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Section 5: F/X Industry Yellow Pages
| Section 4: RESOURCES |
|---|
This section lists various sources which will help you learn more about effects. Please send me any items to add to this list.
Magazines
Here is a list of magazines which devote all or part of their publication to effects. Some magazines discuss effects on an infrequent basis, but it is worth your while to browse the table of contents page every month or so to see if there is an interesting effects article. In addition, non-movie and non-entertainment magazines and newspapers often have articles on effects. Newsweek, Time, The New York Times (ILM, 1/15/96) and the San Francisco Chronicle (ILM) are some examples.
Cinefex is published quarterly and is the definitive magazine source for motion picture and television special effects. The magazine covers effects on a project basis, in the sense that the reporters follow a particular movie and discuss how the effects shots were created.
Subscriptions are mailed in paper envelopes for protection. Rates are: $26/4 issues, $44/8 issues and $60/12 issues. Cinefex can be reached at P.O. Box 20027, Riverside, CA 92516. Credit card orders can be made at (800) 434-3339 or by fax at (909) 788-1793. All other inquires at (909) 781-1917. Back orders are available
Cinefantastique is published monthly at 7240 W.Roosevelt Rd., Forest Park, IL 60130. (708) 366-5566. Subscription rates are $48/12 issues, $34/18 issues and $90/24 issues. Rates for Canada and other countries are $55/12 issues, $39/18 issues and $100/24 issues).
The Cinefantastique people also publish Imagi-movies which they say covers "low-budge films, classic films, obscure films, and the people responsible for them." Imagi-Movies does however cover big budget movies also.
The first two issues of SPFX were published in the late 70's. In December 1995, I found the new 3rd issue on sale. Issue #4 went on sale in the Fall of 1996. It is unclear how often the magazine will be published or whether you can subscribe. The publishers state that the magazine will be published "irregularly" by Bohus / Harvey. They can be reached at 70 West Columbia Ave., Palisades Park, NJ 07650. (201) 945-1112, Fax: (201) 945-2662. A single issue is $5.95.
Make-up Artist Magazine is published six times a year and covers all aspects of Make-up, including make-up effects in movies and television. Make-Up Artist Magazine is published bi-monthly at P.O. Box 4316, Sunland, Ca 91041-4316 U.S.A. Subscription rates are US$19.95 for 1 year (6 issues. Canada add $10.00; Foreign add $25.00) and US$38.90 for 2 years (12 issues. Canada add $20.00; Foreign add $50.00) Make-up Artist Magazine is available on the web at http://www.makeupmag.com/
American Cinematographer bills itself as "The International Journal of Film and Electronic Production Techniques." The magazine often has articles on special effects, but more importantly, the publishers release a "special effects" issue once a year. This years issue (Dec. 1995, Vol. 76, No. 12) was a year end review of effects in 1995 movies.
American Cinematographer is published monthly and subscriptions are U.S.: $35; Canada/Mexico: $50; all other foreign countries: $60 a year. P.O. Box 2230, Hollywood, CA 90078. (800) 448-0145, (213) 969-4333. Fax: (213) 876-4973.
For the past 10 years, the Hollywood Reporter has publishes a Summer Special Effects Issue each year. The current one was scheduled for June 21, 1996, but was published earlier at the end of May. You can order back issues directly.
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Premier Magazine covers the movie industry. There are several international editions, including a US and UK edition. There is a section in many issues titled "Shot-by-Shot." This section has behind the scenes coverage of particular shots which involve a lot of effects and stunts.
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Television
Here is a list of television series on Cable Television which discuss effects.
Movie Magic is produced by GRB Entertainment, in conjunction with the Discovery Channel (DSC). The show is dedicated to effects in movies and television and airs on the Discovery Channel every week. Each episode focuses on one specific form of effects (i.e. gimbles, computer animation, flying effects, model making, etc.) and discusses how that technique was used in various films. The format of the show sometimes focuses on the effects in one particular film. This generally occurs when there is a huge blockbuster in production.
Movie Magic also has several special 1 hour shows which air periodically on DSC called: (1) Dinomania; (2) Final Frontier; (3) Wild Hollywood and (4) Horror Hour. There was also a special a few years ago that was hosted by Leonard Maltin during the Academy Awards. That special covered the effects in the Oscar nominated films.
