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Tag: Newton

  • Newton wins HK jury prize for intelligent presentation of political situation

    Newton wins HK jury prize for intelligent presentation of political situation

    MUMBAI: After impressing the audience and critics alike at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival 2017 where Newton made its world premiere and also won the CICAE Art Cinema Award, Drishyam Film’s upcoming film is now making waves at its Asia premiere in Hong Kong.

    The film produced by Manish Mundra and directed by Amit V Masurkar has won the Jury Prize for the Best Film at the 41st Hong Kong Film Festival 2017, where it was screened in the Young Cinema Competition category.

    The jury awarded the film “For the intelligent and human presentation of a political situation in a country. The film balances the humour, disillusion and – against all odds – a steadfast belief in the meaning of democracy.”

    Thrilled with the audience and jury response to his film, director Amit V Masurkar says, “We are delighted. It’s one of the most prestigious film festivals.” Newton is Amit V Masurkar’s second film after the sleeper hit, Sulemani Keeda in 2014.

    Starring Rajkummar Rao in the titular role, Newton features a stellar cast which includes Anjali Patil, Pankaj Tripathi and Raghubir Yadav. Rajkummar immediately took to Twitter to exult after the award was announced, stating “After #Berlinale win, another feather in #Newton’s cap.” Manish Mundra, the founder of Drishyam Films and the producer of Newton, is elated with the film’s international success as well. “With each milestone, we come closer to the film’s India release this summer — can’t wait to present Newton to our Indian audiences!” .

    The film will be making its North American premiere at the 15th Tribeca Film Festival 2017 in the international narrative competition section next week. It will have four screenings at the festival, which will be held from 19-30 April in New York. Newton was also part of the Co-Production Market (CPM) at Film Bazaar 2015 and one of the Film Bazaar Recommends titles at Film Bazaar 2016.

    Newton is a razor sharp political black comedy that takes place on an election day in Central India. Rajkummar Rao, whose star is on the rise following strong, highly appreciated performances in films like Aligarh and Queen, plays Newton, a rookie clerk on election duty in a conflict-ridden jungle of Chhattisgarh, who tries his best to conduct free and fair voting despite the apathy of security forces and the looming fear of an attack by Maoist rebels.

  • Eurovision 2016: Newton Brings Added Stability and Efficiency to Live Broadcasts

    Eurovision 2016: Newton Brings Added Stability and Efficiency to Live Broadcasts

    MUMBAI: Newton gyro-stabilized camera heads helped capture live action from the stage at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 for NEP Sweden and Rail & Tracking Systems (RTS). The NEWTON heads were used for the broadcast of the semi-finals and final of the competition, which ended on Saturday. Camera operators now have a compact, affordable stabilized head providing precise control of camera, lens, and gimbal movement by a single operator.

    “The NEWTON performed flawlessly for us during the Eurovision broadcasts,” said Daniel Hjalmarsson, an independent special cameras and remote head operator who worked one of the cameras in front of the stage. “Until now I haven’t been able to operate both the head and the movement of the tracking rig by myself.”

    Hjalmarsson used Intuitive Aerial’s DOMINION gimbal/camera controller to precisely operate the NEWTON head and Grass Valley LDX Compact camera and lens over an Ethernet connection. The DOMINION runs on CAN bus, which enables quick integration with third-party products. Intuitive Aerial programmed the controller so its joystick, in addition to being used for pan, tilt, and zoom, could be rotated to move the height adjustable tower up and down. Hjalmarsson moved the rig left and right along the 10-metre horizontal tracks with foot-operated controls. This ability of the DOMINION to be integrated with the equipment of other companies resulted in a streamlined operator experience and saved the production money by turning what is usually a two-person job into a one-man operation.

    “The whole setup feels more professional with the NEWTON head,” Hjalmarsson said. “I could make even the smallest move by myself, which is much easier and quicker than having to communicate with an assistant.”

    The Eurovision Song Contest, which was won this year by Ukraine and singer-songwriter Jamala, was viewed by over 200 million people around the world, including, for the first time, in the U.S. Prior to setting up for the broadcast, Hjalmarsson made a list of what he wanted in a stabilized camera head. Then, Intuitive Aerial ensured that the NEWTON and its DOMINION controller were integrated with the necessary third-party products.

