Post Production
Namit Malhotra nominated to International 3D and Advanced Imaging Society’s 2014 Board of Governors
MUMBAI: Namit Malhotra, founder of Prime Focus (and Chairman & CEO, Prime Focus World) has been nominated to the prestigious 2014-15 Board of Governors of the International 3D and Advanced Imaging Society. 38-year old Namit is the first ever Indian to make it to the Board of the global Society. Incidentally, Prime Focus World had won the Society’s annual Creative Arts award in ‘Theatrical Motion Picture — Outstanding 2D to 3D conversion’ category for its spectacular work on Gravity in late January.
Mike DeValue, Director of Advanced Technology at The Walt Disney Studios, and Tom Cosgrove, President and CEO of 3net and 3net Studios will serve as co-chairs. Kappei Morishita, Vice President and General Manager at Panasonic Hollywood Labs (PHL), will serve as the Society’s vice chairman.
Commenting on the nomination, Namit Malhotra, Founder of Prime Focus (and Chairman & CEO, Prime Focus World) said, “it is a great honor to be part of the Society’s board and be collaborating with the brightest minds in the industry comprising of content creators, creative service providers, technology companies and delivery platforms. Post the unprecedented success of Gravity, 3D has regained its rightful position under the sun, and audiences and filmmakers alike are looking at 3D in a whole new way as an enabler of compelling story telling. I look forward to interesting times.”
Nominated as governors also were Grant Anderson of Creative Monster Productions, Paul Becker of Gener8, cinematographer Matt Blute, Chuck Comisky of Chromium Labs 3D, Doug Davis of BitSpeed, William Foote of Samsung Electronics, Ron Geller of Dolby Labs, Thierry Henkinet of Volfoni, Matt Liszt of MasterImage 3D, Ingo Nadler of 3doo, Barry Sandrew of Legend 3D, Steve Schklair of 3ality Technica, William Sherak of StereoD, Lisa Truitt of National Geographic Cinema Ventures, Corey Turner of Paramount Pictures (News – Alert), Mark Turner of Dolby Labs, and Bob Whitehill of Pixar.
“3D movies and premium content formats continue to be a strong part of the entertainment industry’s business plan. In 2013 alone, 16 of the top 20 highest grossing worldwide box office movies were 3D feature films. And over the last 5 years, 11 3D movies have been honored with a remarkable 30 Academy Awards,” stated Society President Jim Chabin. “With professional members in the US, China, Japan, Canada, the UK, and the EU, the Society is truly at the intersection where movies, television, games, and media will build their futures as premium consumer experiences. Our board brings together the world’s best experts on the media of tomorrow. They help insure that we will maximize the return on all of our investments in content and digital technology,” said Society President Jim Chabin.
The International 3D & Advanced Imaging Society was founded by leading creative stakeholders, including The Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, DreamWorks Animation (DWA), Sony, Paramount, IMAX, Dolby, Panasonic, MasterImage and others to advance the creative arts and sciences of stereoscopic 3D and 4K. With chapters in the U.S., China, Japan, Canada, the E.U. and the U.K., the organization has more than 1,800 professional members in over 20 countries active in improving the arts and technologies of 3D and 4K excellence. The organization hosts professional education seminars and awards throughout the world.
Mumbai: Astra Studios, a bold new force in global creative technology, has been officially launched. Founded by the former senior leadership from MPC, The Mill and Technicolor India – Biren Ghose, RK Chand, Rajarajan Ramakrishnan and Shajy Thomas, the company is backed by a strategic investment from the Hombale Group, creators of India’s most successful storytelling franchises including KGF, Salaar and Kantara along with Perpetual Capital.
The rise of Machine Learning & Gen AI is disrupting every layer of content production, triggering a reinvention of creative workflows, talent dynamics, and business models in the industry. Blending decades of global expertise in Creative Storytelling, Visual Effects, Animation, Immersive & Experiential Media, the Astra Studios leadership team is poised to redefine how high-quality content is imagined & produced. With next-generation workflows and a focus on compelling, character-led storytelling universes, Astra is setting out to empower filmmakers, brands and content platforms alike.
“Astra is our launchpad for a creative revolution – a studio purpose-built for the future of content. We are fusing world-class artistry with cutting-edge emerging technologies. We will play in the arena where cinematic brilliance meets next-gen computer graphics. This will redefine how stories are designed, created, shared and experienced. India is at an inflection point in the global content arena, and Astra aims to lead that evolution, creating new jobs while continuing to partner creatives globally.” said Astra Studios founder Biren Ghose.
“We are supporting the vision behind Astra Studios to help grow stories and movie franchises across different platforms using emerging technologies. Astra’s founding team brings a wealth of talent and experience as well as global connectivity and passion for new technology. This will enable the Hombale Group to undertake projects with greater scope and complexity to create powerful new ‘story worlds’ for our franchise fandoms.” said Hombale Films founder Vijay Kiragandur.
Astra Studios’ core focus areas include:
●End to End Creative Solutions for Films, Series and Brand Campaigns – Ideation, Visualisation, VFX, Generative AI Solutions and Post-Production
● Development of original Character Universes and Global IP
● Immersive Experiences across brands, AR/VR and Location-based media
● Premium Animation for both Streaming and Theatrical formats
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