September 25, 2017

Rotoscope nature footage

See how CentraleSupélec student Hugo Germain uses rotoscoping effects on nature footage in After Effects to reimagine the exotic marine life of Lord …
Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed

September 25, 2017

How to Use Null Layers in After Effects

By using null layers in After Effects, you can mass control multiple layers, create more complex animations, and more easily create things like …
Source: CW’s Flipboard Feed

September 24, 2017

Box Office: ‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ and ‘The LEGO Ninjago Movie’ Are Top Openers

Things are looking up at the fall box office: for the first time three September releases grossed over $20 million. The average September usually sees one or two performing at this level. Even with poor reviews, sequel “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” (20th Century Fox) managed to nearly reach $40 million. It was joined by a strong third weekend for horror phenomenon “It” (Warner Bros.) at $30 million, and the opening of “The LEGO Ninjago Movie” (also Warners) at just over $20 million.

Despite the improvement over last year — box office up $15 million, or about 14 per cent — the fall-off from last year is still just under five per cent. That’s better than the 6.3 per cent drop at the end of August. But the uphill climb to equal last year’s box office (with slightly higher prices this year meaning an even bigger gap in ticket buyers) still quite steep.

Also tempering upbeat box office is lower-than-expected results for the two highly anticipated debuting sequels. “Kingsman: The Royal Circle” had been projected to reach as high as $50 million. And “LEGO” was touted as hitting over $30 million. Both fell short of those levels, despite their solid showings.

Screenshot

“Kingsman” was an expensive production with a budget over $100 million, unusual for an early fall release. Its initial international take of $66 million (not including four of the ten best regions for the first film) combined with the domestic start suggests ultimate modestly profitable results. Whether they are enough to sustain a budding franchise is an open question.

The Saturday gross dropped four per cent from Friday (which includes Thursday’s preview numbers). That compares to a 47 per cent better second day last time, which got a boost from falling on Valentine’s Day. Also, sequels tend to be more front-loaded.

Still, while neither film scored critical raves, a limp Metacritic score of 45 and an unusually long running time for a comedy (141 minutes) may have taken its toll. The first time around saw a 3.5 multiple for its opening (just under $140 million total run gross). As of now, this looks likely to reach about $100 million. Unlike foreign territories, this is not an improved opening from last time. Fox still picked a smart date that yielded a $39-million September opening.

“The LEGO Ninjago Movie,” the third in the LEGO series, marks a steep decline. Like “The LEGO Batman Movie,” it’s not a direct sequel to the first LEGO effort, which in 2014 opened at $69 million. The “Batman” standalone earlier this year debuted to $53 million.

Does this mark a continued lower expectation for what used to be a robust family audience for animated fare? Animation remains a major success story in contemporary movies. But some minor signs, including drops from past performances in the “Despicable Me” and “Cars” franchises, still nag about what has been a bedrock of exhibition.

Also making the Top Ten are two indie entries. “Friend Request” (Entertainment Studios), a German horror film (in English) flattened out with only $2.4 million in over 2,500 theaters. More impressive is “Stronger” (Roadside Attractions) for which Jake Gyllenhaal has received (once again) strong reviews for his portrayal of a survivor of the Boston Marathon bombing. Its second day uptick and A- Cinemascore suggest future wider interest (including potential Oscar consideration) beyond its initial nearly $1,750,000 total in only 574 theaters.

Then there is “It” (Warner Bros.), which enjoyed a third weekend $30-million total adding to already great results, with a new running total of $266 million. Already one of the ten biggest horror films of all time, it could ultimately become second only to “Crocodile Dundee” among September releases in the modern era.

Holdovers

Holdovers showed overall bigger drops than recent weeks, with only “Home Again” (Open Road) down a small 36 per cent its third weekend. With a lack of strong female-appeal titles at the moment, “Home Again” boasts the advantage of less competition.

“mother!” (Paramount) might have gained from that audience, but its second weekend drop of 57 per cent confirms the quick demise of Darren Aronofsky’s latest (starring Jennifer Lawrence). It did hold slightly better than “American Assassin” (Lionsgate), the other second week film.

