Sunday, May 5, 2024
Home Blog Page 868

Orange County Great Park Celebrates Seven Years of Community Fun

Joe Kleiman
-
0

Irvine, CA, USA (June 26, 2012) /PRNewswire/ — The Orange County Great Park hosts one of this summer’s premier free family events to mark the Park’s 7th anniversary at the Growing the Park celebration, a mid-afternoon through evening community festival on Saturday, July 14 from 3:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The event offers families the opportunity to watch vintage military planes honoring 100 years of Marine aviation and the daring Silver Wings Wingwalking team soar through the skies, enjoy community performances and live music, and test their athletic skills with sports activities, including exhibits from the LA Galaxy and Cal South Soccer. In the evening, visitors can watch the skies light up with a spectacular fireworks finale capping off a day at the Great Park filled with art, entertainment and family activities.


“Growing the Park has been an annual event that celebrates the progress of the Great Park and its connection to the diverse community that surrounds it. This year’s celebration honors the history of MCAS El Toro and offers visitors a day of free family fun in every part of the Great Park,” said Beth Krom, Chair, Orange County Great Park Corporation.


Five Fun-Filled Zones


Every section of the Great Park will be programmed with fun and engaging family activities across five themed zones.

  • The Runway Zone honors military history featuring vintage aircraft and military vehicle displays, the Silver Wings Wingwalking team, skydiver performances, bi-plane acrobatics, and aerial entertainment, a Retro Air Designs shopping area, a flight simulator and more.
  • The Great Park Gallery Zone includes the Palm Court Arts Complex and showcases the preview of the Farmers to Flyers exhibition in the Great Park Gallery, featuring historic photographs, artifacts, audio and video displays that tell the MCAS El Toro as part of the dramatic changes that occurred in Southern California in the second half of the 20th century. Visitors can also enjoy interactive storyteller Jim Cogan as he presents a fascinating, dramatic and adventurous journey through the history and lore of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. The Artists Studios will feature current Great Park Artist-In-Residence Andre Woodward and his unique sculptures.
  • The Back Forty Zone includes the Farm + Food Lab and celebrates Orange County’s agricultural history with hands-on agricultural craft activities, cooking demonstrations and interactive community partner booths.
  • The Outfield Zone features sports, health and wellness activities and includes field games and soccer demonstrations by representatives of the LA Galaxy and the Cal South Soccer on the North Lawn. LA Galaxy representatives will challenge visitors to improve their soccer skills with an interactive exhibit, soccer clinics and demonstrations from the LA Galaxy Futboleros. Other activities on the North Lawn will include an obstacle course and a preview of games to be featured at the Great Summer Games 2012 on July 28, including vertical jump, broad jump and SNAG golf.
  • The Sky’s the Limit Zone includes the Kids Rock Playground, kite flying and kite making, a variety of exhibits and activities, food trucks, live music performances and offers a great place to view the aerial performances and the fireworks spectacular.



Growing the Park takes place Saturday, July 14 from 3:00 to 9:30 p.m. Admission is free. Parking is $10. For this event, the entrance to the Great Park will be from Trabuco Road. Take the Jeffery Road exit from the 5 or 405 and turn right on Trabuco. Follow us on Twitter @OCGreatPark to receive traffic and event updates on the day of the event. For program details or more information, visit www.ocgp.org.


About the Orange County Great Park
Hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over Southern California enjoy the Orange County Great Park’s current array of recreational and educational opportunities, including views from the iconic Great Park Balloon that rises 400 feet in the air and provides a panoramic view of Orange County. Other Great Park features include the Carousel, Farm + Food Lab, Kids Rock Playground, Walkable Historical Timeline, Palm Court Arts Complex, North Lawn recreation area and historic Hangar 244. The Great Park also hosts a variety of special events that provide unique experiences for the entire family, including the Growing the Park Anniversary Celebration, annual Pumpkin Harvest, Great Night! Family New Year’s Eve, Flights & Sounds Summer Festival and the weekly Great Park Farmers Market. The Great Park, with its approximately 1,300-acre master plan, is the centerpiece of the redevelopment of the publicly-owned portion of the 4,700-acre former Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro. For more information, please visit www.ocgp.org.

Smart Destinations Introduces Smartphone-Based Ticketing with Go Select Pass

Joe Kleiman
-
0

Boston, MA, USA (June 26, 2012) /PRNewswire/ — People are using smartphones as airline boarding passes, taxi trackers and hotel check-in tools. Smart Destinations, a leader in innovative, money-saving attraction passes, today announced the release of the Go Select Pass, which allows travelers to custom-build their own discount attraction passes and leave long lines and high admission prices behind. The powerful and simple new app turns any smartphone into a money-saving pass, allowing travelers to save on top activities, attractions and tours while using their phone as their admission pass.

