2008 Woodie Awards
Animation festival chair addresses students
Kate Augusto
Issue date: 2/28/07 Section: The Inside
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For aspiring animators, the annual animation festival, Siggraph, is a place to showcase their art. On Monday, students were given a first-hand look into how the exhibits were chosen.
The festival showcases various multimedia from a multitude of sources around the world. Terrence Mason, a Boston native and 20 year animation professional, chaired the 2006 festival that was held in Boston last August. When he spoke in West Village F, he shared his experiences chairing the event and showed the main film of animations from the event to an audience of about 45 students. He also presented the main video shown at the festival, a combination of short animation pieces.
Kevin Hall, a junior animation major, said many animators dream of having their work showcased at Siggraph.
"It is pretty much the Academy Awards of animation," he said in an e-mail to the News. "It is the highest of honors, in my opinion, that an artist or studio can get … and to win best in show is like winning best picture at the [Oscars], you are immortalized in the animation industry."
Mason told the audience about the process and how judges chose what to showcase, noting that the showcase is open to all, not only professionals.
"Everyone is allowed and encouraged [to submit material], students and studios alike," Mason said.
Mason's professional experiences range from working on major feature films, like the Star Wars prequels, to interactive video games, to broadcast commercials.
"Having him here was really amazing because of how varied his experience is and the fact that he was in charge of the entire Siggraph event," said Casey Reuter, a middler animation major. "It was interesting being in the same room as the guy that planned the entire thing."
Last year, the Siggraph judges received 726 short films from 40 countries, a 30 percent jump from the previous year. Out of that number, the judges chose 96 films. Mason chose the eight diverse judges based on experience. Mason and the judges have over 200 years of combined experience.
The festival showcases various multimedia from a multitude of sources around the world. Terrence Mason, a Boston native and 20 year animation professional, chaired the 2006 festival that was held in Boston last August. When he spoke in West Village F, he shared his experiences chairing the event and showed the main film of animations from the event to an audience of about 45 students. He also presented the main video shown at the festival, a combination of short animation pieces.
Kevin Hall, a junior animation major, said many animators dream of having their work showcased at Siggraph.
"It is pretty much the Academy Awards of animation," he said in an e-mail to the News. "It is the highest of honors, in my opinion, that an artist or studio can get … and to win best in show is like winning best picture at the [Oscars], you are immortalized in the animation industry."
Mason told the audience about the process and how judges chose what to showcase, noting that the showcase is open to all, not only professionals.
"Everyone is allowed and encouraged [to submit material], students and studios alike," Mason said.
Mason's professional experiences range from working on major feature films, like the Star Wars prequels, to interactive video games, to broadcast commercials.
"Having him here was really amazing because of how varied his experience is and the fact that he was in charge of the entire Siggraph event," said Casey Reuter, a middler animation major. "It was interesting being in the same room as the guy that planned the entire thing."
Last year, the Siggraph judges received 726 short films from 40 countries, a 30 percent jump from the previous year. Out of that number, the judges chose 96 films. Mason chose the eight diverse judges based on experience. Mason and the judges have over 200 years of combined experience.
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