Adidas Wilson's Blog, page 62
October 26, 2017
Tech Giants Are Paying Huge Salaries for Scarce A.I. Talent
Silicon Valley’s start-ups have always had a recruiting advantage over the industry’s giants: Take a chance on us and we’ll give you an ownership stake that could make you rich if the company is successful.
Now the tech industry’s race to embrace artificial intelligence may render that advantage moot — at least for the few prospective employees who know a lot about A.I.
Tech’s biggest companies are placing huge bets on artificial intelligence, banking on things ranging from face-scanning smartphones and conversational coffee-table gadgets to computerized health care and autonomous vehicles. As they chase this future, they are doling out salaries that are startling even in an industry that has never been shy about lavishing a fortune on its top talent.
Typical A.I. specialists, including both Ph.D.s fresh out of school and people with less education and just a few years of experience, can be paid from $300,000 to $500,000 a year or more in salary and company stock, according to nine people who work for major tech companies or have entertained job offers from them. All of them requested anonymity because they did not want to damage their professional prospects.
Well-known names in the A.I. field have received compensation in salary and shares in a company’s stock that total single- or double-digit millions over a four- or five-year period. And at some point they renew or negotiate a new contract, much like a professional athlete.
At the top end are executives with experience managing A.I. projects. In a court filing this year, Google revealed that one of the leaders of its self-driving-car division, Anthony Levandowski, a longtime employee who started with Google in 2007, took home over $120 million in incentives before joining Uber last year through the acquisition of a start-up he had co-founded that drew the two companies into a court fight over intellectual property.
Salaries are spiraling so fast that some joke the tech industry needs a National Football League-style salary cap on A.I. specialists. “That would make things easier,” said Christopher Fernandez, one of Microsoft’s hiring managers. “A lot easier.”
There are a few catalysts for the huge salaries. The auto industry is competing with Silicon Valley for the same experts who can help build self-driving cars. Giant tech companies like Facebook and Google also have plenty of money to throw around and problems that they think A.I. can help solve, like building digital assistants for smartphones and home gadgets and spotting offensive content.
Most of all, there is a shortage of talent, and the big companies are trying to land as much of it as they can. Solving tough A.I. problems is not like building the flavor-of-the-month smartphone app. In the entire world, fewer than 10,000 people have the skills necessary to tackle serious artificial intelligence research, according to Element AI, an independent lab in Montreal.
“What we’re seeing is not necessarily good for society, but it is rational behavior by these companies,” said Andrew Moore, the dean of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, who previously worked at Google. “They are anxious to ensure that they’ve got this small cohort of people” who can work on this technology.
Costs at an A.I. lab called DeepMind, acquired by Google for a reported $650 million in 2014, when it employed about 50 people, illustrate the issue. Last year, according to the company’s recently released annual financial accounts in Britain, the lab’s “staff costs” as it expanded to 400 employees totaled $138 million. That comes out to $345,000 an employee.
“It is hard to compete with that, especially if you are one of the smaller companies,” said Jessica Cataneo, an executive recruiter at the tech recruiting firm CyberCoders.
Source:
Vampyre: New Moon Now Available on Amazon and iTunes
Apart from the realm of humans and far from the light of day, a complex structure hides from many eyes. Here Val, a vampyre that follows the path of the Vigilante draws blood in search of justice and a path that she can call her own. She is joined by her lover Henrik, a vampyre from another path and together they are drawn into a world of intrigue that threatens to tear the world they know apart.
Soon the pair finds themselves part of a conflict older than them both, forced to seek allies in people that seem should be mortal enemies. In a world with so many different monstrous individuals it seems that only unity and the strength of overcoming differences can prevail.
A hidden organization has shown itself, one that seems to have been pulling the strings for longer than anyone truly knows. This order seeks a war to keep the factions separate in order to find an evil power that threatens to destroy everything.
Can Val and her uneasy companions find the answers they seek in time to prevent a war and the end of everything, in both the darkness and the light?
October 25, 2017
How to get started as an Audible narrator through ACX
Losing my full-time job of 12 years in August 2013 gave me the push I needed to accomplish a life-long dream: break into the world of voice acting.
