GOBELINS, l’ecole de l’image, an applied arts, print and digital media school in Paris, is known for its award-winning student films that have won many international prizes. GOBELINS is organizing for the seventh time an international summer school to enable students and professionals from around the world to gain a better understanding of what makes for successful character animation.

The 2012 program “Character Animation” will offer master classes and workshop activities with instructors who teach at GOBELINS, including animation professor Fred Nagorny who has taught many animation professionals, as well as Kyle Balda, 3D animator who has in the past worked for ILM and Pixar before moving to Europe where has worked mainly for Mac Guff. Kyle recently co-directed the box office hit Lorax. Also, former DreamWorks animator Alexandre Heboyan (Kung Fu Pands, Monsters Vs. Aliens), now directing an animation feature film in France, will also share his tips on acting and performance in character animation. They will be joined by Robert Bennett, acting and mime performer and Yoshi Tamura who will share his valuable experience on numerous feature films for Disney and Dreamworks, including Hercules (1997), TARZAN (1999), Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), A Sharktale (2004), Over The Hedge (2006), Flushed Away (2006), and The Princess And The Frog (2009. Yoshi was recently director of animation on the 2D French animation feature film Zarafa released this year.

The master classes will be given in English or in French with simultaneous translation in English.

The course runs in Paris from July 2nd to July 13th, 2012. For more Information and sign-ups, visit www.gobelins.fr/summerschool or contact summerschool@gobelins.fr

GOBELINS will also be organizing in 2012 for the first time in Hong Kong a second summer school program from August 13th to August 24th in partnership with the Hong Kong Design Institute. This 2012 program will be built around two master classes, one devoted to character design and one to character animation, and given by GOBELINS teachers who are active professionals in world renowned animation studios including Annie Award nominee Patrick Maté for character design and Ludovic Bouancheau, recently nominated for a VES award in character animation. These master classes will include workshop activities with hands on practice of both disciplines. For more Information, contact summerschool@gobelins.fr

New Eden follows the adventures of bickering odd couple Murray and Hamilton, two starship crewmen marooned and fighting for their lives on a primordial world after their starship crash lands on the wrong planet!

Australian London based co-creator and producer Brett Snelgrove says “the pilot will appeal to South Park and sci-fi fans alike.

“And anyone who wants to see cool frick’n monsters make grown men poo their pants”.

Dutch animator and fellow co-creator Freek van Haagen adds “we’re sci-fi geeks at heart but a little twisted so you can expect plenty of slapstick, witty banter and gross out humour. All the good stuff!”

After 18 months of work the creative duo have chosen to release the New Eden pilot online.

“Our target audience immediately turn to their laptops or smart phones instead of their TV’s these days for entertainment. With so much content readily available online, it’s an exciting time for independent web creators,” says Freek.

“Audiences are hungry for new original digital content,” says Brett

“You just have to look at the success of crowd-funded projects like Pioneer One and The Underwater Realm and YouTube’s 100 channels initiative. Plus companies like Hulu and Netflix which are commissioning original content solely for online distribution”.

Brett and Freek are working with branded content agency Krempelwood to attract sponsorship in the hope of turning New Eden into an online series.

“The rule of thumb nowadays for independent creators is the content comes first, then the audience and then finally the money,” says Brett.

“We are aiming to build an audience by delivering nine weeks of additional content around the pilot’s release,” says Freek.

In the lead up to the pilot’s launch, videos and animated extras will be released online.

Immediately afterwards animated skits will debut in conjunction with a New Eden Facebook game.

The New Eden pilot will premiere on YouTube and Vimeo on Tuesday May 29.

Fans can find out more about New Eden on their official website and Facebook page.

Additional content will be released from May 15.

GUILDFORD, UK – Imagineer Systems, developers of the popular motion tracking and visual effects software, mocha Pro, announced that the company is launching a new discount pricing program created specifically for universities, film schools and high schools. The new Imagineer Systems Authorized Education Partner Program is designed to make it easy for educators to incorporate valuable skill sets derived from mocha Pro v3 and its powerful Planar Tracker technology into a school’s curriculum.

