Norman Reynolds, the two-time Oscar winning production and art designer on various Star Wars and Indiana Jones films who director Steven Spielberg once called the “creative core” of the franchises, has died. He was 89.
LucasFilm Ltd has confirmed his death, first reported by the BBC, which said that Reynolds “died peacefully with his wife Ann and three daughters by his side.”
Spielberg, who first collaborated with Reynolds on 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, said on a statement, “Norman was always smiling with enthusiasm, and there was nothing he couldn’t make work. Joyful and friendly and a massive talent.”
Among Reynolds’ many contributions to the franchises was his sculpting of the iconic golden idol that Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones attempts to steal during the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Reynolds based the idol on an Incan fertility sculpture he’d collected during overseas travels.
“The...
LucasFilm Ltd has confirmed his death, first reported by the BBC, which said that Reynolds “died peacefully with his wife Ann and three daughters by his side.”
Spielberg, who first collaborated with Reynolds on 1981’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, said on a statement, “Norman was always smiling with enthusiasm, and there was nothing he couldn’t make work. Joyful and friendly and a massive talent.”
Among Reynolds’ many contributions to the franchises was his sculpting of the iconic golden idol that Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones attempts to steal during the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Reynolds based the idol on an Incan fertility sculpture he’d collected during overseas travels.
“The...
- 4/6/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Nickelodeon’s Rock Island Mysteries creators Matt Cooke and Vince Lund are forging an animated feature with UK indie Threewise Entertainment and a groundbreaking training initiative.
The pair have tied with Threewise Founder Michael Ford on the as-yet-untitled feature, which will evoke classics such as Gremlins, Attack the Block and Goosebumps and is being pitched to buyers.
Based on an original idea by Ford and written by Cooke and Lund, the live action/digital mo-cap feature will tackle real-world issues affecting millions of modern youngsters.
Alongside Boa Stage & Screen Production Academy, Ford’s Threewise will offer up to 80 trainees from the academy the opportunity to work on the feature when it shoots next summer, giving them the chance to secure their first industry production credits in an industry where it can be hard to get a foot on the ladder. Boa Stage and Screen mirrors the structure of a...
The pair have tied with Threewise Founder Michael Ford on the as-yet-untitled feature, which will evoke classics such as Gremlins, Attack the Block and Goosebumps and is being pitched to buyers.
Based on an original idea by Ford and written by Cooke and Lund, the live action/digital mo-cap feature will tackle real-world issues affecting millions of modern youngsters.
Alongside Boa Stage & Screen Production Academy, Ford’s Threewise will offer up to 80 trainees from the academy the opportunity to work on the feature when it shoots next summer, giving them the chance to secure their first industry production credits in an industry where it can be hard to get a foot on the ladder. Boa Stage and Screen mirrors the structure of a...
- 11/28/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Academy Software Foundation has adopted new rules for its governance, aimed at creating more diversity and inclusion and introducing new leaders to its ranks.
Formed in August 2018 as a partnership between the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Linux Foundation, the Foundation is a neutral hub for the development of open-source software used in areas of the entertainment industry such as animation, visual effects and sound. It currently has 33 member organizations (among them, DreamWorks Animation, Epic Games and Weta FX) and manages 10 open source projects and five working groups.
The board has voted to establish term limits: Governing board members now have a four-year maximum term, with the ability to serve again after a minimum two-year break. To do this, it will rotate out a minimum of 25 percent of board members annually, beginning Dec. 1. Governing board members must also...
The Academy Software Foundation has adopted new rules for its governance, aimed at creating more diversity and inclusion and introducing new leaders to its ranks.
Formed in August 2018 as a partnership between the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Linux Foundation, the Foundation is a neutral hub for the development of open-source software used in areas of the entertainment industry such as animation, visual effects and sound. It currently has 33 member organizations (among them, DreamWorks Animation, Epic Games and Weta FX) and manages 10 open source projects and five working groups.
The board has voted to establish term limits: Governing board members now have a four-year maximum term, with the ability to serve again after a minimum two-year break. To do this, it will rotate out a minimum of 25 percent of board members annually, beginning Dec. 1. Governing board members must also...
- 6/22/2022
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sega and High Voltage Software have taken another shot at the Nintendo Wii market with Conduit 2. Is this sequel worth the buy and does it improve on its predecessor? Conduit 2 picks up where the first one left off as you (Michael Ford) chasing after the antagonist John Adams. The story is pretty cliché and is pretty easy to follow. Bad guy wants to get stronger, you have to stop him. Aside from the straight forward story, there are some nice cut scenes that set the tones for your environments and encounters. However, the simplicity of the plot lines isn’t a big kill for the game because it lets the game fly on the action. There is literally a fight behind practically every door and turn. Conduit 2 also sports a pretty nice voice acting cast. Michael Ford is now voiced by Jon St. John (Duke Nukem Forever, World Of Warcraft...
