MUMBAI: After successfully re-launching and establishing the Star Trek franchise, the Star Trek Into Darkness director, J.J. Abrams is all geared up to scale the astronomical franchise Star Wars. He recently shared his thoughts at the Produced By conference about his latest directorial venture Star Wars: Episode 7.
Speaking about the challenges of directing the new movie he said, "I think that the thing is so big and so massive to so many people that the key to moving forward is honoring but not revering what went before."
While the production on Star Wars Episode VII is set to start right at the beginning of 2014, the sci-fi movie is slated for a summer 2015 release. He also let out that he would be moving over to London with his family by the end of the year, to commence the shoot. However given the choice he would preferred to shoot the Star Wars movie in L.A. but as sources report the plan to shoot Star Wars Episode 7 for Disney in the UK was set much before Abrams was brought on board.
Abrams however remained put when asked by Hudlin about the storyline or whether the movie would be based partially on the dozens of novels that have come out over the years bridging various unexplored aspects of the films‘ characters in the franchise.
Abrams also discussed his feelings about the future of George Lucas, the legendary creator of the Star Wars saga, after he sold Lucas films to Disney last year. "George Lucas has spoken for years about wanting to make those smaller, more experimental films and I hope he does because I‘d really like to see them," he said.
Disney and Lucas film had announced last month that the Abrams-directed and Michael Arndt-scripted movie will be shot in the UK and that the latest incarnation of the Star Wars series is expected for summer 2015 release with two more films adding to franchise to follow over the next few years.
J.J. Abrams who made his feature directorial debut in the Tom Cruise starrer Mission Impossible 3, also has clips from Lost, Alias, Fringe, Person of Interest, Super 8 and the Star Trek films to his credit.
Tag: Star Wars
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Star Trek director J.J. Abrams to move into Star Wars mode
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Disney, EA in multi-year ‘Star Wars’ games agreement
MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Disney and Electronic Arts have announced a new multi-year exclusive licensing agreement to develop and publish globally new games based on ‘Star Wars‘ characters and storylines.
Under the agreement, EA will develop and publish new ‘Star Wars‘ titles for a core gaming audience, spanning all interactive platforms and the most popular game genres, while Disney will retain certain rights to develop new titles within the mobile, social, tablet and online game categories.
Disney Interactive co-president John Pleasants said, “This agreement demonstrates our commitment to creating quality game experiences that drive the popularity of the ‘Star Wars‘ franchise for years to come. Collaborating with one of the world‘s premier game developers will allow us to bring an amazing portfolio of new ‘Star Wars‘ titles to our fans around the world.”
EA Labels president Frank Gibeau said, “Every developer dreams of creating games for the Star Wars universe. Three of our top studios will fulfill that dream, crafting epic adventures for Star Wars fans. Dice and Visceral will produce new games, joining the BioWare team which continues to develop for the Star Wars franchise. The new experiences we create may borrow from films, but the games will be entirely original with all new stories and gameplay.”
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
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Post production segment moves focus to digital processes
MUMBAI: The post production segment has moved focus from analogue to new age digital processes.
The Ficci KPMG report notes that the post production segment is poised for stupendous growth as Indian filmmakers discover the magic of digitisation. Technology has revolutionised the very process of filmmaking, especially at the post-production stage. This has given rise to a plethora of digital labs and studios in India catering to new age editing, Digital Intermediate (DI) and other digital processes.
The sector is currently estimated at Rs 15.5 billion and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16 per cent by 2017. Key contributors to growth are established segments such as DI and also newer ones such as Restoration and Conversion. Additionally, the digital revolution has made the video editing work flow process quicker, from time-consuming (tape to tape) linear video editing to online editing suites and to computer hardware and video editing software such as Adobe Premier, Final Cut Pro, as well as the incorporation of Cloud technologies for storage and technology/software access.
Colour correction via telecine on tapes for edit has replaced the traditional rushes printing process in the processing lab. The Steen beck method of editing analogue rush prints in a linear manner has given way to film editing on non-linear software-based systems such Avid/FCP. DI processes have moved up from 2K resolution to 4K resolution for greater detail and quality. The final deliverables for film outputs have increased from only analogue 35mm prints to Digital DCPs.
Meanwhile, the VFX industry, a rapidly evolving segment in India, is estimated at approximately Rs. 7.77 billion and can be broadly classified into the following verticals – movies, TV shows and advertisements. As the segment is still at a nascent stage and domestic consumption remains limited, with mainly low-end work being carried out in India, there is considerable dependence on outsourced projects from the US and the UK.
However, the domestic market is now witnessing bigger budget film releases and ad campaigns, for which players have increased spending on VFX so as to provide an enhanced visual experience for viewers. The segment registered 35 per cent growth over 2008-2012 and is expected to grow approx 20 per cent CAGR to reach Rs 19 billion in 2017.
