Animation, Visual Arts, and Career Inspiration: Welcome to SIGGRAPH

by Kelly Richardson
Animation School Review Columnist

Animation Theater and Electronic Theater presentations. A prestigious forum for computer graphics research. Panels of industry experts discussing a wide variety of topics in animation and visual arts. This is your career launch pad.

Welcome, animation students, to SIGGRAPH (Special Interest Group for Computer Graphics), the annual ‘must-attend’ event celebrating the best in visual arts advancements. A large exhibition floor and elaborate booths entice visitors to absorb the latest technologies in engineering, computer graphics, motion pictures, media interactivity, and video gaming. And you might even see a celeb or two as you wander from display to display.

SIGGRAPH Up Close

Here’s what you can expect should you make the trek:

• Full Menu. SIGGRAPH offers attendees the Computer Animation Festival, Emerging Technologies, Sketches, Access Grids, and Web Programs.
• Submission Ops. Learn from dynamic project submissions that cover topics from physics simulation to advanced picture and video animation processing.
• The Classics. Preview Robert Zemeckis’ upcoming performance-capture feature Beowulf as part of SIGGRAPH 2007’s Electronic Theater.

Animation Career Building

It’s quite easy to become caught up in the animation splendors of SIGGRAPH and forget that this is the perfect atmosphere for career development. Those who want to make an impact in the visual arts field will find support and direction with every exhibition.

Some of the more unique aspects of SIGGRAPH are the full-and half-day courses in state-of-the-art computer graphics topics. Learn from established animation and visual arts professionals as they discuss software, equipment, and techniques in a continuing education format.

No matter how you slice it, the SIGGRAPH symposium offers the best in the visual arts and animation industries—especially for newbies in the field.

About the Author

Kelly Richardson covers the local education and technology scenes in major cities across the country. His articles appear in educational journals, periodicals, and e-zines.

Source(s)

ACMSIGGRAPH
Animation Magazine

Posted on October 12, 2007 at 4:36 PM

Original Video Animation: From Japan with Love

by Kelly Richardson
Animation School Review Columnist

Original video animation, or OVA for short, is a Japanese import art technique that features mind-blowing visual sequences and deep plot lines. In fact, OVA will beat most movie animation titles in several critical artistic categories, hands-down.

Original video animation came onto the scene in the late 1970s as the experiment of a group of Japanese animators. As the anime craze grew over the course of the next decade, thousands of OVA titles were released to meet demand. The video animation in these artistic works rivals that of mainstream movie production companies, which are bound by formatting guidelines and other creative restrictions.

Features of Original Video Animation

Here’s an overview of OVA:

• Release Date. Original video animation works are released straight to video, often not even appearing on television or the big screen.
• Format. OVAs are typically released on DVD or laser disc to account for the enhanced visual and audio effects that give this genre its pizzazz.
• Characteristics. These video animation shorts are usually between 20 minutes to two hours in length and span several episodes to create the story.

Artistic Control

Perhaps the most attractive feature of an original video presentation is its edginess and underground feel. And that’s all due to the immense artistic control that OVA producers employ. OVA animators have full control of their video animation productions. They are able to tell the story in their own timeframe; thus plot lines and characters are complex and engaging.

If you haven’t yet experienced an original video animation, you’re missing out on one of the pure forms of the art. The Internet and especially eBay are the perfect resources for finding this popular Japanese animation art form.

About the Author

Kelly Richardson covers the local education and technology scenes in major cities across the country. His articles appear in educational journals, periodicals, and e-zines.

Posted on October 2, 2007 at 4:40 PM

PowerPoint Animation 2007: New Features, New Impact

by Kelly Richardson
Animation School Review Columnist

Microsoft PowerPoint has upgraded for the upcoming year. Not only does it have the same intuitive processes that have made the program an industry favorite, but it’s also added a generous helping of animation options to keep your audiences spellbound.

Just when you thought that PowerPoint animations couldn’t get any more realistic or versatile, Microsoft introduces the next generation presentation program. PowerPoint 2007 is rich with graphic and animation features that can turn you into a virtual artist overnight. Easy to use and built for a wide range of business needs, your PowerPoint animation projects will reflect the advancements of technology.