It’s easy to use: instead of standing in line at the gate and paying full price, travelers can use any smartphone to visit GoSelectPass.com and purchase admission to more than 400 popular attractions in America’s top tourist destinations. iPhone and iPad users can also download the app from the App Store. Either way, anyone with a smartphone can then skip most entrance lines and go straight to the gate, using their smartphone as their admission pass.

Not only does Go Select Pass give travelers a way to avoid long lines and the hassle of printing, carrying (and possibly losing) tickets, it helps travelers save on the price of admission to popular destinations. Visitors who purchase passes with two or more attractions are guaranteed to pay less than the gate price, and the more attractions they choose, the more they save – up to 40 percent off.

“According to travel research firm PhoCusWright, 60 percent of visitors still buy their attraction tickets by going to the front gate, standing in long ticket lines and paying full price,” said Kevin McLaughlin, CEO and co-founder of Smart Destinations. “The mobile capabilities of the new Go Select Pass make it easy to pay less. Now, you can use your phone to create your personalized, money-saving Go Select Pass while sitting at breakfast on the first day of your vacation. Then you scan the QR code on your phone at the gates. It’s the easiest way to get attraction tickets on your phone – you just build a pass, save some money and skip the lines.”

As the only app in the world that lets travelers use any smartphone as an all-in-one savings and admissions pass, Go Select Pass makes it fast and easy to create a custom itinerary on a smartphone to see the country’s top attractions. Travelers can choose from more than 400 of the most popular attractions in seven U.S. destinations: Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, Orlando, San Francisco and the island of Oahu, Hawaii. Go Select Pass is already accepted at many top U.S. attractions, includingBoston’s Museum of Science, Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bay Cruise and the NBC Studio Tour in New York.

“Go Select Pass is the only mobile app that delivers tickets on a smartphone, where customers are guaranteed to pay less,” noted McLaughlin. “Smartphones have changed the way we travel in so many ways, and with this cool new mobile app, travelers can forget about long lines and full gate admission prices.”

Since 2004, Smart Destinations passes have delivered over six million money-saving attraction admissions to budget-conscious families. Today’s mobile Go Select Pass launch now provides instant access to savings, perfect for smart, cost-conscious on-the-go travelers and spontaneous adventures.

Learn more about Go Select Pass at www.GoSelectPass.com. Find out more about Smart Destinations at www.SmartDestinations.com.

About Smart Destinations
Smart Destinations is revolutionizing the travel industry with its proprietary technology that offers the only mobile multi-attraction passes that maximize the fun, savings and convenience of sightseeing with flexible purchase options for every type of traveler. Available on any smartphone, online and at walk-up retail outlets, Smart Destinations passes, including Go City Cards, Go Explorer and Go Select, provide guaranteed savings at more than 400 attractions across nine North American destinations, including New York, Orlando, San Diego, Chicago and Boston. All passes come with valuable extras, including the ability to skip the line at select attractions. Smart Destinations passes leverage the company’s patented technology and the industry’s largest network of attraction partners to save consumers up to 40 percent compared to purchasing individual tickets. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA. For more information, visit www.smartdestinations.com .

Association of Midwest Museums (AMM) prepares for July conference in Indianapolis

Judith Rubin
-
0

Message from AMM:
“It is with great pride and pleasure that we invite you to join us in Indianapolis for the 2012 AMM Conference, Civic Engagement and Public Discourse: the Role of Museums in the 21st Century. For 85 years, museum professionals in the Midwest have convened at the AMM conference to share best practices and discuss emerging trends in the field. Today, museums are increasingly confronted with many challenges as well as many opportunities. More than ever, it’s critical that we come together to connect with our colleagues, share innovative ideas, and refresh our creative juices.

AMM keynote Rosetta Thurman

“This year’s conference [July 23-26] will feature several outstanding sessions and speakers as well as exciting evening events and tours. Our Program Committee, representing museums from around the Midwest, has fashioned an exceptional program with something for everyone. We have selected two outstanding keynote speakers, Dr. David Carr and Rosetta Thurman, who will share their ideas and insights. Truly, this is a compelling program that will encourage engagement and provoke dialogue.

“Indianapolis is a fabulous conference destination with many of the Midwest’s leading museums. It’s centrally located in the AMM region and less expensive than other cities, making it accessible and affordable for attendees. To kick off the conference, we’ll enjoy an opening reception at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The following evening, we’ll tour the architecturally stunning Indiana

AMM keynote David Carr

History Center, downtown headquarters of the Indiana Historical Society. For our final evening, we scheduled a reception at the distinctive Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art. During the day, we hope you’ll enjoy optional tours to Conner Prairie Interactive History Park, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis (the largest children’s museum in the world), President Benjamin Harrison Home, and Morris-Butler House. Plus get a behind-the-scenes peak at the Eiteljorg, History Center, and Indiana State Museum, all situated along Indianapolis’ beautiful Central Canal.


