ANNECY FESTIVAL – Ouverture des accréditations // Accreditations Opening

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Experience the very best of animation, with an exceptional official selection, prestigious screenings, inspiring conferences, and exclusive events.
And this year, don’t miss the Mifa’s 40th anniversary, which you can come celebrate with us! A unique opportunity to discover the most promising projects and network with industry experts.

Don’t wait and take advantage of Early Bird rates until 27th February.

Accreditations for buyers, journalists, and press officers are available by request only.

The Pass 74, exclusively available to non-professional residents of Haute-Savoie, will go on sale in May.

AMPAS: 14 SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENTS TO BE HONORED WITH ACADEMY AWARDS® — Academy Award of Merit to be presented for captioning

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that 14 scientific and technical achievements, represented by 37 individual award recipients, will be honored at its annual Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony, which has been rescheduled to Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Achievements receiving Scientific and Technical Awards must demonstrate a proven record of contributing significant value to the process of making motion pictures. In addition, an Academy Award of Merit (an Oscar® statuette) will be presented at the ceremony to collectively recognize “all the individuals who have developed and supported captioning technology, whether open or closed, for film.” The statuette will reside at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

“As part of the Academy’s mission to celebrate artistry and innovation in filmmaking, we are honored to recognize the exceptional contributions of this year’s Scientific and Technical Awards recipients. Their work has powerfully driven advancements in our industry,” said Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang. “Also, we are deeply honored to present the Academy Award of Merit to the individuals who created and supported the development of captioning for films. This is an essential technology that plays a vital role in making the cinematic experience accessible to all.”

“Each year, our international committee of industry professionals conducts thorough evaluations of the innovation and impact of technologies developed for the motion picture industry,” said Darin Grant and Raymond Yeung, co-chairs of the Academy’s Scientific and Technical Awards Committee. “This year’s awards encompass a wide range of film production advancements, from fire stunt safety, stabilized hand-held camera operation, and animation to post-production innovations in dialogue capture and CG imagery rendering systems. These vital technologies have expanded the visual possibilities of cinema, creating new and compelling experiences for moviegoers.”

The Academy Awards for scientific and technical achievements are:
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS (ACADEMY CERTIFICATES)

To Essex Edwards, James Jacobs, Jernej Barbic, Crawford Doran and Andrew van Straten for the design and development of Ziva VFX.

Ziva VFX is a system for constructing and simulating muscles, fat, fascia, and skin for digital characters. An artist-friendly interface that emphasizes easily understood physical metaphors, coupled with a robust, physically accurate solver, has enabled a broad range of studios to bring visually rich creatures to life.

To Javor Kalojanov and Kimball Thurston for the creation of Wētā FX’s ML Denoiser.

This denoiser prioritizes temporal filtering using innovative optical flow techniques to preserve crucial details. Novel training strategies allow its machine learning algorithms to denoise computer-generated imagery to the most exacting standards.

To Neeme Vaino for the development of Fireskin360 Naked Burn Gel.

This widely available gel allows longer targeted burns directly on the skin, broadening the range of fire stunts performed across the industry. 

To Dustin Brooks and Colin Decker for the development of naked burn gel.

Fire for Hire’s gel first publicly demonstrated a “naked burn,” where fire appears directly on the skin, enabling a new form of safe fire stunts in motion pictures.

To Attila T. Áfra for the creation of Intel Open Image Denoise, and to Timo Aila for his pioneering work at NVIDIA applying U-Nets to denoising.

Open Image Denoise is an open-source library that provides an elegant API and runs on diverse hardware, leading to broad industry adoption. Its core technology is provided by the widely adopted U-Net architecture that improves efficiency and preserves detail, raising the quality of CG imagery across the industry.

To Mark Noel for adapting and enhancing the safety and reliability of transportable six-degrees-of-freedom motion base technology for motion picture use.

The NACMO series of modular motion bases enables filmmakers to dynamically control simulated actions, providing precise movements, enhancing special effects, and enriching the visual experience for audiences worldwide.

To Su Tie for the development of the sensor analysis and stabilization software, to Bei Shimen for the electrical engineering, and to Zhao Yanchong for the mechanical design and engineering of the Ronin 2 gimbal system.

Utilizing three-axis stabilization through multiple sensors, the DJI Ronin 2 has achieved broad adoption. It is controllable from a diverse set of input devices, enabling filmmakers to create complex, dynamic camera moves.

To Tabb Firchau for the conception and development, to John Ellison and Steve Webb for the attitude control system, to David Bloomfield for the motor design, and to Shane Colton for the motor driver system design of the Mōvi gimbals.

Freefly Systems’ introduction of handheld stabilized gimbals provides single-person or collaborative remote camera operation with various controllers, enabling previously difficult shots without dolly or crane-supported stabilized heads.

SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING AWARDS (ACADEMY PLAQUES)

To Jayson Dumenigo for the development of the Action Factory Hydrogels.

Action Factory hydrogels are engineered to allow longer burns at higher temperatures with quick turnaround times, increasing the safety and efficiency of fire stunt performances.

To Thijs Vogels, Fabrice Rousselle, David Adler, Gerhard Röthlin and Mark Meyer for the creation of Disney’s ML Denoiser.

This sophisticated machine learning denoiser features a ground-breaking kernel-predicting convolutional network and temporal stability. It has been adopted far beyond its original domain of animation and is an essential tool for creating computer-generated imagery in feature films.

To Nir Averbuch, Yair Chuchem and Dan Raviv for the concept, design and development of the Auto Align Post 2.Sound Radix’s Auto Align Post 2 allows the seamless blending of multiple moving microphones during film post-production, eliminating phase distortion, saving significant time over manual alignment methods and raising the reproduction quality of dialogue recorded on set.

To Curt Schaller for the concept, design and development of the Trinity 2 system, and to Dr. Roman Foltyn for the software and hardware design of its motorized stabilized head.

The ARRI Trinity 2 is a body-worn system that combines a traditional inertial camera stabilization system with electronic gimbal technology, allowing unprecedented freedom of camera movement for acquiring shots with multiple transitions that are otherwise unobtainable.

To Steve Wagner for the initial concept and software, to Garrett Brown for the design, and to Jerry Holway and Robert Orf for the engineering of the Steadicam Volt stabilization system.

The Tiffen Steadicam Volt revolutionizes inertial stabilization with its advanced two-axis motorized design, creating artificial inertia and simulated friction while providing adjustable tactile feedback. Different modes allow the operator to alter the physical feel of the rig. The Volt empowers filmmakers to achieve dynamic shots with more complex camera movement while maintaining a stable roll axis.

To Dave Freeth for the design, engineering and development of the hand-held Stabileye three-axis motorized camera stabilization system.

The compact size and live adjustment of operating parameters of these devices facilitate subtle and dynamic camera moves closer to actors, and in tighter quarters than previously possible. Its low latency allows for instinctive operation whether controlled by a single operator or remotely. 

 

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ABOUT THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is home to a global membership of more than 10,500 of the most accomplished film industry artists and leaders. The Academy recognizes and celebrates all aspects of the arts and sciences of moviemaking through renowned awards for cinematic achievement, including the Oscars®. With the largest film-related collection in the world, the Academy is a leader in the fields of conservation, preservation and exhibition of film-related objects and materials. Through its Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Academy presents powerful exhibitions, screenings and programs about cinema’s past, present, and future. The Academy also inspires young artists and creates opportunities for underrepresented communities to engage with the film world. Across all initiatives, the Academy connects global audiences – its members, the film industry, and film fans – through their shared passion for making and watching films.

 

HOW I make my CHARACTER DESIGNS | Borja Montoro

Character designer and animator Borja Montoro walks us through the process behind its character designs. Keep your eyes peeled for the next videos!

Enjoy!

0:00 Intro

0:40 The character choice

01:20 Exploring options #

2:05 Choosing the design to develop

6:55 Colouring

8:39 Summary

#TheSPAStudios #CharacterDesign #BorjaMontoro

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Welcome to the Official Youtube channel for The SPA Studios (Sergio Pablos Animation), a Madrid-based Feature Animation Studio. You may know us from our work on films such as “Despicable Me”, “Smallfoot”, “Rio”, or most recently “Klaus”, Netflix’s first original Feature film, which was entirely conceived and produced at SPA Studios and received 7 Annie Awards and 1 BAFTA Award, as well as a nomination from The 2020 Academy Awards for Best Animated Film, among many others.

www.thespastudios.com

Instagram: instagram.com/thespastudios

Like us: facebook.com/thespastudios

Watch more: vimeo.com/thespastudios

Tweet us: twitter.com/TheSPAStudios

Follow us: linkedin.com/company/the-spa-studios

Mickey 17 – Official Trailer 2 – Warner Bros.

He’s dying to save mankind. Watch Robert Pattinson in the NEW trailer for #Mickey17, in cinemas March 7.

