Film and TV
Articles about all things TV, movies, streaming, consoles, and more, including cartoon features, cinema audio, cinema video equipment, mini-series, streaming platforms, television controls, television series, television systems, and more.
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Building High-End Animatronics
An animatronic is more than a handfull of actuators stuffed inside a furry package. True animatronics must look authentic and move in a realistic manner, producing smooth motion across a range of operating speeds.
Romaire Studios leveraged in-house expertise for the artistic design, engineering, manufacturing, testing, programming, and installation efforts required for each of their projects. They leave no detail unresolved, which is critical to the successful design of unique products, purpose-built for a specific applications. Clients typically provide key references to the studio, including a creative direction and technical requirements, but it is the responsibility of the studio to take those references and develop >>>
Creativity on a Monstrous Scale
Entertainment Engineering talks with the best-known and most highly respected special effects companies in the film business to discuss creativity, freedom, and herding cats. Dave Merritt is Model Shop Supervisor at Legacy Effects, and took time out of a very busy day to speak with us. Here is part of that conversation.
EE: First of all, how many men and women do you typically employ, and what are their specialties?
Dave Merritt: Legacy Effects operates from a core group of about 45 people, and we can quickly ramp up to 150 people as more projects come in. We staff all types of >>>
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Hydraulic Gimbal Aids Iron Man’s Motion Control
Gimbal suspended from crane controls the motion of Iron Man props during street fight scenes with Iron Man’s nemesis, Iron Monger
Controlling the motion of Iron Man suits and other props from the Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment movie at times appears to be done with futuristic technology. But instead, the advanced motion-control technology truly responsible for moving props in the movie is actually here today and includes a hydraulic gimbal, cylinders, valves, hose, fittings, and other hydraulic products from Parker-Hannifin (Mayfield Heights, OH). >>>
Making WALL-E Look Battered
The real life WALL-E that visits newsrooms, tradeshows, and goes on media junkets had to look like the animated WALL-E from the movie. It appears that, like life, there’s a process that has to be gone through in order to look older.
Because the WALL-E from the movie has been around for a long time, his body had been weather worn and beat up by the work he does – compacting trash and stacking it neatly. Computer animation allowed animators to create the look and feel of a well-worn WALL-E, but transferring that same look and feel to a ‘real’ robot was another story. >>>