Imagineer’s new academic and EDU discount programs offer two options, now available on an annual renewal fee basis:

• mocha Pro v3 EDU Single Seat option offers one fixed price per seat (node or float) for $199.00 USD per year;
• mocha Pro v3 Authorized Education Partner Program offers up to 50 floating seats of mocha Pro v3 for only $5,000.00 USD per year. As members of the Authorized Education Partner Program, sites also receive a free listing and banner on Imagineer’s web site, access to Imagineer Product Specialists via Skype, and the ability to run the mocha license server remote and allow VPN log-in.

Who Qualifies for Academic Discounts

• University, college students, film school students, faculty members and departments

• High school students, faculty members and departments
• Approved non-profit organizations

To qualify for the new Academic Discount Programs, schools or students are required to provide written proof of eligibility, via academic ID or non-profit certification. Use of the program is expressly restricted to use in teaching, research and noncommercial projects.

What’s New for Schools and Students in Version 3

Imagineer Systems has worked closely with its customers to improve its family of intelligent Planar Tracking utilities.  All mocha v3 products have been updated to add new features and improve core areas for customers: from large facilities that require advanced layer management tools for film effects and roto pipelines, to creative boutiques and artists who’ve been asking for true 3D camera support for years. Among the new developments in v3 are:

• New Rotoscoping Tools: Transform Tool and Join Layers designed to create and edit roto masks more efficiently;

• New Layer Management: View, organize, color code and group mocha layers. Increase artists productivity;
• Project Management: Easily merge and share projects between artists for large scale roto and vfx pipelines;
• 3D Camera Solver: The advanced Planar Tracker now includes 3D Camera Solver for After Effects and FBX formats (Nuke, Maya, Cinema 4D and more);
• Dopesheet: New keyframe layout for adjusting timing and animation;
• Even More Improvements: Keyboard shortcuts and interface improvements enhance the entire Planar Tracking-based workflow for tracking, roto, removal and more.

The 2012 mocha Product Family

mocha AE is Imagineer’s stand-alone Planar Tracking and roto utility optimized for After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro and Motion users. The advanced mask creation tools, simple user interface and copy/paste exchange with After Effects helps take the complications out of motion tracking and reduces keyframing tedium.

mocha AE is available in two version: mocha AE CS6, which comes as a free bundle with every copy of the newly launched Adobe After Effects CS6 and is specifically optimized for After Effects; and the mocha AE v3 standalone application, which adds new Camera Solve features and additional support for Apple Final Cut Pro, Motion and Boris FX and is available for purchase directly from Imagineer Systems. mocha AE v3 also is backward compatible with older version of Adobe’s Creative Suite.

mocha Pro v3 is Imagineer’s intelligent Planar Tracking utility for post production and visual effects professionals that combines advanced roto, motion tracking, lens analysis, object removal, insert compositing, stabilization and 3D camera solve features into a single desktop application. mocha Pro integrates seamlessly with industry-popular editing, compositing, and animation applications and is the ideal post production companion software for managing challenging shots and projects.

mocha Pro has gained notoriety as a result of the significant impact the Planar Tracker has made in the production of the Hollywood visual effects laden films such as The Black Swan, X-Men: First Class, and Captain America: The First Avenger.  Additionally, mocha Pro has proven invaluable to customers at major post production and stereo conversion facilities around the world, and has greatly streamlined the stereo conversion pipelines on such 3D blockbuster sensations as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island.

GLENDALE, Calif., May 4, 2012  — DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Nasdaq: DWA) today announced the release of DreamWorks Dragons: TapDragonDrop for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, in conjunction with leading Smartphone games publisher PikPok®.

Available now on the App Store, TapDragonDrop takes players to the Viking island of Berk, where a great storm has struck the village and sheep are now scattered throughout the land.  The goal of the game is to save the day by using their wit and new Dragon friends to solve puzzles throughout the dangerously funny, sheep-unfriendly world of Berk.  Tap, Drag and Drop your Dragon’s powerful abilities to rescue the flock, and use catapults, drawbridges and much more to your advantage as you explore the breath-taking Dragon world.

“We’re excited to share TapDragonDrop with casual gamers and fans of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise,” said Chris Hewish, Head of Global Interactive for DreamWorks Animation. “In addition to the fun gameplay and beautiful design, players can stay engaged as we expand this exciting world of legendary creatures.”