“Our host hotel (and conference venue), the Crowne Plaza Hotel, is a beautiful, historic property conveniently located in downtown Indianapolis, which is alive with outstanding restaurants and shops. Plan to arrive early or stay late and take advantage of special rates at this unique hotel.”

Haley Sharpe Chosen as Lead Exhibit Designer for Museum of Westward Expansion and Old Courthouse

Judith Rubin
-
0
Photo: CityArchRiver 2015

Exhibit redesign is part of overall CityArchRiver 2015 plan
ST. LOUIS, Missouri, USA — The CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation and the National Park Service selected Haley Sharpe Design to create new exhibit experiences at the Museum of Westward Expansion and the Old Courthouse, which are both part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (JNEM), better known as the Gateway Arch grounds.

“We are exited to have a world-renowned team like Haley Sharpe engaged to re-imagine our museums,” said Tom Bradley, park superintendant for JNEM. “Haley Sharpe’s creativity in this space will help us find new ways to tell the stories of westward expansion and St. Louis’ rich history.”

Based in Toronto and Leicester, UK, Haley Sharpe’s resume includes high profile work within the United States and internationally. Their work in the U.S includes the National Museum of American History, National Postal Museum, and National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC, as well as Historic Jamestowne, Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine—birthplace of the Star Spangled Banner—in Baltimore, MD, and Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, KS. International work includes the new visitor center at Stonehenge, Canadian War Museum and many others.

“This is an amazing opportunity for us to work on two museum spaces known around the world,” said Bill Haley, design director for Haley Sharpe. “The Museum of Westward Expansion and the Old Courthouse are special opportunities to tell the story of the courage and spirit of discovery that built the United States through an exhibit space that is both creative and interactive.”

The redesign of the Museum of Westward Expansion and Old Courthouse Exhibits is part of the overall CityArchRiver 2015 plan to transform and enhance the visitor experience by connecting, invigorating and expanding the Gateway Arch grounds and its environs.

"Big O" central feature at Yeosu Expo 2012 designed by ECA2 depends on Medialon show control

Judith Rubin
-
0

The marine-themed Expo 2012 opened in May 2012 for a three-month run in Yeosu, South Korea. The icon of the Expo is “Big-O,” a landmark constructed to give visitors an insight into the expo’s theme, including experience zones hosting large-scale events and cultural performances.

ECA2 – a French-based company specialized in creating and producing major events and shows around the world, was in charge of designing the entire “Big-O” show as well as the O structure. The artistic and technical production of the show was also part of ECA2 mission.


During daytime the “Big-O” is a giant sculpture that will remain after the Expo as a symbolic landmark. By night, it is the centerpiece of a unique show that embraces the Expo’s themes.

The O itself features a water screen inside the outer rim, which shows films and other videos. The outer rim also produces special effects, such as laser shows.


ECA2’s team designed the O as a mysterious object that could have emerged from the ocean itself. It glints in the sunlight like a jewel over the lagoon. Modern materials such as concrete and steel are harmoniously combined to lend the structure an almost organic appearance.

For more Yeosu Expo 2012 news, visit the IPM “Big-O” News Page


For the “Big-O” night-time show, the Medialon show control system synchronizes hundreds of devices and special effects, creating an immersive show that plunges the audience into the heart of a sensory narrative.


One Medialon Manager V6 PRO show control software allows controlling and synchronizing the following:

Water:
– 24x moving water cannons (360)
– Cascade Screen, a 45-meter high water curtain which is the biggest and tallest one ever built in the world
– hundreds of water jets

Special effects:
– 24x flame generators
– hundreds of mist nozzles
– 5x lasers

Lighting and video:
– 58x moving heads (1 500W) in weatherproof casing
– 6x video projectors (35 000 lumens)

Credits:
Design – Creation – Production Director & Producer: Jean-Christophe Canizares from ECA2
Head of Operations & Technical Director: Guillaume Duflot from ECA2
Screenplay, Artistic Director & Show Director: Moira Smith from ECA2
Big-O Architecture: Mark Fisher
Control: LCSS, ECA2

Links:
www.expo2012.kr, www.eca2.com, www.medialon.com

About ECA2
For over 30 years, ECA2 has been creating and producing major events and shows around the world. Renowned for its outstanding creativity, innovative designs and technical expertise, ECA2 delivers unique special events, ceremonies, World Expos, Olympic Games and permanent show for theme parks.

