CG supervisor Michael Shelton and Flame artist Max Harris have come aboard the roster of Venice-based boutique public VFX. Both Shelton and Harris previously had tenures at the since shuttered Asylum Visual Effects. Shelton served as a CG and animation supervisor at Asylum. Prior to that, he worked at such shops as Digital Domain, Captive Audience, and Method.
Citing John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing as his holy grail of inspiration, Shelton shared, “To this day I’m still being influenced by ideas born in that movie. When I’m coming up with creature design, their approach always factors into my thinking.”
Shelton’s recent feature work includes Terminator Salvation through Asylum, and director Tony Scott’s Unstoppable.
Among other film endeavors over the years for Shelton were Pirates of the Caribbean 4, Species: Awakening and The Passion of the Christ.
Shelton’s notable commercial work includes the launch of Call of Duty, Modern Warfare, directed by Rupert Sanders of MJZ, the launch of Verizon “Droid,” also directed by Sanders, and GMC’s “Build,” an entirely digital spot showcasing the construction of the new GMC Sierra pickup truck.
Meanwhile Flame artist Harris had a four-year stretch at Asylum. His other career stops include Animal Logic, Sony ImageWorks, Blackbox Digital and Editel.
Harris got his start as a graphics technical assistant and motion control stand operator. He quickly transitioned to running Henry and Flame for features, commercials, episodic, and music videos, before entering the freelance market running both platforms in 1999.
His first major project as a freelance flame artist was director Tarsem’s The Cell. Since then Harris has gone on to work on many studio features including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Terminator: Salvation, Unstoppable, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Transformers, Mr & Mrs. Smith, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and The Incredible Hulk.
Television work includes Boardwalk Empire, Glee, Nip/ Tuck, The United States of Tara and The Good Wife.
Harris’ ad credits include spots for Nike, AT&T, T-Mobile, Corona, Kia and Ford.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More