Women in Animation presents an animation writing seminar featuring Christy Marx, writer on such series as SPIDER-MAN, G.I. JOE and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, as keynoter. In a morning panel on the writing process, Marx; Hilary Bader, Jeffrey Scott, Brooks Wachtel, and the team of Bobbi and David Weiss will discuss the writing process. An afternoon workshop will present WIA voice-over actors reading winning material from a script competition operated in conjunction with the seminar, and panelists Jack Enyart, Shari Goodhartz, Martha Moran and Marlowe Weisman will furnish feedback. The final seminar, moderated by Sarah Baisley, editor in chief of Animation Magazine, will be composed of creative directors, story editors and agents who will explore the ways animation writers can cope with today's turbulent marketplace. Admission prices are US$40 general, $20 WIA members, $15 nonmember students and $10 member students. Registration will begin at 9 am. To RSVP, call the WIA hotline: (310) 535-3838.

In conjunction with the Ottawa International Animation Festival, ASIFA will hold its general assembly and election of its new executive board. For the first time the event will be held in North America. Members are asked to attend the assembly and vote for the board after hearing each of the 21 candidates' speeches. Votes may be cast for 8-12 of the candidates to make up the new board. A picnic will directly follow the meeting. ASIFA members not attending the festival can vote via a mail-in ballot.

VFX 2000 will highlight the growing industry of visual effects. The conference is a biennial event sponsored by BKSTS (Moving Image Society) and the Visual Effects Society. This year's event will showcase developments in the areas of digital cinema and large format films. Filmmaker seminars will include Aardman Animations' Dave Sproxton and Tom Barnes on CHICKEN RUN; The Mill's John Nelson on GLADITOR; and The Secret Labs' Neil Krepela, Neil Eskuri and Mike Belzer on DINOSAUR. Other seminars will deal with topics such as the history of matte painting, digital intermediate systems, puppeteers in the 21st century, desktop visual effects, models vs. 3D and much more.

This conference, sponsored by Teen Screen KidScreen, is about effectively marketing to youth. Concurrent panels in both Kid & Teen tracks will focus on: The Importance of Branding; Media Planning & Buying; Effective Media Outlets; Effective Internet Marketing Strategies; Producing Breakthrough Creative; Creating and Executing Breakthrough Promotion and more.

The Crested Butte Reel Festival is a competitive short film festival with an animation, experimental and student category. The shorts must be under 40 minutes. There are cash awards, unusual "trophies" and industry exposure. The festival also presents filmmakers' panels and a director's workshop. Entry fees: regular entries, $30; student entries $20.

Produced by Virtual Studios and Virtual Production, the Interactive TV Launches USA is a seminar examining the benefits of interactive television on business. Off a successful run in England, the event kicks off with a keynote speech by Paul Mitchell, senior director of content and standards TV platforms group for Microsoft. The first day will deal with platform launches and software providers. Day two will take a look at home shopping, interactive marketing and interactive games and entertainment. Each day's activities will conclude with a panel discussion made up of industry insiders.

The renowned layout, background artist and color designer Maurice Noble will be holding a design seminar. Starting at the Disney Studios in 1931, he worked on SILLY SYMPHONIES, THE OLD MILL, SNOW WHITE, BAMBI, FANTASIA and DUMBO. His work at Warner Bros. Studios is legendary, designing the backgrounds for classic cartoons such as "What's Opera Doc" and "Duck Amuck" (both in the National Archives!), "Duck Dodgers," the ROAD RUNNER cartoons, and contributing to the feature film, THE INCREDIBLE MR. LIMPET. Continuing his work with Chuck Jones at MGM, he also worked on HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS, HORTON HEARS A WHO, THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH and the Academy Award-winning short, THE DOT AND THE LINE, which he designed and co-directed. The price for the class is US$350.

Read Karl Cohen's Animation World Magazine interview with Maurice Noble and find out why he's the "Old Rebel."

Cine-Clube de Avanca and the C

The 3rd Annual Disney Institute Animation Event will give animation fans a chance to participate in the creation of a short animated film. For the first time an original score has been commissioned for the event. Hosting the event will be John Culhane, an acclaimed animation scholar and the inspiration for the "Mr. Snoops" character in THE RESCUERS. Guests will stay 6 days and 5 nights in a bungalow at the Disney Institute. Animation workshops and team animation sessions will guide participants through the animation process from story to soundtrack. A Disney animated film screening will happen nightly, followed by commentary. The newly trained animators will be given a copy of their work to take home with them. The price for the event is US$1,299 per person for double occupancy or $1,685 per person for single occupancy.

SIGGRAPH 2000 is the foremost conference and expo on computer graphics. This year's event will feature an art gallery of some of the best digital work being created in the world. The event gives students, educators and artists a chance to communicate with the international computer graphics industry. The computer animation festival has the following categories: entertainment, visualization, education, art, non-narrative and experimental. The expo will feature in-depth labs, programs, seminars, forums, workshops and discussion on the industry of visual effects. The keynote address will be given by Ray Kurzwell, the author of THE AGE OF SPIRITUAL MACHINES: WHEN COMPUTERS EXCEED HUMAN INTELLIGENCE.