Special Showing's of Mary Lance' "Agnes Martin: With My Back to the World"

From the New York Times: 

"I'm very careful not to have ideas, because they're inaccurate," the artist Agnes Martin says in Mary Lance's touching documentary about her, but it's a lie. Ms. Martin was full of ideas, and she dispenses them engagingly in the course of the film, "Agnes Martin: With My Back to the World," made from 1998 to 2002.

Local documentarian Mary Lance' film has received great acclaim around the world -- don't miss this chance to see it here!

AGNES MARTIN: WITH MY BACK TO THE WORLD 
Produced and directed by Mary Lance 
Music by Steve Peters 

Special 2:00 PM Showings September 6th and 7th at Albuquerque's Guild Cinema

A groundbreaking documentary on the internationally renowned painter Agnes Martin.  Shot over a period of four years, from 1998 through 2002, Agnes Martin's ninetieth year, interviews with Martin are inter-cut with shots at work in her studio in Taos, New Mexico, with photographs and archival footage, and with images of her work from over five decades. In it Martin speaks about her work, her working methods, her life as an artist, and her views about the creative process. She also discusses her film, "Gabriel" and reads from her poetry and lectures. In keeping with Martin's chosen life of solitude, she alone appears in the documentary. 

Education & Serious Games @ IGDA 9/10

There are several exciting things going on in New Mexico's game development community. Please take a look:

First, this month's Rio Grande IGDA chapter meeting will take close a look at educational games ("serious games" for adults as well as video games for school-aged kids). These kinds of games are one of the fastest growing arenas in interactive media, offering exciting opportunities for game developers. They are not only an important tool for classroom teaching and adult training, but they are also used in the health field, in advertising and a variety of other endeavors. Using real case studies, we'll be discussing lessons learned -- successful techniques that earn A's as well as badly-thought out approaches that garner F's. Special guest will be Carolyn Handler Miller, author of Digital Storytelling: A Creator's Guide to Interactive Entertainment and writer of numerous educational games. Also Janeen Anderson from Game Production Services will speak.

When: Wednesday September 10 2008
Time: 6:30 -- 8:30 PM
Where: The Art Center Design College
5000 Marble Ave. NE, Albuquerque NM 87110 (view map) (505) 254-7575
Room TBD, ask reception for directions
Cost: Free!

October's Rio Grande IGDA meeting will focus on teams developing games for the Microsoft Dream|Build|Play competition.

I'm also pleased to introduce our chapter's new program co-chairs, Jonathan Whetzel
(jhwhetz@sandia.gov) and Luke Nihlen (lnihlen@gmail.com) of Tenth Artist. Their energy and enthusiasm is already helping build our local game development community, and I think we'll be seeing even more exciting activities to come.

More info at: http://www.igda.org/albuquerque/events.html

Address 5000 Marble Ave. NE, Albuquerque NM 87110

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BarCamp Albuquerque 3: Sept 13 & 14th

Albuquerque BarCamp 3 is coming up on Saturday September 13th and 14th, 2008. As the name implies, this is the 3rd BarCamp we've seen here in Albuquerque -- and they continue to get better, reflecting the growth in talented web, software and technology professionals we've been seeing lately (it's pretty exciting).

What it BarCamp? Want to sign up? Read on below (from Reid Givens at the Refresh Albuquerque Group Site)...

What is BarCamp?

BarCamp is a conference unlike most all other conferences for two
reasons:
1. No one owns it or makes any money off of it
2. The attendees are the presenters

BarCamp is based on the simple idea that we are all experts. Why pay a
few so called experts to come in and talk when we have a wealth of
information right here? Besides, when we don't pay for speakers, we
don't have to charge for the conference.

Attending BarCamp doesn't mean that you HAVE to present (although you
probably know something some of us don't), but it does mean that for
at least a day you can learn something new that can affect your
career, and you get to see who else in the community is out there,
what they're doing and just plain have fun. Going to BarCamp was the
best thing I ever did for my career, and it created friendships that
have lasted years.

BarCamp is free and doesn't take a lot of time out of your life. Come
and meet designers, developers, marketers, usability experts and
anyone else that stops by. This year, lunch will be provided so you
don't even have to pay for food! You can't lose!

For more information about BarCamp in general, visit:
http://www.barcamp.org

For more information about BarCampAlbuquerque, visit:
http://www.barcamp.org/BarCampAlbuquerque

motion08 discounts announced

Our good friends at motion 08 have announced discounts to make this year's conference more affordable for NM residents and students. They have a great line-up this year (and we're also excited to have the NM premiere of Domefest 2008 in association with the conference on October 14th). Check it out!

motion08 :: Special Offer for New Mexico Residents

NM residents are invited to attend motion08 for the student rate of $499*! (regular rate is $1099/$899 early bird)

Don’t worry students, we haven’t forgotten about you. Students can attend for $299** (regularly $499).

