The 51st annual conference showcases advances in the computer graphics industry across all avenues while sparking inspiration, starting conversations and looking at tomorrow’s trends
DENVER, June 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ – As they celebrate more than 50 years of the world’s leading educational experience in the computer graphics industry, SIGGRAPH 2024 understands the value of conversations about the content of the future. With that, the conference, held from Sunday 28 July to Thursday, August 1, 2024at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, will have several opportunities for attendees to get a closer look at the future of industry trends. There will be Production sessions dedicated to the future of production, exploring the new era of immersive experiences in the VR Theaterand spotlights the ingenuity of various creators in the Electronic Theater.
SIGGRAPH 2024 Electronic Theater Best in Show, “The Art of Weightlessness” © Mahler
The SIGGRAPH 2024 production sessions allows attendees to go behind the scenes with an international community of production leaders in films, games, VR/MR/XR, and more to explore the challenges and opportunities in modern production pipelines. Within these sessions, SIGGRAPH 2024 sought stories that highlight a macro view of innovation, creativity, inclusion, and behind-the-scenes collaboration demonstrated during recent productions. Through 60-minute presentations, leaders from across the industry will showcase their learnings and developments.
“We’re seeing a wide variety of new tools being developed for all kinds of different aspects of production, whether it’s grooming fur and hair or virtual production tools. SIGGRAPH 2024 Production Sessions Chair, noted. “SIGGRAPH is showing some of ‘ he most interesting tools and interactive techniques that make things better, and production sessions are often the first place where people can see some of these new technologies and production skills in use,” he added.
Of the 30 submissions received, 10 were selected for this year’s production sessions, including “Monkeys, Chimps & Gorillas: Wētā FX’s (r) Evolutionary Work with Primates”; “Oozing hand-crafted 2D illustration in a 3D Ninja Turtle World“; “Visual Data Stories for Climate Action: Creating Public Exhibits from NASA’s Earth Information Center”; “Yin and Yang: The Balance of Animation in Kung Fu Panda 4″; and “Pushing the Limits: Crafting an Immersive Mega-Canvas for Phish’s Music Shows at Sphere”.
In addition to this year’s production sessions, SIGGRAPH 2024 will offer immersive VR Theater experience The VR Theater is a world-class showcase of exemplary virtual reality storytelling and a main program of SIGGRAPH since 2017. The main program will be experienced in a high-end, seated, panoramic, immersive multi-viewer space, running approximately one hour from start end up. New this year, participants will enter a mixed reality SIGGRAPH-branded lobby for each experience. SIGGRAPH 2024 aims to give attendees a new perspective on innovative, important and inspiring virtual reality stories through a curated selection of short-form stories. The experience will include a diverse array of stories, from a musical journey aboard a space train to an immersive empathy documentary about losing and regaining sight. It will highlight several intriguing uses of the VR medium for storytelling, including showcasing technical innovations.
“More than any other year, the pieces we cover have serious subjects. I would say it’s also a reflection of the world. Art reflects the pulse of the world. For example, one of the pieces that we show is about femicide in MexicoA problem that they use VR as a medium to really put you in a woman’s seat Mexico. When creators are creating a VR experience, it’s very important to ask yourself, ‘Why am I making this a VR experience and not, let’s say, in a flat medium?’ So, I think these pieces answer that question very clearly,” said SIGGRAPH 2024 VR Theater Director Yangos Hadjiyannis. “I’m happy to see the evolution of the medium in that way. In the early days, I thought, creators would sometimes create experiences to test the VR space. Well, it’s more like I’m doing this more purposefully after the best ways to tell a story spatially. We experience our world in 3D and that is beginning to be uniquely reflected in this medium, especially with an emphasis on presence. I think that’s what really makes it unique,” he added. The VR Theater will also announce its Best in Show award for immersive experiences during the conference.
This year’s VR Theater will feature pieces including:
- “Spots of Light”: A piece that puts you in the situation of someone who has lost his sight, regained it and then lost it again. It is a personal journey of acceptance and hope.
