March 15, 2021
A new report looks at the global mental health status in the age of COVID and found young people especially are struggling.
SHOW TRANSCRIPT
One way or another, all of us have been affected by the COVID pandemic.
John Ellwood, owner of John’s Cleaners: “Sorry, um. . We haven’t paid ourselves since June. And I never thought I’d collect unemployment. . We’re collecting unemployment. You may be the last face someone sees before they’re intubated. They won’t see anybody else. They won t see their loved ones. It s the nurse. So it s hard, said Dawn Krueger, a COVID-19 staff nurse at the Milwaukee VA.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented its 2021 Scientific and Technical Awards on Saturday (Feb. 13). It recognized 17 technologies represented by 55 individuals in a virtual ceremony hosted by filmmaker Nia DaCosta.
James Cameron paid tribute to the honorees, stating: “The motion picture innovation train never stops. Its progress is in fact vital to the art form. Technical advancement is disrupting the creative process at a breakneck pace. Filmmaking shouldn’t merely keep up, it has the power to lead.”
The honorees also included three women: Hayley Iben of Pixar Animation Studios and Kelly Ward Hammel and Maryann Simmons of Walt Disney Animation Studio. This is particularly noteworthy as the technical achievements are mostly dominated by men. During the virtual ceremony, Kathleen Kennedy highlighted the achievements of women working in technical roles.
And the Academy Award goes to … UK audio tech company Synchro Arts USA – UK film and music audio technology company Synchro Arts received a coveted Academy Award in Los Angeles on 13 February 2021.
Synchro Arts is the only UK company to receive a Scientific and Engineering Award at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science Oscars.
This honour was made to the creators of its unique audio alignment technology that seamlessly and perfectly lip-syncs replaced dialogue tracks.
Synchro Arts technology, VocAlign and Revoice Pro software has been the mainstay of film and TV audio studios for more than 25 years, first used on Hollywood blockbusters in the mid-1990s. VocAlign Ultra is the latest version of the platform technology, released in January 2021.
Robert Derry and
Glenn Derry for the system design, ergonomics, engineering and workflow integration of the widely adopted Technoprops head-mounted camera system.
The Technoprops head-mounted camera system, with its modular and production-proven construction, supports consistent face alignment with improved actor comfort, while at the same time permitting quick reconfiguration and minimizing downtime. This system enables repeatable, accurate and unobstructed capture of an actor’s facial movements.
To
Babak Beheshti and
Scott Robitille for the development of the compact, stand-alone, phase-accurate genlock synchronization and recording module, and to
Ian Kelly and
Dejan Momcilovic for the technical direction and workflow integration, of the Standard Deviation head-mounted camera system.
Applications Determined w/c 25 January 2021 Demolition of two barns and one metal garage that were previously used to house cattle and farm machinery, Espford Farm, Crosthwaite, Kendal, LA8 8BS. Application made by Mr Gordon Thornton. Prior approval not required. Non-material amendment to planning approval 7/2020/5085 (Local occupancy dwelling) including revisions to window openings and roof lights, additional solar panels and the use of UPVC window frames, Overmere, The Barn, Pavement End, Grasmere, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 9PT. Application made by Mr D Thompson. Approved unconditionally. Alterations to existing store including replacement roof with steeper pitch, Wythe Bank, Coniston, LA21 8DJ. Application made by David and Carol Hall. Approved with conditions.