The entertainment industry might be run by grown-ups, but sometimes, kids are the best collaborators. Celebrated author Neil Gaiman took a cue from his young daughter, Holly when writing his deeply unsettling novella "Coraline," and if it weren't for Edward Berger's teenage daughter, we might not have the latest on-screen adaptation of "All Quiet on the Western Front." A young Kurt Russell shouldn't be left off the list, either. According to the actor, his feedback on an early cut of "Mary Poppins" led to Dick Van Dyke eventually dancing around with animated penguins.
In a 2016 conversation with GQ, Russell revealed that he actually had a close relationship with Walt Disney as a young teen. As such, Disney would ask for his thoughts on upcoming films (it probably didn't hurt that the actor fit squarely into the studio's target demographic). When Disney eventually asked about "Mary Poppins," Russell admitted that...
In a 2016 conversation with GQ, Russell revealed that he actually had a close relationship with Walt Disney as a young teen. As such, Disney would ask for his thoughts on upcoming films (it probably didn't hurt that the actor fit squarely into the studio's target demographic). When Disney eventually asked about "Mary Poppins," Russell admitted that...
- 1/25/2023
- by Demetra Nikolakakis
- Slash Film
Saving Mr. Banks opens in Irish and UK cinemas on November 29th, and we’re doing another Ultimate Trivia! This round we've even got some awesome historical trivia, and find out just where all those awards came from in the actual movie! Get reading! · Walt Disney began his quest to get the rights to P.L. Travers’ book “Mary Poppins” in the early 1940s. Although it took nearly 20 years to obtain the rights, when “Mary Poppins” was finally made, it won five awards of its 13 Academy Award® nominations: Best Actress (Julie Andrews), Best Effects, Best Film Editing, Original Score and Original Song. Among the nominations were Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also won a technical Oscar® for Petro Vlahos, Wadsworth Pohl and Ub Iwerks for conception and perfection of techniques of color traveling matte composite cinematography. · Richard and Robert Sherman composed the...
- 11/18/2013
- by noreply@blogger.com (Vic Barry)
- www.themoviebit.com
Los Angeles -- Petro Vlahos, a two-time Academy Award winner whose blue- and green-screen technique on movies like "Mary Poppins" and "Ben Hur" made the modern blockbuster possible, has died. He was 96.
His family said he died on Feb. 10, according to The Los Angeles Times. The Hollywood Reporter said Vlahos' company, Ultimatte, also announced the death. No details were released.
The night before his death, an ailing Vlahos was on the minds of many at the Scientific and Technical Oscars ceremony, where he'd been a constant presence through the years and where his acolytes in so-called "composite photography" took home most of the trophies.
"He created the whole of composite photography as we know it at this time," visual effects supervisor and one of the night's top winners Bill Taylor said of Vlahos, drawing a line from his early work to recent technical marvels like "Life of Pi." "Whenever you...
His family said he died on Feb. 10, according to The Los Angeles Times. The Hollywood Reporter said Vlahos' company, Ultimatte, also announced the death. No details were released.
The night before his death, an ailing Vlahos was on the minds of many at the Scientific and Technical Oscars ceremony, where he'd been a constant presence through the years and where his acolytes in so-called "composite photography" took home most of the trophies.
"He created the whole of composite photography as we know it at this time," visual effects supervisor and one of the night's top winners Bill Taylor said of Vlahos, drawing a line from his early work to recent technical marvels like "Life of Pi." "Whenever you...
- 2/20/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Petro Vlahos - the special effects pioneer credited with bringing blue-screen and green-screen technology to Hollywood in movies ranging from Ben-Hur to Mary Poppins - has died at the age of 96.
Ultimatte, the company that Vlahos founded during the 1970s, confirmed that its founder passed away on Sunday (February 10).
Born in New Mexico on August 20, 1916, Vlahos worked for aerospace company Douglas Aircraft and Bell Laboratories during the Second World War, joining MGM after the war ended.
Having developed the blue-screen 'colour difference' system for Ben-Hur in 1959, Vlahos was honoured with an Oscar for the technology in 1964, and won a second Oscar for its electronic counterpart in 1994.
His special effects innovations were used in Disney films such as Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks - allowing live actors to appear with animated characters - plus movies such as The Birds, the original Star Wars trilogy, the early Indiana Jones movies and Dick Tracy.
Ultimatte, the company that Vlahos founded during the 1970s, confirmed that its founder passed away on Sunday (February 10).
Born in New Mexico on August 20, 1916, Vlahos worked for aerospace company Douglas Aircraft and Bell Laboratories during the Second World War, joining MGM after the war ended.
