Avid Solutions Empower Finalists in Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival

Aspiring Filmmakers Use Avid Media Composer Adrenaline and Avid|DS HD Systems to Edit and Finish their Entries

Tewksbury, MA – August 13, 2003 – Avid Technology, Inc. today announced that the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival – a partnership between Chrysler, Universal Pictures, and branded-entertainment company Hypnotic – has selected an all-Avid® environment for the nonlinear editing and HD finishing of the five remaining entries in this year’s prestigious filmmaking event. The winner, who will be selected at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2003, will receive a $1 million production deal.

“In this competition, we wanted to give the five finalists access to the same technology that’s used day-in and day-out in the production of major features,” said Hypnotic co-chairman Doug Liman, whose film-editing credits include The Bourne Identity, Swingers, and Go. “The Avid Media Composer Adrenaline offers the most sophisticated editing capabilities on the market, and Avid|DS HD represents the new vanguard in high-definition, which Hollywood is starting to embrace.”

In the previous stage of the Chrysler festival, the Extreme Filmmaking Competition, 10 semi-finalists engaged in a 10-day marathon in which they developed, cast, shot, and edited short films that featured one of two Chrysler vehicles. Those entries were edited on Avid Xpress® DV systems, which familiarized the filmmakers with Avid’s industry-standard editing interface.
The Avid workflow for the Chrysler MDFF consists of two Avid Media Composer® Adrenaline™ systems, an Avid Unity™ LANshare EX shared-storage solution, and an Avid|DS HD workstation. The finalists will use these systems at Universal Studios, where they will also work alongside industry mentors to create a script, storyboard, proposed cast, shooting schedule, budget, movie poster, and fully produced film scene.

“Our continuing relationship with the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival represents our commitment to empower up-and-coming filmmakers with state-of-the-art production tools,” said Dana Ruzicka, Avid’s Director of Post Solutions. “For content creators, there isn’t a more powerful combination than the Avid Media Composer accelerated by Adrenaline – our new Avid DNA hardware – and Avid|DS HD, today’s ultimate HD finishing solution. As more filmmakers understand the advantages that HD offers, we believe more and more Hollywood projects will incorporate this kind of workflow.”

The Chrysler MDFF finalists – Victor Buhler, Paul Cotter, Stephen Marro, Tanja Mairitsch, and Andrew Mudge – are currently working, respectively, with the following mentors: screenwriter Steven Zaillian (Gangs of New York, Schindler’s List), writer/director John Hamburg (Zoolander, Meet The Parents), director Brett Ratner (Red Dragon, Rush Hour), Mandeville Films president Todd Lieberman (Bringing Down The House, USA Network’s “Monk”), and Daniel Pipski of Working Title Pictures (The Italian Job, Bridget Jones’ Diary).