Development Insider: Rejection, Rejection, Rejection

This is the first of a new series from a development insider: it’s the the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the dirty truth about TV development. Written by someone (who must remain anonymous), who knows, from painful experience, what really goes on behind the commissioners’ doors. Read, enjoy and join the debate.

(photo by das.viereck)

How Benjamin Button Got His Face

Here’s a video that explains how Ed Ulbrich, from Digital Domain worked out how to age Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button – they started with and then soon rejected normal motion capture technology. They then captured a 3-D database of Brad’s face and used data analysis to transpose different ages onto Brad’s face to create a ‘digital puppet’ that could do anything Brad’s face could do. Obviously, it’s much more complicated than that – it took 155 people over two years to make it work. You’ll just have to watch the video:

James Brown Museum

James Brown, who died in 2006, always harboured an ambition to open a museum to show that poor that it is possible to come from nothing and make it big. Before he died, he set up a trust for poor children but the trust and his lawyers are arguing over how to divide his estate, which is delaying plans for the museum he wanted. Some of his family want to turn his home into a Graceland style museum with mausoleum.While the wrangling continues South Carolina State University is holding an exhibition of some of his possessions, including crystal-studded suits, and a bathrobe torn when the police arrested him on charges of criminal violence in 2004.Read more.

Ruby Wax does Psychology

Ruby Wax gave a talk yesterday at an event management conference about the psychology of empathy and leadership. Turns out she’s been doing an MA in psychotherapy, and she threw some neuroscience into her talk for good measure. To prove her point about empathy, she invited an unsuspecting woman onto the stage to be interviewed [...]

Ask a Urinal

If you are troubled by questions no-one in your close circle of friends can seem to answer, try asking a urinal. For sage advice, visit Ask A Urinal, or just scroll through other people’s questions and the photographic answers. Questions  include: I’m an artistic Indie type but I can’t afford to keep my wardrobe current. [...]

Greenlit: Tough Love, VH1

Tough Love (8×60′) – Brutally honest matchmaker Steven Ward helps women overcome their bad dating habits to help them learn the basics of successful relationships, while giving them a peek into the male psyche. His no nonsense approach means he tells the women what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear. [...]

Greenlit: The Real Cost of Living, Sundance

Eco Trip: The Real Cost of Living (8×30′) – David de Rothschild tracks the life cycle of various everyday items, such as salmon, bottled water and cotton shirts, from production to disposal, looking at the social, environmental and ecological effects of that item. Channel: Sundance Producer: Peacock Productions (NBC) TX: 21 April 2009 Source: Reality [...]

Greenlit: Swimsuit Minisodes, Crackle.com

Swimsuit Minisodes (26×5′) – minisodes featuring girls in bikinis from Sports Illustrated. Channel: Crackle.com TX: Will roll out on YouTube, Hulu and TV.com on 16 March Source: Cynopsis

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is 26 September – 3 October 2009 in the USA. The American Library Association has published a list of the most banned or challenged books: And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell -  Anti-Ethnic, Sexism, Homosexuality, Anti-Family, Religious Viewpoint, Unsuited to Age Group The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier – Reasons: [...]

UKTV History Becomes Yesterday

On 2nd March, UKTV History rebrands as Yesterday. They are looking for ‘living memory’ history programming, from WWII to present, in an attempt to bring in a broad audience. Emphasis on historical drama, archive programmes and popular culture in a historical context. Read an interview with  Richad Kingsbury in Realscreen magazine.