THE ART CENTER GOES TO SIGGRAPH! An Eye-Witness Account from Becky Wible Searles, Both campuses of The Art Center Design College were represented at SIGGRAPH 2007, the world’s largest computer animation convention, held in San Diego August 5th through 9th. Sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery, the 34th annual conference, short for Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Technology, brought together over 24,000 “digital innovators, creative researchers, award-winning producers, provocative artists, energetic executives, and adventurous engineers”, representing the best of the best in computer science, art, and entertainment. As one of the record number 230 exhibitors, The Art Center proudly displayed student work from both Tucson and Albuquerque in a booth featuring concept and character development, 2D, and 3D artwork; a demo reel; and a four page Animation Department brochure. Recruiting contacts were further developed in meetings with high profile animation companies such as Dreamworks, Sony Imageworks, Pixar, Rhythm and Hues, Disney, and Electronic Arts, to name a few, translating to potential internship and employment opportunities for Art Center students. Colllen Gimbel-Froebe, Director of Admissions and Placement, along with Teri Farley, Albuquerque Animation Department Chair, had a promising meeting with Sony Imageworks executives who are moving full steam ahead to establish a new production facility in Albuquerque. Sony anticipates needing large teams of highly skilled, talented animators to help staff their future productions and we are making sure they know that Art Center animators are available and can rise to the challenge. SIGGRAPH has been described as a “nine ring circus” and includes a dizzying array of emerging technology and art gallery displays, film screenings, guest speakers (one of which this year was Scott McCloud, acclaimed author of Understanding Comics), scientific and educational panels, and even a chance to play with the latest technology yourself in the Guerilla Studio and collect bagfuls of give-away goodies in the “gi-normous” exhibition floor of vendors. I was fortunate to be asked to be a showrunner for FJORG! (pronounced “forge” as in “forge ahead”), a new iron animator event where 15 teams of international students and recent grads competed to create a 15 second character driven animation in 32 hours. Staged distractions such as Shaolin monk martial artists, a contortionist, a mime, and belly dancers with live snakes were brought onto the production floor periodically to give the animators access to movement reference and test their concentration. An on-site nap room, meals, snacks, and generous amounts of coffee were integral parts of the temporary 3D/Flash production studio, with over 50 computers and high end projection gear supplied by HP / AMD. As one of two assistants to FJORG! creator/ “Chief Viking Priestess”, Pat Beckmann-Wells (Head of Global Training at Dreamworks), I got to rub shoulders with a steady stream of professional mentors and big names in animation who visited throughout to give advice and cheer on the contestants. I am still compiling my huge list of old and new contacts, but here’s the most personally touching story: One of the judges for FJORG! was Spencer Cook, an Animation Director for Sony on Spiderman 3. Among my assistant duties was coordinating the judges and thinking I recognized Spencer’s name, my hunch was correct: Turns out Spencer actually worked for me about 15 years ago in my stop motion animation company in New York City. We’d lost touch for a long time, but there we were, reconnecting at SIGGRAPH. Spencer really blew me away, mentioning his work with me among his prestigious credentials during the awards ceremony. Being part of FJORG! was amazing, not only due to the caliber of talent, but the fact that from the 45 animators and large tech crew from Disney to innumerable press, mentors, and visitors, everyone got along and were upbeat and professional through the entire event! All the teams completed on time and many of their projects were ready for film festivals. Not surprising, as the winners were selected primarily for strong story and character, essential ingredients for a film, whether it’s 15 seconds or 80 minutes. You can see all 15 films through a FJORG! link on awn.com as well as a ten minute documentary about the event. Yes, that’s me in my Viking outfit, organizing student volunteers in the costumes I made so they could run around the conference and drum up more audience for the iron animators. What you can’t see is The Art Center Design College patch I sewed onto my Viking tunic, worn with pride for all 32 hours! (OK, I did take two naps…) For more information about SIGGRAPH 2008 in Los Angeles, August 11th – 15th, visit www.siggraph.org. Be sure to check out opportunities for student volunteers. The Animation Clubs are already making plans so let them know if you are interested. FYI there will be a FJORG! II (sponsored in part by Sony) and I have already been asked back. Let’s get some iron animators from The Art Center to apply! Demo reels showcasing strong 2D and 3D character movement and story will be due in mid-spring, but keep checking the SIGGRAPH site for requirements. Attending SIGGRAPH takes a lot of pre-planning so don’t hesitate to contact Teri (tfarley@theartcenter.edu) or me (bwible@theartcenter.edu) if you have questions. Animators should make it a point, at least once in their lives, to experience SIGGRAPH. Just imagine: 24,000 people just like you, all in one place at one time…. Special thanks to John Cummins (demo reel editor), Nicola Redding, Gary Foster, Thomas Tuomey, and the entire “Bookstore Gang” for all your help with our promo materials!
Tucson Animation Dept. Chair 8/15/2007