Imagina 2005: On the Pulse of Emerging Technologies
Imagina Awards, Software, Style and the Future… Does that mean that 3D film and vfx production will continue to expand beyond dedicated studios? Due to timing and hiring considerations, Shark Tale was produced with virtually no proprietary software, with Doug Cooper (vfx supervisor at DreamWorks) sharing his belief that commercial 3D packages were now sufficiently advanced to enable the full production of CG feature films.
As is usually the case at Imagina, student films were largely featured in the Imagina competition and competed on equal footing with studio productions by generally displaying a high level of artistic inspiration. The complete palmares can be found at www.imagina.mc.
Besides, is realism always the way to go? Animation wise, it was interesting to note that two of the major presentations, Shark Tale and The Incredibles, marked a deliberate return to a more cartoonish style: strong silhouettes, broad expressions, distorted in-betweens … Seeing the hand-drawn animatics of The Incredibles was compelling proof of the power of 2D animation: 3D animation still has much to learn from it. In the end, as Imagina Festivals go, 2005 was probably not one of the best years. That leaves room for improvement in 2006, perhaps with more focus on stronger thematics, a wider variety of European projects as well as increased opportunities for informal discussion between participants. Nevertheless, Imagina remains a necessary event for the industry: a unique meeting and exchange of European, American and Asian influences and approaches with top-notch speakers and participants. Mireille Frenette and Benoit Guerville have been working together for 10 years. They have a production company for which Mireille produces and Benoit directs. They also contribute to various publications in France, the U.K. and the U.S., including Computer Arts, 3DWorld and French trade magazine Sonovision. Mireille was born in Montreal, Quebec, and Benoit in Paris, France. They now live in the south of France.
Printer-friendly version
Post new comment