October 26, 2012
DreamWorks chairman resigns, replaced by directorGLENDALE, Calif. (AP) — DreamWorks Animation SKG says Chairman Roger Enrico has resigned, effective immediately.
The movie studio is replacing Enrico, a former CEO of PepsiCo Inc. who had served as chairman since DreamWorks went public in 2004, with board member Mellody Hobson.
Dreamworks did not give a reason for Enrico’s resignation in its release Thursday.
The company makes a few big-budget animated movies every year, including “Kung Fu Panda” and “Madagascar,” along with some TV specials. It signed a five-year distribution deal with News Corp.’s 20th Century Fox in August.
Shares of DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. are up 8 cents to $20.59 in afternoon trading.
“The Hobbit” to be released in Dolby AtmosDerrik J. Lang, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Middle-earth will sound more realistic in “The Hobbit.”
Dolby Laboratories Inc. and director Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production announced Wednesday that “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” will be mixed and released in Dolby Atmos, the company’s immersive new sound system that features two extra arrays of overhead speakers and the ability to direct sounds to individual speakers inside movie theaters.
“(Jackson) felt it was going to make a big difference in how he tells stories,” said Stuart Bowling, Dolby’s senior technical marketing manager. “He doesn’t want people to just go and observe his movies. He wants you to feel like you’re part of the experience of the stories that’s he’s trying to tell on the screen and allow you to be part of Middle-earth.”
The director of the Oscar-winning “The Lord of the Rings” films adapted J.R.R. Tolkien’s tale of Bilbo Baggins, set in the fictional realm of Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings.” Besides the standard 2-D format, Warner Bros. Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures are releasing the series in high-frame-rate 3-D, IMAX and other 3-D formats.
Bowling said Dolby’s goal is to have the Atmos platform installed in 80 to 100 theaters in time for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” which is scheduled to premiere on Dec. 14.
The second and third films, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” are set for release Dec. 13, 2013, and July 18, 2014.
Other movies slated to be released in the Atmos format include Fox’s “Chasing Mavericks” and “Life of Pi.” Disney-Pixar’s “Brave” was the first film to debut with the audio format earlier this year.
Bowling said the company expects more than 15 films to be released in Atmos next year and hoped to have the system in 1,000 theaters by the end of next year.
“Dolby Atmos is fantastic from a sound quality position,” said John Neill, head of sound at Park Road Post Production. “We can now hear full range surround speakers, meaning that when we pan from the front to surround, the sound does not change in quality. The overhead speakers give us the opportunity to place the theater patron really in the location.”
Jackson shot “The Hobbit” in 3-D and at 48 frames a second, twice the speed that’s been the standard since the 1920s. He received a mixed reception for high-frame-rate preview footage of “The Hobbit” at the Cinema Con theater owner’s convention last year. Some thought the images were too clear and realistic, taking away from the magic of the film medium.
Daniela Huml Promoted to EP/Partner of Milk & Honey Films
LOS ANGELES–Milk & Honey Films has promoted Daniela Huml to executive producer and partner. Based out of the production services company’s Los Angeles office, Huml has helped to significantly build Milk & Honey with bases of operation in the U.S., Europe, South America, and soon to be Asia.
For over seven years, Huml has been with Milk & Honey Films collaborating with international film crews and production companies such as B-Reel, Acne, and Non-Fiction. Recently, Huml has been instrumental in bringing together large productions for brands including Jeep, Volkswagen, Microsoft, Degree, Kohler, Southern Comfort, and Breitling, throughout the U.S., South America and Europe.
Facebook 3Q results show mobile ad growthBy Barbara Ortutay, Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook finally has proof that it can make money from mobile advertising.
As part of Tuesday’s third-quarter results, the world’s biggest social media company disclosed for the first time that some 14 percent of its ad revenue came from mobile advertising. It started showing ads to users who access Facebook from their phones and tablet computers about six months ago.
Since before the company’s initial public offering in May, investors have worried that Facebook isn’t taking advantage of its growing mobile user base.
“I want to dispel this myth that Facebook can’t make money on mobile,” said CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a conference call with analysts. “This may have seemed true earlier this year because we hadn’t started trying yet.”
Tuesday’s quarterly financial report —Facebook’s second as a public company— sent its stock up $2.53, or 13 percent, to $22.03 in after-hours trading. Facebook had closed up 18 cents at $19.50 in regular trading on a day that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average drop 243 points, or 1.8 percent.
Facebook Inc. posted a loss of $59 million, or 2 cents per share, in the July-September period. That’s down from earnings of $227 million, or 10 cents per share a year ago, when Facebook was still privately held.
Excluding special items, mainly related stock compensation expenses, Facebook Inc. earned $311 million, or 12 cents per share, in the latest quarter, a penny better than what analysts were expecting.
Revenue rose 32 percent to $1.26 billion from $954 million. That’s also higher than the $1.23 billion that analysts polled by FactSet had expected.
