Asia Image May 2008

Cover Story

> NAB 2008 – Great expectations

Newsroom

> Avid unveils new family of digital video editing systems

> Belden offers new series of broadcast equipment housing and storage solutions

> VOOM HD-Mega Media-MDA co-productions renewed for second season

> TWC to finance new features Shanghai and Seven Samurai

> ViewCast unveils the Osprey-450e video capture card

> Bright Systems’ BrightClip showcased at NAB Show 2008

> Blackmagic Design announces Broadcast Videohub

> Chyron launches Axis online content creation services

> Panasonic 64GB P2 card launched at NAB Show 2008

> India's Pixion Installs BrightDrive for 4K DI Workflow

> OmniBus grows Asian presence

> FFV debuts eClips DVR for live broadcast production

> CFA and Hualong to restore 5,000 Chinese films with da Vinci's Revival

> Digieffects to release Natural Forces and Simulate series of effects

> Front Porch Digital launches DIVAworks family of solutions

> DVO grain management to be integrated into IMAGER XE

> Digipost expands into Cambodia

> Eleventh pirate DVD burner lab shut down in Malaysia

> OmniBus rolls out iTX GFX

> MDA appoints Kenneth Tan as COO and director of SFC

> Avid’s Sundance Digital sets up facility in Singapore

Technology Focus

> The Art and Soul of Production Stills

By Nazir Keshvani
Back in the days when cinemas had proper foyers, they would display stills that provided tantalising glimpses of the actual movie. Cinema stills is an art form which captures the essence of a movie in just a single frame. How are these stills made? And who makes them? We speak to Darius Manihuruk and Erik Wirasakti, two of Indonesia’s best production stills photographers, who provide answers to these questions and more.

> Ram Mohan: Animation GURU

By Nazir Keshvani
Ram Mohan, the doyen of the Indian animation industry, received a Special Recognition Award at the FICCI Best Animated Frames (BAF) Awards 2008. It is worthy recognition for a man who has played a significant role in the evolution of animation in India. With over a hundred films to his credit, his contributions span a wide spectrum of work across the areas of 2D classical animation, 3D computer graphics animation to cinema and live action

> A BAD DAY

> ANIMATION-LIVE

> India’s animation boom

By Anil Wanvari
Ten years ago, India’s animation industry was keen to promote the “Brand India” label, a pitch that suggested the quality of work might be better than foreigners imagined. These days, nearly all the major animation studios in the world have some kind of presence in India or make use of Indian facilities and personnel

> Hong Kong’s fine exposition

In its fourth year, Entertainment Expo Hong Kong, organized by the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council, has grown from strength to strength in 2008 with its series of events concluding on a high. Calvin Wong reports

> NAB 2008 reaches crossroads

Each year the National Association of Broadcasters holds its trade show in Las Vegas and manufacturers trot out their latest professional gear. Here are the highlights from this year’s show…

> FICCI Frames 2008 overview

By Nazir Keshvani

> Lighting for chromakey

By Chew Tze Chuan
Seeing chromakey used on a movie set and its results on the movie screen is fantastic. Lighting for chromakey is a bit different. There are colour spill issues to overcome from light bounce, and lighting the backdrop properly is as important as lighting the subject

> Running the wireless race

By Calvin Wong
The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon held annually in the metropolitan city of Mumbai, India, is one of few marathons worldwide to be broadcast live. Asia Image hears about the wireless experience of bringing the 2008 races to TV screens nationwide Production/ Post

> Crafted By Metal

Back to basics. That’s the essence of the new Levi’s Copper Jeans. And so for its TVC, stop motion technique – dating back to the era of the original 1933 King Kong movie – was applied Feature Articles

> Australia’s big push

By Chris Pritchard
Australian cinematographers, crews, facilities, locations and post houses are internationally renowned, but with recent moves, they will also be unshackled, able to either pursue work abroad or, in the case of facilities and effects labs, able to lure work to them Events

> BroadcastAsia 2008 returns