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Pascal Leister, Director/Editor of Lodestar Films, was recently invited to “IdeaJam,” a series of collaborative projects in association with Ashton Kutcher’s Katalyst and Intel. IdeaJam is a series of brainstorm sessions, held over a weekend in early April in Hollywood, that brought together 48 digital content filmmakers in an array of creative fields, including video, music, comedy, and animation. The select group of filmmakers was divided into six teams to develop, shoot and edit a 2-3 minute project within 48 hours. A $20,000 grant was given to the final winning idea.Leister brings over a decade of experience in creating original web and viral content. In 2000, he dev... Read Full Story
Tali Krakowsky, founder of experience design studio Apologue, will be speaking at the 10th annual conference of FITC in Toronto. Her session, presented with Branden Hall of Automata Studios, will explore the behind-the-scenes of Apologue’s new permanent media installation for the cultural institution, LA Plaza, in Downtown LA. New forms of display technology, together with innovations in cloud computing and the possibilities of generative code, have inspired a different approach to digital storytelling for media installations. Krakowsky and Hall will discuss the inner workings of this unique, self-choreographing, generative show control system that embodies ideas around the presen... Read Full Story
http://nymayausersgroup.blogspot.com/ USERS GROUP MEETING COMING UP. MARCH 30th NYC Maya Users Group Meeting March 30th 7:00 - 9:00 Come on out and meet some of your fellow Maya Users and see some of the latest developments coming out of Autodesk, and what our local artists are creating with it.I know it's been awhile and most of us are too busy to even get out of the office, so We'll make this as fun as possible. Steve Strong of Oceana has graciously offered up space for the event over at Oceana, as well as food and drinks. There is also talk of giving out a few door prizes. ( no confirmation yet) So I hope you all can make it out and enjoy the night.With the upcoming releas... Read Full Story
Richmond, VA: Studio 108 has signed Tyler Snidow as head of client services and business development for the hybrid production, visual effect, editorial and audio company, which is slated to add digital media capabilities to its roster of services this spring. Formerly a VP at The Martin Agency, Ms. Snidow’s knowledge of the infrastructure of advertising agencies, as well as the production process, gives her the insights to anticipate and respond to the industry’s ever-changing needs, as she takes Studio 108’s client services to the next level and expands its client-base. “Tyler sees the creative process from the multiple perspectives of the agency, the cl... Read Full Story
Creative concept studio Solid is pleased to announce the addition of Drew Bourneuf as Executive Producer. He brings over 15 years of experience in commercial and broadcast media production, design, animation, and visual effects, having held staff positions at digital agency Digital Kitchen and design & VFX company Salt. At Solid, Bourneuf will oversee all production, manage facility operations, work with the executive team on overall strategy and growth for the company, and act as the liaison for new and existing clients. “We’re excited that Drew’s coming on board,” says Shane Zucker, Solid Creative Director. “He’s passionate about fine-tun... Read Full Story
Tali Krakowsky, Founder of experience design studio Apologue, will be speaking at the SEGD Dynamic Environments workshop on Thursday, November 11th at the Aria Resort & Casino, CityCenter in Las Vegas. In her panel, “New Horizons in Dynamic and Interactive Environments,” Krakowsky will address the latest trends in dynamic environments and, more importantly, contemplate why dynamic environments are an important response to a new digital culture.SEGD’s fourth annual Dynamic Environments workshop will focus on the integration of dynamic media into the design process from theatrical productions to corporate settings. The event will also explore the evolution of ... Read Full Story
5D | The Future of Immersive Design, a global community of creative thinkers, presents the “Algorithmic Anthologies” panel at FITC San Francisco, a design & technology conference, on August 18th. Curated by Tali Krakowsky, Founder of Apologue, the panel will examine the impact of infinite digital data and processing power on narrative and design thinking, and the possibilities that lie ahead of us. “Algorithmic Anthologies”: In the 20th Century, libraries and ink were the primary expression of the imagination in the form of storytelling. Today ink has been replaced by the kinetic abilities of the digital, the sentence has been replaced with the algorithm, and... Read Full Story
