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ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE - ISSUE 4.6 - SEPTEMBER 1999

SIGGRAPH '99:Where's the Rest of the Zoo?
(continued from page 1)

Students at a class in the Creative Applications Lab, one of many classes presented as part of The Electronic Schoolhouse.

On to the Screening Rooms
Outside of the Exhibition was the presentation of The Story of Computer Graphics. Shown at the Shrine Auditorium with a High Definition projector, the film not only was a tribute to the founders of the technology that we thrive in, but also a test for the new technology of HDTV and how well it actually holds up on a 70 foot screen. The presentation of the information was well thought through and the music was moving, despite the fact that a mixing flaw occasionally overpowered the narration and voices. Overall, The Story of Computer Graphics should be required viewing for new employees at CG studios because of the importance of knowing the history of the industry in which you work.

The Electronic Theater this year was an impressive collection of the year's best CG, and indeed most of it was the best. This would become a long list if I were to list the animation that stood out, but I'll name some of the animations that blew me away. Fiat Lux was an experiment in Radiocity and Dynamics (at least that's what it looked like) that was choreographed to choral music. The realism of the piece is astounding, and the beauty behind the cutting and choice of camera compositions is really what CG artists should strive for -- a complete balance between the technical and the aesthetic. Jason Shulman of Ringling School of Art and Design showed us what could be done with the combination of character animation and good storytelling with Hollow. Industrial Light & Magic gets credit for sheer volume of quality work with Saving Private Ryan, The Mummy, Wild Wild West, "First Union: Launch," and The Phantom Menace, of course. The most promising technology I will give to Pacific Title/Mirage for their creation of a believable CG actor in The Jester. The most humorous goes to To Build A Better Mousetrap from Digital Filmworks and Softy Puffs: Paper Chase from Windlight Studios. Finally, I would put in a plug for Blue Sky's Bunny, directed by Chris Wedge, but he got an Oscar, so I'm going to defer to Piotr Karwas' Masks as the Best of Show, moving it one spot up from the Jury Prize that it received. Again, the combination of technology and storytelling is the thing that will push the medium further, and Masks definitely shows where that balance can lead.

Many were impressed by the cool stuff on display in The Millenium Motel.

And Beyond...
Although I've been in the middle of production and time constraints did not allow me to attend the much coveted conferences, panels and papers, I did hear that if you were interested in the focused topic of each presentation they were excellent and truly world class. Nowhere else can one find such in-depth presentations on topics that are of use and challenging to those in the thick of such work themselves. I also wanted to offer kudos to Marla Schweppe's TechnOasis. The innovative works of art that were gathered in the gallery were what SIGGRAPH is all about -- technology integrating with art to create the next step.
I would have to say though that from what I did see on the floor, SIGGRAPH '99 was more focused and less saturated than in year's previous. Perhaps a projection of the fittest? Or just a testament to the fact that after years of rapid innovations, this year saw a slowdown in new software and hardware developments. We'll have to wait to see until next year in New Orleans.

Jennifer A. Champagne is a founding partner at Max Ink Cafe, LLC. Champagne is currently wrapping the first season of Black Scorpion and the animated short, Players.


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