The voice-over world was once the exclusive realm of artists in major markets such as Los Angeles and New York City. But today the field is open to thousands of part-time and full-time, home-based voice-over professionals.
There are many avenues through which a self-employed voice-over artist can find work. Two of the main sites dedicated to uniting voice actors and potential employers are Voices.com and Voice123.com. Both sites require a premium subscription to reap real benefits and receive customized audition notices. The beginning voice actor will need to spend considerable time creating a profile, as well as recording and posting demos. See my Voice123 profile for an idea of what a finished profile should look like.
As lucrative as these sources can be, competition is tough. A beginning voice actor will receive many rejections before landing that first voice gig. Persistence pays off.
However, I found earlier success auditioning for Audible, the top online seller of audio books. Their interface between voice actors and book rights-holders is called ACX.
By picking the right books, submitting high-quality auditions, and preparing for the time and effort it will take to complete an audio book project, even inexperienced voice actors can find themselves with a production contract.
This can be a long and complicated process. But that shouldn’t scare you away from giving it a try.
Here are the three main things you must accomplish to become an Audible narrator through ACX.
1. Set up your digital audio workstation
If you already have a moderately good computer – laptop or desktop – you’re about halfway there. The other main components to an adequate workstation are a condenser microphone, a preamp/interface, reference monitors (a fancy term for speakers), studio monitors (a fancy term for headphones), and audio recording and editing software.
But to achieve a high-quality sound you also must prepare a silent recording room or space. There are probably hundreds of ways to do this, from building a blanket fort to spending thousands of dollars on a high-end isolation booth.
My first recording space was a customized closet. I tacked carpet remnants onto the walls and added Auralex acoustic foam where needed.
When we moved to a smaller home last year, I had a custom-designed recording booth built into the corner of a spare bedroom. My increased level of experience warranted the extra expense. The result is a superior-sounding space that will give my clients a much better product.
The point isn’t how much you spend, but whether or not you can achieve the totally “dead” mic sound necessary for audio book recording. Search YouTube for a wealth of DIY recording booth and workstation videos from amateurs and professionals all over the world.
My equipment of choice:
Apple MacBook Pro with 8 gigabytes of RAM and a solid-state hard drive. These hard drives are more expensive, but much quieter and faster. They are also standard equipment on the latest MacBook Pro models.
Audio Technica AT-4050 microphone
Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 preamplifier
I record using GarageBand software (available only for Mac) and edit using Adobe Audition.
Mackie CR3 reference monitors
Audio Technica ATH-M30x studio monitors
There are hundreds more options, ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Take the time to find the setup that’s right for your budget and skill levels. Recording and processing a single audio track doesn’t require a lot of computer power. Don’t be fooled into thinking you need the latest, greatest machine for the job.
However, the reason I chose the MBP over the standard MacBook or the MacBook Air was available hard drive size. The extra processing power helps, too.
I caution against using cheap plug-and-play USB microphones, such as the popular Blue Yeti. Many of these models do sound quite good. But for a few hundred dollars more you can get a much higher-quality condenser microphone that will achieve a superior sound. This is why you’ll also need a small preamp unit, which is a power interface between the mic and your computer. Focusrite makes excellent products, but there are good competitors, too.
About speakers and headphones: Do not use or purchase standard, consumer-level products. This is because your typical household audio gear is designed to make music sound good, not to provide an accurate representation of spoken-word audio.
Studio and reference monitors, on the other hand, are designed to provide a “flat” frequency response. There’s no bass boosting or high-end attenuation you’ll find in products such as Beats headphones. Your audio equipment needs to give you the closest possible representation of what your voice sounds like. It will take some time to train your ears to appreciate the difference. But trust me … this is a critical detail you should not ignore.
Currently at $79.99 on Amazon, the Mackie reference monitors I use are hard to beat. You can opt for larger versions at a higher cost, but I have found this model to be more than adequate. It’s important that you mount or position your monitors to point directly at your ears. You can find stands or mounting equipment to achieve this goal.