Editing and graphic design company The Field (http://www.thefieldtv.com) is excited to announce that it has signed editor Barrett Heathcote for exclusive US representation. The signing marks the London-based editor’s official foray into the US market. “Barrett is an incredibly talented editor, who is also a powerful and accomplished sound designer,” says The Field founder/Executive Producer Michael Porte. “He represents the next gen editor with his vast knowledge of post, effects and audio, and experience in both advertising and indie film. He’s also an exceptionally positive and collaborative individual.”“I met with Michael at The Field’s n... Read Full Story
APOLOGUE FOUNDER TALI KRAKOWSKY TO SPEAK AT FLASHBELT CONFERENCE 2010 Apologue Founder Tali Krakowsky will be presenting at the Flashbelt Conference in Minneapolis, MN taking place from June 13th – 16th. The event, established in 2004, brings together new media designers, developers and enthusiasts. Titled “The Truly Delicious,” Krakowsky's presentation will explore how design, storytelling and technology create new ways for us to experience the world. The Truly Delicious: When you place chocolate in your mouth and feel it crumble or burst or melt, you can't separate the sensation of its texture from that of its taste or smell. The experience is multi-sensor... Read Full Story
San Francisco & Los Angeles, CA - (November 9, 2009) -- Visual effects company Ntropic is excited to announce that Creative Director/VFX Supervisor Simon Mowbray has joined the company. Formerly the co-founder of Radium, Mowbray freelanced at Ntropic on projects for Sprint, Coinstar and Oracle before making it his official home."I am excited to bring existing and new clients to Ntropic to experience the great atmosphere and culture here," says Mowbray. "Any project that comes here is handled by an extremely dedicated, senior team dedicated to quality and client service."Mowbray began his career in 1987 in Sydney, working at several pioneering CG and design studios in the early days of C... Read Full Story
Minneapolis, MN - (November 2nd, 2009) -- Leading visual effects supervisor and digital artist Randy Gackstetter has joined VOLT Studios. Gackstetter brings a high-end design sensibility and expansive visual effects experience to VOLT Studios, expanding the company's core creative offerings."I was well into my search for the right Creative Director/Flame Artist when I decided to call Randy. I knew it was a long-shot as he was well established in the market, but I told him that I wasn't going to leave any stone unturned," recalls Steve Medin, VOLT Studios' Co-Founder. "We had coffee one day, and we didn't stop talking until he came onboard. Turns out, he was the perfect guy all along.""Ran... Read Full Story
Hollywood, CA - (October 6, 2009) -- Visual effects and design company Engine Room has tapped consultant Peter Ware of Warecrest Entertainment to offer strategic guidance and boost brand awareness for the boutique company. Ware brings extensive experience as a visual effects producer and former president of Stargate Digital to his role at Engine Room. His latest credit was that of Visual Effects Producer/Supervisor on Warner Premier's "Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins.""Engine Room is Hollywood's best kept secret and I intend to change all of that," says Ware. "They have amazing talent and provide exceptional service to clients, not to mention beautifully executed effects and design for fe... Read Full Story
Shane Acker, Director from the Upcoming Feature Film "9" Joins Gnomon Staff Famed Director and Artist, Acker Joins Gnomon School of Visual Effects as Newest "Artist in Residence." HOLLYWOOD, CA August 12, 2009 The Gnomon School of Visual Effects is proud to announce the addition of Shane Acker, who is joining the staff as the newest Resident Artist. Mr. Acker is widely known for his Academy Award nomination in 2006 (in the Best Animated Short Film category) for writing, directing and animating the 11-minute short film 9. 9 garnered Acker critical acclaim around the globe, screening at over a dozen film festivals and picking up several awards along the wa... Read Full Story
Flying – or modern day travel via air – evokes a variety of images but certainly rarely as beautiful or sublime as what unfolds in the new Swiss Air film directed by Marc Forster (“Quantum of Solace,” “Finding Neverland,” “Monster’s Ball”). To help orchestrate and unite the myriad of elements involved, Forster turned to Cut + Run Editor Jay Nelson who worked hand-in-hand with the director and the effects production company MK12 on the project. Nelson, who has significant experience working with voice over, was charged with cutting the project and recording Marc’s voice over for the script penned by the director. “We ... Read Full Story
