Inaugural SIGGRAPH Asia a resounding success
Singapore, 13 December 2008 - The world's top players and practitioners in computer graphics and interactive techniques flocked to Singapore this week as SIGGRAPH Asia made its debut in the region. More than 3,200 artists, researchers, developers, gaming experts, filmmakers, as well as academics gathered at Suntec City over four exciting days to discover new products, talents, technology, and techniques in the digital media industry. In all, a total of 49 countries were represented in an array of thought-provoking works and breakthrough ideas presented at the show.
"We first thought of introducing an Asian edition of SIGGRAPH almost two years ago, with a vision to bring the best in computer graphics and interactive techniques to players and audiences in the region. I am happy to note that we have indeed achieved this objective. Eighty percent of visitors to SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 were from within the region, including Australia and New Zealand. The excellent quality of work we have seen at SIGGRAPH Asia and the ideas that have been put forth bode well for the interactive and digital media industry in Asia," stated Alyn Rockwood, Advisory Group Chair, SIGGRAPH Asia Conference.
Animated caper comes up tops at Computer Animation Festival Awards
Winners of the Computer Animation Festival's Best of Show Award and two Jury Awards
were announced in a lively award ceremony on 11 December 2008 at the Suntec
Theatre. The winning pieces were chosen by a panel of industry experts based on their
commendable use of computer-generated imagery, animation and storytelling.
"Picking three winners from 685 entries to represent the best of animation techniques and creativity was a challenge. The entries submitted were from around the world, making SIGGRAPH Asia a truly global platform. The Computer Animation Festival itself saw overwhelming support from the industry and public alike, with close to 1,300 people attending the Electronic Theatre sessions," said Jinny Choo, Chair, Computer Animation Festival 2008. "All of the shows were completely sold out."
Below are the 2008 Computer Animation Festival Winners.
- Best of Show Award: This Way Up, Smith & Foulkes, Nexus Productions Ltd, United Kingdom
- Jury Award: KUDAN, Taku Kimura, Links DigiWorks Inc., Japan
- Jury Award: Oktapodi, Gobelins, l'école de l'image, France
Nexus Productions' short animated caper is about a day in the life of A.T. Shank & Son as they make their way cross country with just a coffin for company. The animation feature was not only entertaining, but also showcased high-quality computer animation.
This 3D computer-animated fantasy film by Japanese production house Links DigiWorks is about a man who is accidentally transformed into a Kudan. Kudan is a Japanese monster which has a human head but the body of a cow. It speaks a human language, predicts war or disaster and dies in three days. The jury was unanimous in their decision to award Kudan a Jury award for its exceptional graphics display.
Six third-year students from Gobelins, l'école de l'image in France created a slapstick comedy about two octopuses as they help each other escape from the grasps of a stubborn restaurant cook. Oktapodi represented the best of all student works submitted to SIGGRAPH Asia, and jury members picked the award not only for its narrative and entertainment value, but also to encourage students to produce similar high-quality work.
Job Fair attracts top studios and thousands of job-seekers
The SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 Job Fair, produced by CreativeHeads.net, was a big success
with 20 studios from around the globe recruiting for more than 80 positions, and
thousands of "right-brain" job-seekers visiting the Job Fair over the course of three days.
Companies participating included Animal Logic, Double Negative Visual Effects,
Lucasfilm, Pixar, and Ubisoft, among others. At the event, multiple job offers were
tendered to candidates as a result of their high level of skill and experience.
"CreativeHeads.net was very excited to be a part of SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 and provide a forum for talent and opportunity to connect. We are aggressively expanding our business into Asia since the digital media industry is growing exponentially in this part of the world. Many of the top animation, TV, film, visual FX and video game companies have opened studios and will be hiring aggressively for the months and years to come. As a result, SIGGRAPH Asia will become an increasingly important conference for the CG industries as a venue for continuing education and recruitment," said Ray Schnell, Partner/Chief Marketing Officer, CreativeHeads.net.
The industry's best and latest
True to the tradition of SIGGRAPH since its inception in 1974, SIGGRAPH Asia is the
platform where technology, art, culture, and science meet. Through its diverse
programmes, SIGGRAPH Asia offers something for every member of the computer
graphics world.
Said Lee Yong Tsui, Conference Chair, SIGGRAPH Asia 2008: "As SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 draws to a close, there is strong affirmation that Asia is indeed rising in prominence in the field of interactive and digital media. What we are seeing at SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 is only a glimpse of what the region's growing talent is capable of delivering. SIGGRAPH Asia will continue to be the driving force that will bring computer graphics in the region to a new level."
The next edition of SIGGRAPH Asia is taking place in Yokohama, Japan, from 16 to 19 December, 2009. SIGGRAPH Asia 2009 will be chaired by Masa Inakage, Professor, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, and Chair, Media Design Program, Graduate School of Media and Governance at Keio University, Japan. Masa Inakage is an internationally renowned digital artist, director and producer, and is one of Japan's leading authorities on emerging technologies and digital entertainment content production.
More information about SIGGRAPH Asia 2008
For more information, please contact:
Agnes Heng
Tel. +65 6500 6732
Safina Samian
Tel. +65 9761 1336
Pallavi Misra
Tel. +65 9437 0714
About SIGGRAPH Asia 2008
SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 presents the continent's first conference and exhibition devoted exclusively to computer graphics and interactive techniques. To be held at Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Singapore, SIGGRAPH Asia 2008 will feature an international conference from 10-13 December 2008, showcasing works that provoke thoughts, explore ideas in
innovative ways, address contemporary issues, interactively engage viewers in
discovery, and stimulate their intellect and creativity through art, computer animation, courses, education, technology, papers, sketches, and posters. SIGGRAPH Asia also includes a three-day exhibition of products and services from the computer graphics and interactive marketplace from 11-13 December 2008. Marking its entry into Asia, the first SIGGRAPH Asia is expected to bring together 6,000 computer graphics and interactive technology professionals and enthusiasts from Asia and beyond. SIGGRAPH Asia is sponsored by ACM.
More information about SIGGRAPH Asia
About ACM
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) SIGGRAPH sponsors SIGGRAPH
Asia 2008. ACM is an educational and scientific society uniting the world's computing educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the 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 life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.