The current season airs on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. EST and repeats on Thursdays at 12:00 a.m. EST and Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. EST. Discovery Online, DSC's website, is available at http://www.discovery.com/
GRB Entertainment can be reached at P.O. Box 311, Studio City, CA 91604, Fax: (818) 753-3401and on the web at http://www.grbtv.com/
Hollywood Effects Masters aired on the Learning Channel (TLC). The show is no longer produced, but hopefully, reruns will air on TLC, the Discovery Channel or some other station. The host of the show was Christopher Reeves.
The Discovery Channel periodically re-broadcasts a three episodes series discussing stunts and effects in movies. Episode One covered methods of escaping from fires and explosions including clips from ID4 and The Towering Inferno. Episode Two covered aerial stunts including clips from Terminal Velocity and Drop Zone. Episode Three covered jumps and falls, including clips from Nick of Time and WaterWorld. This show is different from the other stunt shows like "World's Greatest Stunts" on Discovery, which showcases stunts designed and performed specifically for the show. WGC generally does not go behind the scenes of feature films.
The E! cable television channel runs special shows called "Behind the Scenes (BTS)." These shows focus on one movie and discuss all aspects of the production of a movie, including non-FX related topics. These shows are generally 1 hour and are re-aired several times.
HBO produces and broadcasts a series of shows called "HBO First Look." These shows are 30 minutes in length and discuss FX and non-FX related topics. These shows are generally timed for first broadcast before the movie premiers in theatres. This summer, HBO aired episodes for most of the major summer movies, if not all of them. The shows are not broadcast at any specific time slot, but rebroadcasts are frequent.
Showtime also airs behind the scenes specials on movies. These specials generally have run times of 10-20 minutes and are broadcast in timeslots available between Showtime's feature presentations (i.e. movies). Because of the short length of these specials and the nature in which they are broadcast (sometimes at off-times (i.e. 8:15 or 9:45)), it is often hard to find listings for these shows in the TV Guide or other listings.
The SciFi channel and Disney also air specially produced shows which focus on the making of a particular movie.
To a lesser extent, Entertainment Tonight always has segments on filming of effects in various movies. I believe Extra also has similar pieces. These are syndicated shows.
Another show that has interesting effect segments is "How'd They Do That?" It originally aired on CBS and is now in reruns on TLC. The shows run for one hour and often have segments on how television commercials and were filmed and how effects were filmed in movies. For example, they've discussed the train wreck in The Fugitive, the TV ads with the whale swimming through the Boeing Jet, and the CGI polar bears drinking Coke. Note that TLC has started running first-run episodes of "How'd They Do That?" on Sunday nights.
Check your local listings for air dates and the list of upcoming TV specials in the alt.movies.visual-effects companion FAQ.
Videotapes
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This book list is divided into two sections. The first section lists books about effects in general. The second section lists behind the scenes books about particular movies (i.e. "The Making of ... "). When submitting books to me for this list, please include: (1) Author(s); (2) Book Title; (3) Place of publication; (4) Publisher; (5) Date; and (6) ISBN
General F/X Books
Lee Stranahan sells an instructional video/CD-ROM training package for film makers, visual effects artists, videographers, and 3D animators called "Access Denied : The Art Of Visual Effects Film Making." Stranahan's ad states that "the package includes both an entertaining and instructional videotape, and an information packed CD-ROM." The cost is $69.96. E-mail: Kstranahan@aol.com; http://users.aol.com/stranahan/access.htm
The "Making Magic" CD-ROM comes with the "LucasArts Archives, Volume II, Star Wars Collection" that was just released not too long ago. It is a first-of-its-kind look into Industrial Light & Magic's work on the Star Wars: Special Edition re-release.
This section lists resources available on the internet. I have broken down the topics under the following categories: (1) Usenet Newsgroups; (2) Discussion groups through e-mail (i.e. mailing lists and newsletters); and (3) the World Wide Web.
Usenet Newsgroups
Here is a list of interesting USENET newsgroups. Ask your ISP or technical support staff how to access USENET groups.