Your studio monitors should be comfortable enough to withstand hours of recording time. Any of the ATH models will be an excellent choice, depending on your budget. Ensure that whatever you purchase is an over-the-ear model, not on-ear. This will help isolate your voice as you record and block out any external noises.
Once you have everything set up, it’s time to test your recording environment. I strongly recommend you submit some sample recordings to a qualified audio professional before your first audition. Get the opinions of a knowledgable person about whether or not you have truly achieved the right sound. It may be worth the expense to pay for a personal sound consultation before you begin auditioning.
2. Establish a profile on AXC
ACX is the online interface between audio book narrators and book rights-holders. There is no cost to join ACX, but you’ll have to do the work to establish a proper profile. See mine for an example.
Next, scan the list of available book titles seeking narrators. There are usually a couple of thousand titles on any given day. Begin by selecting male or female from the gender filter. That way you can at least immediately narrow down the books according to what rights-holders want.
After that, it’s up to you to find the right book for an audition.
At least in my experience, it is extremely rare that a rights holder will contact you out of the blue to offer a recording deal. The two or three times this has happened to me I have turned the projects down because the books did not match my personal requirements or preferences.
It’s much more likely you’ll have to do the work of searching through available titles and sending in auditions. Here are a few tips that may save you some time in this process. Ask yourself …
Do I have the free time necessary for this project? Each “finished hour” of an audio book will probably take you four to five hours to produce. Will you be able to complete it by the contract deadline? Some rights-holders are lenient about deadlines. But don’t assume.
Would I read this book myself? If a book isn’t something that interests me purely as a reader, I won’t audition for it. Your enthusiasm for the material will reveal itself in your recording. Plus, if you get the contract, you’ll have the added benefit of reading the book for free.
Can I accept a royalty contract, or will I only work for a payment per finished hour? Most of the contracts available on ACX are royalty-only. You have to decide if you think the book will sell well enough to be worth your time and effort. Of course, you can help out by promoting the audio book through your social network.
If this is a fiction title, do I have the skill to voice multiple characters? Fiction authors will want this from you. Do you have a theatrical background, or are you more of a straight reader? If you’re unsure, pick nonfiction titles until you get a few under your belt. If you really do want to pursue fiction titles, I can’t suggest strongly enough that you take some acting classes. I have personally performed in about 20 stage productions, both comedies and dramas. They have been invaluable experiences in learning the skills of vocal characterization.
Is this project truly something I can put my name on? Once your book is finished, your name and profile will be associated with it through Audible, iTunes, and Amazon. If there is any hesitation about whether or not this title is right for you, don’t do it.
3. Complete your first ACX project
Being awarded that first contract with Audible is both thrilling and frightening. You’ll inwardly doubt whether or not you can really get it done. Pressing on and doing your best despite your fears will be a great accomplishment and will prepare you for future projects.
Here are some tips that will get you to the finish line more quickly and with less stress.
Be communicative. Keep a dialogue going with your rights-holder. You can do this through the ACX message interface or via your own email or phone. Ask as many questions about the book as necessary. If you have problems, let them know right away.
During production of an 18-hour book I came down with an illness that wrecked my voice for three weeks. I thought it would ruin my reputation. But being honest with the rights holder helped us both come to an agreement to extend the deadline. They’re going to want the best product possible from you. That will mean being patient if you get sick.
Be consistent. Nothing is worse than having one chapter sound different from another, or forgetting how you voiced a character from one scene to the next. Write up character descriptions if you have to. Keep listening back to previous chapters. It hurts to have to do it, but re-record when necessary rather than settling for mediocrity.
Be caring. Your voice is your instrument and your livelihood. Be realistic about how much it and your ears can handle. You only have so many good hours a day of recording and editing before fatigue sets in. Don’t push it. You will discover your limits by trial and error. My personal limits: three hours of recording and five hours of editing per day, period.
Be your own calling card. Every audio book you complete can become an advertisement for your next gig. It isn’t just a product you help sell. Its a digital resume that helps sell you!
So, be ruthless about quality. Allow for more time than you think you will need. Learn as much as you can about audio editing. Keep pushing yourself for better performances. Do not settle for a meager product or hope they won’t notice the mistake.
