Sony Pictures Imageworks, the Academy Award® winning, state-of-the-art digital production studio, and Sony Pictures Animation, producer of feature length CGI motion pictures, will have a comprehensive presentation during SIGGRAPH 2008, the 35th International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques. In addition to the more than 15 presentations in the conference program and on the show floor, the companies will highlight current and upcoming projects, their recently expanded IPAX academic program, and will host a special tribute to Stan Winston to be held at the Nokia Theater on Wednesday, August 13th.


In addition, Imageworks staff members have been very active behind the scenes at this year's Siggraph. Academy Award® winning visual effects supervisor Kevin Mack created the Opening Sequence for this year's Computer Animation Festival this year as well as the Welcome Animation in at the entry of the Art Gallery. The Festival Opening, an abstract 3D short that will play at the beginning of each screening, employs Mack's unique digital fine art style. Rob Engle, senior stereographer and digital effects supervisor, is the curator for the two days of stereoscopic sessions during this year's show. Sande Scoredos, Imageworks' executive director of training and artist development, will serve as the Computer Animation Festival's curated chair and is overseeing the studio hosted evenings and various invited works, and Carlye Archibeque, asset management administrator, produced the Computer Animation Festival and supervised all production aspects.


"Our commitment to the Siggraph community and its artistic, academic and technical roots is exemplified by the diversity and scope of our participation throughout this year's conference," said Tim Sarnoff, president of Sony Pictures Imageworks.

The companies booth, located at South Hall #701, will feature the companies' body of work ranging from spectacular visual effects to all CG animation. Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation currently have in production and/or development the action thriller EAGLE EYE for DreamWorks Pictures, the dramatic thriller BODY OF LIES for Warner Bros. Pictures, the mystery adventure WATCHMEN, also for Warner Bros. Pictures, the family adventure G-FORCE, a Jerry Bruckheimer Production for Walt Disney Pictures, and Sony Pictures Animation's CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS and THE SMURFS, to be released by Columbia Pictures.

IPAX ACACDEMIC PROGRAM

During the show, scholars, faculty, and administrators from the 18 IPAX schools will gather for the IPAX annual membership meeting. The IPAX program was created in 2004 to connect faculty from leading academic institutions with industry professionals to guide curricula in an effort to further develop future talented individuals who will contribute to the overall growth of the visual effects and animation industry. IPAX is a program designed to share, extend and expand the Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation knowledge base by providing fellowships to teaching faculty of IPAX member schools, attend in-house training programs, and participate in a working production environment on-site at Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation. IPAX fellows return to the classroom with real-world production experience and the ability to identify, inspire and recommend future talent for our industry.


This year, seven new educational institutions have been accepted into the IPAX program, and include, for the first time, two international institutions:


Brigham Young University
California State University Northridge
Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
Linköpings Universitet
New York University
School of Visual Arts
Texas A&M University


These new schools join Animation Mentor, Carnegie Mellon University, DePaul University, Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Otis College of Art and Design, Pratt Institute, Ringling College of Art + Design, Stanford University, University of New Mexico and University of Southern California Arts in the growing IPAX program.


Stan Winston Tribute
Sony Pictures Imageworks is honored to present an industry tribute to Stan Winston at the Nokia Theater on Wednesday, August 13th at 8 p.m. Director James Cameron is set to conclude the tribute with a discussion of Academy Award® winning TERMINATOR 2 and a digital screening of the film's Blu ray master. Jody Duncan, editor of Cinefex Magazine and author of The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio will moderate the evening.

Stan Winston's role in transforming the makeup and creature effects industries is just part of his legacy. He altered the course of movies when he helped to elevate makeup effects techniques from latex prosthetics to sophisticated animatronics. His work blurred distinctions between makeup, puppetry and visual effects, and his credo -- "I don't do effects, I do characters" -- was the guiding principle behind the creation of a veritable panoply of interstellar aliens, menacing chrome robots, and predatory dinosaurs.

