Village Gamer

British Columbia representatives are in the spotlight as tens of thousands of participants converge on Anaheim for SIGGRAPH 2013, the place to be if you work with computer graphics and interactive technologies. B.C. is preparing to host SIGGRAPH 2014, the 40th anniversary edition of the influential event next year in Vancouver, which became the first location to host SIGGRAPH North America outside of the United States in 2011. That event welcomed 15,872 artists, research scientists, game developers, filmmakers and researchers from 74 countries. SIGGRAPH 2011 broke the city’s previous conference attendance records and, according to the Vancouver Convention Centre, generated an estimated $38.5 million in direct spending for the local economy.“Digital media and computer animation are growing industries in our province that provide thousands of jobs for British Columbians,” stated Shirley Bond, BC’s Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training. “As we continue to grow this critical industry, the SIGGRAPH event will allow us to showcase the skills that British Columbians have in this field. We look forward to welcoming programmers, researchers, and artists to Vancouver in 2014.”

British Columbia boasts a thriving cluster of innovative digital media companies fuelled by programmers, artists and researchers from the province’s world-class post-secondary institutions. Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia both have sizable contingents delivering technical papers this week at SIGGRAPH, which is recognized as the most prestigious forum for the publication of computer graphics research. To promote the province’s competitive advantages and SIGGRAPH’s return to Vancouver in 2014, British Columbia’s Ministry of International Trade is partnering with the federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada; the Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles; Creative BC; the Vancouver Economic Commission; and DigiBC to present a comprehensive marketing and outreach program this week in Anaheim, which includes:

• Pixar Canada’s Amair Nasrabadi is headlining a breakfast seminar for roughly 100 world leaders in digital media. Nasrabadi is the vice-president and general manager of Vancouver-based Pixar Canada, which produces animated shorts and television specials featuring characters from Pixar’s films. The seminar is titled “Doing Business in Canada” and features a panel of experts and opening remarks from David Fransen, Canadian Consul General, Los Angeles.

• B.C.’s booth showcases original works by local digital media artists and studios. It features a theatre-style seminar space that will host 26 presentations about the province’s digital media sector, including “Life of Pi Storm Sequence” by MPC Film’s Guillaume Rocheron, “The Visual Effects of the Pacific Rim” by Hal Hickel of Industrial Light & Magic, and “Made in Kelowna: British Columbia’s Digital Hotspot” by business development officer Corie Griffiths. The booth includes a private meeting room and British Columbia’s trade and investment representatives for the United States will be on hand to help B.C. attendees make connections.

• This past Sunday, British Columbia sponsored a networking event after the SIGGRAPH Business Symposium, which draws 250 studio executives and investors. B.C.’s international trade and investment representatives provided greetings and invited guests to SIGGRAPH 2014.

“B.C. is an international hub for cutting-edge digital media and animation,” said Teresa Wat, Minister of International Trade and Minister Responsible for the Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism. “Through our international trade and investment network, we make connections at the world’s best trade shows that result in investment and job creation right here in British Columbia.”

“The digital media industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in Vancouver,” added Joan Elangovan, acting chief executive officer, Vancouver Economic Commission.  “More than 800 companies generate over $3 billion in revenue annually. The VEC is pleased to be part of the B.C. team on the ground in Anaheim and we look forward to once again being the host city for this world-class event in Vancouver next year.”

B.C. post-secondary institutions such as the Vancouver Institute of Media Arts, Vancouver Animation School and Vancouver Film School are also represented at SIGGRAPH 2013. Students and faculty from both UBC and SFU are presenting (and co-presenting) technical papers at this year’s SIGGRAPH.

Richard Brownsey, president and chief executive officer, CreativeBC concluded with “CreativeBC works with the province’s creative industries to capitalize on the sector’s strengths and identify new opportunities for the future. SIGGRAPH is the perfect forum to showcase the province and the work we are doing there this year will help make next year’s event an even bigger success.”

SIGGRAPH 2013 – British Columbia Booth Presentation Schedule

Tuesday July 23, 2013

10:00am	How we will make Decisions in the Future with 3D Visualization By Barry Po, NGRAIN
10:30am	Bringing Down the House: Method Studios’ work on ‘White House Down’  By Ollie Rankin, Method Studios
11:00am	The Visual Effects of Pacific Rim  By Hal Hickel, Industrial Light & Magic
12:00pm	Leveraging creative talent bases within a borderless industry The Prime Focus Vancouver HUB and the global Prime Focus World By Chris Del Conte & Jon Cowley, Prime Focus
1:00pm	British Columbia’s Provincial Nominee Program: Immigration Pathways for Skilled Workers  By Erin Seeley, British Columbia Government
1:30pm	How to Get and Stay Competitive in Today’s VFX Job Market By Nicholas Boughen, CG Masters Academy
2:00pm	Performance Capture: Art and Technology By Brett Ineson & Stefanie Boose , Animatrik
2:30pm	World class Industry Focused Training in Vancouver By  Janet Cacchioni, Vancouver Institute of Media Arts
3:00pm	The Future of Eye-Tracking by Gazepoint By Craig Hennessey, Gazepoint
4:00pm	A Look at Cebas’ GPU Rendering & Particles Effects in Hollywood By Edwin Braun, Cebas Visual Technology Inc.
4:30pm	How to Get and Stay Competitive in Today’s VFX Job Market By Nicholas Boughen, CG Masters Academy
5:00pm	‘Life of Pi’ Storm Sequence By Guillaume Rocheron, Moving Picture Company Vancouver

Wednesday July 24, 2013

10:00am	Rainmaker Entertainment: From Small Screen to Big Screen By Steven Elford, Rainmaker Entertainment Inc.
10:30am	Navigating a Sea of Green By Mike Romney, ZOIC Studios
11:00am	Image Engine: From ‘District 9’ to ‘Elysium’ By Shawn Walsh and Peter Muyzers, Image Engine
11:30am	Virtual Production at The Capture Lab By Jeremy McCarron, The Capture Lab
12:00pm	The Vancouver Story: How Vancouver Grew into a World Class Creative Digital Hub By Nancy Mott, Vancouver Economic Commission
12:30pm	How to Get and Stay Competitive in Today’s VFX Job Market By Nicholas Boughen, CG Masters Academy
1:00pm	British Columbia’s Provincial Nominee Program: Immigration Pathways for Skilled Workers By Erin Seeley, British Columbia Government
1:30pm	How to Get and Stay Competitive in Today’s VFX Job Market By Nicholas Boughen, CG Masters Academy
2:00pm	Made in Kelowna: British Columbia’s Digital Hotspot By Corie Griffiths, Invest Kelowna, British Columbia
2:30pm	Art-Directing Physical Simulations from Micro to Massive Scales In Motion Picture and Commercial VFX  By Mark Stasiuk, Fusion CI Studios
3:00pm	Nerd Corps Entertainment – Who Are These Nerds Anyway? By Anne Denman, Nerd Corps Entertainment

Thursday July 25, 2013

10:00am	Project Management in a Creative Environment By Larry Bafia, Centre for Digital Media
10:30am	Made in Kelowna: British Columbia’s Digital Hotspot By Corie Griffiths, Invest Kelowna, British Columbia
11:00am	Mighty Might Monsters- Bron Animation Inc. By Brenday Gilbert, Bron Studios
12:00pm	The Vancouver Story: How Vancouver Grew into a World Class Creative Digital Hub  By Nancy Mott, Vancouver Economic Commission
1:00pm	British Columbia’s Provincial Nominee Program: Immigration Pathways for Skilled Workers  By Erin Seeley, British Columbia Government