Yoostar
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Yoostar is a video-based interactive entertainment system developed by Yoostar Entertainment Group that allows users to insert themselves into movie or television scenes to perform with the films' original actors and post the resultant video on the Yoostar web site at http://www.yoostar.com, as well as in third-party social networking environments like Facebook and MySpace[1]. It was first released in the Bloomingdale's department store chain on August 26, 2009[2], and on Amazon.com and in select Best Buy stores on October 23, 2009[3]. The product became available in Best Buy locations throughout the United States on November 8, 2009[4].
Yoostar in-house artists digitally erase actors or other key figures in a licensed movie or television clip. The company has patented this technique as its proprietary Active Immersion Technology[5].
The user films him- or herself saying either the original lines from the clip using the software’s teleprompter, or ad-libbing their own version. A chalk outline is overlayed on the scene to help position the user in scale with the other actors. The user is allowed as many takes as needed to get a satisfactory result[6].
The software then composites the user’s filmed content with the original clip in the same fashion Hollywood actors are filmed against green screens on set and inserted into digitally created backgrounds. The final product is then labeled and stored on the user's local machine, with the option to upload to Yoostar’s website. The site provides the ability to embed content in any flash-supporting HTML environment using raw code, or in blogging platforms and social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Digg through widget technology. Yoostar site users can rate, comment, and share content with the public or a group of "Friends," depending on each clip's settings.
At launch, the retail unit consists of a video camera with stereo microphone, six foot by six foot green screen, quad-pod screen support, remote control, 14 scenes, and bundled software. Yoostar has licensing deals in place with major motion picture studios including Paramount Pictures Corporation, Universal Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Warner Bros., Lions Gate Films, Inc., as well as the National Basketball Association and Sesame Workshop’s “Sesame Street” franchise[7].
Yoostar's principal investors are Emigrant Capital Corporation and Entertech, LLC[8]. The senior staff includes Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, President & CEO; Scott Wilker, Senior Vice President, Global Operations; Kevin Clement, Vice President of Technology; Jess Barron, Vice President of Content & Community; Todd Unger, Vice President of Marketing.
References
- ^ Struck, Heather (14 March 2009). "Yoostar's Hollywood Dreams". Forbes.
- ^ [Yoostar Available Today in Bloomingdale's Stores Nationwide "Yoostar Available Today in Bloomingdale's Stores Nationwide"]. PR Newswire. 26 August 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ . Best Buy http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Yoostar+Entertainment+System+-+Windows/9461263.p?skuId=9461263&id=1218109567071.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Santos, Alex (29 August 2009). "Star in your favorite films with YooStar". VGI Tribune.
- ^ "Yoostar company profile". CrunchBase.
- ^ Baig, Edward (2 September 2009). "Yoostar lets anyone act opposite Hepburn, Brando". USA Today.
- ^ "Yoostar Announces Exclusive Multi-Year Partnership with Sesame Workshop". Sesame Workshop.
- ^ . Reuters. 17 September 2009 http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS128524+17-Sep-2009+PRN20090917.
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