March 23, 2018
10 Tips For Using VFX Without Blowing Your Budget
With a little creativity, not only can VFX effects be affordable, but it can even save you money.
Shawn Walsh of Zero Engine was thrown a major curve on Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty when production hit a stumbling block in the third act. “Navy Seals go in with helicopters, but they are these top secret stealth helicopters,” he explained in the SXSW session on leveraging VFX for indie films. There was no way of knowing exactly what the cutting edge government choppers looked like, nor any way to get these secret choppers on set.
“We had to come up with the design of fictional yet real helicopters,” Walsh explained, “Are we going to build a custom copter? No, we don’t know avionics. Will we have to CG these stealth hawks from scratch? It would have exploded the budget. We’re going to have to CG helicopters to make the story work. The third act falls apart without it! So what we did, is we filmed real helicopters, Black Hawks, and we motion-tracked them and CG-replaced them with the fictional copter. The dust was real, the flying was real; the VFX team got something to work with, and they made it work.”
Source: NoFilmSchool
March 23, 2018
Sotheby’s is making homebuying immersive with AR app Curate
Sotheby’s International Realty and its new virtual staging augmented reality app, powered by Rooomy, is called Curate. The app promises to revolutionize both the buying and selling experience for real estate agents and new homeowners alike.
The post Sotheby’s is making homebuying immersive with AR app Curate appeared first on Digital Trends.
Source: Digital Trends VR
March 23, 2018
Meet R1, the First Self-Flying 4K Drone
This autonomous drone from Skydio can be flown without expertise.
10 years ago, MIT classmates Adam Bry, Abraham Bacharach, and Matt Donahoe had a great idea. As the drone market was expanding, they wondered: What if we created an autonomous, video-capturing drone? A decade later, their product has come to market.
The R1, developed by the MIT grads’ start-up, Skydio, is the first professional-grade drone that can be flown without expertise. Geared toward “rock climbers, hikers, runners, dancers, or anyone who likes recording themselves while in motion,” according to MIT News, the R1 is equipped with 13 onboard cameras that capture omnidirectional video. The artificial intelligence-powered quadcopter shoots 4K video while mapping its environment in real-time, planning paths and avoiding obstacles in order to capture moving targets.
Source: NoFilmSchool
March 23, 2018
Black Panther’s Danai Gurira for ROGUE Magazine
Black Panther’s Danai Gurira for ROGUE Magazine
I discovered actress Danai Gurira in very popular and successful Marvel movie (for many reasons): Black Panther. In this movie, she is playing Okoye, the head of the Dora Milaje. Nevertheless to say that she was really badass in this role and I was watching an interview about the BTS process of shaving her head. It’s quite a big & bold move for the role and it’s amazing how the work Benjo Arwas just gracefully embrace this beauty. Benjo is a photographer and director based in Los Angeles, California; check out the all-embracing and stunning collection of pictures.
Credits
- Photography: Benjo Arwas
- Directors: Benjo Arwas & Colby Koch
- DP: Chris Koch
- Styling: Jordan Grossman
- Makeup: Agostina @ Xclusive Artists
- Nails: Chelsea King @ Celestine Agency
- Music: PLEASE – HOY LA
- Video Production: TRIBE FEDERATION
More Links
- Learn more about Benjo Arwas at benjoarwas.com
- Follow Benjo on Behance
Photography & Fashion
AoiroStudio
Mar 23, 2018
Source: Abduzeedo Photography
March 22, 2018
Oculus Go and Santa Cruz will have a 72Hz mode for smoother mobile VR
The upcoming Oculus Go and Santa Cruz mobile VR headsets will have 72Hz refresh rate modes for a more fluid experience. Current mobile VR solutions max out at 60Hz, such as the Gear VR headset for Samsung’s smartphones.
The post Oculus Go and Santa Cruz will have a 72Hz mode for smoother mobile VR appeared first on Digital Trends.
Source: Digital Trends VR
March 22, 2018
Oculus could be aiming to make VR a bit more real with these haptic gloves
Grabbing things in virtual reality is a constant reminder that you are not actually interacting with anything. Oculus might be gearing up to change that with a set of gloves described in a pair of patent filings made public.