And one more critical point … Back up your work every night. I don’t need to tell you how devastating it would be to lose your recordings forever before you’re able to submit them for approval.
Beyond these three basic items, your journey toward becoming an Audible narrator will differ depending on your skill level, determination, and sometimes just plain luck.
Don’t give up. And keep seeking advice from the voice-over communities online and through other web-based channels. There is more free help and information out there than you could ever use.
Source:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140918193557-894411-how-to-get-started-as-an-audible-narrator
A Weed Killer Is Increasingly Showing Up in People’s Bodies
The latest study to look at the long-term effects of Roundup, a popular weed killer developed by Monsanto in the 1970s, raises questions about the herbicide’s possible contributions to poor health in certain communities.
The study, published Tuesday in JAMA, tracked people over the age of 50 in southern California from 1993-1996 to 2014-2016, with researchers periodically collecting urine samples during that time.
Researchers led by Paul Mills, professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California San Diego, found that the percentage of people who tested positive for a chemical called glyphosate, which is the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, shot up by 500% in that time period. The levels of glyphosate also spiked by 1208% during that time.
Exactly what that means for human health isn’t quite clear yet. There are few studies of the chemical and its effects on people, although animal studies raise some concerns. One trial from the UK, in which rats were fed low levels of glyphosate throughout their lives, found that the chemical contributed to a higher risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition in which fat accumulates in the liver and contributes to inflammation and scarring of the tissue. Mills says that the levels of glyphosate documented in the people in his study were 100-fold greater than those in the rats.
To follow up on these results, Mills plans to measure factors that track liver disease, to see if the levels of glyphosate he found are actually associated with a greater risk of liver problems in people. He heads the Herbicide Awareness & Research Project at UCSD, an ongoing research project in which he invites people to provide urine samples to test glyphosate levels. By gathering more information about people’s exposure, he is planning to tease apart how much of it comes from actually ingesting products sprayed with the chemical, and how much can be attributed to breathing in particles that have been sprayed into the air, especially in farm communities.
Source:
http://time.com/4993877/weed-killer-roundup-levels-humans/
You can now go live on Instagram with a friend
Following a test this past summer, Instagram is now letting users broadcast live with a friend. Users can invite anyone who’s currently watching their broadcast to join, although only two people can broadcast simultaneously, which is visualized through a split screen. The owner of the broadcast can remove their guest and add someone else whenever they want.
The actual stories will look different in Instagram’s feed, too. Instead of a single live circle, you’ll see two circles stacked on top of each other. The update should be live in both the App Store and the Google Play Store today.
Source:
https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/24/16534830/live-instagram-broadcast-with-friend-update
Shazam Director Anticipates Inevitable Fan Backlash
The director of DC’s upcoming Shazam! movie says he’s enjoying the time before the fan backlash inevitably begins. Warner Bros currently has a number of irons in the fire when it comes to films based on DC Comics. The next few years will see a flurry of heroes hit the big screen, and it’s clear that more will arrive soon given how many characters have a movie in production. And while WB and DC aren’t taking the same approach as Marvel, they share in common a desire for idiosyncratic directing choices.
Just as Marvel chose James Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy and Taika Waititi for Thor: Ragnarok, WB and DC have made some interesting hires as they seek to expand their slate of superhero films. Two of the more intriguing are horror directors James Wan and David F. Sandberg. Wan will be helming Aquaman next year, while Sandberg will help bring Shazam!to theaters in 2019. But while Wan has experience with a big budget film thanks to Furious 7, Sandberg will be entering some dangerous new waters as he adapts Billy Batson and his superhero alter-ego for the big screen.
David F. Sandberg posted to Twitter earlier about how he’s bracing himself to the reactions from fans when more is revealed about Shazam! And given that the director has never been in a position like this before, he says he’s appreciating the lack of scrutiny he’s under for the time being.
It will be an interesting experience making a movie where no matter what choices are made there will be some who passionately hate you.
