Not Afraid! » Announcements

King Kong 360 3D

Not Afraid! — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:53:06 +0000

I’ve been bad, and neglected to blog about the new Universal Project that stole me away from the Transformers. At least temporarily. I’ve been working for the last year and half on the replacement attraction for King Kong. The original sadly burned down in a backlot fire in the summer of 2008. We’ve been extraordinarily busy developing the new show to open this summer.

I first didn’t blog about it because, well you know, it’s all a big secret. Then they announced it, and then the press began, but by then I was far too busy working on it to blog about it. In fact I only have time today because I’ve worked myself sick, and was sent home to nurse my cold so they can overwork me some more.

The attraction is a collaboration between Universal Creative, the department I work in at Universal Studios, and Peter Jackson who is directing the film with his company Weta Digital creating the 3D animation. The project break’s new ground with a never done before immersive 3D projection system that I helped design with 3D savant and cinematographer Peter Anderson, and the talented crew from Electrosonic systems. It may in fact be the largest 3D projection system ever conceived. We’ve spent the last year in the same Sound Stage that James Cameron pioneered Avatar on in Playa Vista getting the projection system configuration and screens just right. It hasn’t been easy, but breaking new ground never is, which is why I’m happy when I see press like this, after someone views our mock-up system:

Now, what we saw was rough, but incredibly impressive. If you were to look directly ahead at the direction the tram was moving in, the environment around you feels completely genuine. That’s not to say the effect wasn’t terrific when you looked at it dead-on. I’m just talking about the peripheral effect of the attraction’s 360 layout.

-Ryan Rotten, Managing Editor – Shock Till You Drop

If they found that impressive, I can only imagine the satisfying reactions we’ll get for the real thing. You can read more about the attraction via some fresh articles from a group who visited our mockup yesterday, including Mr. Rotten quoted above:

For more info you can signe up for email updates here, and you can enjoy the teaser trailer below:

Delicious Destiny

Not Afraid! — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:30:56 +0000

Check out Not Afraid!’s entry into the Doritos Crash the Superbowl Contest, Delicious Destiny.

Spicy Nacho Chips, “Zen” and “Reluctant” discuss their lives, purpose, and destiny.

I didn’t learn of this contest until a week before the deadline, so this entire spot was put together from conception to completion in less than a week, and turned out to be the last project I shot on my Canon XL2 before going HD.

Written, Shot, Cut, and Directed by Paul Cuoco
Creative Consultant: Jeff Loach
Voice Talent:
Zen: Michael Musa
Reluctant: Steve D’Arcangelo

Glazed Remastered

Not Afraid! — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:39:31 +0000

Among the great response we’ve received from the re-issue of Inheritance, some of our collaborators and fans asked when Glazed may get a similar treatment. With the speed and processing power available to us today that we didn’t have then, we figured, why not. So we’ve completely remastered Glazed from it’s original source material realizing many of the color and visual effects we weren’t able to do first time around.

In addition to it’s new look, we’ve also updated the official website www.glazed.notafraid.com and created a Facebook Fan Page to help spread the word and hopefully enlist some new fans. So please become a fan and share it with your friends.

Enjoy.

Inheritance Now on DVD

Not Afraid! — Fri, 15 May 2009 03:45:25 +0000

As I mentioned last month, we have been working on a new Inheritance DVD, and today we are pleased to announce that it is now available on DVD in partnership with Create Space and Amazon.com. We know the film is available in it’s entirety on-line right here, but with the DVD not only do you get a high quality image with none of the web artifacts, you’re also financially helping to further the education of the holocaust, because all proceeds from the sale after production and duplication fees will be donated to the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust. Plus we intentionally didn’t include the normal DVD encryption that prevents you from making copies so you can freely make additional copies of the DVD to share with friends, neighbors, and strangers. It’s not about the money, it’s all about reminding people that this can not happen again.

Each DVD is only $10 and includes:

Newly remastered film from the original source files and enhanced for playback on widescreen televisions
Photo gallery featuring a sampling of Anthony Cuoco’s original photographs, including some not used in the film
Digital copy of the original screenplay and press kit.
No CSS copy protection. We encourage you to make additional copies to spread the word.

Please help us remind the world that the holocaust was real by buying a copy now through the Not Afraid! Create space store.

Mercy – Now Available on DVD!

Paul — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:28:05 +0000

Mercy Now Available on DVD

After a successful run on the festival circuit, MERCY is now available for purchase on DVD!

To celebrate the release (and let’s face it, to entice some of you to buy) we’ve cut together a new trailer! Watch it below or click through to Vimeo to see it High Definition.

The special edition DVD is available exclusively through Amazon.com, for only $10 USD. We’ve put a lot of work into putting as much entertaining information as possible into the DVD while simultaneously showcasing the work of some extraordinarily talented collaborators who helped make MERCY a reality.

First, watch the 14-minute mini-action-mystery-movie, featuring special effects, swordplay, and the “Breakout Action Star of the Year” as a sexy siren in a plaid skirt… and then experience a multitude of special features. THREE commentaries featuring director Tony Teofilo and actors Emilee Harris and James Pomichter, photo galleries, concept art, a music-only track, test footage, alternate scenes, and DVD-ROM features that allow you to download production art for your own use.

So please click through and pick up a copy, then head back to Amazon.com and write us a review to let us know what you think. If you’ve already seen the film at a film festival, private screening, or from a review copy, we’d love for you to leave a review on Amazon.com as well. The more positive reviews, the more likely someone who doesn’t know about Mercy might take a chance on her, and we want her story to be viewed by as many people as possible.

Thank you all for your support!

