Smoke & Mirrors in New York has signed noted colorist Ben Eagleton, bringing aboard not only the artist but also the methods and processes he pioneered at Sydney-based BEAN, billed as being the first purely data-centric commercial grading facility.
BEAN was launched in 2007 by colorists Eagleton and Andrew Clarkson who eventually sold their ownership of BEAN, its equipment and proprietary software to TAG, the parent company to Smoke & Mirrors. Eagleton stayed on as part of Smoke & Mirrors and the TAG group of companies. Eagleton now takes on the title of head of telecine and color grading for the entire TAG group.
Eagleton was a prime shaper of BEAN, which utilized the best DI tools available and applied them to the commercials market. The conventional color grading process was flipped around at BEAN, so that footage was conformed and then graded. Eagleton’s process allows the artists in the grading suite access to every single frame of a shoot, instantly. The approach virtually eliminates dirt and scratches, creates huge time and cost savings, and can be applied regardless of the format a client shot on–film, HD tape, or data.
“As the architect of BEAN, Ben will be bringing all the advantages of his knowledge and methods to Smoke & Mirrors,” noted Sean Broughton, co-founder/creative director of Smoke & Mirrors. “On top of that, he’ll be developing new and better workflows to give more freedom and flexibility to the creative process. We’re extremely fortunate to have such an innovative talent on the team, one that really pushes our stature within the industry.”
Eagleton enjoys strong relationships with leading creatives in both London and Australia. He has worked on a broad spectrum of music clips and TV commercials for the automotive, fashion and alcoholic beverage industries, among many others.
Smoke & Mirrors maintains visual effects/animation/design studios in London and New York.
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