent patch will add it to existing copies.

According to Andriasang's source, Kojima Productions will hold a Metal Gear anniversary event in Tokyo on August 30, during which Hideo Kojima will announce something new, related in some way to the data-sharing "Transfarring" feature found in Metal Gear Solid HD Collection. Specifically, "Transfarring" was a test of part of the "vision" for this new game.Report: Metal Gear Solid 4 finally getting Trophies originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Brown Bag: The Leading lrish Animation Into the world

It was the year 1994. The Country, Ireland. The City, Dublin.
Two young students Cathal Gaffney & Darragh O’Connell  loved Animation, the subject that they were studying at college.  They also loved photography, art, film making and were super enthusiastic about what they did.   However their alma mater animation school thought otherwise.  They dropped out before completing their course, and founded an animation start-up named Brown Bag Films, with the motto ‘We Love Animation’ which they subsequently trademarked.
In 2002, Cathal Gaffney & Darragh O’Connell  walked the red carpet at The 74TH Academy Awards with a best animation short film nomination for Give Up Yer Aul Sins directed by Cathal and Produced by Darragh.  In its 8 years of existence till then, this was a crowning glory for Brown Bag films in an already studded string of creative and commercial achievements.

Left to right: The Brown Bag Films at the 74th Oscar Nominations, A still from Give up Yer Aul Sins

In March 2012 Doc Mc Stuffins premiered on Disney Junior and became the No 1 pre-school show in the US, Brown Bag, the studio that worked on the show was still shining bright in its 18th year.

A still from Disney Junior’s “Doc McStuffins” (c) Disney

With 2 Oscar Nominations, as well as International ratings topper shows such as Olivia, Noddy in Toyland, The Octonauts and Doc McStuffins, and a total of 9 shows on air Internationally, Brown Bag films the Irish company with the global outlook and a 110 member motivated team, has truly achieved the best of both the worlds – creative and commercial success.
As we enter the studio headquarters in Smithfield in Dublin, the enthusiasm and the swing in the step is evident right from the word go.
Even before we meet him, say hello and ask him about the secrets of achieving animation success, Cathal Gaffney greeting us, points around at his studio and remarks, “It’s a big family we have out here, we trust and respect everybody at the studio.” He adds that a team of 16 members from Brown Bag including him had just returned from the amazing Annecy festival.  “At Brown Bag we like to nurture talent. And we also give a lot of importance to making short films.”
He makes his point giving the example of their 2nd Oscar nominated short film Granny O Grimms Sleeping Beauty directed by Nicky Phelan. “Nicky was a junior and he had just joined but we saw the talent in him and knew he had a story to tell and we supported and encouraged him all the way. Post the Oscar nomination, he is now directing the 2nd season of the Octonauts”

