WestConn To Host Computer Animation Festival

DANBURY — With computer graphics and computer animation gaining prominence in films, medical simulations, computer gaming, and an array of other areas, the Graphics Research Group (GRG) at Western Connecticut State University is hosting its Second Annual GRG Computer Animation Festival from Tuesday, April 8, through Thursday, April 10. The event will be in the Student Center on the university’s midtown campus, 181 White Street. The festival will be free and open to the public.

The highlights of the festival will include a juried student animation competition and exhibition. The competition is open to students attending a college or university in the six New England states of Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Maine.

“This will be a wonderful opportunity for students to showcase their creative work,” said GRG director Dr William Joel, an associate professor of computer science at WestConn. “In the second year of the festival, we wanted to add some new elements, including this showcase for students working with animation in the Northeast.”

Selected works will be displayed in a continuous loop from 10 am to 5 pm in the Student Center Theater during the three-day festival, which also will feature a number of speakers from throughout the industry.

Dr Joel said he chose the five speakers, in part, because they represent the range of areas involved in the industry –– from animation to modeling to development.

Scheduled to speak first is Mike Bannon, director/creative director/executive vice president of Wreckless Abandon Studios in East Granby. From 3 to 4:30 pm on Tuesday, April 8, Mr Bannon will discuss “The Impact of the Computer on Traditional Animation.”

Ken Baer, the director of Macintosh Program Development for Hash, Inc, in Vancouver, Wash., will discuss “The Evolution of 3D Animation Tools on the Desktop” from 7 to 8:30 pm on Tuesday.

From 3 to 4:30 pm on Wednesday, April 9, Chris Thomas, president of Inverse Media in Southport, will share “One Animator’s Perspective.” Thomas will describe his 15-year involvement in computer animation, ranging from a historical overview to current and future trends in the industry.

Tony Caio, president of DMA Animation Studio in New York City, is scheduled to speak from 7 to 8:30 pm on Wednesday. The topic of the discussion is to be announced.

Daniel Williams, a senior modeler for Blue Sky Studios in White Plains, N.Y., will discuss “Ice Age: Modeling Prehistoric Characters” from 7 to 8:30 pm on Thursday, April 10.

For more information about the festival, call Dr Joel at 837-9353 or the WestConn Office of Public Relations at 837-8486.