Commercials – Below the Line

Awards

Visual Effects Society Unveils Nominees for 2023 VES Awards; Avatar: The Way of Water Leads the Field

January 17, 2023 Staff Comments Off

The Visual Effects Society (VES) has announced the nominees for the 21st Annual VES Awards, which recognize outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in features, animation, television, commercials, and video games, and the VFX Supervisors, VFX Producers and hands-on VFX Artists who bring this work to life. Avatar: The Way of Water leads the feature film field with 14 nominations, while Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is the top animated contender […]

Producer Joel Paisner Joins Boutique Visual Effects Company Jogger Studios

November 14, 2022 Staff Comments Off

Producer Joel Paisner has joined the boutique visual effects studio Jogger. Based out of Jogger Los Angeles, Paisner will work closely with the producing teams in the Santa Monica, Austin, and San Francisco offices. “Everyone’s really happy to have Joel join us here at Jogger,” Jogger Creative Director Andy Brown said in a statement. “As we have continued to grow, adding Joel to the team has already made a massive […]

Emmy-Winning Set Decorator John Sparano on How “We Used to Talk” on Set — Before the Dreaded Cellphone Came Along

November 2, 2022 John Sparano Comments Off

Anyone who has ever weathered bleeding fingers deciphering the threading diagram of a Moviola can tell you the day they saw their first video playback system on set. Along with anamorphic lenses, the Steadicam, computer-generated Imagery, camera drones, and wireless LED lighting, innovations such as that one have been game-changers in the process of making television programs and motion pictures. Their impact, along with a slew of other technological breakthroughs, […]

Hollywood Guilds Including DGA and SAG-AFTRA Extend Covid-19 Safety Agreement

October 26, 2022 Staff Comments Off

SAG-AFTRA and IATSE, along with the DGA, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and the Hollywood Basic Crafts, (Teamsters Local 399, IBEW Local 40, LiUNA! Local 724, OPCMIA Local 755 and UA Local 78) have just announced the extension of the COVID-19 Safety Agreement through Jan. 31, 2023. The agreement maintains the multi-faceted approach that has kept the industry working safely since shortly after the onset of the pandemic. The extension […]

Louise Rider Promoted to Executive Producer at Audio Post-Production Company Another Country

October 6, 2022 Staff Comments Off

Louise Rider has been promoted to Executive Producer at noted audio post-production company Another Country, it was announced Thursday by the company’s managing director, Tim Konn. Rider has been an integral team member at Another Country since landing as an Assistant Engineer back in 2008. Originally from Bethesda, Maryland, she relocated to Chicago in 2003 to pursue a B.A. in Music Technology at Northwestern University and later received a Master’s […]

Awards

WGA Unveils Key Dates for 2023 Writers Guild Awards and Some Changes to Eligibility Criteria

September 7, 2022 Staff Comments Off

The Writers Guild of America has announced that the 75th Annual Writers Guild Awards, which honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, news, radio/audio, and promotional categories, will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2023. Before we get to the key dates, it’s important to note that the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) have made some changes to the eligibility and submission […]

SIGGRAPH 2022: The Most Exciting New Tech Unveiled So Far

August 10, 2022 Staff Comments Off

SIGGRAPH, the world’s premiere computer graphics showcase, begins its live, in-person event this week in Vancouver, where many leading scientists and tech creators will be sharing their latest work publicly for the very first time. Here’s a rundown of some of the most exciting new tech that has been introduced so far, from our perspective: Feature Film Quality Markerless Mocap Traditional motion capture processes normally require expensive mocap suits and […]

Crew Members Now Required to Wear Masks Indoors on All Film and TV Productions in Los Angeles

July 5, 2022 Staff Comments Off

In case you missed it last week given the 4th of July holiday, film and TV productions shot in Los Angeles now require all crew members to wear masks indoors. LA County’s public health officer Barbara Ferrer made the announcement on Thursday and said it was a result of increasing hospitalizations due to COVID-19. The new safety protocols went into immediate effect. “With new hospital admissions reaching more than 8 […]

VFX Industry Veteran Tony Robins Joins Harbor as Managing Director of Advertising

May 23, 2022 Staff Comments Off

VFX industry veteran Tony Robins has joined Harbor as Managing Director of Advertising, the company’s CEO, Zak Tucker, recently announced. Robins joins from The Mill’s New York studio, where he spent 14 years as a pioneering artist and creative leader, rising from Head of 2D to Director of Operations and then to Managing Director. Over the past 30 years, Robins has forged top creative relationships and been a driving force behind a […]

Guild of Music Supervisors Awards: Zola and Encanto‘s Big Wins Ring Loud and Clear

March 20, 2022 Jeff Sneider Comments Off

A24’s Zola and Disney’s Encanto — the first time those two movies have appeared in the same sentence before, no doubt — were among the big winners at the Guild of Music Supervisors‘ 12th annual awards ceremony, which took place on Sunday. Netflix’s Tick, Tick… Boom! (supervised by Steven Gizicki), and Lionsgate’s comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (Julianne Jordan, Justine von Winterfeldt) were also among the night’s victors, while […]