Brown Bag Films, Founder and CEO, Cathal Gaffney

So is pitching TV shows easier now after being Oscar nominee and ratings topper and a sterling body of work? How does a studio pitch its show and get the green light from the broadcaster?
“I believe that you sell trust first and the project second” quips Cathal.
Quite a profound statement that.
He adds that “In the early days, I did not establish rapport with the broadcasters and I just frantically pitched my ideas at them, the point is what you think about and develop in a vacuum may be good but it still needs to be handled with a lot of subtlety. Gradually as I matured, I saw and dealt with things in a much more sophisticated way.  You need to understand the needs of the broadcasters, what’s working on their channels. They need to know you, trust that you can deliver, you need to know what they want and how you can make things happen in the way that fits in with their perspective”
Besides its already existing shows on air, Brown Bag has a huge slate in development and production as well. The Happy Hugglemonsters (52 x 11 mins) currently in production is slated to go on air on Disney Junior in the US in fall. The 2nd season of The Octonauts (52 x 11) is also in production for Silvergate Media and will go on air on CBeebies.
Recently, Brown Bag opened its Los Angeles office to make further foray into feature film and trans-media properties. The studio has recently partnered with Valve and celebrated film maker Shane Acker to produce an animated feature titled The Deep through a separate production company from its LA base.  Other projects include the development of an original series for a US network which will be targeted at 18-34 yr olds; pre-school; and 6-11 comedy as well. Brown Bag is also actively exploring the Business to Consumer market through new digital distribution channels.
With so much work going on, surely the pressure to constantly expand the team as well as to best shore some of the production must be always on?
“Ultimately broadcast animation is a sophisticated business and we do look for co-production partners and also for production studios.  With regard to sharing production work, we have a different approach than most studios as we do a lot of the key components in here. Ultimately we do share the production work due to the scale factor and we need able and competent studios that can do some of the heavy lifting. But we are very careful in who we choose to work with, we do a lot of due diligence and we pay a lot of attention to detail. We also ensure that our animation director and director are always present at the location where production is on. “
“In Asia we are working with studios from India, Singapore and Indonesia.” He shares, adding “While China too is coming up fast,  communication is still a problem which is not a case with India, besides Ireland and India have a common history of British rule, both independent now but still speak English.  In fact We have had an enjoyable experience working with Crest on Octonauts series 2 and look forward to continuing our relationship with Madmax and his talented team”
” We are looking at developing more strategic interests in Asia.” he added rather poignantly.
With regard to Co-Production, Cathal pointed out that Brown Bag looks at matching of creative sensibilities and of scale as well. “We were in Cannes recently and a lot of companies came over and owing to our credentials, we were offered close to 40% of budgets upfront but I am more interested in looking if our creative sensibilities match. In the end we believe it’s all about the story telling.”
We then switch topic to studio expansion and fresh talent. While Creativity is one aspect, Cathal points that for new students to be technically savvy is very important as well. The studio which is already a 110 member strong team is currently recruiting for 10 more positions. “I always give the example of Indian Animation Students and freshers and how technically savvy they are” he says.
Quite an ironical statement given the amount of emphasis the industry in India lays on How Indian students are not taught to be creative enough!
The patriot within Cathal shows up as he beams when he talks about Irish Animation. He is as proud of Irish Animation as he is about Brown Bag  and again he stresses about the creativity and story telling.
“You will find a tax credit in almost every state in the US & Canada and in almost every country in Europe but the reason why Irish Animation is so successful globally is because of our creativity and story-telling. Also here we are quite happy to introduce another Irish studio if we are too full to take on work that comes our way.” he says.
On being asked about the good role played by IDA, EI, IFB, RTE, and the other Irish Agencies and bodies, in terms of supporting, nurturing, funding and promoting the Irish Animation eocsystem, Cathal does acknowledge their role to be very important and crucial as well.
Which brings us back to the question that we first began with….what does it take for an animation studio to taste the kind of creative, commercial success that Brown Bag has had?
“Persistence!” says Cathal and creative leadership at the helm, “I believe that the most successful animation companies have creatives at the helm, just look at Pixar or Aardman. Certainly from an artistic point of view, it is more successful when creatives hire business people than when business people hire creatives as the process of producing animation can sometimes treated like a commodity.  I think a love of animation, a healthy respect for the children that watch it and the right environment to produce it are always key ingredients for any successful studio.”
Indeed.
We leave the studio with an increased love for animation. Blame it on an infectious Irish Animation studio called Brown Bag Films.

Animation & Graphics: Lots of Info on Upcoming Pixar Films; Bob Peterson...

Animation & Graphics: Lots of Info on Upcoming Pixar Films; Bob Peterson...: Earlier today, we reported that Pixar had announced the release dates and directors of their upcoming films through 2014 . Th...

Lots of Info on Upcoming Pixar Films; Bob Peterson Taking on Dinosaurs, Pete Docter’s Film Set Inside the Mind and Possibly Scripted by Michael Arndt

Earlier today, we reported that Pixar had announced the release dates and directors of their upcoming films through 2014. This featured the triumphant return of Up and Monsters Inc. director Pete Docter and Up co-director Bob Peterson’s first feature flying solo. We now have more information on the original two flicks thanks to the Pixar presentation at Disney’s D23 Expo this afternoon.
Peterson’s film will be a contemporary-set pic featuring dinosaurs. The premise assumes that the storied asteroid missed Earth all those millions of years ago, and dinosaurs are now a part of everyday life. Docter’s film is a bit more cerebral, as it takes place “within the mind.” Hit the jump for more information, including the official loglines of each and the possibility of Toy Story 3 scribe Michael Arndt working on Docter’s pic.
Peterson will be directing his untitled film with the help of producer John Walker (The Incredibles), and the flick is set for a November 27^th, 2013 release. Here’s the official logline:

What if the cataclysmic asteroid that forever changed life on Earth actually missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? This hilarious, heartfelt and original tale is directed by Bob Peterson (co-director/writer, “Up;” writer, “Finding Nemo”) and produced by John Walker (“The Incredibles,” “The Iron Giant”).