- 9/5/2011
- by Lewis Lashley
- BuzzFocus.com
Trying to establish a successful franchise that's exclusive to the Wii is difficult for anyone that isn't Nintendo - many have tried, few have succeeded. Part of the pack that just wont give up is one-time rival, Sega who have launched a sequel to 2009's sci-fi, first-person shooter, "The Conduit." The aptly named "Conduit 2" picks up where the first left off, improving on High Voltage Software's biggest Wii title, ushering in the second chapter of Michael Ford's epic story.
The Basics
"The Conduit" ends with a somewhat confusing mess of conspiracies, setting up "Conduit 2" to pick up right where the last one left off as Ford follows the game's villain John Adams through a conduit to an undisclosed location. The game progresses as the chase continues, expanding to multiple locales, breaking from the Washington D.C. confines of the original.
The game is as traditional as a first-person shooter can be on the Wii,...
The Basics
"The Conduit" ends with a somewhat confusing mess of conspiracies, setting up "Conduit 2" to pick up right where the last one left off as Ford follows the game's villain John Adams through a conduit to an undisclosed location. The game progresses as the chase continues, expanding to multiple locales, breaking from the Washington D.C. confines of the original.
The game is as traditional as a first-person shooter can be on the Wii,...
- 4/28/2011
- by Jason Cipriano
- MTV Multiplayer
20th Century Fox has picked up the screen rights to Matthew Quirk’s first novel "The Five Hundred" reports Deadline.
Called a more political-themed version of John Grisham’s "The Firm" or a less supernatural "Devil's Advocate", the story follows Mike Ford, a young Harvard Law student who is recruited by a powerful PR/ consulting firm in DC.
The firm's founder, a man with connections to the five hundred most powerful people in politics, becomes his mentor. It isn’t long however before Ford begins to suspect that he may have sold his soul to the proverbial devil.
Quirk was a crime journalist at The Atlantic and this marks his first novel. It's tipped this could be the start of a potential franchise.
Called a more political-themed version of John Grisham’s "The Firm" or a less supernatural "Devil's Advocate", the story follows Mike Ford, a young Harvard Law student who is recruited by a powerful PR/ consulting firm in DC.
The firm's founder, a man with connections to the five hundred most powerful people in politics, becomes his mentor. It isn’t long however before Ford begins to suspect that he may have sold his soul to the proverbial devil.
Quirk was a crime journalist at The Atlantic and this marks his first novel. It's tipped this could be the start of a potential franchise.
- 3/8/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Exclusive: Days after Little Brown closed a million dollar publishing deal on it last week, 20th Century Fox acquired screen rights to Matthew Quirk's first novel The Five Hundred. The movie deal was worth low-to-mid six figures against low seven figures, I'm told. The book is described as The Firm, set in politics. The Five Hundred revolves around Mike Ford, a young man from the wrong side of the tracks who works his way through Harvard Law and is recruited by the most powerful PR/consulting firm in DC. He becomes the protege of of the firm's founder, who has his hooks into the 500 most powerful people in politics. The protege soon feels that he's sold his soul to his ruthless mentor. The book will be published by Reagan Arthur's Little Brown imprint, in a two-book deal. They hope the protagonist will grow into a franchise character. Several screen suitors...
- 3/7/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
No surprise there. It goes without saying that James Cameron's sci-fi spectacle Avatar has the potential to clean house at the 8th Annual Ves Awards for its breath taking visuals by the acclaimed Weta Digital. Cameron will also be picking up a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award. In the outstanding animated feature category, the nominees include Up, 9, Coraline, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
The official press release is as followed:
3-D Films Dominate With Most Noms as Avatar grabs 11, Coraline 4, and Visual Effects Company Weta Digital Snags Most Company Noms with 9
Los Angeles, January 19, 2010 - The Visual Effects Society (Ves) today announced the nominees for the 8th Annual Ves Awards ceremony recognizing outstanding visual effects artistry in over twenty categories of film, animation, television, commercials and video games. Nominees were chosen Saturday, January 16, 2010, by numerous blue ribbon panels of Ves members who...
The official press release is as followed:
3-D Films Dominate With Most Noms as Avatar grabs 11, Coraline 4, and Visual Effects Company Weta Digital Snags Most Company Noms with 9
Los Angeles, January 19, 2010 - The Visual Effects Society (Ves) today announced the nominees for the 8th Annual Ves Awards ceremony recognizing outstanding visual effects artistry in over twenty categories of film, animation, television, commercials and video games. Nominees were chosen Saturday, January 16, 2010, by numerous blue ribbon panels of Ves members who...
- 1/22/2010
- Screen Anarchy
James Cameron's "Avatar" led the list of nominations announced Monday by the Visual Effects Society, scooping up 11.