— David F. Sandberg (@ponysmasher) October 24, 2017
Sandberg goes on to give an example of fans being mad about whether or not Shazam has a hood on his cape. Though a relatively new addition to the costume, it already has its advocates and detractors. And as anyone who’s every worked on an adaptation of a popular character can tell you, it’s virtually impossible to please every fan who feels ownership for a work of fiction.
[image error]
Nothing will truly be able to prepare Sandberg for the vitriol that over-zealous fans often lay into creatives, but at least he’s realistic about what he’ll face. For now, however, he can rest easy. With Shazam! not shooting until early next year, little is known about the movie. We’ve heard rumors the Marvel Family will appear and seen hints of other popular Shazam!characters, but nothing concrete is known. Even the lead role has yet to be cast.
Recently, audition tapes for Shazam and actors testing for Billy Batson arrived online, providing some hints about the film. We know it will take place in a world with other DC heroes, but there’s no guarantee yet that it will be in the main DC film timeline. But with only a few months left before filming begins, it shouldn’t be too much longer until more details about Shazam! emerge.
Source:
http://screenrant.com/shazam-movie-director-fan-backlash/
October 24, 2017
‘Logan’ Team on Dreaming Up a ‘Laura’ Spinoff and Finding the Drama in Wolverine
Hugh Jackman has said goodbye to Wolverine, but the story isn’t quite over.
Seven months after the film hit theaters, Jackman and director James Mangold are still processing the level of praise lavished on the film, which exceeded their expectations from when they set out to tell story to end all Wolverine stories. Loganwas made for less money than the previous two Wolverine films, but Jackman’s R-rated swan song became the most financially successful of the three by far with $616 million worldwide (Mangold’s The Wolverine made just over $414 in 2013), and it remains one of the best reviewed movies of 2017.
The film is continuing to defy expectations. While Logan is the rare superhero project that doesn’t exist to help set up a shared universe or sequels, a spinoff is brewing (“We’re just working on a script,” Mangold says of a film that would center on Dafne Keen’s Laura). And it has emerged as a possible awards contender.
“I think I have a kind of healthy contempt for this kind of film. Even the genre,” Mangold tells The Hollywood Reporter when asked why the film appealed to comic book fans and general audiences alike. “I tried to bring with it a kind of jaundiced eye about formula that we’ve gotten really in the habit of delivering on, and was trying to deliver a picture that offers some of the same sense of wonder and imagination that these films tend to offer but doing so in a way where it’s less about fetishizing costumes and equipment and CG effects and more about character.”
Jackman tells THR that after a worldwide tour promoting the film, he is at peace with hanging up the claws after 17 years and nine movies, feeling he delivered his definitive performance this time out.
“I think there was a moment in the first X-Men…probably five or six weeks in…when I felt I was really making Wolverine my own. It took me a little while to get there,” says Jackman of his experience with the franchise as whole. “I think it wasn’t until this last one, in terms of watching the movie, where I felt kind of separate from the character, where I could think, ‘Man I love that character.’ I was probably not fully at peace with the work I had done with him until this last one.”
Every few years following Heath Ledger’s Oscar win for 2008’s The Dark Knight, genre films have been popping up more frequently in the awards conversation. Recent years have seen 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road (six Oscar wins in the crafts categories, plus nominations for best picture and best director) and 2016’s Deadpool (surprise best picture and best actor Golden Globes noms). This year, Logan and Wonder Woman are two comic book films in the conversation, and 20th Century Fox has fueled the flames by sending screeners to Academy voters and scheduling the Logan team for appearances at awards-focused screenings and Q&As.
X-Men franchise producer Hutch Parker admits awards season recognition would be a nice bonus following the outpouring from fans and critics, though he maintains he’s satisfied no matter what happens.
“I’m realistic about the kind of movie this is, and I’m hopeful that various people in those positions will see it and recognize it — even though it is an R-rated movie, and even though it has a legacy as part of a comic book franchise,” Parker says. “I’d love for people to be able to assess the craft on the performances and the work on their own merits.”
James Mangold
One possibility for that recognition is Patrick Stewart. As soon as Logan hit screens, awards pundits began raising the question of whether Stewart could finally earn an Oscar nomination, thanks to the combination of the actor delivering one of his finest big-screen performances yet, and the notion that a performer of his pedigree is overdue.