    “The NEWTON heads worked even better than we expected and we had no failures or problems at all during the three weeks,” said Axel Engström, project manager at NEP Sweden who chose the equipment to be used and was responsible to the Swedish host broadcaster, SVT. “The stabilization of the NEWTON meant we were able to shoot flawless footage.”

    “With the NEWTON, I was able to zoom in much further than usual,” Hjalmarsson explained. “I could start with a head shot or half shot, then move out to the total stage, without any vibrations at all. Directors and others on the set who saw the system were really impressed.”

    The NEWTON weighs only 15 lbs and can be mounted on 1D/2D/3D wire-cam systems, cranes, dollies, motorcycles and other vehicles, and any compact moving rig where weight and visual footprint need to be minimized. “While other gyro heads are large and obtrusive, the size of the NEWTON means I could hide it from the other cameras,” Hjalmarsson said.

    Hjalmarsson will be using the NEWTON again soon for a live broadcast of the Stockholm Marathon on June 4. “It was funny because one of the Swedish TV stations called to say they wanted to use the NEWTON for the Marathon and asked us if we knew anything about it,” he laughed. “They were delighted to hear that we were using it on Eurovision and that it had been such a success for us.”

    Hjalmarsson, who has worked on the TV show Swedish Idol since 2004, hopes to be able to use the NEWTON on that show as well. “We’ve been looking for a head like this one. It costs too much to get a larger one. Now, with the NEWTON, we can afford it.”

    “We were thrilled to see the NEWTON pass its first major test on such a huge stage,” said Robin Kahlbom, CEO of Intuitive Aerial. “We’re glad to be able to integrate our technology with that of our third-party partners, providing operators with more compact, unobtrusive camera setups.”

  • Eurovision 2016: Newton Brings Added Stability and Efficiency to Live Broadcasts

    Eurovision 2016: Newton Brings Added Stability and Efficiency to Live Broadcasts

    MUMBAI: Newton gyro-stabilized camera heads helped capture live action from the stage at the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 for NEP Sweden and Rail & Tracking Systems (RTS). The NEWTON heads were used for the broadcast of the semi-finals and final of the competition, which ended on Saturday. Camera operators now have a compact, affordable stabilized head providing precise control of camera, lens, and gimbal movement by a single operator.

    “The NEWTON performed flawlessly for us during the Eurovision broadcasts,” said Daniel Hjalmarsson, an independent special cameras and remote head operator who worked one of the cameras in front of the stage. “Until now I haven’t been able to operate both the head and the movement of the tracking rig by myself.”

    Hjalmarsson used Intuitive Aerial’s DOMINION gimbal/camera controller to precisely operate the NEWTON head and Grass Valley LDX Compact camera and lens over an Ethernet connection. The DOMINION runs on CAN bus, which enables quick integration with third-party products. Intuitive Aerial programmed the controller so its joystick, in addition to being used for pan, tilt, and zoom, could be rotated to move the height adjustable tower up and down. Hjalmarsson moved the rig left and right along the 10-metre horizontal tracks with foot-operated controls. This ability of the DOMINION to be integrated with the equipment of other companies resulted in a streamlined operator experience and saved the production money by turning what is usually a two-person job into a one-man operation.

    “The whole setup feels more professional with the NEWTON head,” Hjalmarsson said. “I could make even the smallest move by myself, which is much easier and quicker than having to communicate with an assistant.”

    The Eurovision Song Contest, which was won this year by Ukraine and singer-songwriter Jamala, was viewed by over 200 million people around the world, including, for the first time, in the U.S. Prior to setting up for the broadcast, Hjalmarsson made a list of what he wanted in a stabilized camera head. Then, Intuitive Aerial ensured that the NEWTON and its DOMINION controller were integrated with the necessary third-party products.

    “The NEWTON heads worked even better than we expected and we had no failures or problems at all during the three weeks,” said Axel Engström, project manager at NEP Sweden who chose the equipment to be used and was responsible to the Swedish host broadcaster, SVT. “The stabilization of the NEWTON meant we were able to shoot flawless footage.”