About Medialon
Medialon designs user friendly yet powerful, IT based audiovisual control solutions, for simple to mission critical applications such as Museum Media Control, Theme Park Wide and Attraction Control, Live Entertainment Show Control and Corporate Showrooms. Products include Show & Media Control Software, Embedded Controllers, Digital Audio Servers, Scheduling Software, and Redundant Control Servers. The company maintains offices in the USA and Europe and a network of international distributors.

Dolby Moves to New Headquarters Adjacent to San Francisco’s Historic Civic Center

Joe Kleiman
-
0

San Francisco, CA, USA (June 26, 2012) /BUSINESS WIRE/ — Dolby Laboratories, Inc. today announced plans to purchase 1275 Market Street in the city’s mid-Market neighborhood from DivcoWest®. Dolby will fully occupy the 354,000-square-foot building in one of the most thriving business communities in the world.

“Dolby technologies bring richness, realism, and immersion to entertainment in the cinema, at home, and on mobile devices,” said Kevin Yeaman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Dolby Laboratories. “This investment will support the company’s current needs and future growth by fostering a collaborative environment that will continue to attract and retain the best employees.”

“Dolby Laboratories has been a longtime member of the San Francisco business and technology community since establishing its headquarters in San Francisco in 1976. We are excited about Dolby Laboratories’ continuing and growing presence in the city and its contribution to revitalizing the mid-Market area,” said Ray Dolby, Founder and Director Emeritus.

In recent weeks, Dolby has introduced Dolby® Atmos™, a new state-of-the-art audio platform that delivers an immersive, realistic cinema experience; announced a deal with Microsoft® for distribution of Dolby technology in Windows®8; and unveiled the new Dolby TheatreSMin Hollywood.

“San Francisco–based Dolby is an important employer and business leader here in the ‘Innovation Capital of the World,’ and we appreciate the company’s continued commitment to job creation in our City,” said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee. “Companies like Dolby are transforming the Central Market neighborhood into a vibrant hub for entertainment, culture, and innovation and are proving that our economic strategy for companies to start here, grow here, and stay here is working.”

About Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories (NYSE:DLB) is the global leader in technologies that are essential elements in the best entertainment experiences. Founded in 1965 and best known for high-quality audio and surround sound, Dolby creates innovations that enrich entertainment at the movies, at home, or on the go. For more information about Dolby Laboratories or Dolby technologies, visit www.dolby.com.


Dolby and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Dolby Theatre is a trademark of Dolby Laboratories. All other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. S12/25844 DLB-G

International LED & OLED EXPO’s Showcase Industry’s Bright Future in South Korea

Joe Kleiman
-
0

Gyeonggi Provence, Korea, June 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The EXPO secretariat had an Opening Ceremony for ‘International LED EXPO & OLED EXPO 2012’ with 70 related people including Jae-hong Kim, a head of a growth power department of Ministry of Knowledge economy; Nam-suk Hur, CEO of POSCO LED; Myung-koo Park, CEO of Kumho Electric; Ms. Catherine Spillman, a commercial agent in the Department of Commerce of the American Embassy and others.

Jae-hong Kim, a head of a growth power department of Ministry of Knowledge economy, delivered a congratulatory address: “Our start is late in LED industry, but we are sure that we will take a top position by working together in one accord” and “Government’s support like technology development, building up the foundation, training manpower, expanding market and others will be continued to make LED EXPO the World’s leading exhibition which will be a bridge connecting the domestic LED industry and the world market.”

241 companies from 13 countries participate as 565 booths-scale from LED/OLED illumination, equipment, components and material from research institutions to check the current situation and to suggest a strategy for securing global competitive edge at ‘The 10th LED & OLED EXPO’.

Illumination companies like POSCO LED, Kumho Electric, Kumho Electric, LGMMA, Feelux, Starnet, Edison Solitec, Jaejin Power, TSLP (Tech sign light panel), Lumens and others and equipment, components and material companies such as WPM super sapphire single crystal material project group, NEWMATECH, Point Engineering, SamHee Instrument, Union Elecom, Mega-Power and others participate at this exhibition with OLED companies of ENVISION, Unilam, STMicroelectronics, Hanyang Semiconductor, SPRI (Cheorwon Plasma Research Institute) and others.

Also, LayTec AG of German, Everlight Electronics, Prolight Opto Technology and Edison Opto of Taiwan, TOYOBO, and MITSUMI ELECTRIC of Japan, Monolithic Power Systems and Power Integrations of America, KINGTONG NEW MATERIA and HTEMPS METAL MATERIALS of China introduce their new products.