The post Oculus could be aiming to make VR a bit more real with these haptic gloves appeared first on Digital Trends.
Source: Digital Trends VR
March 22, 2018
Announcing the 2018 SXSW Hackathon Winners
The SXSW 2018 Hackathon is a wrap! Over 100 hackers from the US, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Romania and more spent 24 hours furiously collaborating, coding and creating new solutions in the music, tech, VR, AI and blockchain world. The three winning teams were awarded $12,000 in prizes and then spent the next three days working with industry mentors to fine-tune their creations.
The Winners
- First place: scalpV, which leverages emerging technology to solve a major problem with fraud in the live event space.
- Second place: Practice Hero, which uses Amazon’s Alexa to make practicing easier with voice commands.
- Third place: Focus, which increases signal quality by teaching computers to hear like people.
“This was the year SXSW’s Hackathon and Incubator came into its own, with the winning teams all going on to becoming real startups after five days of rapid prototyping and incubation,” said Travis Laurendine, who has facilitated the event for the last five years.
“Only during the magic of SXSW could the stars align for Capitol Music Group to launch its innovation lab and announce its own hackathon series at the Capitol Tower alongside industry-leading tech like Amazon Web Services and Alexa, Facebook Live and Messenger, blockchain powerhouse Consensys, and the cloud power of Cloudinary. We tip our hats to USAA for for being such a great presenting sponsor (they matched the cash prizes so the winners prizes were doubled!) and to our grand prize winner, who happens to be a veteran and card carrying USAA member! Also, shout-outs to our artists-in-residence Mark Martin and Kaila Mullady, the reigning North American and World Beat Box Champions!”
Photo by Randy & Jackie Smith
The post Announcing the 2018 SXSW Hackathon Winners appeared first on SXSW.
Source: SxSW Film
March 22, 2018
The SXSW Creative Experience “Arrow” Awards – HBO and Giant Spoon, Sony Brand Design Platform, and Meow Wolf
Announcing the winners of the inaugural SXSW Creative Experience “Arrow” Awards, celebrating creativity and innovation from agencies and activations at SXSW 2018.
“SXSW has long been a destination for cutting edge agencies and brands to bring their most inventive ideas to life,” said Roland Swenson, CEO of SXSW. “In the lead-up to this year’s event, we were excited to hear what some of our partners were planning, and we wanted to recognize that creative spirit in some small way.”
“We consider the three inaugural awards to be the groundwork for a larger awards program at SXSW 2019, rewarding creative work by both brands and agencies.”
The initial SXSW Creative Experience “Arrow” Awards selection was comprised of select SXSW staff, and leaders at Austin-based creative agencies.
SXSW 2018 Creative Experience “Arrow” Winners
Best Immersive Experience
HBO and Giant Spoon for Live without Limits Weekend, an immersive Westworld experience
HBO and Giant Spoon created an immersive theatrical experience for Westworld. Attendees were shuttled to a remote location where a recreation of the town of Sweetwater awaited them. The experience included actors trained for months in advance to create a fictional story that came to life on the two-acre set.
Best Use of Technology
Sony Brand Design Platform for Sony Wow Studio
Sony’s Wow Studio showcased 11 projects and prototypes that blended art and technology. The ambitious installation included VR, robotics, a super high speed sensor, and 3D audio technology. One example within the installation used motion tracking projectors that allowed visitors to interact with virtual objects while small 3D-printed musical instruments came to life under the system’s sensors.
Spirit of SXSW
Meow Wolf for Fractallage (a pop-up installation) and The Atrium (VR experience)
Meow Wolf, a Santa Fe-based art collective whose documentary film, Meow Wolf: Origin Story was accepted into the SXSW Film Festival, expanded their Austin presence with a pop-up installation, Fractallage and a VR experience, The Atrium. The collective’s DIY outsider spirit came to life in their wide-ranging SXSW participation.
Top of page – Westworld “Sweetwater” at SXSW 2018 – Photo by Merrick Ales
The post The SXSW Creative Experience “Arrow” Awards – HBO and Giant Spoon, Sony Brand Design Platform, and Meow Wolf appeared first on SXSW.
