– Loop Media

With the creation of a spacey design for the MuchMusic Video Awards, Toronto’s Loop Media has become the first Canadian production house to use Houdini animation software from Toronto-based Side Effects in a full-scale production from modeling to compositing.

Loop worked closely with Side Effects to create designs which ran throughout the awards show, broadcast live to air on MuchMusic from the CHUM/ City building on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. The designs combined the retro feel of early space movies like Flash Gordon and Plan 9 From Outer Space with a high-tech twist. The spot’s mechanical aliens were designed by Ed Lee and modeled by Diane Hartmann, Bill Hutchinson, Michael Tracenelli and Jeff Bastedo.

Using Houdini’s modeling and animation tools, Loop created flexible nurbs models with complex ik limbs. Loop describes the look as ‘Ed Wood meets The Terminator.’

– New stuff at IBC

Fuji Photo Film introduced its Fuji DP 121 dvcpro professional videocassettes at this year’s International Broadcasters Conference, held Sept. 12-16 in Amsterdam. The cassettes are based on atomm-ii (advanced, super-thin layer, high-output metal media) technology, which incorporates ultra-fine metal particles with a magnetic layer 0.2 microns thick. The motion picture, magnetic and computer media division of Fuji Canada will begin shipping the cassettes late this year.

In other ibc launch news, Avid introduced the latest release of mcxpress for Windows nt online digital video editing system. Version 1.5 features a realtime effects option, broadcast-quality 2:1 compression level images, batch digitizing and an improved compositing interface.

Avid also introduced mcxpress version 1.5 for Macintosh. Both are expected to be shipped in the fourth quarter of 1996.

In addition, Avid used ibc to debut version 6.5 of Media Composer and announced it would begin shipping version 7.0 of Matador. The newest release of the Matador paint and 2D animation software features new painting tools, improved text and shape handling, and open-system enhancements, with support for additional file formats including Prisms, pict, Photoshop and jpeg.

– Mind the Bullochs

Toronto’s Bulloch Entertainment Services, together with l.a.-based Entertainment Partners, has released two new production software products for budgeting and payroll and has launched a new Web site (www.bullochsys.com) aimed at production accountants.

VISTA Budgetting from Entertainment Partners and distributed by Bulloch is a Windows-based production budgeting product which allows customized budgets, incorporation of worksheets and sub-budgets, multiple fringes, schedules, forms and columns. It is available now and will be priced at $75 until July 1997.

Bulloch has also released version 2 of its On Location time sheet calculation software, which facilitates breaking down time sheets according to customized union agreements. Electronic time sheets can then be modemed to Bulloch for processing and labor hot-cost reports generated within minutes.

The Bulloch Web site allows production accountants to post resumes and availability dates on the Internet for a cost of $45 per year.

– Canadians Monitored

A talented handful of Canadians will assume a place in the permanent collection of the Museum of Television and Radio as winners of 1996 ITS International Monitor Awards, handed out Sept. 6 in Beverly Hills.

In the category of Film Originated TV Specials, the award for best achievement went to Hiroshima, a coproduction of Montreal’s Telescene, l.a.’s Adelson Entertainment and Journey Entertainment, Tokyo’s Cine Bazar and Daiei Production and posted by Montreal’s Supersuite.

Best achievement in the Documentaries category went to The Plague Fighters from Ric Esther Bienstock, Simcha Jacobovici and Elliot Halpern of Toronto’s Associated Producers.

Best 3D computer effects/animation honors in the Opens, Closes and Titles category went to Connie Dercho, Ron Tsang and Will Anielwicz of Toronto’s dave.

For Local Commercials, The Players Film Company of Toronto scored a Monitor for ‘Nobody Shows,’ a psa directed by David McNally. Montreal’s Centre de Montage Electronique won for best electronic special effects in the category of Promotional Non-Broadcast for ‘Publicite Club.’

Stockholm’s Digital Vision and California’s Philips Broadcast Television Systems received Monitors for special achievement in engineering excellence. Pixar was cited for best electronic special effects in theatrical releases for Toy Story, and er ‘Love’s Labor Lost,’ submitted by er/Warner Bros. won best achievement for film-originated tv series.

– More winners

The 10th annual International Computer Animation Competition, Images du Futur 96, held in Montreal Sept. 11, celebrated the computer-generated achievements of artists from Montreal and beyond and among the honorees were works from Montreal, Toronto, the u.s. and France.

Animator Kyran Kelly from Toronto’s Spin Productions took second prize in the advertising category for the Cantel Amigo ‘Valentine Phones’ spot for Gee Jeffery & Partners.

Hybride Technologies, based in Piedmont, Que., received second prize in the special effects category for its work on the high-def, sci-fi feature Habitat from Montreal’s Transfilm and Kingsborough Pictures, which also won best Canadian production – all categories.

A retrospective of past Images du Futur winners is being held in Old Montreal from Sept. 13-29.

– In other Spin news

Spin has availed itself of the full-time talents of Flame artist Keith Adams, who has lit fires internationally with his Flame expertise.