Melbourne, Australia June 30, 2009 Parry Animation Studios, founded by Jack Parry and Marianna Parry, in association with Screen Australia has released its latest CG-animated short, Calypso. The film is the result of the collaboration between Parry Studios and the multi-award winning Australian Animation/Director/Producer Sarah Watt, one of Australia's most celebrated animators. Calypso, which is Directed by Jack Parry, and Produced by Marianna Parry is the story of an old man's escape from dying. In the not-so-distant future our elderly are left to be cared for by machines. George, an abandoned, terminally ill man, has been left to end his... Read Full Story
Los Angeles, CA – (June 4, 2009) -- Zoic Studios confirmed today that it is welcoming visual effects luminary Syd Dutton to help helm the company’s digital matte painting and feature film endeavors. Zoic Studios’ relationship with Syd began during Zoic’s filming of the feature film Serenity and the founders of Zoic have always been fans of Syd and his incredible body of work. “Zoic is very fortunate to have this opportunity,” says Zoic CEO/Creative Director Chris Jones. “Syd is a wonderful artist who also loves to share his talents with those around him. As a mentor he will be able to bring classic ideas and techniques to a whole new guard of vis... Read Full Story
- Promoting Open Standards for Visual Effects -Seven companies joined forces at NAB last month to launch The Open Effects Association. This non-profit, UK-based company aims to develop and promote open standards across the visual effects community. Founding members are Assimilate, Autodesk, Digieffects, FilmLight, The Foundry, GenArts and RE:Vision Effects. These companies have helped artists create ground-breaking VFX shots on just about everything that hits cinema screens. The Associations initial focus is to improve the OFX image processing plug-in standard launched by The Foundry in 2004. The goal for the OpenFX API is to reduce the level of development and support r... Read Full Story
Autodesk SIGGRAPH 2009 Show Reel Call for Submissions SIGGRAPH is just around the corner and Autodesk is seeking fresh and exciting new work for its Best of the Best Animation Show Reel, which will be showcased during SIGGRAPH 2009 in New Orleans, LA from August 4-6. Anything from video game cinematics, short films, feature films, commercials, broadcast design, music videos, or episodic projects created with 3ds Max, Maya, Softimage, MotionBuilder, Toxik or Mudbox is welcome. Don't miss this amazing opportunity to show off your work. The reel will be featured in Autodesk's booth, on the exhibition floor and streamed live from the AREA. &nb... Read Full Story
Visually Compelling Teaser Is Part Of Launch For RE: GENERATIONS, Remix Album Of Nat King Cole Tracks New York, NY – (April 9, 2009) -- EMI Records recently tapped Company X to produce a promotional music video for RE: GENERATIONS, a remix album featuring modern interpretations of jazz legend Nat King Cole’s indelible work. Performing alongside Cole’s virtual croon, the album features a diverse cast of artists including daughter Natalie Cole, will.i.am, Bebel Gilberto, Stephen and Damien Marley, The Roots, and TV on the Radio, among others. Company X and its production arm, Detox, directed, edited and animated the video, which includes 2D stop-motion, 3D and After Effe... Read Full Story
Top names in animation convene on fmx/09 in Stuttgart from May 05 through 08 Stuttgart / Ludwigsburg, February 2009. The digital community gathers at fmx/09 14th International Conference on Animation, Effects, Games and Digital Media at the Haus der Wirtschaft in Stuttgart. With only 3 months remaining, much of the preparations have been completed and we can say for sure: fmx/09 will be a meeting of the top guns from the industry, with leading executives participating in large numbers. fmx/conference: chock full of feature appearances Presentations and series in fmx/conference reflect upon and reveal developments within the world of digital imagery aestheti... Read Full Story
Academy of Art University Grads Land Jobs at Pixar, Blizzard, ILM & MoreGraduates of Academy of Art Universitys School of Animation and Visual Effects are snagging jobs at top film and game studios, including Pixar, Industrial Light & Magic, DreamWorks and Blizzard. Located in San Francisco with several premiere studios at its doorstep, the animation school blends precise technique, digital expertise and real world experience to ensure that students are prepared for their dream careers. The animation school offers AA, BFA and MFA degrees. Students can take classes in San Francisco, through the online animation program or, for the greatest flexibility,... Read Full Story
