Amazon Pacts With Universal to Stream Movies to Subscribers...

Competing with Netflix, the online retailer now offers 9,000 TV and film titles to its Prime customers who pay $79 annually.

Continuing its chase of Netflix, Amazon.com struck another licensing agreement for streaming content, this time with NBC Universal for movies.

CBS, Netflix Sign Two-Year Content Agreement

The deal announced Thursday comes a week after it struck a similar one with CBS and after Netflix re-upped with NBCU in a deal involving TV shows.
While Amazon and Universal wouldn't disclose the number of titles involved – or any financial metrics – the arrangement puts the number of movie and TV titles that Amazon makes available to its Prime Instant Video subscribers above 9,000.

Some of the licensed film titles involved in the deal announced Thursday include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Billy Elliott, Babe, Fletch and Notting Hill.
Amazon's offering is free to subscribers of its Prime discount shipping service, which is $79 a year. Netflix charges $96 a year for unlimited streaming. Netlix, though won't say how many titles are available, except that it is "vastly more" that what Amazon offers.
"We are very excited to offer Prime members popular Universal films at no additional cost," Cameron Janes, director of Amazon Instant Video, said in a press release Thursday. "Our customers love movies and now we offer them more than 2,000 movies to choose from with Prime Instant Video."

When Amazon announced a week ago a deal with CBS for TV shows like Frasier, Cheers, Star Trek and The Tudors, it boasted of 8,000 titles for Prime streamers, suggesting that the arrangement disclosed Thursday involved up to 1,000 Universal movies.

Thank you Hollywood Reporter


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Events: SWIS: DVD Launch at Universal Hollywood

Come celebrate fellow Doculinker Hilari Scarl's DVD launch of SEE WHAT I'M SAYING: THE DEAF ENTERTAINERS DOCUMENTARY being distributed by New Video. Sprint Relay is sponsoring the Red Carpet Gala at Universal Studios on February 20th from 6:30pm-10:00pm. The evening will feature live entertainment, clips from the film, behind the scenes bloopers and special guests. Many members have contributed to the film, and Doculink is in the Special Thanks end credits of the documentary which has toured to over 100 cities and has won numerous awards. It would be wonderful to see you at this event!

The evening will also include an awards ceremony presenting the international winners of the Sprint See What I'm Saying Short Film Contest who are being flown in for the event to walk the red carpet and screen their 3-minute films.

Tickets and more info available here:
http://www.itsmyseat.com/SWIS

A limited amount of tickets are available on the link above. Come celebrate with us!

The Gala includes:

* Red carpet arrival of special guests including Dee Dee Hanson as Joan Rivers.
* Screening and Awards of the 3 winning short films from the Sprint Relay competition.
* Live entertainment: award-winning magician Krystyn Lambert, live performances from the film's deaf entertainers: CJ Jones, TL Forsberg, Robert DeMayo, Bob Hiltermann and Rosa Lee Timm.
* Ladies Home Journal/WE TV Award presented to the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness.

GALA
6:30PM Red Carpet Arrivals
7:00 PM Doors Open/Ballroom Reception
7:15 PM - Special DVD Bonus Clips, Distinguished Guests
7:45 PM - Live Entertainment
8:30 PM - Awards Show and Reception
10:00 PM - End of Evening

5:00PM - Pre-Party Discount at Hard Rock Cafe at Universal City Walk. Enjoy dinner with your friends before the show.
20% off food to the first 100 Gala guests.
Password at the door: "See What I'm Saying is now on DVD!"

10:00PM After-Party at Saddle Ranch across from the Globe Theatre at Universal City Walk. Come join us after the show.
20% discount on all drinks for our Gala guests.

Check out our gala video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MajJl7-Tn9s


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www.chicas-productions.com

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Industry News: Universal Studios puts real money into virtual stage...

January 13, 2011

Universal Studios puts real money into virtual stage...

Virtual reality is settling in at Universal Studios.

No, Universal is not opening a new theme park attraction.

Instead, the 98-year-old studio is taking a big leap into the future with a giant "virtual stage," its latest effort to lure more production and postproduction business to its back lot in Universal City and help keep filming in Los Angeles.

In May, Universal reopened its New York street sets that had burned down more than two years ago. This fall the studio opened a color-correction facility on the lot operated by Efilm, a subsidiary of Deluxe Entertainment.

And last week Universal unveiled its $4.5-million virtual stage. The 6,800-square-foot Universal Virtual Stage includes a 40-by-80-foot "green screen," one of the largest of its kind in Hollywood. Since it's just opened, there are no bookings yet, but Universal says it's in talks with producers of two feature films.

The technology, which allows actors to perform in front of a blank screen (typically green or blue) that can be substituted for various digitally created backgrounds, has been around for years but was used mostly for feature films. The advent of low-cost digital cameras and higher-powered computers, however, has opened up the process for TV programs as well, increasing demand for the technology.

Universal bills its facility, which includes a suite of editing bays and production office space, as a kind of one-stop shop that is fully rigged and calibrated so clients can walk onstage and begin shooting. The studio declined to disclose its rental rates.

"We're offering more services and options to filmmakers," said Dave Beanes, a senior vice president of production services at Universal. "It's a way to bring the world to the stage, instead of having to travel around the world to shoot."

The 180-degree screen operates with two cameras mounted on a 24-foot crane that allows directors to see the actual movements of actors in their virtual backgrounds in real time. It's also equipped to handle motion capture, a technique that has become increasingly popular since the success of "Avatar" and the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Planning began two years ago, when Universal invested $200 million to rebuild its "New York Street" and "King Kong" attraction and began thinking of ways to create a kind of virtual extension of the refurbished physical sets.

"I wanted to create a digital replica of "New York Street" so that filmmakers could have the flexibility to change the texture, color and faces of the buildings if they wanted to," said Jeff Berry, executive director of Universal Studios Virtual Effects & Production Services.

The 13-block "New York Street" features a number of familiar locations from the Big Apple, including a version of the Trump Tower, the Macy's building and Radio City Music Hall.

Since the new sets reopened, Universal has attracted about 40 film, TV, commercial and photography shoots as well as playing host to the popular TV shows "CSI," "Desperate Housewives" and "Parenthood." Recent films shot there include the studio's forthcoming summer release "Cowboys & Aliens" and the fourth installment of Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.

-- Richard Verrier

Thank you Los Angeles Times


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