Features in the DreamWorks Dragons: TapDragonDrop game include:

• Play as Toothless and Hiccup
• Explore more than 40 challenging levels from the boundless Dragon world
• Rescue sheep by using a wide variety of items, from catapults and drawbridges to haystacks, boulders, and more
• Collect scattered Viking treasure to unlock secret hero levels
• Check the store for new dragons and new levels available through In-App Purchase

The DreamWorks Dragons: TapDragonDrop App is available for $1.99 from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, or at www.itunes.com/appstore.

May 1, 2012 – West Palm Beach, FL – Olympusat, Inc., the country’s market leader in the development and distribution of independent Hispanic, Specialty, and Faith & Family television networks, announced today that their award winning FUNimation Channel HD is available to 4 million subscribers on Verizon FiOS On Demand. FUNimation Channel HD is the ONLY 24/7 and On Demand television network devoted exclusively to anime. FUNimation on Verizon FiOS currently offers 42 hours per month of FUNimation Channel programming. FUNimation delivers the most sought after anime titles from Japan, dubbed into English to satisfy the legions of growing fans in the United States. Titles now available on Verizon FiOS include:

· Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos, TV-14: In the lost holy land of Milos, the Elrics search for the truth behind an unknown form of alchemy. What secrets are hidden in Milos? Riddles must be solved and dangers faced before the truth can be found.
U.S. BROADCAST PREMIERE
· X, TV-14: Kamui is torn between rival orders of superhuman warriors, and the time has come for him to choose his side. Either he fights to save civilization, or he must deliver a death blow to the human race. There will be consequences.
· Vandread, TV-14: In the future, the battle of the sexes has turned into a war. Men and women don’t just argue – they go for each other’s throats. Enter Hibiki, who gets caught in a firefight after stowing away in a mech meant to purge the galaxy of estrogen forever!
· Okami-san, TV-14: Don’t let her adorable boxing gloves fool you—Ryoko packs a mean punch. She and her friends form Otogi Bank: a social club which specializes in resolving issues for classmates via such aggressive tactics you’ll forget they’re in high school.

To sign-up for the FUNimiation Channel visit: www.funimation.tv/signup.php

The National Trust has launched a campaign today teaming up with national treasures Wallace and Gromit to help lead the country’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

A weekend of over 70 Jubilee tea parties will be held across the country where the loveable duo’s new mini animation will be shown for the first time ever at Trust places.  The funny flick has been specially created for the National Trust festivities as part of their Summer of Celebration campaign and shows the pair preparing for the big weekend, by scaling the ladders to hoist the bunting up around a magnificent Trust manor.

The green grass carpet will be rolled out for the mini animation – A Jubilee Bunt-a-thon – and a behind the scenes documentary, which are to be exclusively screened at the Trust’s Jubilee parties. Their films have already met with the royal seal of approval with Camilla declaring that Wallace and Gromit are Prince Charles’ “favourite people in the world”.

The one-minute animation begins in the familiar setting of 62 West Wallaby Street with the ever faithful and long suffering Gromit sitting at his sewing machine making miles of bunting to adorn National Trust places across the country.

The film in numbers:

30 number of people who contributed to the making of the film
3 months it took to make
500 hours taken to complete from storyboard to post production
60 metres of bunting used to decorate West Wallaby Street and National Trust property
8 hours spent brushing the grass with a fork to achieve the correct look
30 kilograms of plasticine used
4 number of Gromits used in filming
254 weight in kilograms of the National Trust property in the film

Tony Berry, Visitor Experience Director of the National Trust, comments: “The National Trust and Wallace and Gromit are two of Britain’s greatest treasures and we felt it fitting that in this summer of celebration we should bring them together. We are holding our very own premiere of  Wallace & Gromit’s Jubilee Bunt-a thon at our properties, it was made exclusively for the National Trust and we are really excited that it will encourage the nation to join us for an extra special Diamond Jubilee celebration.”