- “Astra”: This mixed reality experience turns your living room into a life-sized spaceship that takes you to explore and understand the composition of different materials on different planets.
- “Sign for Change”: A powerful experience about femicide in Mexicowalk in a woman’s shoes Mexico who is resisting and raising awareness of the problem through beautiful wall art.
- “Walking Through the Fog”: A poetic journey of discovery of a gay man who takes you with him to the bathhouse as you discover a deep sense of loneliness and reflection.
- “Emperor”: A spectacular play about the condition of Aphasia, told in a larger than life, with intuitive interactions that advance the medium.
The SIGGRAPH 2024 experience also has a Electronic Theater, which qualifies for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is widely recognized for its groundbreaking contributions by artists, researchers and innovators around the world. The Electronic Theater once began as an annual showcase of computer graphics advancements. Today, computer graphics is a cornerstone of the mainstream mediums of animation, visual effects, gaming, scientific/data visualization, and storytelling.
“Given how much buzz there is around generative AI, it’s improved more. I think when audiences watch the show, they’ll hopefully appreciate the aesthetic value in choices made to use these tools outside of what’s traditionally known as the process of placing of text – prompt images in a project,” John Kalaigian, SIGGRAPH 2024 Electronic Theater Director, said. “Sometimes, the results can be jarring and very clear. So I think that the most important thing is the caliber of which SIGGRAPH keeps the content that it presents is constantly higher.”
Entrants were invited to submit their best work for a chance to be featured in this prestigious showcase. An internationally recognized jury judged the work and awarded prizes for Best in Show, Best Student Project, and Jury’s Choice, while the Audience Choice prize is awarded after the premieres. Past Best in Show winners have been nominated for and have received the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
SIGGRAPH 2024 Electronic Theater Awards were presented to:
- Best in Show: “The art of weightlessness“
Moshe Mahler with Carnegie Mellon University
An animated short film documentary chronicling the evolution of Artist and Performer, Bill Shannon. Born with a degenerative hip condition, Bill developed new ways to express himself through dancing and skateboarding on crutches. - Best Student Project: “After grandfather“
Juliette Michael, Swann Valencia, Florian Gomes Freitas, Axel Senseand Victoria Leviathan with School MOPA
Haunted by the terrifying ghost of his grandfather, Loupea little boy obsessed with insects, will have to overcome his fear to discover why it came back. - Jury’s Choice: “Patterns“
Alex Glawion
Struck by a barrage of intrusive encounters on his weekly commute, a perceptive traveler struggles to maintain a positive mindset which becomes against the always smiling greyness.
“We’re on the heels of a monumental year in 2023, celebrating the 50th conference. I think there’s still a little bit of a sense of celebration in the air, but definitely a kind of homecoming coming back to Colorado not too far from the first conference site in Boulder. The Computer Animation Festival is excited to bring back additional screening opportunities, which we call the Animation Theater Daytime Selects. These will be two independent show roles that will also accompany the main Electronic Theater show,” Kalaigian added.
Learn more about how SIGGRAPH 2024 is a key element in identifying tomorrow’s trends and what attendees can expect over here. The ACM SIGGRAPH Blogincluding an interview with Paul Story, Philip Leonhardt, Eric Winskie, Aidan Martinand Kevin Smith to discuss them SIGGRAPH 2024 production session “Monkeys, Chimps & Gorillas: Wētā FX’s (r)Evolutionary Work with Primates,” highlights additional details of the Production Sessions, VR Theater and Electronic Theater programs.
About ACM, ACM SIGGRAPH, and SIGGRAPH 2024
ACMthe Association for Computing Machinery, is the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the challenges of the field. ACM SIGGRAPH is a special interest group within ACM that serves as an interdisciplinary community for members in research, technology, and applications in computer graphics and interactive techniques. The SIGGRAPH conference is the world’s leading annual interdisciplinary educational experience showcasing the latest in computer graphics and interactive techniques. SIGGRAPH 2024the 51st annual conference hosted by ACM SIGGRAPH, will take place live July 28-August 1 at the Colorado Convention Center, along with a virtual access option.
SOURCE SIGGRAPH