Simpsons Wins 2008 THEA Award For Outstanding Achievment – Attraction

Not Afraid! — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:20:23 +0000

The Simpsons Ride wins the the 2008 THEA AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT - ATTRACTION. For those not in the know, that’s the equivalent of winning an Oscar in the theme park biz.

The awards are given out by the Themed Entertainment Association, a non-profit association representing the world’s leading creators, developers, designers and producers of compelling places and experiences.

From the press release:

The prestigious Thea Awards recognize and honor excellence in the creation of outstanding visitor experiences, attractions, exhibits and places,” said Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) President Nick Farmer of Farmer Attraction Development, Leicester, UK. “Truly international in their recognition of outstanding productions, the Thea Awards focus international attention on innovation within the Themed Entertainment and Experience Design Industry.” The Awards will be formally presented March 7, 2009 at the 15th Annual Thea Awards Gala sponsored by Economics Research Associates, a lavish, black-tie dinner event at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, CA.

As TEA continues to rise in stature – the association is an increasingly valuable resource to the entertainment development community and its many intersecting lines of business – the Thea Award becomes more prestigious. The Thea Awards Nominating Committee evaluated more than 120 nominations in order to recommend the current slate of 17 Thea recipients, with final approval by the TEA International Board of Directors.

Recipients – 15th Annual Thea Awards

Thea Lifetime Achievement Award: Robert L. Ward
Thea Classic Award: EPCOT, Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL
Thea Awards for Outstanding Achievement (AOA)
Attraction: The Simpsons Ride, Universal Studios Hollywood CA & Orlando, FL
Attraction Limited Budget: BeWILDerwood, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Attraction Limited Budget: The Forgotten Mine, Molenheide, Belgium
Museum: The Newseum, Washington DC, USA
Museum: National Museum of the Marine Corps, Quantico, VA, USA
Museum Exhibit: Operation Spy, International Spy Museum, Washington DC, USA
Museum Exhibit, Limited Budget: Forces of Nature, Arizona Science Center, Phoenix AZ, USA
Learning Experience: Air Force One Discovery Center, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum, Simi Valley CA, USA
Technical: Muppet Mobile Lab, Hong Kong Disneyland, China
Science Center: Audubon Insectarium, New Orleans LA, USA
New Theme Park Land: Jungala, Busch Gardens, Tampa FL, USA
Event Spectacular: 2008 Summer Olympics, Opening Ceremonies, Beijing, Chiina
Live Show: Finding Nemo, The Musical, Walt Disney World, FL, USA
Live Show: Legend of Mythica, Tokyo DisneySeas, Japan
Casino Attraction: Tree of Prosperity, Wynn Macau, Macau, SAR, China

I want to congratulate every member of the Universal Creative Simpson’s team in both Orlando and Hollywood, for all the hard work in creating a truly world class attraction.

The Simpsons™, The Simpsons™ Ride and all Simpsons characters and elements are ™ & © 2008 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All rights reserved.

More Than Meets The Eye

Not Afraid! — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:44:28 +0000

Universal officially announces my latest project, the Transformers Ride. Read the article in Variety for the information, or the press release at Superhero Hype as I won’t be giving out any other details.

The Simpsons Ride Wins Best New Attraction (2008)

Not Afraid! — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:54:08 +0000

There’s a lot of tooting our own horn this month. First MERCY wins an award , now:

ThemeParkInsider.com’s readers have voted The Simpsons Ride , the Best New Attraction of 2008 .

From the article:

"These twin rides debuted on consecutive days in May and wowed fans with their mix of irreverent humor and physical thrills. Theme Park Insider readers said that The Simpsons Ride is ‘hilarious, thrilling, and visually astounding,’ and that even ‘the waiting is enjoyable.’
Mark Woodbury, President, Universal Creative, Universal Parks & Resorts said of the honor, ‘The Simpsons Ride represents what Universal does best – which is to take pop culture’s blockbuster entertainment concepts and bring them to life in wildly entertaining theme park experiences. We appreciate the recognition and share it with our partners at Fox Licensing and Gracie Films, who helped us create a truly authentic Simpsons experience.’ "

More than 75,000 votes were cast picking the Simpsons Ride over some Tough competition like Disney’s Toy Story Mania. It’s always fulfilling to have been a part of something that people truly enjoy.

Mercy Wins – Breakout Action Star of the Year!

Not Afraid! — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:16:49 +0000

Emilee Harris wins Breakout Female Action Star of the Year (Short) at the 4th Annual Action on film Festival!

Congratulations Emilee from all of us at Not Afraid! You deserve the accolades! Now we can slap some laurels on the film and call it an “Award-winning Short.”

In all seriousness, MERCY was nominated for 3 AOFF awards, and two for Emilee herself, so we’re honored to have our star take one home. Much thanks to our other nominees Dave Marks and The Dave Rayburn Project. We’re sorry you didn’t win, but appreciate your contributions to the project.

To learn more about MERCY the film the please visit the Audience website and blog , click on a Mercy tag at the bottom of this post, or visit the Mercy Channel. To learn more about the character, backstory and the mysterious world of Earlytown, please visit www.whoismercyhawkins.com.

Congratulations, again Emilee.

Mercy Premieres!

Not Afraid! — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:17:33 +0000

Mercy Premiered at the 4th Annual Action on Film Festival to a terrific response. The folks at AOFF put on a good presentation, though the theater was a bit hard to find. We had a great turnout, and whole lot of fun watching MERCY for the first time on the big screen.

You can see some photos from our premiere below with our award nominated actress, Emilee Harris, our villain, James Pomichter, Director Antony Teofilo, and the award nominated band, The Dave Rayburn Project.

Thanks to everyone who made it to the screening, we appreciate the support. Stay posted for more Mercy news.

[View with PicLens]