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 SPARK ANIMATION '09
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SPARK ANIMATION '09 Film Festival September 16 – 20, 2009 Industry Conference
Prices are subject to change. Spark Animation '09 conference passes on sale now. Conference pass holders are entitled to participate in the following Spark Animation 09 conference sessions and activities: lectures, panels, industry mixers and party. Tickets for individual conference sessions and film screenings go on sale September 1. Join the mailing list to make sure that you get all the announcements. Check the website regularly for film, session and speaker updates. Cancellation policy: Unfortunately, there is no reimbursement for advanced purchased passes and tickets. All sales are final. Check the website regularly for film, session and speaker updates.
SCHEDULE
SPEAKER SESSIONS ThursdayThursday - September 17, 9:00 AM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) With the release of Coraline, LAIKA became the first company to use 3D printing technology to create thousands of replacement animation faces, props and in-camera visual effects for the feature length stop-motion animated film. Three cutting-edge 3D printing systems from Objet Geometries were used in the development and production of this critically acclaimed film. Since the completion of Coraline, the creative team at LAIKA has continued to push the boundaries of 3D printing technology and is exploring unique applications for its use in the animation industry. By exploiting an "engineer's tool," LAIKA has redefined how a 3D printer can be utilized as an "Artist's tool." From early character designs, to highly detailed computer sculpts and artistically engineered puppets, 3D printers are breaking out into artistically dominated fields. Thursday - September 17, 1:00 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) GOBELINS, L'ECOLE DE L'IMAGE is a school of applied arts, print and digital media affiliated to the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It prepares young artists for professional work in the ever widening field of animated images that stretches from cartoon series, feature and art films to video games and special effects. Many Gobelins graduates of the animation course now work in major studios around the world, prized for their creative and technical excellence as well as the professional level of their skills. Thursday - September 17, 2:45 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Toronto-based Starz Animation worked for an intense 18 months to realize Shane Acker's vision for the movie 9.  Thursday - September 17, 4:30 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) This presentation covers the development of the art direction and style for the feature film The Secret of Kells, detailing the evolution of the character designs and backgrounds. Inspired by Celtic art and The Book of Kells itself, Director Tomm Moore and Art Director Ross Stewart worked to combine these influences with modern 2d animation techniques. Over 10 years in the making from, development to final product, the film represents the work of over 200 people.
Friday - September 18, 9:00 AM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Designing unique characters and animation styles for a feature film is a complex process and only a privileged few see all the research and thought that goes into the development stage of production. With early development footage that is rarely seen outside the DreamWorks studio, David Burgess, Head of Character Animation on Monsters Vs Aliens, offers a rare glimpse into the development of this entertaining 3-D feature. David will reveal the inspiration behind some of their memorable characters, including reference materials used to design the animation and visual style of the film. David will run through the process of a shot from storyboard to final lighting, and go over the development of the film's main characters from early designs, through hand drawn tests, into early 3D rig & performance tests, and finally some finished animation from the film. Friday - September 18, 10:45 AM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Conrad Vernon, co-Director, and Dave Burgess, Head of Character Animation, discuss the making of Monsters vs. Aliens including the challenges of executing a feature length animated film for a major animation studio. Both will reveal some of the influences that drove the design and story, including how they were able to meld Conrad's personal style with the influences of cartoonists like Jack Davis and Don Martin of Mad magazine. Conrad and David will also go over the process of bringing that 2D caricature style to 3D characters and the added task of executing a motion picture in stereoscopic 3-D while having fun with aliens and giant women. This candid and irreverent conversation between artists will entertain and amuse, with plenty of behind-the-scenes anecdotes that will make participants see Monsters vs. Aliens with a different perspective. Friday - September 18, 1:00 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) This presentation will focus on the making of both the Academy Award nominated short film No Time For Nuts and Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs. The presenters will talk about the production pipeline at Blue Sky Studios, and discuss some of the many challenges faced in these productions. Various stages of production will be shown and discussed to give an insiders glimpse of how work progresses as it moves