From the Academy Award-winning writer/director of “Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho, comes his next groundbreaking cinematic experience, “Mickey 17.” The unlikely hero, Mickey Barnes (Robert Pattinson) has found himself in the extraordinary circumstance of working for an employer who demands the ultimate commitment to the job… to die, for a living. Written and directed by Bong Joon Ho, “Mickey 17” stars Robert Pattinson (“The Batman,” “Tenet”), Naomi Ackie (“Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker”), Steven Yeun (“Nope”), with Academy Award nominees Toni Collette (“Hereditary”), and Mark Ruffalo (“Poor Things”). The film is produced by Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner (Oscar winners for “Moonlight” and “12 Years a Slave”), Bong Joon Ho and Dooho Choi (“Okja,” “Snowpiercer”). It is based on the novel Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton. The executive producers are Brad Pitt, Jesse Ehrman, Peter Dodd and Marianne Jenkins. The director of photography is Darius Khondji (Oscar nomination for “Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” “Okja”). The production designer is Fiona Crombie (Oscar nomination for “The Favourite,” “Cruella”). It is edited by Yang Jinmo (Oscar nomination for “Parasite,” “Okja”). The music is by Jung Jaeil (“Parasite,” “Squid Game”). The visual effects supervisor is Dan Glass (“Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”). The costume designer is Catherine George (“Okja,” Snowpiercer”).

Warner Bros. Pictures presents A Plan B Entertainment Production, An Offscreen Production / A Kate Street Picture Company Production, A Film By Bong Joon Ho: “Mickey 17.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, in theaters only nationwide on March 7, 2025, and internationally beginning on 5 March 2025.

97TH OSCARS® NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCEMENT Live Presentation Begins Thursday, January 23, 2025 5:30 a.m. PST / 8:30 a.m. EST / 1:30 p.m. GMT / 9:30 p.m. CST

The 97th Oscars® Nominations in all 23 Academy Award® categories will be announced in a live presentation from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater, on Thursday, January 23, via global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org and the Academy’s digital platforms.

5:30 a.m. PST
(Not listed in order of presentation and subject to change)

Actor in a Supporting Role
Actress in a Supporting Role
Animated Short Film
Costume Design
Live Action Short Film
Makeup and Hairstyling
Music (Original Score)
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
Writing (Original Screenplay)

5:41 a.m. PST
(Not listed in order of presentation and subject to change)

Actor in a Leading Role
Actress in a Leading Role
Animated Feature Film
Cinematography
Directing
Documentary Feature Film
Documentary Short Film
Film Editing
International Feature Film
Music (Original Song)
Best Picture
Production Design
Sound
Visual Effects

CARTOON MOVIE IS BACK WITH A NEW CROP OF EUROPEAN ANIMATED FILMS

Animation film production will be once again under the limelight in Cartoon Movie, the co-production and pitching event for European animated feature films to be held on March 4-6 in the French city of Bordeaux. Fifty-five projects from 16 countries will participate in the 27th edition of this event with the aim of accelerating their financing and encouraging their international distribution and exhibition. Selected from 120 submissions, the projects will be presented to potential co- producers, sales agents, distributors, streaming platforms representatives and investors, among others industry players. Twenty-one per cent of the projects in the line-up have been previously presented at Cartoon Movie, underlining the role of the event in the development of European animation. Since its first edition, Cartoon Movie has helped 486 films for a total budget of 3.2 billion EUR to advance towards their completion.
The line-up is spearheaded by France with 19 projects, followed by Germany (6), Norway (5) and Spain (4), while Latvia, Czechia, Belgium, and Ireland participate with three films each. Region-wise, with 11 projects, CEE countries participation almost doubles last year’s led by Latvia, which will be starring this year’s Spotlight.

The selection features new projects from seasoned directors such as Alain Ughetto (“Rose and the Marmots”), Anca Damian (“Short Stories about Love and Space”), Vincent Paronnaud & Alexis Ducord (“Treasure Island”), Toby Gunkel (“Skip”), Kajsa Næss (“How to deal with Shattering Geists”) and Werner Herzog, who is currently working on his first animated film, based on his book “The Twilight World”. European animation richness and diversity is also reflected in the wide array of genres featured in the selection, including adventure, comedy, drama, fantasy, and sci-fi, while inclusion, gender equity and sustainability concerns are among the topics addressed by the projects. Literary and comic-book adaptations, as well as films based on mythological and folklore tales, are also present in the line-up.

Although fiction and imaginary worlds are in the majority, reality finds its way into the selection. The life of artists such as Serge Gainsbourg (“Gainsbourg, rue de Verneuil”) or Sargis Mangasaryan (“Zako”) and of activists such as Anton de Kom (“Faya”) or Inês Etienne Romeu (“If I Die”) are at the heart of some of the projects to be pitched at the event. The destructive impact of war is also present in the line-up through the story of the last Japanese soldier to surrender after WWII (“The Twilight World”), while the Lebanese Civil War and the Six-Day War are the setting for “Thyme Hill” by Sarah Carlot Jabe and “Uncle Jo’s Cabin” by Marc Robinet & Maud Garnier, respectively. The full list of projects can be found here. Trends & Figures Cartoon Movie’s line-up includes mostly in-development projects (33) followed at a distance by in-concept (16) and in-production projects (3). The selection features also 3 sneak previews: “Fleak” by Jens Møller, “Tales From the Magic Garden” by Jean- Claude Rozec, Patrik Pass, Leon Vidmar and David Sukup, and “The Songbirds’
Secret” by Antoine Lanciaux. With an overall budget of 316.9 MIO EUR, this year films have an average cost of 5.6 MIO EUR, a 20% drop year-on year. With more than half of the projects (31) being produced among two or more Creative MEDIA countries, co-production emerges as the main financing model for animated films in Europe, while non-Creative MEDIA countries – including Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and the United States – are engaged in 7 co-productions.

