If you’re heading to Anaheim, California for the annual SIGGRAPH computer graphics, arts and technology event (July 21-25), expect a packed schedule of demos, seminars, panels and amazing animated works. Here are a few events to consider adding to your itinerary:
+ Monday’s Marc Davis Lecture Series: Giants’ First Steps keynote panel invites animated film directors Pete Docter, Eric Goldberg, Kevin Lima, Mike Mitchell, Chris Sanders, Henry Selick, David Silverman and Kirk Wise to share their experiences of the path to success with moderator Randy Haberkamp from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.
+ The SIGGRAPH Business Symposium on Sunday will offer industry leaders inspiration with a day of dialogues, networking, panels and talks on hot topics: Innovating Business Models, Creative Deal Structures for Growth and Survival, The Role of R&D in Production (and Profit), Pre-Visualizing a Road for Finance and Expansion, Reactive Content Creation and Partnering with Academia. The Symposium will feature a keynote by Navy SEAL officer Capt. Thomas Chaby and optional workshop on executive monitoring.
+ The CG toon tech secrets will be revealed during a number of themed talks:
Sunday: Epic Tale explains the Fox/Blue Sky film’s particle-based hologram effect, directable fluids, procedural texturing and crowd simulation pipeline. “Getting Riggy with It” unveils Disney’s extension to dual quaternion skinning as utilized for Frozen.
Monday: “Effects Omelette” explores Jack Frost’s magic powers in Rise of the Guardians (DWA) and Pixar Canada’s soap bubble effects for Partysaurus Rex.
Thursday: “Face the Facts” explores deformer-based facial rigging (Disney) and sparse modeling and advection for hair growth (DWA). “Rendering Grab Bag” features Pixar’s constraint-preserving motion blur tool, SnugBlur. “It’s Raining Monsters” highlights the challenges of creating individual monsters, crowds and foliage for Pixar’s Monster’s University and rain/lighting effects for The Blue Umbrella.
+ Explore business practices and production issues from the perspectives of vfx artists, producers, company owners and execs during The State of the Visual Effects Industry on Thursday. Moderated by Jim Hillin (vfx supervisor, Home), the panel includes industry pros Dave Rand (senior vfx artist), Scott Squires (vfx supervisor), Scott Ross and Steve Kaplan (labor organizer, The Animation Guild).
+ At the Electronic Theater, check out Best in Show award-winner Á la Française from Supinfocom Arles (Morrigane Boyer, Julien Hazebroucq, Ren Hsien Hsu, Emmanuelle Leleu, William Lorton), Best Student Project Rollin’ Safari from Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg (Kyra Buschor, Anna Habermehl, Constantin Päplow), Student Project runners up Harald by Filmakademie’s Moritz Schneider and Sleddin’ by Texas A&M University’s John Pettingill, and Jury Award winner Lost Senses by Marcin Wasilewski of Grupa Smacznego. (You can also catch Sashka Unseld’s The Blue Umbrella).
