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Sony Pictures Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation: SIGGRAPH 2008
Companies Highlight Animation and Visual Effects Projects, Expanded Academic Program, and a Stan Winston Tribute at The Nokia Theater
CULVER CITY, CA - August 8, 2008 - Sony Pictures Imageworks, the Academy Award® winning, state-of-the-art digital production studio, and Sony Pictures Animation, producer of feature length CGI motion pictures, will have a comprehensive presentation during SIGGRAPH 2008, the 35th International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. In addition to the more than 15 presentations in the conference program and on the show floor, the companies will highlight current and upcoming projects, their recently expanded IPAX academic program, and will host a special tribute to Stan Winston to be held at the Nokia Theater on Wednesday, August 13th.
In addition, Imageworks staff members have been very active behind the scenes at this year’s Siggraph. Academy Award® winning visual effects supervisor Kevin Mack created the Opening Sequence for this year’s Computer Animation Festival this year as well as the Welcome Animation in at the entry of the Art Gallery. The Festival Opening, an abstract 3D short that will play at the beginning of each screening, employs Mack’s unique digital fine art style. Rob Engle, senior stereographer and digital effects supervisor, is the curator for the two days of stereoscopic sessions during this year’s show. Sande Scoredos, Imageworks’ executive director of training and artist development, will serve as the Computer Animation Festival’s curated chair and is overseeing the studio hosted evenings and various invited works, and Carlye Archibeque, asset management administrator, produced the Computer Animation Festival and supervised all production aspects.
“Our commitment to the Siggraph community and its artistic, academic and technical roots is exemplified by the diversity and scope of our participation throughout this year’s conference,” said Tim Sarnoff, president of Sony Pictures Imageworks.
The companies booth, located at South Hall #701, will feature the companies’ body of work ranging from spectacular visual effects to all CG animation. Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation currently have in production and/or development the action thriller EAGLE EYE for DreamWorks Pictures, the dramatic thriller BODY OF LIES for Warner Bros. Pictures, the mystery adventure WATCHMEN, also for Warner Bros. Pictures, the family adventure G-FORCE, a Jerry Bruckheimer Production for Walt Disney Pictures, and Sony Pictures Animation’s CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS and THE SMURFS, to be released by Columbia Pictures.
IPAX ACACDEMIC PROGRAM
During the show, scholars, faculty, and administrators from the 18 IPAX schools will gather for the IPAX annual membership meeting. The IPAX program was created in 2004 to connect faculty from leading academic institutions with industry professionals to guide curricula in an effort to further develop future talented individuals who will contribute to the overall growth of the visual effects and animation industry. IPAX is a program designed to share, extend and expand the Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation knowledge base by providing fellowships to teaching faculty of IPAX member schools, attend in-house training programs, and participate in a working production environment on-site at Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation. IPAX fellows return to the classroom with real-world production experience and the ability to identify, inspire and recommend future talent for our industry.
This year, seven new educational institutions have been accepted into the IPAX program, and include, for the first time, two international institutions:
•Brigham Young University
•California State University Northridge
•Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
•Linköpings Universitet
•New York University
•School of Visual Arts
•Texas A&M University
These new schools join Animation Mentor, Carnegie Mellon University, DePaul University, Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Otis College of Art and Design, Pratt Institute, Ringling College of Art + Design, Stanford University, University of New Mexico and University of Southern California Arts in the growing IPAX program.
STAN WINSTON TRIBUTE
Sony Pictures Imageworks is honored to present an industry tribute to Stan Winston at the Nokia Theater on Wednesday, August 13th at 8 p.m. Director James Cameron is set to conclude the tribute with a discussion of Academy Award® winning TERMINATOR 2 and a digital screening of the film’s Blu ray master. Jody Duncan, editor of Cinefex Magazine and author of The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston’s Studio will moderate the evening.
Stan Winston’s role in transforming the makeup and creature effects industries is just part of his legacy. He altered the course of movies when he helped to elevate makeup effects techniques from latex prosthetics to sophisticated animatronics. His work blurred distinctions between makeup, puppetry and visual effects, and his credo -- "I don't do effects, I do characters" -- was the guiding principle behind the creation of a veritable panoply of interstellar aliens, menacing chrome robots, and predatory dinosaurs.
In films ranging from "Terminator" to "Edward Scissorhands," to "Iron Man," audiences could barely discern where the actor ended and the effects began. Winston inspired legions of directors, visual effects supervisors and artists to stretch their abilities beyond what they knew to be possible. He challenged effects traditions, inspired creativity, and invented previously unimagined worlds. His insatiable curiosity eventually moved beyond the film world into the scientific realm, and he contributed to robotics and artificial intelligence innovations that found their way from his workshop in Van Nuys to the labs at MIT. Sony Pictures Imageworks, in conjunction with Stan Winston Studio, hosts an evening of tributes, celebrations, and memories of Stan Winston and his characters by family, friends, and peers.
AROUND THE SHOW
Exhibit Hall
Sony Pictures Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation can be found in booth #701.