through production. We'll be talking about the Art Direction challenges we faced with creating new worlds and characters within the existing Ice Age franchise, as well as some of the new challenges we faced as a result of presenting in stereoscopic 3D. Friday - September 18, 2:45 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) In visual story telling it is essential not just to have beautifully composed shots but meaningful compositions as well. A camera plan is crucial to achieving this goal. A camera plan maps out the camera's visual structure and progression that parallels the story and follows the emotional arc of the main characters. This presentation will take you through the aesthetic thought process in creating and implementing Up's camera structure. Friday - September 18, 4:30 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) In challenging economic times and with increasingly sophisticated audiences, narrative filmmakers are seeking to produce higher quality films more efficiently. Surprisingly, the solution for many has come from computer animation. 3D Previsualization is a collaborative process that enables filmmakers to explore lightweight, easily modifiable versions of shots, sequences, or entire films. From creative exploration to technical problem solving, Previs enhances visual communication and enables creators to optimize their entire workflow from pre-production through post-production. Join Chris Edwards and Jericca Cleland for an overview of the powerful paradigm of Previsualization and witness the shape of things to come. Friday - September 18, 4:30 PM Opus Room · Opus Hotel Founded in 2002 by a coalition of anime companies and local government as a way to increase anime's international potential, the Tokyo International Anime Fair (known as TAF) has grown to become a major event on the industry's calendar. Every March, over 250 companies exhibiting across 750 booth promoting characters spanning nearly 60 years of Japanese animation history gather in Tokyo, Japan making this event the largest animation exhibition in the world. The exhibition features a "trade fair" with booth exhibits by anime-related companies, "events" including spectacular stage performances and movie theatre screenings, and the "Tokyo Anime Awards" which honours outstanding anime works. In 2009, TAF welcomed about 130,000 visitors to its 4-day event. Mr. Hitoshi Suzuki, the Chief Producer of TAF will provide an overview of the fair's origins, history, goals and the important influence this event has on the animation industry in Japan. Friday - September 18, 6:00 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Conceived and directed by Chris Williams (who made his feature directing debut this year with Disney's animated comedy-fantasy ''Bolt''), ''Glago's Guest'' follows the intriguing and thought-provoking story of a lonely Russian soldier stationed in a remote Siberian outpost. When the soldier's solitude is interrupted one day by the arrival of a strange new ''guest,'' Glago is jolted out of his uneventful daily routine but soon comes to realize that things aren't always what they appear to be. With its bold art direction, stark but stylish depiction of the frozen Russian landscape, and inspired computer-animation, ''Glago's Guest'' is an exciting, entertaining, and original short film that uses the medium to full advantage.
Saturday - September 19, 9:00 AM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) From Production Design to Camera, Ricky Nierva (Production Designer) and Patrick Lin (Director of Photography-Camera) will discuss the look and direction of Disney/Pixar's latest animated feature, Up, based upon simple shape language.  Saturday - September 19, 10:45 AM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Based on the beloved children's book by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs the film follows the story of Flint Lockwood and his extraordinary invention that makes food rain from the sky. This presentation will take the viewer through the making of the movie, from its conception to the screen. Areas of production like storyboarding, character design, production design, animation, and effects will be touched upon to give the viewer a taste of all the delicious ingredients used to create this film. In addition, a special progression will be included, following an animated shot from rough layout to final animation, along with a fun sequence from the movie. Saturday - September 19, 1:00 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Emud Mokhberi will present the making of Oktapodi, nominated for Best Animated Short Film at the 2009 Academy Awards. He will explain how the group of six student directors formed at Gobelins, l’école de l’image, and the challenges that they faced in both the preproduction and production of the film. He will show the animatic and preproduction design work and discuss character setups, lighting, fx, animation and other aspects of the films execution. Saturday - September 19, 2:45 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) David Fine is the co-creator (with Alison Snowden) of the Oscar® winning short, Bob's Birthday as well as the acclaimed series, Bob and Margaret, which was based on the short. His latest series is Ricky Sprocket, Showbiz Boy, made for Teletoon and Nickelodeon. Hear David talk about his experiences going from independent short filmmaker to prime time and kids TV series creator. Learn what it takes to go from spending two years to make a twelve-minute short to two years to make 26 half hours.
