* Thursday, October 15 - Saturday, October 17. Rome, Italy.


The Animated Castles, International Animated Film Festival holds its second edition. For information contact l.raffaelli@iol.it or visit http://cicr.roma.it.

7th LEVEL has released Agent 7, software that utilizes voice recognition and RealAudio to create talking animated characters. Users select from a pre-made cast of animated characters, speak into a microphone or add an existing voice track, and Agent 7 automatically animates the character's lips and facial expressions using "phoneme" (voice) recognition. The resulting animation can be streamed in the same manner as RealAudio. 7th Level is offering a free, two-character trial version on the web site, www.real.com/products/tools/5.html.

* Tuesday, October 20 - Friday, October 23. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.


SIBGRAPI, the International Symposium on Computer Graphics, Image Processing and Vision takes place. The SIBGRAPI Video Festival is traditionally presented during one of the four nights of the symposium. Its purpose is to show visual explanations of animation, computer graphics techniques, algorithm animation and software demonstrations, as well as computer-generated films produced by TV companies. For information visit www.lcg.ufrj.br/~nando.

* Thursday, October 15 - Friday, October 23. Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.A.


The Art Institute of Phoenix hosts an exhibit of comic art called “A Sampling of Chaos.” A reception will be held on October 15 from 6-8 p.m. For information call (800) 474-2479.

THE University of Washington has obtained a patent for its pen-and-ink illustration software developed by INKLINATION, a young Seattle-based company started by people in the school’s Computer Science and Engineering Department. The technology, which was presented in two papers at SIGGRAPH ‘94, is now available for worldwide licensing.

* Wednesday, October 21. London, England, U.K.


The International Emma Awards is an independent awards competition open to all forms of interactive media whether published, commissioned or on-line. For information visit www.emmaawards.com

THE GREENBLATT JANOLLARI STUDIO, a Los Angeles-based production company, has signed ERIC FOGEL, creator of the MTV animated series “Celebrity Death Match” and “The Head,” to develop a concept for a new, prime-time, stop-motion animated series. The deal gives Fogel a flat six-figure sum for developing a series concept and pilot script, which, if adapted as a series, will be executive produced by Fogel, and targeted for fall 1999. No network is attached at this early stage.

* Saturday, October 17. Irvine, California, U.S.A.

* Wednesday, October 14 - Thursday, October 15. Pasadena, California, U.S.A.


The D.Film Festival, a showcase for independent digital media, will have two shows during the DV Expo: one on Wednesday at 12 p.m. and the other on Thursday at 7:15 p.m.. For information visit www.dfilm.com.


* Thursday, October 15 - Saturday, October 17. Santa Cruz, California, U.S.A.


The D.Film Festival will have a show at UC Santa Cruz’s Kresge Town Hall. For information visit www.dfilm.com or call (831) 459-2159.

Nickelodeon has signed a deal with Italian broadcaster Radio Televisione Italiana (RAI) to produce the first localized foreign-language version of “Blue’s Clues.” The show will premiere on the RAI UNO network in the second quarter of 1999. In Italy, RAI will localize the series by using the same blue-screen technology used on the original production to insert an Italian, live-action host into the existing computer animation. Nickelodeon plans to make similar sales to other countries, as this production concept was designed into the show from its inception.