Computer Animation Festival
“Stereoscopic 3D: Research, Applications, and Entertainment”
Monday, 11 August 8:30 am - 7:45 pm
Tuesday, 12 August 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Los Angeles Convention Center Petree Hall C
Organized by Rob Engle
“Production Studio Nights"
Studio Night #2
Wednesday, August 13
A Tribute to Stan Winston
Nokia Theater
I AM LEGEND
“Alternate ending”
Various times
Job Fair
Tuesday - Thursday, 12 - 14 August
Booth #24
Panels and Sketches
“Great Failed Ideas in Production”
Monday, August 11
10:30am – 12:15pm (Hall B)
Presented by Rob Bredow, with panelists John Dykstra, Bill Westenhoff, Apurva Shah, John Knoll
“3D Physically Based Depth of Field”
Tuesday, August 12
8:30 – 10:15am (Room 515A)
Presented by Jeremy Selan, Brian Hall, Steve Levietes
“Get the Job You Want in Computer Graphics”
Tuesday, August 12
8:30am – 12:15pm (Room 406AB)
Panelist Stan Szymanski
“Studio Views of Student Demo Reels”
Tuesday, 12 August
1:45 pm - 3:30 pm Room 406 AB
Panelist Robin Linn
“3D Katana Pipeline”
Tuesday, August 12
1:45 – 3:30pm (Room 515A)
Presented by Jeremy Selan, Brian Hall, Steve Levietes
“Next Great Talent Search: Define, Develop and Produce Student Projects and Value of Individual Group Projects”
Thursday, August 14
8:30 – 10:15am (Petree Hall C)
Organized by Sande Scoredos
“Speed Racer: How Digital Domain, ILM, and Sony Pictures Imageworks Transformed a Vintage Anime Into a Wild Ride for the 21st Century”
Thursday, August 14
10:30am – 12:15pm (Hall B)
Presented by Kevin Mack, Marco Marenghi ILM, Digital Domain
“The Future of Character Animation”
Thursday, August 14
10:30am – 12:30pm (Petree Hall)
Panelist Kenn McDonald
“Efficient Offset Curve Deformation from Skeletal Animation”
Friday, 15 August
1:45 pm - 3:30 pm
Room 403 AB
Presented by Arthur Gregory and Dan Weston
“Flash Forward: A Forum on Flash”
Thursday, August 14
1:30 – 3:30pm (Petree Hall C)
Presented by Adriana Jaroszewicz
“Altered Realities: FX Guru Kevin Mack in Conversation with the DemoScene”
Thursday, August 14
1:30 – 3:30pm (Petree Hall C)
Presented by Kevin Mack
“Lighting for Feature Animation”
Thursday, August 14
1:45 – 3:30pm (Room 411)
Presented by Rob Bredow
Birds of a Feather
“Animation Mentor”
Wednesday, August 13
(Los Angeles Convention Center, Room 511A
3 - 4:30 pm
Panelist Robin Linn
“IPAX: Faculty Development Opportunities in Visual Effects and Animation”
Thursday, August 14
5 – 6pm (Los Angeles Convention Center, Room 307)
Organized by Sande Scoredos
Vendor Presentations
Autodesk Booth # 501
August 12, 4:30pm
August 13, 1:00pm
Todd Mesher and Peter Giliberti present on HANCOCK.
Maxon Booth # 529
August 12 & 13
11:00am
Steve Matson presentation on BEOWULF.
Intel Booth # 511
August 12, 12:00pm
Kevin Mack presentation on SPEED RACER and the Animation festival’s “opening” piece which he designed.
Side Effects Room 513, West Hall the LA Convention Center.
August 12, 13, and 14
1:00 – 2:00pm
Vincent Seritella presentation on HANCOCK.
FJORG!
Monday Aug 11
11 am – noon
Presenter Marco Marenghi talks about animation
ABOUT SONY PICTURES IMAGEWORKS
Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. is an Academy Award® winning, state-of-the-art digital production studio dedicated to the art of visual effects production and character animation. The Imageworks production environment facilitates distinctive pipelines including live-action visual effects and character work, ImagemotionTM performance capture, all CG animation and Imageworks 3D stereoscopic.
The company’s achievements have been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with Oscars® for its work on SPIDER-MAN™ 2 and the CG animated short film THE CHUBBCHUBBS!. In 2008, SURF’S UP was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In 2007, two of Imageworks' projects, SUPERMAN RETURNS and the all-CG animated feature MONSTER HOUSE, were nominated for Academy Awards in the categories for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects and Best Animated Feature, respectively. With those two nominations, Imageworks became the first studio to be recognized in the same year in these distinct areas, an indication of the diversity and quality of the company’s capabilities. Other Oscar® nominated projects include THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, SPIDER-MAN™, HOLLOW MAN, STUART LITTLE and STARSHIP TROOPERS, for a total of nine nominations.
Imageworks recently completed projects include HANCOCK, SPEED RACER, BEOWULF, and I AM LEGEND.
Imageworks maintains operations in Culver City, California, Novato, California, Albuquerque, New Mexico and Chennai, India.
Sony Pictures Imageworks is a division of Sony Pictures Digital Production.
For more information, please visit www.imageworks.com.
“ACADEMY AWARD®” and “OSCAR®” are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
MARVEL, and all Marvel characters including the Spider-Man, Sandman and Venom characters ™ & ©2007 Marvel Characters, Inc. All rights reserved.
ABOUT SONY PICTURES ANIMATION
Sony Pictures Animation exemplifies the next generation of CGI storytelling to produce a variety of animated entertainment for audiences around the world. Sony Pictures Animation is developing a full slate of films with CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS now in production. Its second film, SURF’S UP, was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature and won two Annie Awards. Its first film, OPEN SEASON, was a box office success and the #2 DVD title of the year for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) in 2007. A sequel, OPEN SEASON 2, is now in production for SPHE. Sony Pictures Animation is an operating unit of Sony Pictures Digital Production.
Imageworks is a division of Sony Pictures Digital, which oversees the digital production and online entertainment assets of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
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