PANELS
Thursday - September 17, 9:00 AM Opus Room · Opus Hotel The advent of social media (aka Web 2.0) has unlocked a real opportunity for animation producers to directly harness the energy of their most dedicated fans and turn it into a better bottom line. Using best of breed examples, speakers will provide an overview of the current new media landscape, and discuss how film and television producers can use these techniques to their advantage. Whether via elaborate transmedia strategies or a simple Twitter account, producers can help audiences forge a strong and lasting relationship with a property... even before a single production dollar is spent.
Saturday - September 19, 4:30 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Film, Games, Animation and TV industry professionals participate in a moderated discussion on how they are approaching CG Pre-visualization and how they perceive its application within the entertainment industry. From formative narrative sculpting to complex visual effects planning to pitch reel production to game pre-pro for cinematics and game features, the panelists will demonstrate and discuss both the how and the why behind CG pre-visualization. Come hear the perspectives of a variety of players in this rapidly expanding and dynamic field.
MASTER CLASS Friday - September 18, 1:00 PM Opus Room · Opus Hotel You are invited to a presentation and discussion with Ricky Nierva, Production Designer of Up, to introduce, discuss, study, and exercise the working knowledge involved in creating characters for feature animation. The primary emphasis will be on the development of character, the story behind the character and the effect that has on the overall design. The discussion will involve many aspects of animation character design: shape, silhouette, caricature, and research.
FILMS
Wednesday - September 16, 7:30 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Winner of two audience awards (Annecy International Animated Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival), THE SECRET OF KELLS is a visually stunning fantasy adventure story set in an exciting period of Ireland's history. It draws its plot source and stylistic inspiration from Ireland's most precious medieval artifact The Book of Kells.
 Wednesday - September 16, 9:15 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Auteur director Michel Ocelot creates another cinematic masterpiece with Azur and Asmar, a parable about racial tolerance. It is a beautiful story that combines cutouts with CGI and captures the mesmerizing beauty of Islamic art to create a magical world where scarlet lions with blue claws and birds with rainbow wings exist.
Thursday - September 17, 7:30 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Theodore Thomas's documentary Frank and Ollie reveals the touching story of the lifelong friendship his father, Frank Thomas, had with fellow Disney animator Ollie Johnston. Best friends from when they met in college (1931), legendary animators Frank Thomas (1912-2004) and Ollie Johnston (1912-2008) roomed together, lived next door to one another, and had adjacent rooms at the Walt Disney Studios. Two of the best "actors with a pencil" who ever lived, they were responsible for some of the most memorable moments in animation and cinema history: dwarfs crying at Snow White's bier, Pinocchio lying to the Blue Fairy, Bambi and Thumper ice-skating, Lady and Tramp sharing a plate of spaghetti, and Baloo teaching Mowgli the bare necessities of life. Frank and Ollie captures their rare chemistry and outlook on life — a friendship and body of creative work that has touched the entire world. Thursday - September 17, 9:15 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) One of the most popular Disney films ever, The Jungle Book is still a delight to watch, more than 40 years after its initial release. Inspired by Rudyard Kipling's "Mowgli" story, this fun-filled story of friendship, fun and adventure follows the ups and downs of the man-cub Mowgli as he makes his way back to the human village with wise panther Bagheera to escape ruthless tiger Shere Khan. Along the way, he meets some unforgettable friends and foes including mad King Louie of the Apes, the hypnotic snake Kaa and the loveable, happy-go-lucky bear Baloo, who teaches Mowgli "The Bare Necessities" of life and the true meaning of friendship.
Friday - September 18, 7:30 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) This year, 2009, marks the 10-year anniversary of Brad Bird's heartfelt masterpiece THE IRON GIANT. With a video intro by director Brad Bird, Spark Animation '09 is proud to bring this animated classic back to the big screen for a 35 mm print screening.
Friday - September 18, 9:15 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Ghost in the Shell 2.0 is a new remastered version of the original 1995 sci-fi classic by Mamoru Oshii. This update version contains over 90 scenes that have been altered or enhanced with CGI, and an all-new soundtrack, which includes re-recorded voices from the original actors and a new 6.1 audio mix from Oscar-winning sound designer Randy Thom. This new version contains one deliberate change that adds a new spin to the original story. 