Technicolor India country head Biren Ghose notes that India has ascended to the top of the pyramid when it comes to CG animation/VFX productions. “MPC‘s ‘Life of Pi‘, ‘Prometheus‘ and ‘Skyfall‘; DreamWorks Dedicated Unit‘s – ‘Madagascar 3‘ and ‘Rise of the Guardians‘; Technicolor Animation‘s services in Mattel‘s ‘ Barbie And the Pink Shoes‘ and award winning episodic work for Nick on ‘Kung Fu Panda‘ and ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles‘ – is proof enough.”
On an average, Indian movies have limited budgets for visual / special effects. In India VFX budgets are considerably below international benchmarks, even as a percentage of production costs. The VFX budgets for Hollywood movies range from $ 3 million to $ 9 million, which could cover the cost of an average Indian movie. However, VFX budgets for Indian movies, including regional cinema, are showing an increasing trend and are expected to boost the segment. Also, spends by the ad industry on VFX have been increasing.
To create a 3D film, film-makers can either shoot films in 3D or shoot in 2D and later convert to 3D at the post-production stage. The latter approach is preferred as shooting in 3D is expensive, time-consuming and has limited flexibility and greater complexity in editing and adding VFX at the post-production stage.
In 2012, ‘Star Wars I‘ and ‘Titanic‘ were re-released in 3D, generating box-office collections of $ 45 million and $ 54 million respectively. This indicates that there is a potential for 3D re-releases of older hits, especially given the relatively low conversion costs involved. After the release of ‘Avatar‘ in 2009, the number of 3D digital screens exploded worldwide from 3,800 in 2008 to approximately 43,000 in 2012. Also, in 2012 a deal was signed between China and US allowing 14 foreign made movies into China every year which is a 70 per cent increase in the current quota of 20 films. However, to qualify for the list the movies have to be in 3D or Imax technology. Ficci KPMG report has given the examples of companies like Prime focus which did 2D to 3D conversions for films like ‘Green Lantern‘ and ‘Clash of the Titans‘.
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Lucas files for permission to sell $2 Billion in Disney shares
MUMBAI: According to a regulatory filing on the United States Securities And Exchange Commission the creator of the iconic series Star Wars George Lucas may be looking at selling the stock he received when selling Lucasfilm to Disney. A spokesperson on his behalf though countered the statement saying, “(he) does not currently have any plans” to sell.
The regulatory filing signals his right to sell more than 37 million shares, amounting to all the stock he received when he sold Lucasfilm to Disney for $ four billion last year.
Disney filed the Form S-3 Registration Statement on Wednesday, and a spokeswoman characterized it as a required formalization of Disney‘s acquisition of Lucasfilm. According to the filing, The George W. Lucas, Jr. Fourth Amended and Restated Living Trust could sell 37,076,679 million shares of Disney — amounting to about 2.1 percent of the company — “from time to time” until the trust no longer holds any of the stock.
According to the filing the sale of stock could occur via “ordinary brokerage transactions or through any other means described in this prospectus.”
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‘Star Wars’ to be re-booted with a new film
MUMBAI: After a bevy of emails and phone calls, the formalities have been wrapped up, and a new Star Wars film will be made.
J.J. Abrams will direct ‘Star Wars: Episode VII‘, the first of a new series of Star Wars films to come from Lucasfilm under Kathleen Kennedy ‘Lincoln‘. Abrams will be directing and Michael Arndt will write the screenplay.
Kennedy said, “It‘s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new Star Wars movie. J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the Star Wars experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.”
Lucas said, “I‘ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He‘s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn‘t be in better hands.”
J.J. Abrams said, “To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honour. I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.”
J.J, his longtime producing partner Bryan Burk, and Bad Robot are on board to produce along with Kathleen Kennedy under the Disney | Lucasfilm banner.
Also consulting on the project are Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg. Kasdan has a long history with Lucasfilm, as screenwriter on ‘The Empire Strikes Back‘, ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark‘ and ‘Return of the Jedi‘. Kinberg was writer on ‘Sherlock Holmes‘ and ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith‘.
Abrams and his production company Bad Robot have made films like ‘Star Trek‘, ‘Super 8‘, ‘Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol‘ and ‘Star Trek Into Darkness‘. Abrams has worked with Lucasfilm‘s postproduction facilities, Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, on all of the films that he has directed, beginning with ‘Mission: Impossible III‘. He also created or co-created television series like ‘Felicity‘, ‘Alias‘, ‘Lost‘ and ‘Fringe‘.
Past ‘Star Wars‘ veterans, dating back to the classic trilogy, offered words of praise from their direct experience with Abrams: Visual Effects Supervisor Dennis Muren, ASC, whose credits include the original Star Wars trilogy as well as landmark films such as E.T. and Jurassic Park, also worked with Abrams on Super 8.