There are many newsgroups that discuss movie related topics, such as the alt.movies.*, rec.arts.movies.* and rec.arts.sf.movies hierarchies. There are also groups focusing on computer graphics and animation (rec.arts.animation) and groups specializing in discussion on specific movies or TV shows, i.e. the Star Wars (rec.arts.sf.starwars) and Star Trek (rec.arts.startrek.*) groups. You will often find discussion on effects topics in these groups, however, alt.movies.visual-effects is the *ONLY* group dedicated solely to effects. Hopefully posters to the group will remember this and not spam the group with unrelated threads and excessive discussions on particular movies which would be more appropriately posted in other groups.
This newsgroup is for movie fans interested in the technical aspects of movies and movie-making but are not actually interested in producing movies themselves. Topics in this group includes all technical issues which are approached from the point of view of the film-goer (aspect ratios, sound systems, etc.) and also some topics on how movies (special effects) are made.
From the "Where to post in REC.ARTS.MOVIES.*" FAQ by Christine Ng, cstng@mit.edu
This is a special newsgroup for people who are interested in making films. Topics that are discussed here include finding proper site locations, filming contracts and budgets, where to get film equipment, what constitute a good film school, etc. This newsgroup is primarily oriented towards people actually producing films themselves.
From the "Where to post in REC.ARTS.MOVIES.*" FAQ by Christine Ng, cstng@mit.edu
Other Newsgroups
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Show-Fire Special Effects Mailing List
The Show-Fire list is maintained by murr rhame, murr@vnet.net. The Show-Fire mailing list is for the discussion of all special effects used on stage or screen. This includes theatrical pyrotechnics, special rigging, practical props, chemical effects, weather effects, unusual lighting and similar items. The list is for discussion of all aspects of special effects including design, construction, safety, regulations, hiring, purchase, rental, and related issues. Practical jokes, destructive devices, and unrelated commercial posts are off topic.
To join the Show-Fire mailing list send e-mail to listproc@vnet.net with the following body text (excluding quotes):"subscribe show-fire The 3D Computer Character Animation List, CG-CHAR@morgan.ucs.mun.ca was started to help those interested in this field to exchange information. Subscribers consist of professionals, students, and amateurs. To find out more information click to the CG-CHAR homepage from http://www.cinenet.net/users/rickmay
To subscribe, send mail tolistserv@morgan.ucs.mun.ca and in the body of the message, type "subscribe CG-CHAR (YOUR-FULL-NAME)" (leave off the quotation marks.). You can also subscribe through the list's homepage at http://www.cinenet.net/users/rickmay/CG-CHAR/Misc.html.
To subscribe to the Animator's list, send mail to animate-request@perp.com, with the text "subscribe animate" in the body of the message (leave off the quotation marks.). The list also has a web page at http://www.mission.com/~gore/animate.
To subscribe to the Animation Master mailing list, send a message to listserv@netcom.com with the text "subscribe animaster-l email-address" in the body of the message (leave off the quotation marks and put in your own email address in place of "email-address"). This section lists several homepages on the world wide web. I have not duplicated URLs from other sections of this FAQ. To find official sites for a particular FX House, refer to their listing in the Yellow Pages section. Also see the home pages for equipment suppliers and manufacturers.
These Film Web sites may be of interest because of their Fx-related topics.
This section has been moved to the alt.movies.visual-effects Companion FAQ. The Companion FAQ lists current and upcoming: (1) TV and cable specials, (2) magazine and newspaper articles; (3) conventions, talks, trade shows, and other live events which discuss effects in movies and television. The Companion FAQ is always available at http://www.interport.net/~fletcher/visualfx.html. It is updated as soon as information is available and these changes are reflected on my home page.
To reduce the frequency of posts of the Companion FAQ to the newsgroup, I will only post after several additions have been made.