In addition, “Int’l LED & OLED EXPO 2012” introduces Digital information display products which are expanding in the advertisement market by combining display and IT technology, and is going to show an example of DID technology applying as well as provide an opportunity of profit model creating.

On June 26-28, “The 10th International LED and Green Lighting Seminar 2012 (ILGLS)” is held on the theme of eco environment illumination utilizing LED. (Co-chairperson: Mu-Hwan Sin professor of Yonsei University, Tae-yeon Sung professor of Korea University)

Organizers will run export consultations with buyers having real power purchasing ability with 100 companies from 25 countries to improve business fruits and to pioneer a market. Also they will provide optimized business Market Place & Networking through 1:1 business meetings with foreign VIP buyers of WECO and Energee Bridge Sales, LLC.

‘The 5th New Technology Development Excellent Companies Award by Government in LED, OLED industry’ supported by Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Gyeonggi-Do, KOTRA and KOREA Tourism Industry Promotion Association, inspires new technology development desire in LED, OLED companies.

For more Information, visit official home page (LED EXPO: www.ledexpo.com, OLED EXPO: www.oledexpo.com, DID EXPO: www.didexpo.com)

Newly Enlarged National Czech & Slovak Museum Emerges from Nature’s Wrath

Joe Kleiman
-
0

Cedar Rapids, IA, USA (June 26, 2012) /BUSINESS WIRE/ (NAPSW)—The revitalized Na­tion­al Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) opens in Cedar Rapids, IA, in July 2012 with three world-class art exhibits that will draw and captivate visitors from around the world.

Now enlarged to 50,000 square feet, the museum and library celebrates its grand reopening with “Alphonse Mucha: Inspirations of Art Nouveau.” Featuring paintings, jewelry, sculptures and lithographs, the exhibition comes directly from the Mucha Foundation in Prague and London. An exhibit of this size and caliber has not appeared in the United States since 1999 and is the first of its type to appear in the Midwest.

From 1995 to 2008, the NCSML definitively stood on the banks of the Cedar River as an icon of the strength of Czechs and Slovaks everywhere. In 2008, the world watched the river reach a record-breaking flood level.

“We were just days from launching a museum expansion project when the flood occurred,” said Gail Naughton, president and CEO of NCSML. “So in keeping with our Czech and Slovak heritage, we moved forward instead of retreating.” The 1,500-ton (3 million-pounds) museum building, dedicated in 1995 by Presidents Michal Ková˘c (Slovakia), Bill Clinton (U.S.) and Václav Havel (Czech Republic), was moved 100 yards to an area several feet above the record flood level.

While much of the NCSML’s fine art and folklore artifacts were saved from the devastating wa­ters, a great deal had to be refurbished and cleaned.

These refurbished NCSML artifacts can be seen in the “It All Comes Out in the Wash” display featuring beautifully embellished textiles, including the beloved kroje (folk costumes), painstakingly restored at the Chicago Conservation Center. This unique exhibition shows the vibrant colors and quality of the pieces, the largest collection of kroje outside Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The oldest pieces date to the 16th century.

“We will continue to feature our collection of kroje, Royal Dux porcelain, Egermann glassware, Bohemian crystal, folk art and political posters,” Naughton said. “Our commitment to our visitors from around the world is to keep our exhibits fresh. Czech and Slovak histories are vast and rich so we will tell these stories through revolving, captivating exhibits.”

The third grand reopening exhibit, “Weird & Wonderful: Award Winning Art for Children’s Books,” includes 76 award-winning illustrations that were honored at the Biennial of Illus­trations Bratislava (BIB), an international competitive exhibition of children’s book illustrations that has been held in Bratislava since 1967.

“With these three awe-inspiring exhibits, we celebrate our return from a natural disaster in 2008,” Naughton said. “There is no better way to celebrate the completion of a project of this magnitude than with these art exhibits. People who come to see them won’t want to leave.

“With the generous contributions of individuals, businesses and foundations—the Czech Re­public, the state of Iowa, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the city of Cedar Rapids—we have a dream come true,” Naughton added.

The relocated NCSML (the only professional museum dedicated to Czech and Slovak history and culture in the world) is now three times larger, which lends itself to more exhi­bition galleries, an expanded re­search library, additional educational programming space, a new museum store and more collection storage.

The revitalized museum and library opens July 14, 2012. Go to www.NCSML.org for more details about grand reopening events and specific exhibit timelines.

SONY and Panasonic Announce Plans to Jointly Develop Next-Gen OLED Panels

Joe Kleiman
-
0
SONY XEL1, World’s First OLED TV

Osaka, Japan /BUSINESS WIRE/ — Sony Corporation (“Sony”) and Panasonic Corporation (“Panasonic”) have announced that they have signed an agreement regarding the joint development of next-generation OLED (organic light-emitting diode) panels and modules for TVs and large-sized displays.