Source: SxSW Film
March 22, 2018
LUNA Awards Artist Grants to Two Films by Female Filmmakers at 2018 SXSW
There’s always more room for women in film. And last week in Austin, two incredible female filmmakers — Alexandria Bombach and Olivia Newman — received $10k artist grants to help them share their unique perspectives and stories through film.
LUNA, the first nutrition bar for women, is committed to enhancing the representation of women in the film industry. In 2000, LUNA created LUNAFEST, a traveling film festival by, for, and about women. Now in its 17th year, LUNAFEST continues to give female filmmakers the spotlight and the platform to break through in a male-dominated industry.
“Women fill less than a third of the directing pipeline,” said Ritu Mathur, LUNA brand director. “Women still struggle to secure finance or interest for female-oriented movies. As champions of women, we are thrilled to announce these awards and continue to fulfil the promise we originally made to women filmmakers in 2000 when we founded LUNAFEST.”
For the SXSW LUNA Gamechanger Award in Narrative and the SXSW LUNA Chicken & Egg Award in Documentary, LUNA and SXSW are proud to be partnering with Chicken & Egg Pictures, a nonprofit devoted to supporting women nonfiction filmmakers whose artful and innovative storytelling catalyzes social change, as well as with Gamechanger Films, the first equity fund established exclusively to finance films directed by women.
THE SXSW LUNA CHICKEN & EGG PICTURES AWARD IN DOCUMENTARY
LUNA and Chicken & Egg Pictures are honored to award the 2018 SXSW LUNA/Chicken & Egg Pictures Award in Documentary to Alexandria Bombach’s film On Her Shoulders.
On Her Shoulders demonstrates the power of documentary storytelling for social change. The film tells the story of Nadia Murad, a 23-year-old Yazidi survivor of genocide and ISIS sexual slavery. Noted documentarian Alexandria Bombach follows Nadia’s tireless efforts to tell her story, efforts that lead her down paths of advocacy as she becomes the voice of her people. On Her Shoulders is a remarkable film that spurs the audience honor Nadia’s courage not simply with empathy, but with real action.
THE SXSW LUNA GAMECHANGER AWARD IN NARRATIVE
LUNA and Gamechanger are proud to award the 2018 SXSW LUNA Gamechanger Award in Narrative to Olivia Newman’s film First Match.
Olivia Newman took bold risks with this inspiring and complicated underdog story about 15-year-old Monique, who joins an all-boys wrestling team in an attempt to connect with her estranged father. A beautifully crafted film (which also won a SXSW Audience Award), First Match showcases a range of well-drawn characters and exemplifies the ability to tell a story that empowers women without vilifying men. We commend Olivia’s hard work in sticking with her story throughout the seven years it took for her film to go from a short that toured with LUNAFEST back in 2014 to a fully-realized feature.
SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS
The films submitted for both categories were all strong, thought-provoking, stimulating, and stylistically varied. They demonstrated the breadth and the strength of women’s voices and vison in the field of nonfiction and narrative filmmaking today.
Because of that, two additional films have been singled out for Special Recognition Awards: Jenny Murray’s ¡Las Sandinistas! and Suzi Yoonessi’s Unlovable.
In Documentaries, we salute Jenny Murray’s ¡Las Sandinistas! for spotlighting the incredible women who fought on the front lines of Nicaragua’s Sandinista revolution to bring about social and political reform for their country, and how their battles for equality continue to the present day.
In Narrative, we recognize Suzi Yoonessi’s incredible musical comedy Unlovable, which brings to life a story of a young women coming to terms with her sex and love addiction. We also salute the film’s star, Charlene DeGuzman, for co-writing this story based on her own life experiences.
The post LUNA Awards Artist Grants to Two Films by Female Filmmakers at 2018 SXSW appeared first on SXSW.
Source: SxSW Film
March 22, 2018
Google may be looking to snap up VR camera company Lytro
Anonymous reports suggest Lytro is looking for a buyer — and that Google may be interested to the tune of $40 million. The reports have not yet been confirmed and some suggest different buyers.
The post Google may be looking to snap up VR camera company Lytro appeared first on Digital Trends.
Source: Digital Trends VR