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Computer Animation '97 Film Festival

Introduction

The Computer Animation '97 Film Festival was held as part of this year's Telecom Interactive Conference and Exhibition in Geneva. The short-listed films had been shown all week on the CyberTheatre stand during the exhibition, but the Ceremony was the first chance to see all the films in a darkened room! The films were shown in two sessions (the running order is shown below) and in the interval there was a demonstration of Virtual Tennis'.

Stormfront being watched in the CyberTheatre

Virtual Tennis

This involved two participants wearing Flock of Birds VR input devices and head mounted displays, one in Geneva and one at EPFL in Lausanne. The audience could see both players on the video screen, together with the autonomous (and therefore impartial) umpire. One complete game was played, with the Geneva player winning. This was an impressive demonstration of the state-of-art software developed by MIRALAB at the University of Geneva and LGI at EPFL. It proved that by using this advanced software these high-end interactive environments are just feasible with existing technology, and the next generation of such systems will be even more advanced.

The dancer attached to sensors...

...to control the virtual dancer

Cyberdance

Following the second session there was another demonstration of VR, this time a 'Cyberdance'. This was choreographed by Sebastien Milano and directed by Prof Nadia Magnenat Thalmann. It involved computer generated dancers interacting with human performers in real-time. During the performance, some CG dancers were driven by human input (via a Flock of Birds as before) and some were entirely computer generated. This was another extremely impressive performance and received rapturous applause from the large audience.

Virtual and real dancers interacting in Cyberdance

Awards

The final event was to present the awards. There were 6 awards, and these were presented as shown below. The 3D Special Effect award, which was won by the work of a University of Bradford student Bejamin Smith, was a statue by the artist Jean-Louis Perrot.

Image from award winning film 'Stormfront'

Films

  1. Marilyn at the United Nations- Miralab - CH
  2. Chicken Crossing - Microsoft Studio - USA
  3. Guten Appetit - Hochschule fur Film und Fernsehen -D
  4. Atlanta in Motion - CVU Center Georgia Tech - USA
  5. Hungry - ENSA/AII - F
  6. James and the Giant Peach - Sony Pictures Imagesworks - USA
  7. Cahin-Caha - Universite Paris 8 - F Best Artistic Film Award
  8. Tiny - Texas A&M University - USA
  9. Shell Kiwi - Animation Research LTD - NZ
  10. Ragnarok - Bild for Bild- S
  11. Shell Card Gymnastics - R/GA - USA
  12. Robit - Microsoft - USA
  13. Reboot - Andraia Alliance International - CAN
  14. Huzzan (Bobaloo the Beast Boy) - Lamb & Compagny - USA
  15. Stormfront - University of Bradford - UK Best 3D Effect Award
  16. The Xian Soldiers - Miralab - CH
  17. Ziride - Supinfocom - F
  18. Pepsi Swingers - Blue Sky Studios INC - USA
  19. Mass Manipulator - Florencia Faivre - AR
  20. Barbie Nibbles on Horse - R/GA - USA
  21. Grand Prix - New Wave International - B
  22. The Roulette - ENSAI/AII - F 23. Joe's apartment "Roach Rally" - Blue Sky Studios, INC - USA
  23. Krakken - Exmachina - F Technological Innovation Award
  24. Divination - Robin Lipner Digital - USA
  25. Superstition - Monda S.A. - B Grand Prix Winner
  26. ADN - Okenite - F
  27. Contemporary Times - ECAL - USINE - CH
  28. Sticky Business - SVC - UK Best Fiction and Public Award Winner
  29. Joe's apartment "Funky Towel" - Blue Sky Studios, INC - USA

    Ian Palmer
    I.J.Palmer@bradford.ac.uk