Sony and Panasonic plan to jointly develop next-generation OLED panels and modules by each utilizing their core and printing technologies. They plan to jointly develop printing method-based next-generation OLED technology, which will be suitable for low-cost mass production of large, high resolution OLED panels and modules. Sony and Panasonic aim to establish mass-production technology during 2013, by integrating their unique technologies to improve the overall efficiency of development.

Sony launched the world’s first OLED TV in 2007 with its 11-inch model. Sony also released a 25-inch professional OLED monitor in 2011, and continued to develop products and mass-produce OLED displays utilizing deposition technologies. Further, Sony has actively promoted the research and development of next-generation OLED technologies such as hybrid OLED element devices and processing (manufacturing) technologies that combine deposition and printing methods, thin film transistor (TFT) drivers such as oxide TFTs, and flexible organic TFTs, and has presented its development results at academic conferences.

Panasonic is a leader in the technology development of large-sized screen, high-resolution OLED panels and utilizes the cutting-edge “all printing method”, among other printing methods which have the advantage of being competitive for producing large-sized screens at a lower cost. Panasonic owns the unique production and equipment technologies which enable the production of OLED panels through this method. Panasonic is also pursuing the future possibility of OLED panels, and is carrying out research and development of advancements in flexible OLED panels and aiming to develop large-sized, high quality sheet-type displays.

In parallel with the joint development of the next-generation technologies of the OLED panels and modules, Sony and Panasonic plan to continue to study collaboration in the mass production of OLED panels and modules. Also, each company plans to utilize its own strengths to develop and commercialize its own competitive, high-performance, next-generation OLED televisions and large-sized displays.

SIGGRAPH 2012 Announces Production Sessions

Joe Kleiman
-
0

Chicago, IL, USA /BUSINESS WIRE/ — SIGGRAPH 2012, 5-9 August at the Los Angeles Convention Center, just released an all-star line-up of production sessions that will be featured as part of its annual Computer Animation Festival, which is open to the public.

“Nowhere else in the world can you get this level of access to elite and talented Hollywood computer graphic experts and creative talent,” said Jerome Solomon, SIGGRAPH 2012 Production Sessions Chair from The Art Institute of California – Sunnyvale. “Having such cooperation from so many major studios could only happen at SIGGRAPH and we are ecstatic to be able to bring our community such incredible content.”

The Computer Animation Festival, chaired this year by Joshua Grow from the Creative-Cartel, is recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a qualifying festival. Since 1999, several works originally presented in the Computer Animation Festival have been nominated for or have received a “Best Animated Short” Academy Award. This year’s selections will be featured during the Computer Animation Festival through a series of daily Festival Screenings and the iconic Electronic Theater, allowing attendees to get a glimpse behind the making of computer generated effects, visualizations, and animations.

Following are the details of the 2012 Production Sessions:

Pixomondo Presents “Hugo”: A Cinematic Convergence of 3D and Visual Effects

Panelists: Ben Grossman, Visual Effects Supervisor, Alex Henning, Digital Effects Supervisor, Adam Watkins, CG Supervisor from Pixomondo, and Matthew Gratzner, Visual Effects Supervisor from New Deal Studios

In “Hugo”, Martin Scorsese’s love letter to classic cinema and cinema history, the director was passionate about pushing the capabilities of stereoscopic filmmaking to new heights. Pixomondo developed custom workflows to handle complex challenges in VFX and capture all of the live-action production data required to accommodate the rigorous effects and post-production demands of the project. This Pixomondo panel discusses the creative and technical challenges they overcame to achieve Scorsese’s vision for early filmmaking in stereo 3D. Also joining them will be New Deal Studios visual effects supervisor, Matthew Gratzner, who was responsible for creating the train crash sequence in the film.

Building Disney•Pixar’s “Brave”: Pencils to Pixels

Panelists: Colin Thompson, Character Shading Supervisor, Tia Kratter, Shading Art Director, Claudia Chung, Simulation Supervisor, and Danielle Feinberg, Director of Photography, Lighting

From bouncing red curls to gusty dark forests, this panel summarizes how Disney•Pixar created their summer 2012 film: “Brave”. The artists lead a guided tour through “Brave’s” production pipeline, illustrating the kind of exploration and problem-solving required to move an asset from initial design through characters and sets, animation, and lighting, and into a final rendered frame.

Sony Pictures Animation: Checking in at “Hotel Transylvania”

Welcome to “Hotel Transylvania”, Dracula’s lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free to be the monsters they are without human interference. For one special weekend, Dracula invites some of his best friends – Frankenstein and his bride, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Werewolf family, and more – to celebrate his beloved daughter Mavis’s 118th birthday. In this session, first-time feature director Genndy Tartakovsky (“Dexter’s Laboratory”, “Samurai Jack”, “Clone Wars”) and the creative team behind “Hotel Transylvania” explore the art, unique animation style, and technical achievements of Sony Pictures Animation’s new animated feature.