    “With the NEWTON, I was able to zoom in much further than usual,” Hjalmarsson explained. “I could start with a head shot or half shot, then move out to the total stage, without any vibrations at all. Directors and others on the set who saw the system were really impressed.”

    The NEWTON weighs only 15 lbs and can be mounted on 1D/2D/3D wire-cam systems, cranes, dollies, motorcycles and other vehicles, and any compact moving rig where weight and visual footprint need to be minimized. “While other gyro heads are large and obtrusive, the size of the NEWTON means I could hide it from the other cameras,” Hjalmarsson said.

    Hjalmarsson will be using the NEWTON again soon for a live broadcast of the Stockholm Marathon on June 4. “It was funny because one of the Swedish TV stations called to say they wanted to use the NEWTON for the Marathon and asked us if we knew anything about it,” he laughed. “They were delighted to hear that we were using it on Eurovision and that it had been such a success for us.”

    Hjalmarsson, who has worked on the TV show Swedish Idol since 2004, hopes to be able to use the NEWTON on that show as well. “We’ve been looking for a head like this one. It costs too much to get a larger one. Now, with the NEWTON, we can afford it.”

    “We were thrilled to see the NEWTON pass its first major test on such a huge stage,” said Robin Kahlbom, CEO of Intuitive Aerial. “We’re glad to be able to integrate our technology with that of our third-party partners, providing operators with more compact, unobtrusive camera setups.”

  • B.A.G Films ties-up with Korean production firm Sieundesign

    B.A.G Films ties-up with Korean production firm Sieundesign

    MUMBAI: Anurradha Prasad’s B.A.G Films is pursuing opportunities in new media avenues and also eyeing the animation frontier. The company has entered into a joint venture with a Korean firm Sieundesign, which has a presence in the production, distribution and licensing of animated movies and TV series.

    The JV is proposed to be named “Sieun & B.A.G. Animation Pvt. Ltd.” with both companies holding an equal stake. The business model will involve both creation of IP for global audiences as well as servicing outsourced projects.

    Speaking about the development, Prasad shared,“This initiative represents B.A.G. Films’ entry into the exciting and strongly growing animation business. We are delighted to tie up with Sieundesign Co Ltd, which is a leading international animation player and look forward leveraging its experience to building a strong presence in India.”
    B.A.G, is already running a media school –iSOMES (International School of Media and Entertainment Studies) and through the new JV, the company will be extending into animation education too.

    “We understand that we require a huge work force and so we will be training people as a backward integration excercise. The animation course starts in October,” remarked Prasad.

    “As a content company B.A.G films has always stayed at the forefront of cutting edge technology and even in the animation JV, the idea is to create a synergy, a best of both the worlds where we will utilise India’s expertise in animation production and combine it with the Korean strength of concieving characters and content,” concluded Prasad.

    Sieundesign presently owns more than 30 IPs of cartoon character content, which include Black Jelly, Booby, Yamm, Newton, Flower Terry, Tomato, 205 Friends, Little Tinny, Mr. Cool, Dear Alice, Dennis Family, Eyeme Angel, Emily, Pumpkin Seed, Oh-Baby, Brambly and Moose Bear besides the children performance Rise Up Monster character development. It also supplies cartoon content to several Korean mobile and on line services.

    All animation and character licenses owned by Sieundesign internationally will be owned in India by the joint venture entity.

    At the same time, B.A.G. Films is also looking at initiatives including video streaming, DVD, animation and gaming, interactive content for broadband, mobisodes, wireless transmission and the internet, besides identifying new uses for existing technologies such as digital libraries, interactive story telling and distance learning, according to a posting today on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

    The company is also contemplating providing voice content including news, cricket & sports, jokes, astro forecasts, celebrity interviews, Bollywood reviews and music album reviews in four languages namely Hindi, English, Tamil and Malayalam.

    B.A.G is already working the major cellular operators Airtel and Hutch on IVR.

    On the movie front, the production house proposes to release two films during the current calendar year. Zindagi Rocks, with Sushmita Sen and Shiney Ahuja as the lead actors is directed by Tanuja Chandra with music composed by Anu Malik. Then there is a Punjabi love story directed by Gurbir S Grewal with Jimmy Shergil and Kulraj Randhawa as the lead actors.