There is a revolution emerging right now in the world of animation and motion graphics— the move to full-on 3D production and post. These are transformative times indeed, from the sharp rise in shooting and posting live-action, stereoscopic 3D (click through the Web pages of Studiodaily.com and Film & Video to read more about it) to DreamWorks Animation’s recent path-forging decision to create and render all of its animated films in 3D from now on (see "The Biz," on page 32 of this issue). Many personal fortunes, countless jobs and the future of entertainment itself hang in the balance. And more important, will we like what we see?
Maybe it’s better to think of it all as just another evolution, which also happens to be the theme of this year’s SIGGRAPH, running August 11 -15 in L.A. Where else but at SIGGRAPH, the show that celebrates the revolutionary and the primal, can you hear a paper that outlines an automatic method for generating self-animating images— in other words, still images that appear to move with a simple visual trick of the eye— and then hear Catherine Owens, co-director of U2 3D, speak about bringing emotional gravitas to the first multi-camera stereoscopic live digital production?
This show, which celebrates technology as much as it does the creative artist, always reminds us that the idea comes first, then technology steps in.
In the same spirit, all of the tutorial guides in this issue (pages 12 -18) write reverently about that idea and how they relied on reference material to inspire and shape their output throughout the creative process. We may think it’s a revolution when we combine elements in a new way and break out of binding limitations. But we all know that what goes around comes around. Referencing and thereby honoring past graphic and narrative styles and forms— whether emotionally or technically— is what we’ve always done and continue to do. It’s how we evolve as creatives. New technology may help us piece it together differently and refreshingly, but everything begins with inspiration.
Which brings me to our inspired cover, designed by Zoa Martinez, president and creative director of Zona Design and a past "Hot House" subject (see December, 2007) and tutorial contributor. Zoa took on the challenge of reinterpreting this month’s Studio cover, as our third annual guest designer, by riffing on a revolution/evolution theme. The result is a provocative and saturated study in motion that bursts out of its 2D frame, blending the sharp edges of Russian avant-garde posters with a playful, Pop Art sensibility. It’s a Highlights Hidden Picture for grown-up production and post types— the more you look at it, the more you’ll uncover. See you at SIGGRAPH and let me know what you’ve found.
— Beth Marchant, Editor-in-Chief
bmarchant@accessintel.com