Archive for the ‘movies’ Category

If your favorite TV, Music, Technology and Pop Culture stars could create their own alien life forms, what would they look like? Would they be passive or aggressive? Would they have two eyes or 10? Maxis, an EA announced a new web site that aims to find out. Maxis has invited more than 50 creative celebrities to design their own out-of-this-world alien species with the Spore Creature Creator. The Spore Creature Creator is a stand-alone product and creativity toy box where players create their own unique creatures, bring them to life with entertaining animations, and share them online with friends around the world.

Participants created their own species using the Spore Creature Creator and uploaded it to www.Sporevote.com, where fans can then log on, view the creatures and vote for their favorite.

Participants (in alphabetical order), include:

• Adam West
• Andrew WK
• ANT
• Benjamin McKenzie
• Bijou Phillips
• Breckin Meyer
• Brian Eno
• Carlos Santana
• Christopher Titus
• Cole Sprouse & Dylan Sprouse
• David Arquette
• David Lynch
• DJ AM
• Drac Studios
• Elijah Wood
• Emeril Lagasse
• Flight of the Conchords
• Greg Grunberg
• Hal Sparks
• John Aboud
• Margaret Cho
• Mario Lopez
• Melissa Joan Hart
• Peaches
• Stan Lee
• Stephen Colletti
• Steve Aoki
• Joey Fatone
• Alex Greenwald
• Chad Michael Murray
• Jaime King
• Jason Ritter
• Katy Perry
• Masi Oka
• Michelle Pesce
• Neil Patrick Harris
• Sal Masekela
• Will Wright
• Zachary Levi
• Alex Albrecht
• Alex Bogusky
• Brian Cecente
• Charlene Li
• Craig Newmark
• Curt Schilling
• Eric Nakamura
• Gary Vaynerchuk
• Geoff Keighley
• iJustine
• Jay Aldeson
• Joel Johnson
• Kent Nichols
• Kevin Rose
• Mark Cuban
• Michael Arrington
• Philip DeFRanco
• Richard Branson
• Robert Scoble
• Scott Beale
• Veronica Belmont

The Spore Creature Creator is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. The downloadable demo version is free. The retail version has an MSRP of $9.99 in North America. Fans that want to create their own creatures can download a free trial version of the Spore Creature Creator at www.spore.com.

Spore ships for the PC, Mac, Nintendo DS and mobile phones on September 5, 2008 in Europe and September 7, 2008 in North America and Asia. A limited-edition collectors edition of the game, the Spore Galactic Edition, is also available, which includes the ‘Making of Spore’ DVD, “How to Build a Better Being” DVD from the National Geographic Channel (NGC), ‘The Art of Spore’ hardback mini-book, a fold-out Spore poster, and a premium 100-page Galactic Handbook.

www.sporevote.com was created and managed by Mekanism. You can learn more about Mekanism at www.mekanism.com.

We discussed a few weeks ago (coverage) how online distribution was progressing steadily for movie and television studios through services such as Netflix.  And this past week Amazon announced that customers can now instantly watch ad-free movies and television shows on Macs or PCs with Amazon Video On Demand, Amazon’s digital video service offering thousands of movies and television shows. Previously, customers could only download titles and watch them on a PC (using the Amazon Unbox application) or on their TiVo box. Now customers can either watch instantly within their web browser or download using the Unbox application and watch anytime. Additionally, customers can now rent or purchase Amazon Video On Demand movies and TV shows directly through Sony’s BRAVIA Internet Video Link device on compatible BRAVIA television sets (currently in beta). Sony’s BRAVIA Internet Video Link device seamlessly streams Internet video content directly to compatible Sony HDTVs through a broadband connection.

Starting this week, to make it even easier for customers to decide whether they want to rent or purchase a title, the first two minutes of every movie and TV show automatically plays for free as soon as they visit the product detail page. At any time during the free viewing period, customers can choose to purchase or rent the title to watch it in its entirety. Once a customer orders a video, it is automatically added to Your Video Library. With the new Your Video Library, customers can access and stream their Amazon videos through popular web browsers on Macs and PCs. Customers can also access Your Video Library through the Sony BRAVIA Internet Video Link device on their compatible Sony BRAVIA televisions.

“We’re continuing to create new, convenient ways for our customers to watch digital movies and TV shows. The ability to watch content instantly without downloading first was among the most requested features of our customers, and now it’s live—customers can instantly watch the ad-free title of their choice on a Mac, PC or compatible Sony BRAVIA TV via Sony’s BRAVIA Internet Video Link device,” said Roy Price, director of Amazon Video On Demand. “Amazon Video On Demand provides customers with the choice of how to watch their favorite movies and TV shows, be it on their PC or Mac, on the TV with TiVo or through Sony’s BRAVIA Internet Video Link device on compatible Sony BRAVIA TVs, or on the go with a portable video player.”

Also starting this week, Sony BRAVIA Internet Video Link users can rent or purchase and instantly watch movies and commercial-free TV shows directly on their compatible BRAVIA TV. With the Sony BRAVIA Internet Video Link, customers can explore and purchase or rent from the Amazon Video On Demand library with the push of a button. To get started, customers simply go to www.amazon.com/videoondemand/bravia and link their BRAVIA to their Amazon.com account. After a purchase is made, the title can be immediately watched. A backup version can also be found in Your Video Library, accessible from the Sony BRAVIA Internet Video Link device user interface or on Amazon.com. Customers interested in purchasing a Sony BRAVIA television and/or Sony BRAVIA Internet Video Link device can do so in the Amazon.com Electronics store at www.amazon.com/electronics. Amazon Video On Demand through the BRAVIA Internet Video Link is currently in beta.

