SVA Celebrates Animation At Annecy & SIGGRAPH 2019
New York City-based School of Visual Arts had a robust presence this year at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France. It was the festival’s biggest year ever, drawing 12,300 attendees from 92 countries, and SVA’s team shared in the passion and excitement of animation lovers from around the world.
The entire SVA team had a packed schedule full of panels, screenings, and industry events at this year’s festival. Women in Animation (WIA) and Les Femmes s’Animent (LFA) hosted their third annual WIA World Summit, where Hsiang Chin Moe, Chair of BFA Animation at SVA, was part of the Supporting Students of Animation panel, moderated by Brendan Burch, CEO of Six Point Harness and chair of students at WIA.
The fellow panelists were Deb Stone, director of recruiting and talent development at Blue Sky Studios and co-lead of WIA NYC; and Cécile Carre, 2d animator at The SPA Studios. They discussed how to handle the high volume of female students, many from abroad; the cultural and technical challenges in animation schools; and how industry and education can work together to create a supportive and practical bridge between schools and studios.
Another exciting event at Annecy was the Mifa Campus panel, specifically designed for talents to learn about the latest productions from studios and practical tips on how to enter the industry at different stages of their careers. The panel “Master Your Career in Animation” mixed recruiters and hiring managers from across the animation and vfx industries, including representatives from Titmouse Inc. (U.S.), Illumination Mac Guff (France), Framestore (U.K.), and Brown Bag Films (Ireland & U.K).
This year, the panelists put together a series of examples to not only talk about how to put together a portfolio and reel, but to show actual work illustrating best practices for standing out from the competition.
The next conference that School of Visual Arts representatives will attend is SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles from July 28th to August 1st. Events next week include a panel by Women in Animation and USC’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Technical Papers Fast Forward, and the Computer Animation Festival at the Electronic Theater.
Terrence Masson, Chair of MFA Computer Arts and the Outstanding Service Award Chair at SIGGRAPH, will be presenting the Outstanding Service Award during opening ceremonies on Monday.
There will also be a panel on “Women in CG” on Wednesday, July 31, from 11am to noon. Speakers include Hsiang Chin Moe from School of Visual Arts and Katie Bouman, who led the development of an algorithm for imaging black holes, among others. Lastly, there will be the annual SVA x SIGGRAPH x LA Mixer with alumni and friends working in film, gaming, and visual effects companies on Monday, July 29, 2019.
To learn more about the various art programs available at the School of Visual Arts, visit sva.edu.