Facebook’s monthly user base grew 26 percent from a year earlier, to 1.01 billion. Some 60 percent of users access Facebook using a mobile device, the company said. At the end of the second quarter, less than 57 percent of its then-955 million users came from mobile devices.
“People who use our mobile products are more engaged, and we believe we can increase engagement even further as we continue to introduce new products and improve our platform,” Zuckerberg said. “At the same time, we are deeply integrating monetization into our product teams in order to build a stronger, more valuable company.”
Advertising revenue was $1.09 billion, up 36 percent from a year earlier. It represented about 86 percent of Facebook’s total revenue. In the second quarter, Facebook’s ad revenue grew at a slower pace — 28 percent from a year earlier, to $992 million. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian said that besides the mobile progress, the acceleration of ad revenue was a big reason for Facebook’s stock price jump.
“There was some debate that they’d be able to pull that off,” he said.
Facebook’s stock has been trading at roughly half of its initial public offering price of $38. The May 18 IPO was one of the most highly anticipated offerings in recent years, but the excitement quickly deflated — in part due to concerns about Facebook’s ability to grow mobile ad revenue. The stock has not traded above its IPO price since its first trading day.
Though investors took it as a good sign, Sebastian called Facebook’s mobile progress incremental.
“They have a lot of work to do,” he said.
Facebook’s challenges include ensuring that users are not overwhelmed by mobile ads bombarding their smaller phone and tablet screens. Chief Operating officer Sheryl Sandberg said the company monitors user engagement to make sure this doesn’t happen.
As Facebook’s user growth inevitably plateaus, the company will also have to grow the money it makes from each user, Sebastian said, adding that Facebook is on the right path as it experiments with new ad formats and products.
Tony Scott died from blunt force in L.A. bridge jump
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An autopsy report on the death of “Top Gun” director Tony Scott lists his death as a suicide and says the cause was multiple blunt force injuries suffered from jumping off a bridge into Los Angeles Harbor.
The report released Monday by the Los Angeles County coroner says Scott also drowned, and had in his system therapeutic levels of the anti-depressant Remeron and the sleep aid Lunesta.
No surprises appeared in the autopsy results on Scott, who leapt from the Vincent Thomas Bridge on August 19 and whose death was presumed a probable suicide from the outset.
The coroner’s office said previously that Scott left notes behind in his car including messages to friends and loved ones, but none gave a reason why he would kill himself.
MTh adds French directorial duo Akama
LOS ANGELES–Commercial production company MTh (Motion Theory) has added French directorial team Akama to its roster. Akama’s Alexandre Ada and Cedric Jeanne joined forces in 2004 and have gone on to turn out work for such global brands as Audi, Volkswagen, Lacoste, Kit Kat and more ever since.
Akama specializes in blending live-action with 3D, VFX and motion graphics. The duo’s work has been recognized by Cannes Lions, the Visual Effects Society, the One Show, Eurobest, the London International Awards, the New York Festival Awards and the Effies, among other competitions.
Stephen Lovett to lead Light Iron OUTPOST Mobile SystemsHOLLYWOOD, Calif.–Light Iron–a leading postproduction house specializing in on-site dailies, digital intermediate, archival, and data services for projects originated on file-based motion cameras–has hired Stephen Lovett to oversee the expansion of its OUTPOST mobile post production systems.
As a former partner at Microsoft, Lovett oversaw the development of many notable software releases for the Macintosh platform, including Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and a Java Virtual Machine. Subsequently he managed development and operations for some of Microsoft’s largest internet properties including Hotmail, MSN Messenger, and Windows Live. Before his 13 years at Microsoft, Lovett was a test engineer in the Claris division of Apple Computer and a program manager of Symantec’s SAM anti-virus product.
In 2009, Lovett recognized the developments of digital cinema were as revolutionary as what had happened to personal and online computing. Said Lovett, “I was convinced that the transition to digital was inevitable in cinematography, and I wanted to put cinematic tools in the hands of more people.” He formed Uroboros Films, a boutique company that provided file-based production and post services to corporate clients in the San Francisco Bay Area. He then joined the instructional staff for REDucation, teaching students in London, Mumbai, New York, and Los Angeles.
At Light Iron, Lovett takes on the newly created role of OUTPOST mobile systems manager. His primary responsibilities include managing R&D of proprietary and third-party software associated with Light Iron’s on-set services, overseeing a team of technicians, interfacing with clients, and growing Light Iron’s educational initiatives such as OUTPOST University.
He is based at the recently opened Light Iron OUTPOST facility on Cole Avenue in Hollywood–only a mile from Light Iron’s flagship facility on De Longpre Avenue.
MRB’s Head of Production Watson Adds VP Stripes
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.–Luke Watson has been named VP of Hollywood-based MRB Productions. He continues to serve as head of production at MRB, the house founded by two-time Emmy Award-winning producer Matthew Brady.