Saturday - September 19, 7:00 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Come experience the latest advancements in computer graphics and the world's best animation and visual effects in a special showcase version of this year's SIGGRAPH Conference's Computer Animation Festival. Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH is proud to present this special program of the best of the best, with a diverse selection of animation from individual artists, scientific visualizations, animated commercials and excerpts from visual effects feature films. Special animated treats include Chris Landreth's latest short The Spine and Peter Sohn's Partly Cloudy. 
Sunday - September 20, 7:30 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Winner of two major film awards (Annecy International Animated Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival) Oscar winning director Adam Elliot's first feature length film, Mary and Max is a moving film with a quiet and understated charm that is also present in Adam's short films. Sunday - September 20, 9:15 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) $9.99 is an enchanting and inventive stop motion animated fable that offers slightly less than $10 worth about the meaning of life.
EVENT Saturday - September 19, 9:00 PM Vancouver Int'l Film Centre (VIFC) Come join us as we celebrate the end of the Spark Animation '09 Conference sessions on Saturday September 19 with an industry party filled with beer, wine, music and innovative entertainment that will amaze you. Last year's party sensation Tangible Interaction returns to Spark Animation '09 with some of their latest techno-creations.
SPEAKERS BIOS Chris Edwards Chris Edwards is the son of a Rocket Scientist and a Costume Designer. Somewhere in the middle of those two interests lies the heart of a Previs Artist. After Film School, Chris spent 5 years at Walt Disney Feature Animation as a Lead 3D Layout Artist for films such as Dinosaur & Treasure Planet. In 2002, he joined a team of 10 artists at George Lucas' Skywalker Ranch to help previsualize Star Wars: Episode III. Chris Williams Sony Pictures Imageworks' Chris Williams most recently worked as a lead character animator on Sony Pictures Animation's Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, a mouth-watering 3D comedy inspired by the popular children's book of the same name by Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett. Williams was responsible for managing an animation team on specific sequences, including casting, animating shots and ensuring the work meets the vision and high standards set by the film's directors. Conrad Vernon Conrad Vernon recently directed DreamWorks Animation's 2009 and first 3D stereoscopic release, Monsters vs. Aliens. Conrad made his feature film directorial debut in 2004 with the Oscar-nominated Shrek 2, which went on to become the highest grossing animated film of all time. In addition, Vernon reprised his role as the voice of the Gingerbread Man in the comedy hit Shrek the Third, a character he voiced in all three Shrek films, and voiced the chimp Mason in the hit Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and the original Madagascar. He previously served as a storyboard artist and additional dialogue writer on Shrek. www.dreamworksanimation.com David Burgess David Burgess does not have any time to get into trouble – he has been busy enough animating! www.dreamworksanimation.com David Fine David Fine works alongside his partner, Alison Snowden. Together they create award-winning animated TV shows, short films and ads including the prime time adult series, Bob and Margaret, and recently, the Teletoon/Nickelodeon kids series Ricky Sprocket, Showbiz Boy which airs in over 150 countries. They have received three nominations for an Academy Award and received one Oscar® for their short film Bob's Birthday, about a depressed middle-aged dentist. This short spawned the TV series Bob and Margaret, which ran to 52 half hours and garnered numerous awards and press accolades in Canada, the US and the UK. Alison provided the voice of Margaret. Emud is a 2009 Academy Award nominee in the Best Animated Short Film category, for Oktapodi, which he co-directed at Gobelins with Julien Bocabeille, François-Xavier Chanioux, Olivier Delabarre, Thierry Marchand and Quentin Marmier. He has presented the film and its making of at FMX, SIGGRAPH, PISAF, Pixar Animation Studios and Industrial Light & Magic. Emud studied at the UCLA School of Film Theater and Television before attending Gobelins and most recently worked as a character animator at Sony Pictures Imageworks. Eric Riewer Eric Riewer became the Head of the Animation Department of Gobelins, l'école de l'image based in Paris in 1998, following in the footsteps of Pierre Ayma who founded the department in 1974. Prior to joining Gobelins, he worked as the head of training for the Canal Plus media group based in Paris. He obtained a French doctorate degree at the University of Paris in letters after getting an American BA and MA degrees in European History at UCLA in Los Angeles where he was born and raised. In 2006, he became the manager