Nick Park, creator of Wallace and Gromit, comments: “I have to pinch myself when I think how far Wallace and Gromit have come; from ideas in my head, to ‘film stars’ working with great organisations such as the National Trust, which the nation holds dear to its heart.  At Aardman we are thrilled that Wallace and Gromit have had a chance to explore all the Trust has to offer – from helping to put up bunting to enjoying their Wensleydale cheese platter at a picnic. Wallace and Gromit are in for a cracking summer at the National Trust.

“The National Trust has a special place in my heart from a childhood memory of completing a paint-by-numbers at Stourhead, to Montacute House, on which we based Tottington Hall in the Curse of the Were-rabbit.”

The nation’s much loved comedy duo have paired up with the Trust for some cracking Jubilee parties this summer which as well as the debut of the mini animation and behind the scenes ‘making of…’ film, will also feature Wallace and Gromit model making workshops with trained Aardman animators, themed trails, a variety of fun games for children and exclusive themed retail and catering treats for all the family.

Wallace & Gromit’s Jubilee Bunt-a-thon will be shown on 4 June at 14 National Trust properties as part of the Summer of Celebration Diamond Jubilee parties.  Take a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Wallace and Gromit film.

Love is in the air… it’s time to celebrate a royal wedding! My Little Pony – Friendship Is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding is coming to DVD on August 7, 2012 from Shout! Factory in collaboration with Hasbro Studios. My Little Pony – Friendship Is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding features 5 episodes that everypony will love, including “A Canterlot Wedding, Part 1,” “A Canterlot Wedding, Part 2,” “Hearts And Hooves Day,” “Sweet & Elite,” and “The Best Night Ever.” Bonus features will include a coloring sheet and more! Girls can also act out imaginative stories of their own with delightful My Little Pony wedding-themed figures, play-sets, and vehicles from Hasbro.

When it’s announced that Twilight Sparkle’s older brother, Shining Armor, is set to marry Princess Celestia’s niece, Cadence, all the ponies in Equestria should be celebrating. But there’s one pony in Ponyville who’s not so thrilled with the news — Twilight Sparkle! Why is the young unicorn so concerned? And will the royal wedding go off without a hitch? Find out in the two-part special, and then join us for the perfect after-party — three more My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes, all included in the first-ever DVD release of My Little Pony – Friendship Is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding!

My Little Pony – Friendship Is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding is priced at $14.97 and is now available for pre-order at amazon.com.

The My Little Pony Friendship is Magic series is currently airing on The HUB TV Network in the US.

My Little Pony – Friendship Is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding Episodes Include:
A Canterlot Wedding, Part 1
A Canterlot Wedding, Part 2
Hearts And Hooves Day
Sweet & Elite
The Best Night Ever

Bonus Features:
A Coloring Sheet and more!

Total Running Time: +/- 2 hours

DUCK has sliced two birds with one stone, considerably escalating its presence in both the live-action and animation realms with the addition of versatile director Knife Party. The Sydney, Australia-based talent — also known as Simon Robson — will focus on ad campaigns, full-length feature films, and cause-based special projects.

“We’ve entered an age when clients demand a production studio that can deliver any mix of animation and live action, in any length or format,” stated DUCK EP Mark Medernach. “In Knife Party, we have that rare talent that can do both, capturing the essence of a brand and delivering it in any imaginable format.”

Knife Party’s recent projects include award-winning animated work in a spot for MasterCard and a trailer for the SBS series Immigration Nation. In the live-action realm, he helmed an impressive spot for Australian telecom brand Telstra. A trio of NBC Universal spots promoting sustainable living brought his two specialties together, as 2D line-art animation flooded live-action footage. Other short-form work includes spots for Adidas, Nike and Save the Children. Knife Party’s long-form work includes the animated film Coalition of the Willing, animation for the Chris Atkins feature film Taking Liberties, and the 2003 film festival favorite What Barry Says.

Aside from films screened at major festivals across the world, Knife Party’s work has collected honors at ADFEST and Promax World. The Guardian website has featured his work, and he has been shortlisted for The British Design of The Year Award and nominated for a BAFTA.

“DUCK is the perfect fit for me,” noted Knife Party. “I like to stay busy with varied projects, and this is a studio that is always seeking new challenges, new clients, new ways of doing things. I can guarantee I’ll never be bored working around a group this driven and talented.”