JohnDykstra Tagged Articles at Cinematical
VFX Artists Jumping Into the Director's Chair?
Filed under: Action », Animation », Drama », Sci-Fi & Fantasy », Deals », Newsstand », Games and Game Movies »
I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this trend. To what particular trend am I referring you may wonder? Is it rappers-turned actors? Or perhaps re-imaginings of classic films for modern day audiences? Or, maybe its remakes of Asian horror films for the American market? Nope. I'm pretty sure I don't like those things -- with exceptions, of course. I like Will Smith, Peter Jackson's King Kong was ok even if it was too long and The Grudge was pretty scary. No, what's got me confused today is my feelings about the current crop of films being helmed by visual effects artists instead of directors with any sort of actual directing experience. According to a recent article in Variety, the hands-on experience that effects supervisors have gotten while working on big films with major directors has helped them move from, as Variety puts it, "behind the computer screen right into the director's chair." Don't get me wrong, I realize supervising visual effects means you're managing a large team of people towards a single vision. And yes, that's a part of directing. But really, one of the most important things about directing is being able to tell a story and work with actors. I don't know about you, but most of the visual effects people I know have a pretty hard time talking about anything that doesn't happen on Battlestar Galactica or South Park so I fear their communication skills may be lacking in some areas.
Hippo and tortoise: box office gold?
Filed under: Drama », Deals », Family Films », Newsstand »
Mixed in with the unending reports of horror and
death that filled the media in the wake of the Asian tsunami were periodic feel-good stories, most of them about
reunited families, impossible survival, and Anderson Cooper. The best one, however, involved none of the above.
Instead, it was the story of the doomed love between a baby hippo and a tortoise, thrown together as a result of the
tragedy and doing their best to built a life for themselves. Or, you know, they were just hanging out because there
were no other animals left in the sanctuary. Either way, the relationship was documented all over the place
(accompanied by outrageously
adorable pictures), and Walden Media have decided to turn the animals into movie stars.Not surprisingly, said movie will be called Tortoise and Hippo. It was written by Roger S.H. Schulman, and will be directed by effects legend John Dykstra, who created "the first computer-operated motion-control camera system" while working on Star Wars in 1977. He's pretty much the man in his field (and has two visual effects Oscars to prove it), but this will be his first effort at direction. Walden is hoping to have the movie ready for release some time next year.
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The First 'Iron Man 2' Poster Appears!
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