of international relations for the whole Gobelins school which in addition to animation also offers training in multiple fields of visual communication, including photography, multimedia, graphic arts and industrial graphics. He also manages an International Summer School course in character animation at Gobelins as well as master classes in Asia. Henry LaBounta Academy Award nominee Henry LaBounta works with selected teams at Black Box to set the look and style of the games. He joined EA as Senior Art Director for SSX3 and since then has also held the role of Chief Visual Officer for EA Sports. Hitoshi Suzuki Mr. Hitoshi Suzuki is the Chief Producer for the Tokyo International Anime Fair, an annual meeting place for anime companies, buyers and fans. Mr. Suzuki first joined the organization as the Exhibition Producer in 2005 before assuming his current position as Chief Producer, working closely with the Tokyo International Anime Fair's Executive Committee. He is on loan from the Toei Animation Co. Ltd. to Tokyo International Anime Fair. Before joining the Tokyo International Anime Fair, Mr. Suzuki worked at some high profiled companies including Toei Animation Institute. Jason Hopkins Jason Hopkins grew up in the small town of Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island and took a chance in the big city when he moved to Vancouver in 1996 to attend the Vancouver Film School. He enrolled in the 3D Graphics Program and since then has worked in a variety of areas in the computer animation field with experience working on television, straight-to-video movies, making the switch over to video games six years ago. His hobbies include photography, snowboarding, video games, writing and too many home renovations. Jennifer Ouano For over 15 years, Jennifer has worn many media hats as an award-winning multiplatform producer, director, consultant and entrepreneur. She is a recognized leader in the Canadian new media industry, being called upon to present her expertise on digital entertainment and social media trends, technologies, challenges and opportunities. Through Elastic Entertainment, she has developed web and mobile tech platforms and applications, produced cross-media projects for broadcasters, and consulted with media companies about their interactive strategies. Jericca Cleland Jericca Cleland is the Director and CEO of Twenty One Inc, a cross-media film development and preproduction studio dedicated to bringing stronger visual stories to the screen more efficiently through CG previsualization. Raised as a filmmaker in the story-centric environment of Pixar Animation Studios, she pursues the creation of high-calibre films with narrative depth. An experienced CG Cinematographer, Jericca designed the filming and staging of features such as Toy Story 2, and Finding Nemo. She is also a writer and live-action producer-director, bringing her combined cross-media expertise to bear on the vision and planning of all Twenty One Inc projects. Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin Since the inception of Zeros 2 Heroes, Jessica has been its brand strategist and resident "fan expert": these twin passions have allowed her to lead award-winning digital media campaigns such as Comix 101, ReBoot ReLaunched, Manga Memoirs and Canada: Comic Creation Nation. When it comes to digital extensions for entertainment properties, Jessica works with clients to "de-jargonify" concepts like crowdsourcing, twittering, viral marketing, vlogging and linkbaiting. Perhaps because of this knack, Jessica has become a speaker much sought-after by film, television and animation producers, giving presentations in Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Toronto. John Donkin John Donkin has been a Producer at Blue Sky Studios since the release of their first Feature film Ice Age where he served as the film's Associate Producer. He recently Produced Ice Age : Dawn of the Dinosaurs with Lori Forte, the studio's first foray into stereoscopic 3D. www.blueskystudios.com Justin Denton Justin Denton is a Previs Supervisor for Halon Entertainment. As a supervisor and artist for previs and finals work in feature film, television, commercials, and games, Justin has developed an understanding and passion of the previs process. He has supervised on projects including Terminator Salvation, Eagle Eye, Mummy 3, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, and The Wild. Kevin Adams Kevin Adams brings over 14 years of Feature Animation, Art Direction, Design and Cinematography experience. He has worked on films such as Hercules, The Emperors New Groove, Fantasia 2000, Home on The Range, through to the more recent Everyone's Hero and 9. www.starzanimation.com Mark Magnusson Throughout his 15 year career in digital media Mark has worked as Creative Director for top agencies such as Grey Interactive. He has worked in the online space with global brands including: Lufthansa, Sony, Vodafone and Visa. Over those years it has been his honor to help his clients win awards from the World Media Festival, Popvox Awards, to The Webbys. Martin Meunier Martin Meunier started as a Practical Model-maker and Sculptor