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The Moving Image Society is hosting SFX '96, the 7th Annual BKSTS international seminar which is a 3-day event devoted to special effects. SFX '96 will take place in London's Pinewood Studios on Nov. 1st through Nov. 3rd. Speakers will cover all topics from traditional crafts to the latest digital technologies. Also scheduled is a tour of London's SOHO effects community and an evening with Ray Harryhausen. Contact Sarah Fitzpatrick at BKSTS. Tel: +44 1711 242 8400; Fax: +44 171 405 3560; email: movimage@bksts.demon.co.uk; URL: http://www.zynet.co.uk/smiles/bksts
ShowBiz Expo is an annual expo that is held on both the West and East Coast of the United States and in Canada. The expo showcases schools, equipment and companies. Seminars are also held. Stan Winston was the keynote speaker at the last ShowBiz Expo East, held in New York City. There was also a visual effects seminar with panelists from R/Greenberg Associates, Sony Pictures Imageworks and others. Expo dates are listed in the companion FAQ.
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Below is a list of manufacturers and distributors of effects equipment and supplies. Inclusion in this list is not an endorsement for any of these companies or their products. Special thanks to Jim Janecek of Personal Effects Inc., Hey! promote the group. If a company asks you where you heard about them, say in the alt.movies.visual-effects group and/or the FAQ!!! :-)
Bodytech designs and manufactures anatomical prosthetics and specialty contact lenses for movies and television. Various types of eyeballs, teeth and frame rentals are available. Fittings are by Board Certified Optometrist. Full color catalogs are available by sending $3.00 ($4.00 if overseas) at 13659 Victory Blvd. #145, Van Nuys, CA 91401. Phone: (818) 347-3588 Calls taken Mon.-Fri. 9:00am - 5:30pm Pacific Time. e-mail to btech@pro.nobis.com Or check our their catalog and prices at http://www.nobis.com/btech
Burman sells videos and materials (castings and moldings). Videos are about US $30.00. Reach them at Covello Street, Suite 6-A, Van Neys, CA 91405, USA. Tel: (818) 782-9833.
Contact Lenses Online provides special effect contact lenses. They include yellow/green/blue cat's eyes, vampire eyes, white eyes, black eyes, blind eyes, Interview with the Vampire eyes, mirrored contact lenses (in hard lenses only), red eyes, happy face eyes, just about anything you can think of. They are safe and effective, can be worn for a limited wearing schedule (usually 4 to 6 hours) and are made in soft lenses. They can be used for costumes, theaters, movies, gags, fun, etc. Posted by Andy, a company representative. Email to clonline@tiac.net http://www.contactlenses.com/
DeLaMare is a major provider of dets and squibs for the motion picture industry. You need AT LEAST a BATF LOW EXPLOSIVE license to purchase ANYTHING. Their address is 1908 First Street, San Fernando, CA 91340, USA. Tel: (818) 365-9208
This company sells videos only for about US $30.00. They can be reached at P.O. box 16627, North Hollywood, CA 91695, USA.
Pink House sells videos and materials (castings and moldings). The life casting tape shows how to make lifemasks, full-piece head masks; one-piece arm and leg molds Videos are about US $50.00. Their address is 35 Bank Street, St. Albans, Vermont 05478, USA. Tel: (802) 524-7191
Theatre Effects is a manufacturer and distributor of special effects equipment and supplies for the entertainment industry. Request a catalog from Theatre Effects Supply, Inc., P.O. Box 957, Funkstown, MD 21734-0957. Phone: (301) 791-7646; Fax: (301) 791-7791; E-mail: service@theatrefx.com; Web: http://www.theatrefx.com/
Tri-Ess is a source for special effects chemicals and other supplies. Ask for a Special Effects Catalog. They have a lot of other special effects chemicals and supplies besides pyro-gel and torch fluid. Their address is 1020 W. Chestnut, Burbank, CA 91506, USA. Tel: (818) 247 6910
CG Character Animation Mailing List
Animator's Mailing List
World Wide Web
Film Web Sites of Interest
Affiliations, Organizations and Annual Events
Effects-related Suppliers
BodyTech "BodyParts"
Burman Industries
Contact Lenses Online
DeLaMare Engineering
Michael Burnett Productions
Pink House Studios
Theatre Effects
Tri-Ess Sciences
Send comments & additions to fletcher@interport.net
Copyright (c) 1996 - 1998 Fletcher H. Chenn - All Rights Reserved.