“The fact that Patrick has not received those kinds of acknowledgements is astounding to me,” says Parker.
While Stewart has yet to earn a nomination for film work, he has received four Emmy nominations, as well as three Golden Globe nominations for television performances: in 1999 for Moby Dick, in 2005 for The Lion in Winter and in 2016 for Blunt Talk.
In Logan, Prof. X suffers from degenerative brain disease and must come to terms with losing his most valuable asset, his intellect. It showed audiences a side to Stewart that departed from the calm, cool and collected roles he’d played in Star Trek movies and previous X-Men films.
“It gave Patrick freedom that he hasn’t had, certainly in these kinds of films. Patrick attacked this thing with ferocity. He was fearless about playing Charles’ weaknesses as well as his strengths,” says Mangold. “He wasn’t worried about the vanity of it.”
The script from Mangold, Scott Frank and Michael Green also gave Stewart and Jackman a lot of meaty material together, such as the nearly seven-minute, dialogue-heavy scene early in film that takes place in a dilapidated tank.
“The level of depth and the drama in that one scene is probably more than the two of us have had to work with…than all of the other films combined,” says Jackman. “So, I think it’s just fun watching a thoroughbred like Patrick Stewart gallop, and…with the great scenes that he got to really show everything he can do.”
Source:
Catching up with Anne Rice ahead of her fan club’s annual Halloween ball
When Sue Quiroz met horror author Anne Rice at a book signing in 1988, Quiroz got more than an autograph in her copy of “Queen of the Damned.”
“I remember vividly what happened that day,” said Rice from her home in Palm Desert, California. “Sue came up to me and asked if she could start a fan club for me, and I said, ‘Not for me. But Lestat would love to have a fan club.’ ”
Quiroz became chief of the fictional vampire’s official fan club, and Rice got a lifelong friend and sometime personal assistant who heads up the annual Anne Rice Lestat Vampire Ball, now celebrating its 29th year in New Orleans.
The exact name of the ball can change to reflect Rice’s most recent work: This year it’s the Atlantis Ball, Oct. 27 at the Republic. The name is a nod to 2016’s “Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis,” the latest in the 12-volume “Vampire Chronicles.”
The road to Rice’s megawatt writing career began with the 1976 novel “Interview with the Vampire,” which grew from a short story she wrote on a whim. “When it became so successful, I realized that the vampire was a perfect metaphor for the outsider, something many people can relate to,” Rice said.
“The Vampire Lestat” emerged in 1985, launching the wildly successful “Vampire Chronicles” franchise. Paramount Pictures has just optioned “The Vampire Chronicles” for an upcoming television series.
These days, Rice lives in California and collaborates with son Christopher Rice, a well-known author of 12 books in his own right. The pair are working on a sequel to “The Mummy,” the novel that ended with a cliffhanger when it was published in 1989.
“Fans had been clamoring for a sequel, but the vampire world so took off that there wasn’t the space or time to continue on with ‘The Mummy,’ ” Chris Rice said. “Collaborations can be tricky, and every author is different, style-wise, but I was noticing more and more that famous authors were collaborating in the mystery and romance world.
“Author James Patterson is the most obvious. He has numerous collaborators. He couldn’t crank out novels at the pace readers are hungering for them without collaborators. But a collaboration with my mom meant entering a world that had already been built and involved keeping a certain tone that longtime fans related to.”
Added Anne Rice: “Our first step was to hammer out a plot with sketch pads and felt tips. It’s never more than a tentative roadmap, but from this, Chris wrote the first draft of what would eventually become ‘Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra.’ ”
“The core of how we did it was passing it back and forth,” Chris Rice said. “I don’t think either of us could have endured sitting side by side in a room writing together. So we went back and forth, making modifications along the way. …
“There was one place where Mom was certainly right. I thought Cleopatra should be a villainess, saying we had to have a monster in the story, but Mom thought she was much too complex a character to put her in a box like that … and she was right. If left to my own devices, I could progress a whole story through action and violence, but that is not entirely what smacks of an Anne Rice novel.”