Digital Domain Presents “Making the Steel Real: Moving VFX Into Production”

Moderator: Michael Fink, Academy-Award-Winning Visual Effects Supervisor

Panelists: Ron Ames, Associate Producer, Erik Nash, Digital Domain, John Rosengrant, Legacy Effects, Swen Gillberg, Digital Domain and Dan Taylor, Animation Supervisors

Nominated for a visual effects Academy Award, DreamWorks’ “Real Steel” was recognized not only for its rollicking boxing matches between CG robots, but also for the seamless way the film moves between practical robots and their CG counterparts. In this panel, some of the “Real Steel” filmmakers walk through robot design, explain key techniques and shots, and share the groundbreaking virtual-production process that they packed up and moved to Detroit, which compressed the shooting schedule to 71 days with no second unit.

Sony Pictures Imageworks: Travel Behind the Scenes of “Men in Black 3”

Sony Pictures Imageworks’ visual effects for “Men in Black 3” included diverse and richly detailed characters and environments, all created with a heightened sense of realism. With a mix of humor and style, the Men in Black return to 1969 with a digital re-creation of New York’s Shea Stadium and the Apollo 11 rocket launch, and an action-packed monocycle chase through the streets of Brooklyn. This panel explores the challenges and achievements of producing the visual effects for “Men in Black 3”.

Sony Pictures Imageworks: The Untold Story of “The Amazing Spider-Man”

Sony Pictures Imageworks oversaw the visual effects for the untold story of Spider-Man, set in a gritty, edgy urban world. The VFX team established a visual style that naturally blends cutting-edge live-action stunt work, extensive digital environments, and CG character animation. This panel provides a revealing inside look at VFX production for an “amazing” film.

Rhythm & Hues Studios: 25 Years of Art, Technology and People

In this panel and presentation, an array of artists and executives associated with the past and present of Rhythm & Hues Studios explore the many factors that have led to the studio’s longevity and success. Highlights include a retrospective of the company’s early days, from its origins at the pioneering CGI company Robert Abel and Associates in the 1970s and 80s and the founding of Rhythm & Hues in 1987, to its groundbreaking animation work in the 90s and its recent work “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”, VFX Oscar winner “The Golden Compass”, “The Incredible Hulk”, the “Alvin and The Chipmunks” franchise, and more.

Industrial Light & Magic Presents: The Visual Effects of “Battleship”

Panelists: Grady Cofer, Visual Effects Supervisor, Doug Smythe, Digital Production Supervisor, Glen McIntosh, Animation Supervisor, Willi Geiger, CG Supervisor from Industrial Light & Magic

A behind-the-scenes look at Peter Berg’s blockbuster sci-fi epic “Battleship”. The ILM production team reviews the film’s various challenges and describes why it was necessary to revamp the studio’s award-winning fluid-simulation system. Also, advances in CG destruction and simulation technology required to accurately depict everything from a resurrected World War II battleship to a fleet of modern-day naval ships, not to mention aliens and their formidable fleet of spacecraft.

Balancing Act: Life as a Visual Effects Supervisor at DreamWorks Animation

Panelists: Ken Bielenberg, “Puss in Boots”, Mahesh Ramasubramanian, “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted”, David Prescott, “Rise of the Guardians” (November 2012) and Markus Manninen “The Croods” (March 2013) from DreamWorks Animation

In this panel, the visual effects supervisors for the last two and next two DreamWorks Animation films discuss how they approached each production. In the studio environment, there are opportunities to share development with other shows, but differing visual requirements also mean each show has unique needs. How do the visual-effects teams balance the safety of using tried-and true-techniques with the requirements to create ever more visually sophisticated and complex work? How do they manage the benefits of sharing across shows with the specific needs of their show? Each panelist shares some successes (and failures!) from their most recent projects.

Weta Digital Presents Virtual Production: Combining Animation, Visual Effects, and Live-Action Filmmaking

Four-time Oscar-winning Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri, presents Weta Digital’s pioneering virtual-production work on “The Adventures of Tintin” and “Avatar”. His talk also addresses workflow development at Weta going all the way back to “The Lord of the Rings” and suggests some areas of future development. Weta sees virtual production as a connected, holistic approach to filmmaking that melds the best of animation and live-action techniques in pre-production, onset, and post. This presentation demonstrates how virtual production brings all of the components of filmmaking together to provide a way of working that has attracted directors like Peter Jackson, James Cameron, and Steven Spielberg.

