Intel Corp. announced the start of Mass Animation, a collaborative, worldwide effort to produce a computer-generated animated short film for theatrical release.
Artists around the world are invited to animate shots for a 5-minute film titled Live Music, which is being produced and directed by Yair Landau, former president of Sony Pictures Digital. Made possible through a unique application built by Aniboom on the Facebook Platform, the collaboration will run through Jan. 30. Animators, regardless of experience, may begin work immediately and submit footage for community voting to open on Nov. 24 at www.facebook.com/massanimation.
Live Music is inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and early CG films. Set in a musical instrument store, the tale follows Riff, a rock ‘n’ roll guitar who falls in love to the wrong song but ends up with Vanessa, the classical violin of his dreams. The story is conveyed through the universal language of music rather than dialog, and the instruments are brought to life through original compositions and familiar rock tunes played principally by legendary guitarist Steve Vai as Riff and acclaimed violinist Ann Marie Calhoun as Vanessa.
‘Mass Animation’s first project, Live Music is a great story that we are excited to tell through a breakthrough Facebook application,’ says Landau. ‘This new method of creating films draws upon a global community and social technology to allow people to come together in a whole new type of creative collaboration. Animators around the world will get a chance to showcase their talent and imagination in the film; animation fans will have a say in which shots best convey the story and characters, and therefore deserve to make the final cut.’
‘This project is about the magic that can happen when thousands of artistic people all over the world put powerful computing tools to use in the spirit of collaboration,’ adds John Cooney, online programs manager with Intel’s Partner Marketing Group. ‘The power of the Intel Core i7 processor technology, introduced today and part of the project’s prize package, makes it possible for content creators to design, animate and innovate.’
The tools and 3-D models that animators will need to collaborate on this project, including a limited-duration version of Autodesk Maya 3D animation software, are provided and can be accessed through the Mass Animation application on Facebook. Dell will be awarding a Dell Studio XPS desktop PC powered by an Intel Core i7 processor to animators whose creations are rated the best by the community on a weekly basis. An international jury of animation experts will select the shots to be considered for the film. As director, Landau will have the final say as to which submissions make the final cut. Animators whose work makes it into the finished product will receive on-screen credit and $500 in compensation.