The film has apparently been in the works for a while, as back in 2009 some concept art featuring a boy and a dinosaur was spotted at Pixar while doing interviews for Up. That image can be seen here:

And here’s an image from the presentation today, which features a temporary logo:

Docter’s film is being produced by Jonas Rivera (Up), and is set for release on May 20^th, 2014. The official logline for the human mind-set flick is as follows:

Pixar takes audiences on incredible journeys into extraordinary worlds: from the darkest depths of the ocean to the top of the tepui mountains in South America; from the fictional metropolis of Monstropolis to a futuristic fantasy of outer space. From director Pete Docter (“Up,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and producer Jonas Rivera (“Up”), the inventive new film will take you to a place that everyone knows, but no one has ever seen: the world inside the human mind.

While that vague logline is hardly satisfying, The Playlist may have dug up some more details on the project. They’re reporting that screenwriter Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) is penning the script, and they say the film is actually about the formation of ideas. Their source calls the flick “wildly ambitious,” so it sure sounds like Docter’s got some big ideas (zing!) up his sleeve.
The news of these two new original films is definitely refreshing after the disappointment of Cars 2. The studio also has Monsters University coming down the pipeline, but I’m more hopeful for that film than I was for the Cars follow-up because I actually enjoyed the first entry. Everything we’ve seen from next year’s Pixar film Brave has been fantastic, and it sure sounds like audiences will be wowed with these two exciting concepts from two truly talented directors.
Along with the synopses for these two new projects, Pixar also unveiled a new synopsis for Brave, which I’ll leave you with. The film opens June 22^nd, 2012:

Since ancient times, stories of epic battles and mystical legends have been passed through the generations across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland. In “Brave,” a new tale joins the lore when the courageous Merida (voice of Kelly Macdonald) confronts tradition, destiny and the fiercest of beasts.
Merida is a skilled archer and impetuous daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Witch (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.

Prometheus Star Takes The Lead In Assassin's Creed Movie

Prometheus star Michael Fassbender will lend his talents as an actor and a producer to the upcoming big screen adaptation of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series, Variety confirms. Fassbender will produce through his DMC Film label alongside the newly established Ubisoft Motion Pictures group.
The Variety piece offers only the most general of synopses for the in-development project, essentially recapping the main thrust of the game series. The story "revolves around a man who learns his ancestors were trained assassins after he is kidnapped by a secret [organization] with ties to the Knight Templar, and sent back in time to retrieve historical artifacts."

From the sound of that description, the movie will at least tip its hat in the direction of the first game's story. In that game, modern-day everydude Desmond Miles is kidnapped by the Knights Templar and sent to explore the past using the Animus, a machine which allows the person hooked into it to relive ancestral memories. It's not quite time travel, though the Variety description could just be a simplification rather than an indication of creative liberties being taken with the story.
Fassbender's involvement is a little bit surprising, but it bring a lot more legitimacy to this planned adaptation. He first drew attention with his role in the excellent Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg-produced HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, though he's more recently been a geek topic of conversation thanks to his key roles in 300, Inglorious Basterds, and X-Men: First Class (among others). He's an immensely talented actor, and while I can't immediately picture him in the Desmond Miles role, I can definitely see him bringing a high level of quality to the adaptation.
Ubisoft will develop the film -- now alongside DMC -- independently in order to hang onto creative control, with plans to seek out a studio for marketing and distribution help only after work is completed on the film. The publisher seems to be learning its lesson after the debacle that was Disney's Prince of Persia movie adaptation, a summer action blockbuster that never quite came together, even with a script from franchise creator Jordan Mechner. There's no release date/window mentioned in the report, but with the project still in development it's a safe bet that this one is at least a couple years out.