Added Anne Rice: “There’s been an incredible appreciation of my work, as evidenced by the wonderful fans, like those who come out for the Halloween balls in New Orleans. One year, we had around 8,000 people in the ballroom. People came from all over the world dressed as characters from my books. When I attended in 2014, I was just so impressed.”
The mother-and-son duo are on a publicity tour for the new book, so she won’t be at the ball this year. Quiroz is expecting about 1,200 people at this year’s event at the Republic.
For fans of both the costume balls and the novels, there’s not much longer to wait. This year’s Atlantis Ball (tickets at arlsfc.com) takes place Oct. 27, and the new Rice collaboration, “Ramses the Damned,” hits bookshelves Nov. 21.
Source:
Venom Film Teases the Start of Production on Social Media
The social media account for the Venom film starring Tom Hardy has teased the start of production today. Although Sony scored a hit teaming with Marvel for Spider-Man: Homecoming the studio is adamant about producing its own series of films based on the wall-crawler’s supporting characters. That means films that exist outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making a solo adventure based on Spidey’s doppelgänger nemesis a big risk with a potentially high reward that could spawn a whole new series of films for the studio.
Sony efforts have so far netted them a high-profile lead in Tom Hardy. The actor joins Zombieland‘s Ruben Fleischer who was brought on to direct, while the supporting cast has filled out with more recognizable names as the film approached its start of production. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the film, as production was delayed several times and the script was reworked by the writer of 50 Shades of Grey. After a series of false starts, it seems the film is finally set to get off the ground.
This is something of a fresh start for Sony, as the planned Spider-verse series of films were put on hold following the reception of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and once it became clear the studio was going to put a flagship character like Spider-Man back in the hands of his parent company. That puts a great deal of pressure on Venom to perform at the box office. Those concerns are alleviated to a certain degree when you look at the talent the film has assembled that includes Rogue One‘s Riz Ahmed, as a mysterious Marvel character, while Michelle Williams has signed on to play the female lead. Meanwhile, the movie also boasts indie-darling Jenny Slate, as well as recent additions Reid Scott and Scott Haze.
Venom will have stiff competition next year with superhero films from Marvel Studios, Fox, and Warner Bros. But with the film being described as a horror/sci-fi film that is gunning for a R-rating, it may have found the right formula to stand out from the rest of the comic book crowd.
Source:
http://screenrant.com/venom-movie-tom-hardy-production-start/
Venom Film Teases the Start of Production on Social Media
The social media account for the Venom film starring Tom Hardy has teased the start of production today. Although Sony scored a hit teaming with Marvel for Spider-Man: Homecoming the studio is adamant about producing its own series of films based on the wall-crawler’s supporting characters. That means films that exist outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making a solo adventure based on Spidey’s doppelgänger nemesis a big risk with a potentially high reward that could spawn a whole new series of films for the studio.
Sony efforts have so far netted them a high-profile lead in Tom Hardy. The actor joins Zombieland‘s Ruben Fleischer who was brought on to direct, while the supporting cast has filled out with more recognizable names as the film approached its start of production. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the film, as production was delayed several times and the script was reworked by the writer of 50 Shades of Grey. After a series of false starts, it seems the film is finally set to get off the ground.
This is something of a fresh start for Sony, as the planned Spider-verse series of films were put on hold following the reception of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and once it became clear the studio was going to put a flagship character like Spider-Man back in the hands of his parent company. That puts a great deal of pressure on Venom to perform at the box office. Those concerns are alleviated to a certain degree when you look at the talent the film has assembled that includes Rogue One‘s Riz Ahmed, as a mysterious Marvel character, while Michelle Williams has signed on to play the female lead. Meanwhile, the movie also boasts indie-darling Jenny Slate, as well as recent additions Reid Scott and Scott Haze.
Venom will have stiff competition next year with superhero films from Marvel Studios, Fox, and Warner Bros. But with the film being described as a horror/sci-fi film that is gunning for a R-rating, it may have found the right formula to stand out from the rest of the comic book crowd.
Source:
http://screenrant.com/venom-movie-tom-hardy-production-start/
