February 2009
Recognizing the importance of supporting students in the dynamic visual effects sector of the
entertainment industry, Autodesk Vice President of the Digital Entertainment Group, Stig Gruman, presented the first-ever student award at the Visual Effects Society (VES) annual awards show in February.
The winners were Sandy Widyanata and Courtney Wise, who created their short film, ‘PLASTIC,’ as a graduation project while studying at the Australian Film Television and Radio School.
The short is a live-action film supported by the art of animation and visual effects about the obsession for the perfect body image. It was developed using a variety of technology, including Autodesk Maya, a powerful, integrated 3D modeling, animation and rendering application.
Autodesk, a longstanding supporter of visual arts and design education, first proposed the idea of a student award to the VES in 2007. Steven Spielberg, the renowned director and producer, reinforced Autodesk's belief in promoting student accomplishment when he received the ‘VES Lifetime Achievement Award’ at last year's ceremony. In his acceptance speech, Spielberg commented that he was impressed with the fantastic student work that he'd seen recently, and encouraged the VES to invest in its future and recognize such exceptional achievement.
"This award is a wonderful opportunity for us to inspire the next generation of design professionals," said Joe Astroth, Autodesk Vice President of Learning and Education.
"As visual effects become more technically complex, the need for well-trained talent in the entertainment industry continues to grow. We're very proud to partner with prestigious international organizations like the VES to encourage students to hone their digital
technology skills and prepare for exciting careers."
"We were thrilled when one of our earliest supporters, Autodesk, committed to making this important award possible," said VES Executive Director Eric Roth.
"We hope this student recognition will become an annual rite of passage for the Steven Spielbergs of tomorrow."
The award honors exceptional visual effects in a project created by a student or group of students while attending an accredited school. Evaluation criteria included how well the visual effects serve the story being told and whether the work demonstrates exceptional talent.
VES selected four international nominees, and the winning entry was chosen through online voting by VES members from around the world.
In addition to ‘PLASTIC,’ nominees included ‘Hangar Number Five’ from the United States, ‘La Main Des Maitres’ from France, and ‘Our Wonderful Nature’ from Germany.
"Sandy and I worked together very closely to develop the story of 'PLASTIC' without a particular technology in mind," said Courtney Wise, the film's producer. "We believe that technology is most powerful when it enhances, rather than dominates the film."
"However, we recognized that without 3D technology such as Maya, the story and message of 'PLASTIC' would never have been achievable or feasible," added Sandy Widyanata, the director and visual effects artist.
"We would have had to tell the story as an animation, which would not have been as compelling. 'PLASTIC' needed to be live action in order to have the greatest impact."
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