Tag Archives: spec

Teaser trailer: ‘Grim Night’

Check out this teaser trailer for Grim Night based on a spec script penned by first-time feature writers Brandon Bestenheider and Allen Bey and produced by Bryan Bertino (The Strangers) and Adrienne Brittle. According to Deadline, there was a heated battle over the script among the big movie studios and in the end Universal Pictures purchased it making a deal “in the high six- or seven-figure range.” The plot is creepy all the way to its core, and horror fans are eating this up. The teaser trailer introduces us to a world where there is one day every year when creatures known as “Grims” terrorize and murder people on Earth. The scariest bit is that the Grim attacks are extremely violent and senselessly random. The movie will focus on a family in small town America defending themselves against the hooded Dementor-like Grims. Since it’s so early in development, there is no telling how much the final product will look like the teaser embedded above. If the young writing duo and veteran producers are smart, they won’t deviate too far from what they already have. The scary, apocalyptic, gritty and viral-video feeling here is very reminiscent of recent flicks like Paranormal ActivityDistrict 9, and Bertino’s own The Strangers. More as this story develops. Oh, and good luck sleeping tonight after watching this doozy.

[Via Deadline]

Fan-made title sequence for The Walking Dead will blow you away

Check out this utterly brilliant piece of art created by Daniel Kanemoto, a long-time fan of Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel The Walking Dead.  In his spare time, talented graphic designer Kanemoto used After Effects to combine Charlie Adlard and Tony Moore’s The Walking Dead artwork and music from Eels (the track is called “Fresh Blood”, how fitting) to create an animated spec title sequence for the upcoming AMC adaptation.  You certainly do not have to be a fan of Kirkman’s work to truly appreciate what Kanemoto has done here.

He says: “Just so there’s no confusion, I’m not affiliated with the production in any way — I’m simply a huge fan of both Frank Darabont and Robert Kirkman, and this is my attempt at creating a cinematic introduction to one of the all time great “continuing stories of survival horror.””

Word got out about Kanemoto’s masterpiece when Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof tweeted about it (“We are arriving at that unique moment in time where the term “fan-made” becomes moot. This is extraordinary.”) and blogger Cory Doctorow posted it on BoingBoing.  The video reached an even wider audience when EW’s Jeff Jensen interviewed Kanemoto to discover his inspiration for the spec.  You can read said interview here.

Now I am oh-so-interested to see if the editors and animators of the upcoming show can out-perform Kanemoto’s fan-made title sequence.  We shall find out when The Walking Dead premieres October 31 at 10PM on AMC.

[Via @DamonLindelof; Vimeo]

Blu-ray Association announces final 3D specification

The Blu-ray Disc Association has announced the finalization of the “Blu-ray 3DTM” specification.  So what does this mean?  Now the home entertainment industry has the go-ahead to produce and ship full-blown high definition (1080p) 3D experiences to capable television sets for consumers.  The specification allows Blu-ray players to display full HD in 3D to each eye.  Also, it’s agnostic, meaning that capable Blu-ray players and TVs will be able to display HD 3D images regardless of display type (LCD, plasma, etc.).  The spec features enhanced graphics for displaying menus and subtitles in 3D.  All Blu-ray 3D-enhanced discs will contain a 2D version of the content, thus making them backwards compatible with standard Blu-ray players.  Notice I’ve been careful to label Blu-ray players and TV sets as “capable.”  In order to receive the high definition 3D experience, you must own a 3D-capable TV and Blu-ray player.  This means that your current entertainment setup likely will not be compatible with the specification.  It is worthy to mention that there’s a lone exception; the Sony Playstation 3 will be forwards-compatible with the spec.  Sony has stated that it will become 3D ready via a future firmware update.  Remember, though, that a new HDTV with IR emitters and those pesky 3D glasses are necessary.  Expect all this new tech to release starting in 2010.  Full press release is after the break.

What’s to come of all this?  No one is certain of the future of 3D tech in the home.  For starters, many have been skeptical of this idea, labeling 3D movies a gimmick with silly glasses.  However, a number of people have admitted like movies like Pixar’s UP and the freshly released Avatar are better in 3D than 2D because instead of acting as in-your-face gimmicks they are great films that truly immerse you into the environment of the on-screen characters, making the movie experience better.  The real question is whether or not manufacturers will have success helping consumers transition from standard HDTV sets to 3D-capable ones.

[Via Engadget]

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