Amazon Video On Demand, operated by Amazon Digital Services, is the only U.S. digital video service that gives customers the choice to stream or download premium movies and TV shows. With over 40,000 licensed movies and TV shows, customers can now watch on their Mac, PC, Sony BRAVIA TV, TiVo box, Windows Media Center extender devices such as Xbox 360, and portable media players. The Amazon Unbox Video Player will remain as the client application for downloaded content, allowing customers to watch purchased content on their computer when they are not connected to the Internet or transfer it to a portable media player. With Fall TV starting in early September, Amazon Video On Demand will have a full selection of the most popular returning and new shows, including pilots, premieres, and full episodes.

Knowing and understanding the standards in any industry is imperative for success, however I would argue this is the case even more so if you are wanting to break into the entertainment industry. It has been three years since the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) published recommendations for how distributors and theaters should handle movies distributed and exhibited digitally. The recommendations have since turned into standards and the Digital Cinema industry went through a burst of activity and growth. There are now over 6,300 digital screens worldwide and major movies are now distributed digitally as well as with film.

But, there are well over 100,000 screens worldwide and the industry has hit a momentary pause as it tries to figure out how to step into the next phase. As with any complex system involving hundreds of companies and dozens of steps, people began to uncover a few things along the way that needed to be addressed to make things run smoothly.

The DCI recommendations are now at version 1.2, incorporating hundreds of errata created in the beginning years. Some of these revisions affect the equipment that early adopters have already installed.  So get ready for a big push to digital across the board!

If you are in the entertainment business at any level, you understand the importance of royalties; however, finding the mechanisms that protect your rights can be a tedious process.  One company that does exactly that just hit a very impressive milestone, Talent Clearing House, a 7-year old company providing full service royalty services for the Music, Entertainment and Media Industries surpassed the processing of $20 Million of music sales through its royalty administration system. It has experienced consistent growth throughout its life and recently, while processing Mechanical Royalties for The Redwalls’ self-titled album on Mad Dragon Records, it reached the milestone.

Paul Barretta, Founder and President of TCH, was recently quoted in the NEPA Business Weekly edition of the Scranton Times-Tribune, stating “We’re like the smart kid in school who sits in the back of the class. We don’t always get invited to the best parties, but everybody comes to us to do their homework.”

Since its inception, TCH has used its proprietary system to handle not only digital music sales, but also physical, ancillary and even merchandise and tour revenue to calculate, track, report and prepare royalty statements for record labels of all sizes. The process is easily applied to any royalty structure, from traditional to net profit and compilation deals. NEPA Business Weekly points out that according to Terry Tompkins, President of Mad Dragon Records, the label “tried in its infancy to calculate royalties by hand. With just two artists, the task took an entire day. Now… calculating royalties the old-fashioned way is out of the question.”

The system’s payment module provides the option for TCH to initiate royalty and related payments on behalf of clients, and was developed with modules for television program licensing, book publishing and filmmaking as well as music royalties.

Mr. Barretta points out, “Although we offer both fee-based and percentage-based pricing, the overwhelming choice of our customers is fee-based. Because our royalty services are automation-based, fees are quite low, and there’s no reason a label should give up a percentage of its revenue. We had nothing to do with creating, marketing or distributing the music… Why should we have any right to a portion of its revenue?”

Is the current economic state hurting the entertainment business?  Not according to The NPD Group, a market research company, who say that many of the most avid movie ticket buyers in the U.S. enjoy watching movies in the theater for social reasons that go beyond simple economic calculations. One-third of moviegoers head to the theaters four or more times in an average three-month period, and these consumers remain positive about spending their money on entertainment content — and on movie outings in particular.

NPD’s “Entertainment Trends in America” reports that nearly 80 percent of frequent moviegoers plan to go to the theater the same amount or more often than they did last year, despite news about a declining U.S. economy. Even among infrequent moviegoers (those who attend movies once or twice within three months) 57 percent plan to hold steady, or even increase, their attendance this year.

The top reason cited by consumers who intend to go to the movies more often this year is the social experience of going with family, friends, or significant others (73 percent). Nearly half (48 percent) pointed to the overall “movie-theater experience” (e.g., large screen, sound systems, etc.) as a primary reason they like to watch movies in the theater.

“Nothing is completely recession-proof, but movies are one of the ultimate social experiences,” said Russ Crupnick, entertainment industry analyst for The NPD Group. ”Despite the fact that more Americans now have high-tech entertainment equipment in our homes, nothing beats seeing ‘Dark Knight’ in a theater.”

Consumers who plan to go to the movies less often than they did last year, cited a dearth of good content, and unwillingness on their part to spend their time and money going out to the movies. “Although an uncertain economy plays a role in ticket-buying habits, consumers will also find other ways to entertain themselves, if there aren’t compelling movies to see; and that’s the case whether the economy is weak or flourishing,” Crupnick said.

According to NPD’s report, frequent moviegoers are 20 percent more likely than the average movie-ticket buyer to purchase DVDs of recent theatrical releases. They are also 60 percent more likely to rent a movie downloaded from the Web, and 40 percent more likely to purchase a movie as a digital download.

“Over time increases in the cost of movie tickets may move the social experience into the home,” Crupnick said. “That’s especially true as better home entertainment offerings led by HDTV, Blu-ray Disc, and simpler digital content downloading become more mainstream.”