The Art and Science Behind Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Paperman”

Moderator: Darrin Butters, Animator

Panelists: John Kahrs, Director, Patrick Osborne, Animation Supervisor, Amol Sathe, Lighting and Compositing Supervisor, Jeff Turley, Art Director, and Brian Whited, Final Line Software

Applying a technique that seamlessly merges computer-generated and hand-drawn animation techniques, first-time director John Kahrs takes the art of animation in a bold new direction with “Paperman”. Using a minimalist black-and-white style, the short film follows the story of a lonely young man in mid-century New York City, whose destiny takes an unexpected turn after a chance meeting with a beautiful woman on his morning commute. In this panel, members of the small, innovative group at Walt Disney Animation Studios that created “Paperman” share their insights about the art, design, and technology of this innovative project.

High Frame Rate Cinema, Impacts on Art and Technology With Douglas Trumbull and Dennis Muren

Panelists: Paul Salvini, Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc.; Douglas Trumbull, Filmmaker; Dennis Muren Industrial Light & Magic; Phil Oatley, Park Road Post Production; Lincoln Wallen, DreamWorks Animation; Jim Beshears, DreamWorks Animation SKG; Darin Grant, Digital Domain; Matthew Cowan, RealD Inc.; Luke Moore Side Effects Software Inc.; John Helliker, Screen Industries Research and Training Centre

Some of the biggest movies on the horizon – “Avatar’s” sequels and “Lord of the Rings” prequels – will be presented in stereoscopic 3D high-frame-rate cinema. Peter Jackson and James Cameron are betting on their expectation that audiences will love the more immersive and detailed worlds that these 3D productions can offer. But what IS high-frame-rate cinema, and what will it mean to producers of content and to the audience experience? This panel of experts explains high-frame-rate cinema and discusses the implications of producing and experiencing cinematic content in the new medium.

LAIKA’s “ParaNorman”: The Fusion of Stop Motion and CG in a Zombie-Ridden World

Panelists: Brian Van’t Hul, VFX Supervisor, Steve Emerson, Compositing Supervisor, and Andrew Nawrot, CG and Look Development Supervisor

Get a first-hand, 3D look at LAIKA’s interdependent combination of stop-motion and CG in an environment where hand-crafted movement is seamlessly integrated with computer technology, from initial concept to final frame. Academy Award-winner Brian Van’t Hul is joined by Steve Emerson and Andrew Nawrot to discuss the collaborative relationship of the technologies in the upcoming feature “ParaNorman” (in theaters 17 August).

Assembling the VFX for Marvel’s “The Avengers”

Panelists: Victoria Alonso, Executive Producer and Executive Vice President of Visual Effects & Post Production; Jeff White, Visual Effects Supervisor, ILM; Guy Williams, Visual Effects Supervisor, Weta Digital; Marc Chu, Animation Supervisor, ILM; Aaron Gilman Animation Supervisor, Weta Digital

Leaders of the visual effects teams from Industrial Light & Magic and Weta Digital will discuss the unique effects challenges that this blockbuster film presented and how the studios broke new ground with their respective approaches to creating the seamless effects work. From the epic Mountain Battle between Iron Man and Thor and the climatic alien invasion of Manhattan to bringing the Hulk to life, the supervisors will detail what worked, what didn’t and the complexities involved in bringing “The Avengers” to the big screen.

About SIGGRAPH 2012
SIGGRAPH 2012 will bring thousands of computer graphics and interactive technology professionals from six continents to Los Angeles, California for the industry’s most respected technical and creative programs focusing on research, science, art, animation, music, gaming, interactivity, education, and the web from Sunday, 5 August through Thursday, 9 August 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. SIGGRAPH 2012 includes a three-day exhibition of products and services from the computer graphics and interactive marketplace from 7-9 August 2012. More details are available at http://s2012.siggraph.org/ or on the SIGGRAPH 2012 Facebook and Twitter.


About ACM SIGGRAPH
The ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques www.siggraph.org is an interdisciplinary community interested in research, technology, and applications in computer graphics and interactive techniques. Members include researchers, developers and users from the technical, academic, business, and art communities. ACM SIGGRAPH enriches the computer graphics and interactive techniques community year-round through its conferences, global network of professional and student chapters, publications, and educational activities.


About ACM
ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery www.acm.org is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field’s challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession’s collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for lifelong learning, career development, and professional networking.

1...867868869...1,097Page 868 of 1,097

InPark Magazine (IPM) covers the intersection of themed entertainment and technology. We specialize in creating custom-crafted content designed to appeal to the industry’s top designers, creators, developers, owners and operators.

Contact us: email
Read our privacy policy