Having developed the blue-screen 'colour difference' system for Ben-Hur in 1959, Vlahos was honoured with an Oscar for the technology in 1964, and won a second Oscar for its electronic counterpart in 1994.
His special effects innovations were used in Disney films such as Mary Poppins and Bedknobs and Broomsticks - allowing live actors to appear with animated characters - plus movies such as The Birds, the original Star Wars trilogy, the early Indiana Jones movies and Dick Tracy.
- 2/15/2013
- Digital Spy
Beverly Hills, Calif. — A room full of engineers, computer whizzes and technicians brought the crew of the Starship Enterprise down to Earth for a night at the Sci-Tech Oscars.
Zoe Saldana and Chris Pine hosted the annual awards dinner in which the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences beams its spotlight on the latter half of its name.
"We're truly humbled, by all means, man. We can fly into space because of you," Saldana told honorees at the event Saturday night.
The "Avatar" and "Star Trek" star pumped her fist and shouted "Weta!" before the first of two teams from the New Zealand-based special effects house, which worked on "Avatar," took the stage.
Pine and Saldana took turns attempting to describe technical accomplishments like "pose space deformation" and "wavelet turbulence." Pine allowed that one software innovation was too complex for "dumb actors" to fully comprehend.
It was a mostly...
Zoe Saldana and Chris Pine hosted the annual awards dinner in which the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences beams its spotlight on the latter half of its name.
"We're truly humbled, by all means, man. We can fly into space because of you," Saldana told honorees at the event Saturday night.
The "Avatar" and "Star Trek" star pumped her fist and shouted "Weta!" before the first of two teams from the New Zealand-based special effects house, which worked on "Avatar," took the stage.
Pine and Saldana took turns attempting to describe technical accomplishments like "pose space deformation" and "wavelet turbulence." Pine allowed that one software innovation was too complex for "dumb actors" to fully comprehend.
It was a mostly...
- 2/10/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
A room full of engineers, computer whizzes and technicians brought the crew of the Starship Enterprise down to Earth for a night at the Sci-Tech Oscars.
Zoe Saldana and Chris Pine hosted the annual awards dinner in which the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences beams its spotlight on the latter half of its name.
“We’re truly humbled, by all means, man. We can fly into space because of you,” Saldana told honorees at the event Saturday night.
The Avatar and Star Trek star pumped her fist and shouted “Weta!” before the first of two teams from the New Zealand-based special effects house,...
Zoe Saldana and Chris Pine hosted the annual awards dinner in which the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences beams its spotlight on the latter half of its name.
“We’re truly humbled, by all means, man. We can fly into space because of you,” Saldana told honorees at the event Saturday night.
The Avatar and Star Trek star pumped her fist and shouted “Weta!” before the first of two teams from the New Zealand-based special effects house,...
- 2/10/2013
- by Associated Press
- EW - Inside Movies
Visual effects supervisor and director of photography Bill Taylor will be honored with the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Scientific and Technical Awards ceremony on Feb. 9 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Taylor is the co-founder of Illusion Arts, where he has worked on the visual effects of more than 200 films. He has been visual effects supervisor on such movies as Lawless, Public Enemies, Milk and Bruce Almighty. Working with Petro Vlahos, he has co-authored chapters on bluescreen and greenscreen compositing in both the American Cinematographer Manual
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- 1/8/2013
- by Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
HollywoodNews.com: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will pay tribute to the life and career accomplishments of special effects inventor and engineer Petro Vlahos on Thursday, July 29, at 8 p.m. at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Presented by the Academy’s Science and Technology Council, the program will be hosted by Academy governor Bill Taylor and feature an onstage conversation with Vlahos, his friends and colleagues.
Considered to be one of the leading scientific and technical innovators in the motion picture and television industries, Vlahos consistently devised solutions for problems that had resisted years of well-funded, concerted effort by his predecessors and peers.
Vlahos has more than 35 wide-ranging patents for camera-crane motor controls, screen brightness meters, safe squib systems, cabling designs and junction boxes, projection screens, optical sound tracks and even sonar. He also created analog and digital hardware and software versions of Ultimatte,...
Considered to be one of the leading scientific and technical innovators in the motion picture and television industries, Vlahos consistently devised solutions for problems that had resisted years of well-funded, concerted effort by his predecessors and peers.
Vlahos has more than 35 wide-ranging patents for camera-crane motor controls, screen brightness meters, safe squib systems, cabling designs and junction boxes, projection screens, optical sound tracks and even sonar. He also created analog and digital hardware and software versions of Ultimatte,...
- 7/13/2010
- by HollywoodNews.com
- Hollywoodnews.com
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