The Fighting Temptations

The award-winning Modero Touch Panel from AMX has made its theatrical debut in the recently released blockbuster, The Fighting Temptations. The 15-inch Modero Tabletop panel makes a cameo in this comedy starring Oscar Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. and pop diva Beyonce Knowles. "Paramount (the production company) exhibited extreme hospitality in allowing us to place the Modero in the movie," said Director of Marketing Communications Jeff Kindig, who actually sat in on the movie-making process in Atlanta, Ga., this past summer. "The actors and production crew were fascinated by the user interface design and how one-touch control actually works."

This isn't the first time AMX has made it on the big screen (and small screen) or played a role behind the scenes:

  • More than $350,000 worth of AMX Touch Panels were used on the original "The Matrix" to help create a futuristic environment of control and automation. "We chose AMX not only for its futuristic look, but because AMX is widely known for reliability, ease of programming, and its ability to implement multiple graphics and video," said Executive Producer Barrie Osborne. "The equipment and the technical support we received from AMX performed beyond our expectations, and I would not hesitate to use AMX products on future projects." For details, visit "What Is The Matrix" Website.
  • "The Matrix Reloaded" used nearly five times as many separate special effects shots (or frames) compared to the original blockbuster. The creative braintrust behind this amazing FX world was ESC Entertainment of Alameda, Calif., one of six FX houses commissioned by Warner Bros. Studios to handle the CG (computer graphics) elements of "Reloaded" and the upcoming release of "The Matrix Revolutions." Inside ESC's brand new facility is a screening room equipped to automate and control a variety of media through AMX. "This is not a traditional screening room where you put up a film and watch," said Steve Sutter, Founder of Sand Hill Media (Berkeley, Calif.) who acted as AMX consultant, designer and programmer on this project. "This is a working room where they critically analyze CG effects."
  • Before we read the opening film credits, before we take our seats, before we purchase our tickets, and well before a movie ever becomes a $100 million blockbuster, there is the magic of post production. The film editing, added sound, and dubbed voice-overs. At the Fox Studios Post Production Services facilities in Los Angeles, AMX Control Systems and Touch Panels play a major role in bringing together not only the surrounding screening and re-recording technology but the movie as a whole.
  • Revolution Studios, the company that financed and produced "XXX," incorporates AMX control technology to run a highly sophisticated executive screening room. A 10.4" Touch Panel controls and automates DVD players, high-definition satellite capabilities, a digital cinema processor, video projectors and surround speakers.
  • In the mega-blockbuster movie "Austin Powers in Goldmember," the cameos pour in: Tom Cruise, Gwneyth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito, Steven Speilberg, John Travolta and even the Osbournes. Ozzy not only has a brief banter with his wife and kids about certain parts of the female anatomy, he keeps a tight grip on his wireless AMX ViewPoint Touch Panel. He actually uses the handheld panel to "pause" the movie before piping in — the director's creative touch that adds to the hysterical antics of this outrageous comedy.
  • Other cinematic and television productions that have used AMX control systems and Touch Panels include "Red Planet," "6th Day," and "Big Brother."