PowerPointAnimation Upgrades

Some of the new features in PowerPoint 2007 include:

• SmartArt Graphics. To add color, shape, and emphasis to your text and data, SmartArt graphic animations can be customized with colors, animation, and effects such as shadows, bevels, and glows.
• Slide Layout. A new variety of slide layout options make the most of your animation possibilities. Place graphics in just the right spot to improve your communications
• Style Galleries. Not the creative type? PowerPoint animation style galleries will do most of the design work for you.

PowerPoint Animation Extras Enhanced animations aren’t the only little extras that power the new PowerPoint program. Dozens of other features have been built in to enhance your user experience.

• XML. Utilize this open, industry-standard language for organizing and storing data.
• PDF. For hard copies, transform your PowerPoint animation presentations into Adobe files for printing and sharing.

If you’re a long time PowerPoint animation user, then the latest additions and enhancements will have you standing and cheering. Check out formal training resources to maximize your skills.

About the Author

Kelly Richardson covers the local education and technology scenes in major cities across the country. His articles appear in educational journals, periodicals, and e-zines.

Source(s)

Microsoft

Posted on September 25, 2007 at 5:03 PM

Stick Figure Animation by Pivot

by Kelly Richardson
Animation School Review Columnist

Disciples of stick figure drawing, your software title is here. Pivot Stickfigure Animator is a free, downloadable software program that will help you turn your paper characters into living animations using your Windows-based PC.

Unless you’re a full-fledged professional designer with your own software and equipment, there hasn’t been a cost-effective animation program for stick figure animation on the market — until now. Pivot Stickfigure Animator, created by designer Peter Bones, is a free — that’s right — free animation software title that you can download to your PC. You’ll be the DaVinci of stick figure animation in no time.

The Features of Pivot

Some features of Stickfigure Animator include:

• Simple Download. The 837KB zipped file downloads in seconds and won’t take up a lot of your hard drive space once unzipped.
• Intuitive Processes. 2D features allow you to create multiple stick figure animations and even import other graphics files onto the canvas.
• Portable Files. Once you’re finished creating, save your editable PIV file, animated GIF, and BMP formats onto a disc for portability.

What to Do Now

Stick figure animation is still a viable media outlet in popular culture. Movies, commercials, and web sites use stick figures to relay information and sell products. Get good at what you do, and you can design stick figure animation sequences for all of these media.

Download pivot and play around with its features. If you don’t think it’s the best stick figure animation title you’ve ever owned, it comes with a full money back guarantee. Which will be nothing, because the program is free — remember?

About the Author

Kelly Richardson covers the local education and technology scenes in major cities across the country. His articles appear in educational journals, periodicals, and e-zines.

Posted on September 18, 2007 at 5:00 PM

From Computer Animation Class to Law Enforcement Career

by Kelly Richardson
Animation School Review Columnist

A computer animation career that serves and protects? It’s not as much of a stretch as you might think. Many technical professionals in federal, state, and local law enforcement use animation class lessons to keep the world safe for democracy.

Much of the legal process requires reconstructing a crime scene for investigators and jury members; a trick that is much easier said than done. Until recently, that is. Law enforcement organizations are seeing the value of having animation class graduates on their teams to make the process of reconstruction easier and more accurate. For a select few, what started as a computer animation career has taken on an exciting new twist.

Homicide Case-in-point

In 1992, the California Superior Court made history by being the first trial to feature a computer animation reconstruction of the crime scene. Prosecutors in the People vs. Mitchell in Marin County used ballistics evidence and animation software to show how shots fired from the gun of Jim Mitchell killed his brother. The animation clip was played for the jury during testimony and closing statements.

Despite the fact that the Mitchell camp appealed due to the new technology, he was eventually convicted and spent three years in prison. Computer animation then took a permanent place in trail processes.

What is a Reconstructionist?

Armed with a digital camera, an Electronic Distance Measuring Instrument, and Auto CAD software, reconstructionists create potential scenarios of auto accidents for investigative purposes. One part technician and one part prognosticator, these professionals typically have animation classes in their creative backgrounds.

As technologies continue to diversify, computer animation should play a larger role in homeland security, local and national law enforcement, and legal processes.

About the Author

Kelly Richardson covers the local education and technology scenes in major cities across the country. His articles appear in educational journals, periodicals, and e-zines.

Source(s)

Michigan.gov

Posted on September 11, 2007 at 3:29 PM