Digital Artform

SIGGRAPH Impressions

SIGGRAPH has changed.

The annual conference, which was recently held Aug. 3-8 [1997] in Los Angeles, has gotten bigger over the years, and of course the level of sophistication in software and hardware on the exhibition floor has increased dramatically. But there's something else about the conference that I heard from more than one attendee: It's become routine.

I took some friends to see the Electronic Theater back in 1987. I remember how mystified they were that a cast shadow or motion blur could elicit something close to a standing ovation. They didn't understand the significance of the technical problem that had been solved. But the rest of us did. Those were exciting times for us even though the media still treated compuer graphics as a fad. The main thrust of the articles was, "Will it ever work? Or matter?"

We, of course, trusted that it would eventually become an important tool for applications including filmmaking, and it was thrilling to watch each step along the way.

Not all the problems have yet been solved, but computer graphics has become mature enough that many users are happy to make do with what they have now. The big software manufacturers continue to come out with their latest releases and the hardware companies are beginning to explore new (and usually less expensive) platforms, putting CG capabilities into the hands of more people than ever before. That has enabled moremore and more individuals to open effects boutiques for commercial work.

But the essential underlying algorithms have changed very little in the past few years. The result is that SIGGRAPH seems to have a "more of the same" quality about it lately.

Party Time

Another important and often overlooked aspect of SIGGRAPH is the party circuit/social scene. The parties this year were large gatherings held at fun places like the L.A. Zoo, the Sony lot, and The Century Club, and featured major performers like George Clinton and The Presidents of the United States of America [whatever happened to them?] The scramble for invitations begins early and consumes a lot of energy. The purpose of those parties is often to recruit that elusive but much sought-after person: The CG animator with actual talent.

The parties are also opportunities for friends to reestablish relationships with each other, scan the room for familiar faces and interrupt conversations (in a way that would be considered rude in any other gathering). [I always thought that dynamic was pretty rude at SIGGRAPH, too.] Anyone who has been in the industry more than just a few years probably knows at least one person at every major postproduction house in the country, so at SIGGRAPH news travels fast.

While the major topic was the closing of Warner Digital, the general mood was that while some majors were feeling pinched, computer graphics is a trade that's growing.

Joseph Francis is a freelance Visual Effects Supervisor.

Your Shot [column]
SHOOT Magazine
August 22, 1997