Red Stick Animation Festival Artists draw and paint with computers, and scientists convey their complex theories in color and motion. The 2009 Red Stick International Animation Festival highlights this convergence celebrating art, motion, and exploration in downtown Baton Rouge April 22-25, 2009. The movement toward convergence highlights not only the new set of technical skills that artists employ, but likewise the artistic vision that scientists are embracing. The worlds of the artist and scientist are folding in on one another, and Baton Rouge is at a unique moment in time to embrace this sea of change, further it, and make it our own. The Laboratory for Creative Arts & ... Read Full Story
Marina Del Rey, CA – (March 9, 2009) – The much-anticipated release of Watchmen features high-tech mechanical and pyrotechnic effects created by New Deal Studios (NDS). The award-winning effects team at New Deal engineered a water tower to collapse onto a burning miniature tenement rooftop, spilling water onto the fire and allowing a split second window for the superheroes to save the day. A team of 60 artists from design, fabrication, effects photography, and digital combined their artistry to orchestrate the thrilling fire effects and bring the whole sequence to life. According to Ian Hunter, NDS Co-Founder/Visual Effects Supervisor, this sequence required exact... Read Full Story
Marina Del Rey, CA (February 11, 2009) New Deal Studios has received two award nominations from the prestigious Visual Effects Society (VES). This 21st century studio has once again received acknowledgment from their peers for their outstanding miniature effects artistry within the feature film and commercial worlds. Nods came for their work in the box office record breaker, The Dark Knight and a fast-paced commercial for New Balance athletic shoes, Anthem. The award winners will be announced at the VES Awards Dinner held on February 21, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. New Deal Studios VES award nominations include: Outstandi... Read Full Story
For Immediate Release First SIGGRAPH Asia sees significant participation from the regions talents Half of entries at Computer Animation Festival as well as those showcased in the Art Gallery are from Asia Singapore, 10 November 2008 Recognizing Asias rising importance in the computer graphics and digital media industries, the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM) is bringing the highly regarded SIGGRAPH Conference and Exhibition on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques to the region this year the first time an Asian version of the SIGGRAPH Conference is to be held in its 34-year history. The inaugural SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 will be held from December 10th... Read Full Story
Los Angeles, February 11, 2008 The VES Awards were given out last night during the Visual Effects Societys (VES) sixth annual gala event at the Kodak Theatre Grand Ballroom in Hollywood. The sold-out event attracted more than a thousand visual effects and animation artists, dozens of nominees and members of the film, television, commercial and video game industries. During the evening, filmmaker Steven Spielberg received the VES Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his contribution to the art and science of visual effects.The work we celebrated tonight is a testament to the crucial role the talent, knowledge and experience visual effects artists play in the storytelling process. ... Read Full Story
The Visual Effects Society (VES) today announced the nominees for the 6th Annual VES Awards ceremony recognizing outstanding visual effects in over a dozen categories of film, television, commercials and video games. Nominees were chosen Saturday, January 5, 2008 by numerous panels of VES members who viewed submissions at the FotoKem screening facilities in Burbank.We received hundreds of submissions from around the world and we are proud to present nominees that push the boundaries of how visual effects can enhance the storytelling process, says Jeff Okun, VES Chair. Looking at the level of complexity and creativity of this years nominees, it is clear that the VES is the single... Read Full Story