The Top Ten

1. Kingsman: The Golden Circle (20th Century Fox) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 46; Est. budget: $104 million

$39,000,000 in 4,003 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $9,743; Cumulative: $39,000,000

2. It (Warner Brothers) Week 3 – Last weekend #1

$30,000,000 (-50%) in 4,007 theaters (-141); PTA: $7,487; Cumulative: $266,339,000

3. The LEGO Ninjago Movie (Warner Bros.) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 55; Est. budget: $70 million

$21,245,000 in 4,047 theaters; PTA: $5,250; Cumulative: $21,245,000

4. American Assassin (Lionsgate) Week 2  – Last weekend #2

$6,250,000 (-58%) in 3,154 theaters (no change); PTA: $1,982; Cumulative: $26,180,000

5. Home Again (Open Road) Week 3 – Last weekend #4

$3,312,000 (-36%) in 2,685 theaters (-351); PTA: $1,233; Cumulative: $22,348,000

6. mother! (Paramount) Week 2 – Last weekend #3

$3,260,000 (-57%) in 2,368 theaters (no change); PTA: $1,377; Cumulative: $13,429,000

7. Friend Request (Entertainment Studios) NEW – Cinemascore: C+; Metacritic: 33; Est. budget: $10 million

$2,400,000 in 2,569 theaters; PTA: $933; Cumulative: $2,400,000

8. The Hitman’s Bodyguard (Lionsgate) Week 6  – Last weekend #5

$1,850,000 (-48%) in 2,037 theaters (-1,265); PTA: $908; Cumulative: $73,598,000

9. Stronger (Roadside Attractions) NEW – Cinemascore: A-; Metacritic: 76; Est. budget: $10 million

$1,748,000 in 574 theaters; PTA: $3,045; Cumulative: $1,748,000

10. Wind River (Weinstein) Week 8  – Last weekend #6

$1,267,000 (-51%) in 1,431 theaters (-1,118); PTA: $884; Cumulative: $31,653,000

Source: IndieWire film

September 24, 2017

David Spade Is Aware of That Weird Kurt Cobain Mural, but Does He Agree That It’s Better to Burn Out Than Fade Away?

It’s better to burn out than fade away, but is it also better to be mistaken for Kurt Cobain? David Spade finds himself grappling with that odd, existential question this week, as images of a mural of his face accompanied by that Kurt Cobain quote (which originally came from the Neil Young song “Hey Hey, My My [Into the Black]” circulated online.

“Everyone is sending me this” tweeted the actor, late of such classics as “Tommy Boy” and “Black Sheep.” That’s all he said on the matter, leaving us all to wonder whether he’s amused, weirded out, or perhaps some combination of the two; Cobain quoted the line in his suicide note, after all, which Young found quite upsetting. The mural is painted on the side of a building in Linz, Austria, suggesting that “Joe Dirt” is just as uproarious with German subtitles as it is in the original English.

Spade was most recently seen playing himself on the short-lived Cameron Crowe series “Roadies” and also appeared in the Netflix Originals “Love” and “Sandy Wexler.” We may never know who his favorite Little Rascal is.

Everyone is sending me this pic.twitter.com/0M85bL0WyX

— David Spade (@DavidSpade) September 22, 2017

Source: IndieWire film

September 24, 2017

‘Battle of the Sexes’ and ‘Victoria & Abdul’ Launch Fall Wave; ‘Loving Vincent’ Shows Animated Start

The fall specialized season ratcheted up with a group of top festival releases starting their theatrical release with later awards in their sights. As expected, well-reviewed “The Battle of the Sexes” (Fox Searchlight) stood out as the top performer in a week without much other signs of life from holdovers (IFC’s “The Viceroy’s House” is the best of a weak bunch).

In two initial cities, Judi Dench showed her royal form in Stephen Frears’ “Victoria & Abdul” (Focus) with the weekend’s best per theater average, while “Stronger” (Roadside Attractions) saw some success in a much wider limited release.

The upstart was “Loving Vincent” (Good Deed), which unexpectedly came up with a $24,000 exclusive New York opening. This rare animated arthouse release (using Van Gogh “painted” animation to tell its narrative) could be a sleeper success within this uber-competitive period.

Opening

The Battle of the Sexes (Fox Searchlight) – Metacritic: 73; Festivals include: Toronto 2017

$525,000 in 21 theaters; PTA: $25,000

The most impressive limited opening of the week drew wide interest in seven markets rather than just the top two. The Emma Stone/Steve Carell retelling of the 1973 Billie Jean King/Bobby Riggs tennis match premiered in Toronto with decent reviews and a strong push for younger female interest with strong initial results. Saturday saw a good uptick from Friday, suggesting positive response.