Muren said, “He puts everything he has into his work. He totally immerses himself. He‘s got such a visual eye, which is so important to the Star Wars films. It seems that a lot of the same things that were in George when he made the first Star Wars films are also in J.J. I think he‘s going to fit into the other movies perfectly, with the energy that J.J. has. We‘re kick-starting Star Wars again with dynamite. It will knock people out, including the people who get to work on it. I think it‘s a great choice.”
Ben Burtt, responsible for Star Wars sounds as Darth Vader‘s breathing, R2-D2‘s beeps and the classic lightsaber, has worked with Abrams as sound designer and sound editor on Star Trek and Super 8.
Burtt said, “J.J represents the next generation of filmmakers from those that were making Star Wars when I started. When he was a teen, he was a fan of Star Wars, and a great deal of his love for movies came out of his reaction of that first Star Wars film. You feel that he‘s already invested so many years in it, and he‘s going to propel it forward in a new way. In other words, you‘re having a fan who has grown up and developed tremendous directorial skills finding himself at the steering wheel to take the franchise into the next stage. I feel like I‘m there watching history turn over from one era to another.”
Matthew Wood, who served as supervising sound editor on Super 8, similarly grew up as a Star Wars fan before working on the films through the prequels. He said, “Working with him, it was so obvious to me that J.J. and I have the same nostalgic love of that era. Now we have someone from that generation who is going to be at the helm of the Star Wars franchise that I‘ve known and worked on, so it‘s a great circle. Just seeing what he did with Super 8 and capturing those moments, and knowing what was so special about that era, it‘s going to speak to a new generation of audience as well.”
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Disney acquires Star Wars film Lucasfilm for $4 bn
MUMBAI: The Walt Disney Company has agreed to acquire American film production company Lucasfilm, best known for Star Wars franchise, in a stock and cash transaction. Lucasfilm is 100 per cent owned by Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder, George Lucas.
Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on 26 October, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing.
The Boards of Directors of Disney and Lucasfilm have approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, and other customary closing conditions. The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm.
Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm, a leader in entertainment, innovation and technology, including its massively popular and “evergreen” Star Wars franchise and its operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production.Disney will also acquire the substantial portfolio of cutting-edge entertainment technologies that have kept audiences enthralled for many years. Lucasfilm, headquartered in San Francisco, operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.
“Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas,” said The Walt Disney Company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert A. Iger. “This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney‘s unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value.”
He also told analysts that the plan is to release a new movie in the series every two to three years thereafter.
Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney‘s global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximise the value of this global franchise. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.
The acquisition combines two highly compatible family entertainment brands, and strengthens the long-standing beneficial relationship between them that already includes successful integration of Star Wars content into Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.
Driven by a talented creative team, Lucasfilm‘s legendary Star Wars franchise has flourished for more than 35 years, and offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases and franchise growth over the long term. Star Wars resonates with consumers around the world and creates extensive opportunities for Disney to deliver the content across its diverse portfolio of businesses including movies, television, consumer products, games and theme parks.
Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date, and continued global demand has made Star Wars one of the world‘s top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011. The franchise provides a sustainable source of high quality, branded content with global appeal and is well suited for new business models including digital platforms, putting the acquisition in strong alignment with Disney‘s strategic priorities for continued long-term growth.
“For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next,” said Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder George Lucas. “It‘s now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I‘ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I‘m confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney‘s reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products.”
The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney‘s very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company‘s ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value. -
Camera used for Star Wars sells for $ 625 K
MUMBAI: The camera that was used to film the Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope has been sold for a whopping $625,000 at an auction held last Saturday.
Part of The Debbie Reynolds Collection Part II, the Panavision PSR 35 mm camera was used by George Lucas for principal photography of the film.
Makers of the upcoming film Star Warriors could continue to use the camera to continue the adventure as the fully functional machine and package included two 1000-foot film magazines, a Panaspeed motor, a matte box, follow focus, a Moy-geared head and a camera dolly and a lens.
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Harry Potter film crosses $1 billion mark
MUMBAI: The last of Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 has crossed the $1 billion mark globally at the end of the first week.
The latest Potter film has earned $640.2 million worldwide. While the film has grossed $214.9 million domestically, it raked in an additional $425.3 million at the international box office, it is understood.
The terrific opening of the film also pushed Warners‘ domestic box office take for 2011 to over $1 billion for the eleventh consecutive year.
Commented Warner Bros president of worldwide marketing Sue Kroll, “Each film has inspired us creatively, and it has been exciting to watch the evolution through eight remarkable movies. It has truly been the movie event of a generation, as Harry Potter fans who were there from the beginning have been joined by new fans over the years, and their enthusiasm, as well as our own has never waned.”