Award-winning visual effects company Zoic Studios announced today that Elexis Stearn has been promoted to Executive Producer from Head of Sales for commercials. Stearn has been with the company since its inception five years ago, and has worked closely with Co-Founder Steve (Scof) Schofield to shape the companys successful commercial division. I learned the commercial business with Scof and Zoic, so this promotion is an honor from my family, explains Elexis. Visual effects continues to be an ever-larger part of the creative process, and Zoic is positioned to push developments and techniques so that stories are told in the best way possible. I am excited to be a part of this movement... Read Full Story
Highend has launched new blogs, and put together a team of artists who are recording and sharing their experiences at SIGGRAPH through these blogs. Here are the latest blogs already with accounts of SIGGRAPH:Lee Laniers Bloghttp://leelanier.highend3d.com/Dreamhive Studio Bloghttp://thedreamhive.highend3d.com/Chick Click CGhttp://isabellachen.highend3d.com/RMCAD Students SIGGRAPH Adventurehttp://rmcad.highend3d.com/Steve Manns Siggraph Bloghttp://smann.highend3d.com/You can see the full list of blogs and posts here: http://blogs.highend3d.com/The newest posts to all blogs will soon be visible on the front page of highend3d and along the side bar under jobs. If you want to contribute get ... Read Full Story
On Saturday, December 6th, Imaginary Forces Director of Experience Design Tali Krakowsky will be participating in a panel as part of the Symposium on Design Process Innovation, taking place at the Architecture + Design Museum of Los Angeles, CA. Created by Gensler Architects, the one-day symposium will bring together experts from a variety of design disciplines to analyze trends, share ideas, and look at the future of design process. Krakowsky will introduce the multi-disciplinary approach to the emerging practice of Experience Design, and participate in a moderated discussion on process and innovation alongside a diverse panel of notable design visionaries including Matthew Melnyk (Buro ... Read Full Story
Have you ever wished you could gain inside knowledge of how Pixar animators work, and how they create animation of such quality? Escape Studios are thrilled to announce a 2 day animation workshop presented by Andrew Gordon, who is currently Supervising Animator on Pixar's new short film "Presto" at Pixar Animation Studios.During the two days Andrew will cover all aspects of character animation craft in extraordinary detail. Hell review the basic principles, staging and pose design as well as advanced techniques for gestures, face and hand animation. Hell also be demonstrating the high-level polishing techniques used to lift a shot from being good, to being great.Andrew ... Read Full Story
Imaginary Forces Director of Experience Design Tali Krakowsky will be presenting at the Flashbelt Conference in Minneapolis, MN taking place from June 8th – 11th. The event, established in 2004, brings together new media designers, developers and enthusiasts.Titled “The Science & Fiction of Experience Design,” Krakowsky's presentation will provide an introduction to Experience Design, and how it impacts design thinking and branding. Fiction meets science when emerging media, interactive content, cinematic storytelling and architecture come together to create Experience Design. Re-imagining both media content and screens, Experience Design challenges traditiona... Read Full Story
2009 RED STICK International Animation FestivalThe Red Stick Animation Festival is an exciting community event that converges the world of technology, art, entertainment and exploration Artists draw and paint with computers, and scientists convey their complex theories in color and motion. The 2009 Red Stick International Animation Festival highlights this convergence celebrating art, motion, and exploration in downtown Baton Rouge April 22-25, 2009. The movement toward convergence highlights not only the new set of technical skills that artists employ, but likewise the artistic vision that scientists are embracing. The worlds of the artist and scientist are folding in on one anot... Read Full Story
Christian Lorenz Scheurer at Gnomon Gallery Dec. 5th - 7pm"For universe designers in particular, it is important to have a largeknowledge base. It is often not enough to simply know how things look. It iscrucial to understand how they work. Personally, I am also very interestedin anthropology. I love to study cultures - their social, political,economic and spiritual backgrounds. I found out one of the best ways oflearning is by traveling. For my more personal work such as painting,sketching or writing, I am trying find a way back to the lucid dreaming ofmy childhood. Painting and drawing are more and more turning into a processof active meditation in which I try to combine the consci... Read Full Story
