We often hear about computer generated imagery (CGI) from the U.S., U.K., Canada, France and Japan. Advertising, special effects for feature films, musical clips and TV jingles give us proof of this reality and festivals exhibit the best of the best new creations. However, outside of these five countries, we don't know, or have little idea, what is being produced. Why do we know so little about computer generated imagery from the largest part of the planet? There are several possible answers:
1. Computer generated imagery really doesn't exist in some countries.
2. There is an industry of computer animation but these can just be broadcast in there own country of origin (for cultural, legislative or quality reasons).

I have in previous articles insisted that computer animation is very expensive. This represents the major problem for the creation of an industry. It's obvious that CGI is a rich country's toy. If you want to do a quick survey, just consider how many average individuals own a personal computer around the world. It's important in the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, Japan, and some Asiatic countries, but just try to estimate what proportion of the population in Gabon owns a personal computer. We also have to understand that working with sophisticated software requires specific training that can be learned at school or in studios. But if there are no schools or not too many studios, the face of the industry is difficult to change or even create. The last problem, can be faced everywhere regardless of a nation's economic status. When no one wants to make something different or unusual, visual evolution ceases. However, if interesting films are produced or inventive companies try something new, the others in the industry have to follow and change is inevitable. In a country where few films are produced, the images will generally look more old-fashion to viewers from a more media saturated country.

Now, let's ride across the globe's surface to see what is there...

Western Europe
Europe houses hubs of activity in countries like France and the U.K, but other European countries are also engaged in interesting productions.

While most of Germany's advertising is made in the U.K. or France, Germany still has several studios that specialize in computer animation. However, the most important point about Germany is the universities. They are gems. For instance, the University of Karlsruhe is one of the most important and one of the first to be interested in teaching CGI. In 1986 they produced Clip8 by W. Leister, which was synthesized by Vera-Raytracing. The school focuses on giving a future-oriented education. The ZKM, Institute for Visual Media, is linked with the University of Karlsruhe. Ninety-two people from all over the world create CGI in a multimedia laboratory, where a spirit of cooperation between artists and programming experts exist.

The German culture has generated interesting creators, such as Monika Fleischmann and Stösser Achim. Monika Fleischmann was awarded at Ars Electronica in 1992 for Home of the Brain. She believes that, "If we don't support digital art and media culture the quality of life will be lost through the dominance of the machines." She works with Wolfgang Strauss, (media Architect), Christian Bohn and Dirk Luesebrink (computer scientists).

CGI is important in Belgium because the country has a long tradition of comics and animated films. Early on they began to produce CGI films like, Fourmis by Luc Petitot in 1988. Several schools even have specific CGI training courses and for a little country is certainly contains many studios. Some of the more prominent ones are: Little Big One which is well known for it's rides like Devil's Mine; Imagique who have a Silicon Graphics station and several Macintoshs; NewWave International; Movida; and Bertvan Brande Compagni BVBA. These companies produce a large range of images and film sequences as well.