The animated "Coraline," another movie released in 3D, followed with four nominations.
New Zealand-based Weta Digital, which worked on "Avatar," led the company noms with nine.
For visual effects in an effects-driven motion picture feature, the nominees are "2012," "Avatar," "District 9," "Star Trek" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
Noms for supporting visual effects in a movie went to "Angels & Demons," "The Box," "Invictus," "The Road" and "Sherlock Holmes."
"9," "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," "Coraline," "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" and "Up" were nominated for outstanding animation in an animated feature.
Ves noms in 20 categories, covering film, animation, TV, commercials and video games were chosen Saturday by blue-ribbon panels of Ves members, meeting in Burbank, San Francisco and London.
The eighth annual Ves Awards will be handed out on Feb.
The animated "Coraline," another movie released in 3D, followed with four nominations.
New Zealand-based Weta Digital, which worked on "Avatar," led the company noms with nine.
For visual effects in an effects-driven motion picture feature, the nominees are "2012," "Avatar," "District 9," "Star Trek" and "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."
Noms for supporting visual effects in a movie went to "Angels & Demons," "The Box," "Invictus," "The Road" and "Sherlock Holmes."
"9," "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," "Coraline," "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" and "Up" were nominated for outstanding animation in an animated feature.
Ves noms in 20 categories, covering film, animation, TV, commercials and video games were chosen Saturday by blue-ribbon panels of Ves members, meeting in Burbank, San Francisco and London.
The eighth annual Ves Awards will be handed out on Feb.
- 1/18/2010
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
What up, Con-dude's and Condu-ettes? Adam here! Before I get into this preview, let's break apart a classic … Goldeneye 007 for Nintendo 64. First-person shooters are constantly being compared to it, and, apparently, nobody has lived up to it ... well except for Perfect Dark, which was made by the same developer, Rare.
What made those games incredible? Why can't anybody in the next-gen live up to a game that graced a dead console Twelve years ago?! In my opinion, it had to be the tight corridors, the unpredictable enemy AI, and a sense of freedom and pacing with a seamless (but non-intrusive) blending of puzzle-solving. There was always something interesting to do, and the freedom you had to solve the multiple missions made you Feel like you were actually in charge of the tale's outcome. Goldeneye and Perfect Dark felt like Real games, without the flash/crutch of cinematic grandeur defining the experience,...
What made those games incredible? Why can't anybody in the next-gen live up to a game that graced a dead console Twelve years ago?! In my opinion, it had to be the tight corridors, the unpredictable enemy AI, and a sense of freedom and pacing with a seamless (but non-intrusive) blending of puzzle-solving. There was always something interesting to do, and the freedom you had to solve the multiple missions made you Feel like you were actually in charge of the tale's outcome. Goldeneye and Perfect Dark felt like Real games, without the flash/crutch of cinematic grandeur defining the experience,...
- 5/27/2009
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
We've got some new screens from the upcoming Sega and High Voltage Software release of The Conduit. Summer 2009's highly anticipated Fps will reveal more about the conspiracy that has rocked a near-future Washington, D.C. These new screens give you an exclusive look at the alien enemies battling in some very recognizable D.C. locations. Additional screens showcase the “All-Seeing Eye” (Ase) - Michael Ford’s device used to reveal concealed objects and enemies, providing a more in-depth level of puzzle-solving that is wholly integral to the story and game play.
- 3/20/2009
- by Terry Boyden
- BuzzFocus.com
Strange things are afoot in Washington, DC, and I'm not just referring to all the people complaining about the earmarks in Obama's budget or the rapidly expanding body of Newt Gingrich. We're talking about dangerous creatures and bloody conspiracies here, people! Serious business!
Sega's latest shooter for the Nintendo Wii, The Conduit, is just around the corner, and we've got a look at the goods for ya!
Official Synopsis
Join Michael Ford in his search for the truth regarding the unexplained events ravaging America’s capital city. Where do you turn when the city’s in ruins and you have no one to trust? You must rely on an arsenal of weapons, finely tuned for the ultimate Wii shooting experience, and aim to live long enough to uncover the conspiracy in your own backyard.
The Conduit will be available this summer, exclusively on the Wii.
The Conduit Trailer
Uploaded by...
Sega's latest shooter for the Nintendo Wii, The Conduit, is just around the corner, and we've got a look at the goods for ya!
Official Synopsis
Join Michael Ford in his search for the truth regarding the unexplained events ravaging America’s capital city. Where do you turn when the city’s in ruins and you have no one to trust? You must rely on an arsenal of weapons, finely tuned for the ultimate Wii shooting experience, and aim to live long enough to uncover the conspiracy in your own backyard.
The Conduit will be available this summer, exclusively on the Wii.
The Conduit Trailer
Uploaded by...
- 3/13/2009
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
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