All the Softness in the World

Regarding target groups, films aimed at Family audiences are nearly half of the total (45%), while those targeted at Young Adults/Adults have risen from 18% to 33% year- on-year and projects aimed at Children stand at 22%. Gender equity-wise, the number of films directed and produced by women are in line with last year’s (22% and 35%, respectively). The region Nouvelle-Aquitaine is represented by 7 projects. 6 projects are supported by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region: “The Dreamed Journey of Alpha Two” (Les Contes Modernes), “If I Die” (MIDRALGAR in co-production with Esther Vital (ES) & O Par (BR)), “All the Softness in the World” (Les Valseurs in co-production with Les Valseurs Bordeaux), “Bergeronnette” (Miyu Productions), ”Absolute Surrender” (Sun Creature in co-production with Brightstar (UK)) and “Treasure Island” (Je Suis Bien Content). Four are in production (or in co-production) with studios based in Bordeaux: “The Twilight World” (in co-production with Sun Creature), “Absolute Surrender” (Sun Creature), “If I Die” (MIDRALGAR) and “All the Softness in the World” (in co-production with Les Valseurs Bordeaux). Two involve regional authors or co-authors: “The Dreamed Journey of Alpha Two” (co-written by Alpha Kaba and Christophe Erbes) and “Treasure Island” (written by Vincent Paronnaud aka Winshluss). One project is supported by the Département Charente: “The Dreamed Journey of Alpha Two” (Les Contes Modernes).

Spotlight on Latvia

The Spotlight on Latvia will feature the projects “Born in the Jungle” by Edmunds Jansons (Atom Art), “Karmic Knot” by Signe Baumane (Studio Locomotive) and “The Northern Star” by Karlis Vitols (Studija Kokles). Latvia’s animation industry is gaining momentum after the international success of “Flow” by Gints Zilbalodis, which, presented at Cartoon Movie 2022, has been recognised by the European Film Awards (EFA) and the 82nd Golden Globes. The film is also in the race in the Animated Feature Film and International Feature Film categories for the 97th Academy Awards. Rooted in a rich storytelling heritage and driven by innovation, Latvian animation is ready to further expand its global presence. The industry merges history with contemporary perspectives, bold visionary voices, and mastery of diverse techniques. From captivating tales for children to thought-provoking works for adults, there’s animation for everyone. Latvian animation is not just going with the flow – they are the ones shaping it.

This Spotlight is organised by Latvian Animation Association and supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia and the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia.

About Cartoon Movie
Since its first edition in 1999, 486 films have been financially supported by Cartoon Movie for a total budget of 3.2 billion EUR. Organised by CARTOON, Cartoon Movie is an annual forum aimed at strengthening the production and distribution of animated feature films in Europe. The event has the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA, CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée), Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Bordeaux Métropole, Pôle Image Magelis and France Télévisions. CARTOON – European Association of Animation Film is an international non-profit association based in Brussels that organises Cartoon Movie, together with Cartoon Forum, a co-production forum for animated TV series, and the training seminars Cartoon Springboard, CartoonNext, and Cartoon Business.
Cartoon Director: Annick Maes

Cartoon Movie: Discover the Projects – Click Here!

 

Film Courage: Day I Realized That CGI Was Taking Over Hollywood – Craig Caton-Largent

With over 40 years in the film industry, Craig Caton-Largent is a legendary visual effects artist and the current Chair of 3D Animation & VFX at New York Film Academy (NYFA) Los Angeles. He has worked on over 100 films, creating some of Hollywood’s most iconic creatures, including the Slimer ghost in Ghostbusters (1984), the penguins in Batman Returns (1992), and the raptors in Jurassic Park (1993). Craig has collaborated with top directors like Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron, earning six Academy Award nominations for Best Visual Effects.

A pioneer in digital effects, Craig co-founded Digital Domain and developed groundbreaking VFX software like Animservo, used by top studios and theme parks. As the Chair of the Visual Effects and Animation Department at NYFA, Craig is dedicated to helping his students develop animation and storytelling skills that will lead to success in the industry. Craig is also a sought-after speaker on motion capture technology at film festivals and universities worldwide.

CONNECT WITH CRAIG CATON-LARGENT

https://www.nyfa.edu/3d-animation-school

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0146253

Kontakt

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