Reel FX Animation Studios’ VR/AR division and the creative leadership team from Moonbot Studios have teamed to form a multi-platform content studio aptly named Flight School. The Flight School creative team will be led by Academy Award-winning chief creative officer Brandon Oldenburg (The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore), and Emmy Award-winning (Silent, Scarecrow) executive creative director Limbert Fabian. The studio will be managed by CEO Kyle Clark, Reel FX’s current co-CEO, and executive VP Lampton Enochs, former CEO of Moonbot. The new entity fuses creative leadership with world class production and technical expertise developed across a wide spectrum of projects that have garnered honors including Academy, Emmy, Annie, Cannes Lions, and Lumiere awards. Flight School launches in Dallas with a team of approximately 30, including creative directors, producers, animators, engineers, developers and game designers….
The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) is expanding its presence in the Asia Pacific region with the launch of an International Masterclass in Beijing and the availability of the organization’s magazine, American Cinematographer, in Chinese. In collaboration with 107CINE.com, the first Chinese edition of American Cinematographer magazine was posted online April 1, featuring translated articles from the March 2017 print issue. The next edition will contain select articles from both the April and May issues of the magazine. 107CINE reports that the Chinese filmmaking community has responded with great enthusiasm; within the first 10 days, nearly 2,500 website visitors signed up to read the publication. Concurrently with the premiere copy of the Chinese edition of the magazine, the organization is holding its first ASC Masterclasses in Beijing. Running April 10-13 and April 16-19 in partnership with ARRI, the classes are being led by ASC member instructors, including Bill Bennett, Karl-Walter Lindenlaub, Fred Elmes, Theo van de Sande, Steven Fierberg and Sam Nicholson. They will also present two forums with the Beijing Film Academy and the Beijing International Film Festival. The ASC Masterclasses build on the organization’s mission to educate the next generation of filmmakers. Classes include instruction on a variety of topics such as lighting, shooting for live action, animation and visual effects, and color grading. The next Masterclass will be held in Los Angeles at the historic ASC Clubhouse in May….
The Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) announces a final call for submissions to their Production Apprentice (PA) Trainee Program. The program, which opened on February 28, is dedicated to developing a diverse group of new talents, for the profession of production design within moving image. Initially, the invitation went out to colleges, universities and graduates nationwide. This opportunity is intended to provide the most motivated, and talented aspiring designers with an immersive learning experience and eventual Art Directors Guild membership. It is one of the most ambitious apprentice programs administered by a Hollywood labor union. Production apprentices are mentored on the job by working production designers and art directors, and are exposed to a wide range of workplace experiences–feature, episodic television, commercials, reality shows, live events and theme parks. Not limited to Hollywood alone, this is a national initiative. After a review of the applications, interviews will be held in early June with ten finalists. The chosen candidates will then be invited to participate in the 2017- 2018 program. Applications for submission are due by April 28 at 5 pm. Click here for the complete schedule and online application….
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads — essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More