in 1988, working in Paris France. He moved to the United States in 1994 to join Henry Selick's team on James And The Giant Peach. Since then, he has collaborated on four more of Mr. Selick's projects, as a Model Shop Supervisor, Creature Supervisor and Stop-motion Designer. He's also worked for Tippett Studios, Industrial Light & Magic, Pixar, Disney, Digital Domain, The Orphanage and MythBusters' M5 Industries. He has worked on more than 15 films and 50 commercials. Matt Toner Matt began work in the new media industry (when it actually was new) as a Co-founder of CanApple New Media, a founding executive of We Media Inc, and Managing Director of Oven Digital (Canada). Following the dot-crash, Matt worked on a series of videogames for Electronic Arts, before leading convergent television projects for Making the Cut 2 and the award-winning Bodog TV. Since founding Zeros 2 Heroes, Matt has worked to bring digital media solutions to the film and television industry through engagements with the National Screen Institute, Telefilm Canada, ContentFilm, SEVEN24 Films, Rainmaker Entertainment, CBC Television and others. Matthew Teevan Matthew Teevan brings 20 years experience in animation production, spanning Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Prince of Egypt and the recent Flushed Away, on which he was DreamWorks' Supervising Production Manager. www.9themovie.com Michael Knapp Michael Knapp is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and studied Illustration at Ringling School of Art and Design. He began his career as a freelance illustrator doing mostly editorial illustration and commercial storyboards, but his heart turned to animation when he started doing concept art for several small animation projects. Shortly after moving to New York City in 1999, he began working as a Concept Designer at Blue Sky Studios on the movie Robots. Since then, he has worked on Ice Age: The Meltdown, Horton Hears A Who, and art directed the Oscar nominated animated short No Time For Nuts and Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. His artwork can be seen in The Society of Illustrators Annual 48, Spectrum 12 and 13, The Art of Robots and the comic anthology Out of Picture & Out of Picture 2. www.michaelknapp.com Patrick Lin Patrick Lin joined Pixar Animation Studios in September 1997 as a Layout Artist on A Bug's Life. For Lin's next project he worked as Layout Sequence Lead on Toy Story 2, and then as Lead Layout Artist on Monsters, Inc. Lin's work has been a part of two Academy Award®-winning features, The Incredibles as Director of Photography, and Ratatouille as Lead Layout Artist. He most recently completed working as Director of Photography - Camera on Disney•Pixar's feature, Up, released on May 29, 2009. Lin is currently working on a future Pixar project. Paul Gertz Paul is a self-proclaimed "old media" executive who has seen the impact of fan engagement on the success or failure of film properties from the front lines. After a career landmarked by many memorable features and a few regrettable misses (which he is happy to talk about), Paul has become an intense advocate for fan outreach through digital media extensions. His credits as a Producer include the feature film Titan AE and the television series Earth: Final Conflict, among others. www.networkentertainment.ca Ricky Nierva Ricky Nierva joined Pixar Animation Studios in May 1997. He joined the animation team as a Visual Development Artist and did additional storyboarding on Toy Story 2. He was the Lead Character Designer for Monster's Inc. and the Character Art Director for the Academy Award winning feature Finding Nemo. Nierva recently completed working as the Production Designer on Disney•Pixar's feature film Up. Ross Stewart Ross Stewart works in painting, illustration and animation. His semi abstract mixed media paintings have been exhibited across Ireland and the UK over the last 13 years and his work is held in public and private collections internationally. He has also worked on numerous short films, illustrations and design and graphic productions in conjunction with Cartoon Saloon during this time. As Art Director on The Secret of Kells, Ross worked closely with Director Tomm Moore on achieving a unique Celtic-Irish, hand painted look for the film, since its initial conception in 2000. Tomm Moore In 1999, Tomm founded Cartoon Saloon with Paul Young while studying animation at Ballyfermot Senior College, Dublin. Over the company's history, he has worked as Director, Art Director, Character Designer and Animator on a range of projects from commercials to service work for feature films and TV series, as well as a number of short film projects. During this period, Tomm found time to illustrate several books for children and young people, including two award-winning graphic novels in the Irish language. The Secret of Kells is his debut as Director of a feature film. Tomm also wrote and illustrated two tie-in comic books to the film, which have been published in France and Belgium. He is currently developing his second feature film The Song of the Sea.
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