On the heels of the successful worldwide launch of its latest 3D-animated feature, OVER THE HEDGE, DreamWorks Animation will assert a major presence at SIGGRAPH 2006 in Boston at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (July 30-Aug. 3).
DreamWorks Animation, which will fly more than 80 artists and executives from California for the event, will deliver six sketch presentations, have a major recruiting suite in the Convention Center (Room 252A) and host the SIGGRAPH Educators' Luncheon Symposium for the third year in a row.
In the conference's spirit of sharing knowledge and information with the community, the studio will showcase the technology and creativity behind OVER THE HEDGE, FLUSHED AWAY and other films in a series of sketches that focus on specific breakthroughs ranging from CG tree lighting to adapting the stop motion style in 3D animation. The following are more details on each sketch presentation:
* Character Splash Sketch (Presented by Scott Cegielski); a system was developed on FLUSHED AWAY to automate the process of generating splashes from a character's interaction with a water surface while still retaining a large degree of artistic control.
* Simplified Tree Lighting Using Aggregate Normals (Presented by Scott Petersen with Lawrence Lee); more appealing tree shapes were created before shadows were cast for OVER THE HEDGE and SHREK THE THIRD to facilitate tree lighting.
* Procedural Modeling Workflow for OVER THE HEDGE Foliage (Presented by Bruce Tartaglia with Rob Wilson, Olcun Tan, Scott Petersen, Jonathan Gibbs); how algorithms were used to generate models and animate foliage for OVER THE HEDGE.
* Directing Plant Interactions on OVER THE HEDGE (Presented by Gokhan Kisacikoglu); a unique set of controls had to be developed to direct the branches and leaves when characters go through the hedge in OVER THE HEDGE.
* Cartoon Motion Blur for 3D Animation (Presented by Andy Wheeler with Joanne Thiel & Greg Hart); presentation of three innovative particle-based techniques for stylized motion blur, developed and expanded over the course of three CG projects: MADAGASCAR, THE MADAGASCAR PENGUINS IN A CHRISTMAS CAPER and OVER THE HEDGE.
* Stop Motion Puppets in CG (Presented by Martin Costello); how the CG characters in FLUSHED AWAY were able to emulate the very specific animation style of Aardman.
The Educators' Luncheon Symposium is a forum for college and university level educators to discuss and debate directions and strategies for digital media education. This will also be a venue to share solutions for the challenges they are facing in identifying, educating and matriculating students in this rapidly evolving field of study.
Applicants will also be able to drop off reels and/or resumes for interview consideration at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center Meeting Room 252A during Exhibition hours. DreamWorks Animation is looking to fill more than 40 positions by the end of the year for all of its upcoming projects, including BEE MOVIE, KUNG FU PANDA, SHREK THE THIRD and the MADAGASCAR sequel. A complete list of current openings can be found in the "Job Opportunities" section of the studio's website.
DreamWorks Animation and partner HP will be giving away an HP Digital Camera every hour during the Exhibition, from Aug. 1 to Aug. 3. Attendees should drop by the DreamWorks Animation suite for their chance to enter and win the raffle. Winners will be posted at the HP Booth (#1203) on the Exhibition Floor.
DreamWorks Animation SKG (www.dreamworksanimation.com) is principally devoted to developing and producing computer-generated, or CG-animated, feature films. With world-class creative talent, a strong and experienced management team and advanced CG filmmaking technology and techniques, DreamWorks Animation makes high quality CG-animated films meant for a broad movie-going audience.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