Even before the latest movie opened, the Potter franchise was already the highest-grossing franchise of all time beating out both the Star Wars and James Bond films, a status it has held since the sixth film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that released in 2009.
Individually, the worldwide grosses for the previous films are: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer‘s Stone, $974,755,371; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, $878,979,634; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, $796,688,549; Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, $896,911,078; Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, $939,885,929; Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, $934,416,487; and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, $955,417,476.
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Leading developers announce varied applications at Brew conference
MUMBAI: Qualcomm Incorporated, a leading developer and innovator of advanced wireless technologies and mobile data solutions, today hosted the second annual Brew Developers Conference – India at the ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton, Mumbai.
The conference saw the launch of several innovative and exciting applications including:
Astute Systems Technology: The successor to the extremely popular ‘BSE Portfolio Tracker’ application, ‘Astute Stock Mania’ is a unique mix of education and entertainment that allows both avid and aspiring investors to experience stock market trading without having to invest real money. Upon download, the game credits the user with virtual money, which can then be used to trade stocks at their real market value in a simulated business environment.
Webdunia: ‘Pre School Education,’ is aimed at facilitating primary education and is a great tool for parents to help their children learn the alphabet and numbers in an environment that is both educational and fun. Currently offered in English, this application includes learning, writing and practice sessions. Webdunia.com also plans to release this application in several other regions, as well as foreign languages, in the near future.
Indiagames: The company today launched a bouquet of entertaining new Brew applications including X’mas Loot which is a Christmas theme-based application and Star Wars® which will allow users to enjoy wallpapers and ringtones based on the movie as well as download a game based on the movie “Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”. They also launched Happy Feet based on the popular animated movie, Worms an arcade game, Cricket World a game for cricket fans and finally Skating Challenge which allows users to not only play the game, but also to submit their high scores to the server and win exciting prizes.
The Brew solution drives the discovery and delivery of wireless data services. Brew operators and their subscribers can benefit from several offerings, which include: uiOne™ for rich, integrated and dynamic user experiences with fast access to high revenue services on wireless devices; deliveryOne™ for differentiated and tightly integrated, operator-managed support and delivery of advanced wireless data content and services; and marketOne™ for a quick-to-market, hosted, scalable content delivery service that includes media titles, flexible management and monetization, content provider settlement and business intelligence services. Qualcomm offers this comprehensive set of Brew offerings to meet the distinct needs of companies delivering mobile products and services around the world.
Qualcomm Incorporated (www.qualcomm.com) is a leader in developing and delivering innovative digital wireless communications products and services based on CDMA and other advanced technologies. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Qualcomm is included in the S&P 500 Index and is a 2006 FORTUNE 500® company traded on The Nasdaq Stock Market® under the ticker symbol QCOM.
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CNN travels to Dubai next month
MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN anchor Hala Gorani hosts the special Inside The Middle East from Dubai in December as she takes viewers on a journey to Lebanon and Tunisia to meet a singing legend and one of the most prolific film producers from the Middle East. The special airs on 2 December 2006 at 2 pm, 8 pm, 3 December at 6 pm and on 7 December at 8 pm.
In Beirut, CNN correspondent Brent Sadler meets 82-year old tarab singer, Nahawand, one of the most elderly performers in the Middle East. Twice a week she rocks her audiences in the aisles of Music Hall, a trendy Beirut nightclub where the Lebanese glitterati dance on tables to the powerful voice of ‘the nightingale’. Now, with age, she suffers mentally but never forgets her lyrics. Her doctors remark that this frail woman in her trademark black suit and red scarf literally lives to sing, and that those few minutes on stage every week may be her motivation to stay alive.
Gorani then explores the history of Western film production in Tunisia, where much of the country’s movement can be attributed to Tunisian-born Tarak Ben Ammar, who is today a major international film broker and movie producer. Currently producing the upcoming ‘Hannibal Rising’ movie, he also took part in producing popular films like ‘Star Wars’ and the ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ movies. Ben Ammar shows INSIDE THE MIDDLE EAST around his magnificent Greco-Roman film set north of Tunis, revealing how he convinced Hollywood legends Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to shoot their movies in his native Tunisia, helping transform the small North African country into one of Hollywood’s favourite film sets.
The show also looks at a specific problem affecting life in the Middle East: iodine deficiency disorder. Just a pinch of iodised salt with a meal is known to be enough to eliminate the primary cause of preventable learning difficulties and brain damage. But mental retardation, dwarfism and speech defects due to IDD have yet to be eliminated in the region despite efforts to get salt producers to add iodine to their product. In Egypt’s rural Nile Delta, the show looks at one anti-IDD programme targeting babies that is proving successful and follows an Egyptian health minister in his battle against IDD as he seeks to rid the souks, shops and stores of illegally produced, un-iodised salt.