MRB specializes in TV, features, new media and commercials.
Ellen DeGeneres to receive top humor prize in DCBy Brett Zongker
WASHINGTON (AP) — Jane Lynch and John Leguizamo are joining a lineup that includes Jimmy Kimmel and Kristin Chenoweth to honor Ellen DeGeneres with the nation’s top humor prize in Washington.
The Kennedy Center is awarding DeGeneres the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Monday night. The show will be broadcast Oct. 30 on PBS stations.
Star entertainers will deliver tribute performances to salute DeGeneres. The lineup also includes Jason Mraz, John Krasinski and Sean Hayes.
DeGeneres began her career as a comedy club emcee in her native New Orleans. Soon after, she became the first female comedian summoned to late-night host Johnny Carson’s desk to chat.
The prize honors Mark Twain’s tradition of satire and social commentary. Past winners include Bill Cosby, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell and Steve Martin.
You betcha: Fargo awaits TV version of hit movieBy Dave Kolpack
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Ask folks in Fargo what they first thought about the 1996 movie that made their city famous, and some will tell you they were not fans.
Some residents initially didn’t appreciate the Coen brothers’ dark humor or were offended by the extreme violence and depiction of Scandinavian culture. Not to mention those heavy accents on “you betcha” and “ya sure.”
But the fame and cash it brought Fargo eventually brought the city around. Now, 16 years later, Fargo awaits the debut of a new cable television show by the same name, and many residents here are less apprehensive about how their hometown will be portrayed this time around. Just ask Kristin Rudrud.
“Anything the Coen brothers are going to be involved in is going to be brilliant,” said Rudrud, 57, who played a supporting role in the movie and has a hankering to promote everything about her hometown. “And they love Fargo. They love this area. So it will be done in a very fun and loving way.”
The Oscar-winning “Fargo” starred Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson, a pregnant police chief who investigates a series of murders, and William H. Macy as a car salesman who hires two criminals, played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare, to kidnap his wife. In one of the final scenes, Stormare feeds Buscemi’s body into a wood chipper.
Though the movie’s story is mostly based in Minnesota, it made Fargo a household name for many across the country — to the early dismay of some city folk who watched the premiere at the Fargo Theater in 1996.The theater was quiet inside and some moviegoers were offended, said Margie Bailly, who was executive director of the Fargo Theater at the time. Some residents even walked out.
“Those of us who were laughing were a little lonely,” she said.
But locals later warmed up as the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and Fargo started to see the benefits from all the publicity. The theater hosted a free Oscar party with a polka band and Jell-O treats that Entertainment Weekly billed as one of the top soirees of the evening.
That event was publicized in several countries, and Fargo cashed in. Donations flowed for the theater’s restoration, which dovetailed with plans to revitalize the city’s downtown.
Sixteen years later, travelers looking to see the real Fargo still swing through, with many flocking to take a picture next to the iconic wood chipper, autographed on the chute by the Coen brothers and displayed at the city’s main tourism center. Tourism staff hand out ear-flap hats to tourists and take pictures of them stuffing the leg of a mannequin into the Yard Shark.
“A good majority of people come in here just looking for the wood chipper,” said Jayne Rieth, who works at the tourism center. She didn’t like the movie on the big screen, but watched it at home recently so she could be better informed at work. And the tourism center and shops around town sell plenty of wood chipper T-shirts, shot glasses, koozies, mugs and — of course — ice scrapers.
City boosters hope the TV show produced by Joel and Ethan Coen, the Minnesota-born brothers behind the popular film, will add to the notoriety. No timeline has been announced by the FX Network, and John Solberg, FX’s senior vice president of public relations, did not return messages left by The Associated Press.
“I don’t know how it can be a bad thing for us,” said Charley Johnson, president and CEO of the city’s convention and visitor’s bureau. “People still talk about the movie all the time.”
Larry Gauper, of Fargo, a retired health insurance executive, also thinks most people are looking forward to the TV show.
“There are some people who don’t like us sort of being mocked or being made fun of, but I think most people really appreciate the attention Fargo gets,” Gauper said.
But “Fargo” movie fan Marnie Piehl wonders if the city has changed too much — thanks to population growth and a revitalized downtown with high-end restaurants and bars serving craft beer and organic vegetables — that it no longer makes sense to situate the TV show here. McDormand’s character would have left Fargo years ago, Piehl said.
“That may sound funny to someone from New York, but it just doesn’t fit for me anymore,” she said. “The North Dakota story is not the Marge Gunderson story anymore.”
Though details about the plot and characters in the FX show are scant, that hasn’t stopped Fargo residents from speculating about it.
Mayor Dennis Walaker said his favorite character is the sheriff, and hopes McDormand gets a prominent role. And although Rudrud’s character, Macy’s wife, was killed off in the movie, she joked that there might be room for her in the adaptation.
“Well, I haven’t been chopped up,” she said. “There’s always a possibility.”