What comes next: A very quick expansion to over 1,000 theaters this Friday.

Screenshot/Focus Features

Victoria & Abdul (Focus) – Metacritic: 55; Festivals include: Venice, Telluride, Toronto 2017

$151,732 in 4 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $37,933

The leader among per theater averages this weekend, with a strong initial performance in New York and Los Angeles, is a continuing testament to the appeal of Dame Judi Dench who plays Queen Victoria (again) in Frears’ latest charming period comedy, which overcame mixed reviews. She and Frears made Friday in person appearances in Los Angeles, which boosted the gross that day, but New York increases suggest initial positive word of mouth.

What comes next: The first wave of the expansion includes a total of around 75 theaters this Friday.

Stronger (Roadside Attractions) – Metacritic: 76; Festivals include: Toronto 2017

$1,748,000 in 574 theaters; PTA: $3,045

The David Gordon Green film starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a Boston Marathon bombing victim rode loud Toronto buzz into the Top Ten (#9) in only 574 theaters, and saw a 34 per cent jump on its second day, a positive sign. Roadside frequently eschews more limited releases and has in the past seen similar theater counts openings in the $2-3 million range. But in a more crowded play period for specialized films, “Stronger” goes against several successful wide releases. And it follows Peter Berg’s similar “Patriots Day” from CBS Films less than a year ago, which makes this initial result — including an A- Cinemascore –even more impressive.

What comes next: A small jump to around 650 theaters is planned for this week.

Courtesy of the filmmakers

Loving Vincent (Good Deed) – Metacritic: 57; Festivals include: Sundance, San Francisco, Seattle 2017

$24,304 in 1 theater; PTA: $24,304

A surprisingly strong result for this creative original take on Van Gogh’s last days. With animated renderings of his paintings brought to life to give a speculative take on the conflicts in his life, this gained attention from fans of the renowned Dutch Impressionist (who has been the subject of multiple previous films) despite mixed reviews and independent distribution from a little known company. It opened at Manhattan’s prime Lincoln Plaza Theater, which saw one of its better opening weekends of the year.

What comes next: Los Angeles opens this Friday.

Unrest (Shella) – Metacritic: 79; Festivals include: Sundance, South by Southwest 2017

$10,700 in 1 theater; PTA: $10,700

This Sundance premiered and supported documentary, in which director Jennifer Brea chronicles her battle with chronic fatigue syndrome, opened at New York’s IFC Center to a respectable initial total.

What comes next: Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago add on this week.

Oscilloscope Laboratories

Bobbi Jene (Oscilloscope) – Metacritic: 53; Festivals include: Tribeca, Hot Docs 2017

$7,500 in 1 theater; PTA: $7,500

Elvira Lind’s lauded documentary centering on the price artists pay to push their art to exciting new places (an American modern dancer returns home to perform her own nakedly emotional choreography after acclaim in Israel) won multiple jury prizes at Tribeca and had a decent initial gross in New York.

What comes next: Los Angeles opens on October 6.

Week Two

Brad’s Status (Annapurna)

$1,001,000 in 453 theaters (+449); PTA: $2,210; Cumulative: $1,114,000

Modest second weekend quick expansion for this Amazon pickup of Mike White’s midlife overview as a divorced father (Ben Stiller) takes his son on a college tour. Saturday had a decent increase over Friday, which suggests the chance for more positive future results as word of mouth builds. The results, however, fall below the early stages of Noah Baumbach’s “While We’re Young,” Stiller’s last limited release (that 2015 entry rose to $7.6 million).

Ex-Libris: The New York Public Library (Zipporah)

$18,250 in 4 theaters (+3); PTA: $4,563; Cumulative: $42,451

Holding very well in New York while adding Los Angeles and Washington, Frederick Wiseman’s latest documentary continues to garner acclaim and decent results. Its three-hour-plus length and subject matter make the interest so far even more impressive.

Screenshot/Pathe

On going/expanding (Grosses over $50,000 in under 1,000 theaters)

Viceroy’s House (IFC) Week 4

$201,287 in 121 theaters (+12); Cumulative: $746,008

The grosses aren’t spectacular, but this recounting of the last hours of the British Raj in India is holding well in still limited play to lead the list of holdovers.