In films ranging from "Terminator" to "Edward Scissorhands," to "Iron Man," audiences could barely discern where the actor ended and the effects began. Winston inspired legions of directors, visual effects supervisors and artists to stretch their abilities beyond what they knew to be possible. He challenged effects traditions, inspired creativity, and invented previously unimagined worlds. His insatiable curiosity eventually moved beyond the film world into the scientific realm, and he contributed to robotics and artificial intelligence innovations that found their way from his workshop in Van Nuys to the labs at MIT. Sony Pictures Imageworks, in conjunction with Stan Winston Studio, hosts an evening of tributes, celebrations, and memories of Stan Winston and his characters by family, friends, and peers.




Around the show

Exhibit Hall

Sony Pictures Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation can be found in booth #701.


Computer Animation Festival

"Stereoscopic 3D: Research, Applications, and Entertainment"
Monday, 11 August 8:30 am - 7:45 pm
Tuesday, 12 August 8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Los Angeles Convention Center Petree Hall C

Organized by Rob Engle


"Production Studio Nights "
Studio Night #2"
Wednesday, August 13
A Tribute to Stan Winston
Nokia Theater


I AM LEGEND

"Alternate ending"

Various times


Job Fair
Tuesday - Thursday, 12 - 14 August
Booth #24





Panels and Sketches

"Great Failed Ideas in Production"

Monday, August 11

10:30am – 12:15pm (Hall B)

Presented by Rob Bredow, with panelists John Dykstra, Bill Westenhoff, Apurva Shah, John Knoll



"3D Physically Based Depth of Field"

Tuesday, August 12

8:30 – 10:15am (Room 515A)

Presented by Jeremy Selan, Brian Hall, Steve Levietes


"Get the Job You Want in Computer Graphics"
Tuesday, August 12
8:30am – 12:15pm (Room 406AB)
Panelist Stan Szymanski


"Studio Views of Student Demo Reels"
Tuesday, 12 August
1:45 pm - 3:30 pm Room 406 AB
Panelist Robin Linn


"3D Katana Pipeline"

Tuesday, August 12

1:45 – 3:30pm (Room 515A)

Presented by Jeremy Selan, Brian Hall, Steve Levietes


"Next Great Talent Search: Define, Develop and Produce Student Projects and Value of Individual Group Projects"

Thursday, August 14

8:30 – 10:15am (Petree Hall C)

Organized by Sande Scoredos


"Speed Racer: How Digital Domain, ILM, and Sony Pictures Imageworks Transformed a Vintage Anime Into a Wild Ride for the 21st Century"
Thursday, August 14
10:30am – 12:15pm (Hall B)
Presented by Kevin Mack, Marco Marenghi ILM, Digital Domain


"The Future of Character Animation"

Thursday, August 14

10:30am – 12:30pm (Petree Hall)

Panelist Kenn McDonald


"Efficient Offset Curve Deformation from Skeletal Animation"
Friday, 15 August
1:45 pm - 3:30 pm
Room 403 AB
Presented by Arthur Gregory and Dan Weston


"Flash Forward: A Forum on Flash"

Thursday, August 14

1:30 – 3:30pm (Petree Hall C)

Presented by Adriana Jaroszewicz


"Altered Realities: FX Guru Kevin Mack in Conversation with the DemoScene"

Thursday, August 14

1:30 – 3:30pm (Petree Hall C)

Presented by Kevin Mack


"Lighting for Feature Animation"

Thursday, August 14

1:45 – 3:30pm (Room 411)

Presented by Rob Bredow


Birds of a Feather

"Animation Mentor"
Wednesday, August 13
(Los Angeles Convention Center, Room 511A
3 - 4:30 pm
Panelist Robin Linn


"IPAX: Faculty Development Opportunities in Visual Effects and Animation"

Thursday, August 14

5 – 6pm (Los Angeles Convention Center, Room 307)

Organized by Sande Scoredos


Vendor Presentations

Autodesk Booth # 501

August 12, 4:30pm

August 13, 1:00pm

Todd Mesher and Peter Giliberti present on Hancock.


Maxon Booth # 529

August 12 & 13

11:00am

Steve Matson presentation on Beowulf.


Intel Booth # 511

August 12, 12:00pm

Kevin Mack presentation on Speed Racer and the Animation festival's "opening" piece which he designed.


Side Effects Room 513, West Hall the LA Convention Center.

August 12, 13, and 14

1:00 – 2:00pm

Vincent Seritella presentation on Hancock.


FJORG!
Monday Aug 11
11 am – noon
Presenter Marco Marenghi talks about animation