Digital Media FX Newsletter
Vol. 1, No. 4 - May 1, 2001

Table of Contents:

(1) Welcome Message
(2) Osmosis Jones Edited to a PG Rating!
(3) Animated Short Oscar Winner Officially Donates TV
(4) Disney Animation Hardest Hit in Layoffs
(5) Top News Stories of the Past Two Weeks
(6) Digital Media FX Opens Shrek Movie Site
(7) Sneak Peek - Saul Bass: A Film Title Pioneer

Welcome Message
Welcome to the fourth issue of the Digital Media FX (dFX) newsletter, covering the world of animation and visual effects. This newsletter is published on the 1st and 15th of each month with original animation/FX content, insider news, and sneak peeks at new dFX features.

Unfortunately, Jim Hill's new column was not received in time to prepare it for a sneak peek for dFX newsletter readers. Keep an eye out at www.digitalmediafx.com later this week to view his most recent column. We do have another sneak peek for you, however. Noell Evans has written an excellent feature on "Saul Bass: A Film Title Pioneer." See the story further down for access details. -- Joe Tracy

Osmosis Jones Edited to a PG Rating!
(by digitalmediafx.com) In March of this year, the Motion Picture Association of America gave Osmosis Jones a PG-13 rating for "crude language and humor." However, Warner Bros. first major movie trailer for the film clearly states that Osmosis Jones is rated PG, indicating that Warner Bros. had the producers tamper with the film to take it to a more family-friendly PG rating.

To view the movie trailer for Osmosis Jones, visit the Digital Media FX Movie Trailers page.

Animated Short Oscar Winner Officially Donates TV
(by digitalmediafx.com) Michael Dudok De Wit, winner of the "Best Animated Short" Oscar at this year's Academy Awards followed through on his promise to give an HDTV set to charity. He had won the HDTV set for giving the shortest speech at the televised ceremony (18 seconds).

De Wit donated the HDTV set to a rehabilitation center for youth called Hollygrove, which is located in Los Angeles.

De Wit won the Oscar for his Father & Daughter animated short. For more information on his victory, click here.

Disney Animation Hardest Hit in Layoffs
(by digitalmediafx.com) It appears that Disney Animation will be the hardest hit by the 4,000 layoffs / voluntary departures.

According to CBS Market Watch, Disney is cutting 3% of its work force, yet 30% of all Disney animators are losing their jobs. In regards to animation salary cuts at Disney, Market Watch quotes Disney spokesman John Dreyer as saying, "I think it's fair to say there's no longer pressure to maintain wages."

Top News Stories of the Past Two Weeks
(digitalmediafx.com) Digital Media FX is updated 365 days a year including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. If you don't visit daily you may have missed some important news. Here is a list of what we consider the top three news stories (in order of importance) of the past two weeks, including links to each story.

1. DISGRACE: Disney Animation Changes

2. Shrek Wins Showing at CANNES!

3. Eisner: "Disney Animators Deserve Greatest Protection" (it didn't last long)

Digital Media FX Opens Shrek Movie Site
(by digitalmediafx.com) This past weekend, Digital Media FX opened up an educational movie site for the upcoming DreamWorks movie, Shrek. The site contains regular News, Features, Images, a list of Artists, and several other sections.

You can visit the new dFX Shrek site by clicking here.

Sneak Peek - Saul Bass: A Film Title Pioneer
(by digitalmediafx.com) Noell Evans' May feature article deals with a film title pioneer named Saul Bass. Discover what made this man important to the film and animation industry.

You can access the article - 24 hours before it is announced on the Digital Media FX Website - by clicking here.

Thank you for being a part of the Digital Media FX team through your daily visits to www.digitalmediafx.com. I hope that you've enjoyed this third edition of the Digital Media FX newsletter and I look forward to providing you with continued coverage of the animation and visual effects industries.

Best Wishes,

Joe Tracy, Publisher
Digital Media FX - The Power of Imagination

If you are not currently a subscriber to the Digital Media FX newsletter, then click here for your free subscription which is delivered on the 1st and 15th of every month.

All stories in this newsletter are ©Copyright 2001 by Joe Tracy / Digital Media FX and may not be reprinted in any form without the expressed written consent of Joe Tracy. To request such consent, click here, and provide details of which article you wish to republish and the Website location where it will be published. You will receive a response within 48 hours with whether your request has been accepted and, if so, the proper credit wording that must appear with the article.

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