The Big Sick (Lions Gate) Week 14; also available on Video on Demand and home video

$114,000 in 122 theaters (-216); Cumulative: $42,715

Still raking in late run money despite its release to home viewing media this week.

Rebel in the Rye (IFC) Week 3

$82,323 in 81 theaters (+32); Cumulative: $265,172

This biopic on J.D. Salinger is making at best minor impact as it expands.

Columbus (Superlative) Week 8

$80,222 in 57 theaters (-4); Cumulative: $751,417

The wider than expected release of this true independent film (the filmmaker is overseeing its distribution) continues to see positive results. The story stars John Cho in an offbeat encounter in an Indiana city between two strangers and looks headed to a $1 million total.

Dolores (PBS) Week 4

$70,125 in 27 theaters (+7); Cumulative: $257,480

This documentary about the woman organizer who was at Cesar Chavez’s side during the California farm workers’ dispute in the 1960s continues to expand, still with respectable results that could help raise its awareness in upcoming awards consideration.

Also noted:

Beach Rats (Neon) – $39,405 in theaters; Cumulative: $392,503

The Unknown Girl (IFC) – $28,538 in theaters; Cumulative: $92,102

Ingrid Goes West (Neon) – $25,952 in 50 theaters; Cumulative: $2,975,000

California Typewriter (Gravitas Ventures) – $23,479 in 16 theaters; Cumulative: $162,591

Maudie (Sony Pictures Classics) – $23,252 in 44 theaters; Cumulative: $6,118,000

Source: IndieWire film

September 24, 2017

‘Star Wars’: Ron Howard Shares ‘Desperate and Dangerous’ Photos From Han Solo Set

With all the drama surrounding who will and won’t direct the many “Star Wars” films coming soon to a galaxy near you, there’s been a momentary lapse in obsessing over what actually happens in the standalone Han Solo film and “Episode IX.” Ron Howard is now directing the former, which was originally to be helmed by “Lego Movie” helmers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller; as he nears completion on the untitled spinoff, the former Richie Cunningham has shared two glimpses of it.

“Shooting a scene about desperate and dangerous times in the Galaxy,” wrote Howard on Twitter yesterday. The accompanying photo is hazy, with a copper tint to it, and shows several people both in front of and behind the camera. He shared a similar picture on Instagram, which almost looks like something from the surface of LV-426, the planet in “Alien” and “Aliens.”

Howard was announced as the new director of the Han Solo film in late July, following the news that Lord and Miller had departed the project two days earlier. “I’m beyond grateful to add my voice to the Star Wars Universe after being a fan since 5/25/77,” he wrote at the time. “I hope to honor the great work already done & help deliver on the promise of a Han Solo film.” The movie is due in theaters on May 25, 2018.

Shooting a scene about desperate and dangerous times in the Galaxy pic.twitter.com/AtNZPOkzFO

— Ron Howard (@RealRonHoward) September 23, 2017

Shooting a scene about desperate and dangerous times.

A post shared by RealRonHoward (@realronhoward) on Sep 22, 2017 at 1:10pm PDT

Source: IndieWire film

September 24, 2017

‘Blade Runner 2049’ Won’t Have a Director’s Cut, Says Denis Villeneuve

Eight different versions of “Blade Runner” have been shown in one form or another, five of which are well known: the workprint, the theatrical cut, the international cut, the director’s cut, and the final cut. In a new interview with Europe Plus, Denis Villeneuve says that “Blade Runner 2049” won’t be so complicated — there will be no director’s cut, he explains, because the version arriving in theaters next month is the director’s cut.

“The thing is, the movie you’re going to see is the director’s cut,” says Villeneuve, who most recently directed “Arrival” and “Sicario.” “There will be no further…maybe there’ll be a ‘studio version’ [laughs], maybe a producer version, but not a director’s version. That’s my director’s cut. So I don’t think there will be further versions. If there are alternate versions, they’re not from me.”

“Blade Runner 2049” carries a hefty price tag ($185 million) and protracted runtime (163 minutes, 11 of which are reserved for the credits). Villeneuve is said to have had a high degree of creative control over the long-awaited sequel, which was written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green. Warner Bros. will release it theatrically on October 6.

Source: IndieWire film