Use the following promo codes when registering online:

regular ticket moNMReg08

student ticket moNMStu08

motion is a unique event, focusing on the art of animation, broadcast design, title design, VFX and motion graphics. The event includes one full day of motion{u} extreme training plus two days of keynotes, panels, and sessions by some of the biggest talents in the industry.

Mark your calendar for motion08

October 12-15, 2008

Hyatt Regency Downtown ABQ

www.motionconference.com

*must show proof on NM residency

**must submit proof of current full-time status

BUBONICON 40 this weekend!

Perhaps because it's been around so long -- this is really its 40th year! -- Bubonicon has been something newcomers like me (15+ years) don't really get. What is Bubonicon?

From Wikipedia:

Bubonicon is an annual multigenre convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, typically held during the last weekend of August. It is the largest general-interest science fiction convention in New Mexico and among the oldest in the Southwest.

It's so popular, their site might actually be down at the moment... but it features an amazing mix of Sci-Fi, fantasy and speculative fiction writers, many of whom live right here in New Mexico. This year also features local folks like Steven Gould (Jumper) talking about the journey from book to screen, Laura Mixon talking about Storytron, and Hugo-nominated toastmaster Daniel Abraham. (And a lot more fun and craziness too.)

The event is relatively inexpensive too, so check it out (visit the website for more details).

Sony IPAX Online Mentorship Program

Image via CrunchBase, source unknown
Lots of good and interesting reports coming back from SIGGRAPH, including this news from the 3d4all forum:

Online Education Program by Sony's IPAX, with Animation Mentor

Sony Pictures Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation's IPAX education program announced today the launch of its new online mentor program, which will begin in the winter of 2009, and will leverage Animation Mentor's unique learning model and state-of-the-art online technology.

The three-month program will pair top students from 18 IPAX member schools from around the world with top Sony Pictures Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation artists who will provide individual online mentoring, training, and guidance.

Animation Mentor's innovative mentor/apprentice teaching model and online learning platform will enable Sony mentors to work with students to help them develop their skills and grow their craft. Tools include live video conference Q&A sessions with mentors, video guest lectures with industry experts, and eCritiques where mentors can provide video commentary while drawing directly on the student's work to illustrate their concepts.

IPAX, Sony Pictures Imageworks' and Sony Pictures Animation's professional education development program was created in 2004 to connect faculty from leading academic institutions with industry professionals.

Bobby Beck, chief executive officer and cofounder of Animation Mentor said, "There is nothing more valuable than the guidance a professional can give a budding animator who is honing their craft. This partnership really validates the unique teaching model Animation Mentor embodies and the powerful technology we've created to support an incredible learning experience -- no matter where you are on the planet."

This is an opportunity for IPAX member schools to engage future visual effects and animation professionals with the mentor/apprenticeship learning model perfected by Animation Mentor's online teaching program. Top students from the 18 IPAX member schools will be selected through an application process where student work is reviewed by Sony artists and matched with an appropriate Sony artist/mentor. The program is designed specifically for advanced students who are working on a range of special projects including short films, animation or visual effects. Sony mentors will give students individual input and feedback to help guide their work and perfect their skills over the course of the program.

The program is limited to students from IPAX member schools. Their respective faculty will initially recommend candidates who will ultimately be selected based on the quality of their work.

For more information:http://www.sonypictures.com/imageworks/ipax/

AniMotion NM: Particles this Coming Tuesday

From Teri Farley at The Art Center Design College:

AniMotion NM: Particles in 3D Animation and Motion Graphics

Where: ARTS Lab
When: Aug 19, 2008 7:00 PM –8:30 PM

Join the Art Center's own 3D animator and Digital Prestidigitator, Aaron Barreras for an evening of everything particle emitters!

This session will start with the basics of particle emitters presenting a variety of examples. Then we will take a look at particle emitters for animation and motion graphics using Maya and After Effects – including forces, collisions, rendering, instancing, track mattes, and Particle Playground in After Effects. We will also touch on Particular - a third party plugin for After Effects. There will be Q&A at the end of the session.

Also, lots of news from Siggraph, too!

This session takes place, Tuesday, August 19, from 7:00pm-8:30pm at the ARTS Lab

See you on there!

ARTS Lab
131 Pine St NE (Google map)
near central and university

NMITSA Lunch: Wendy Ederer on Successful Marketing

NMITSA's monthly membership lunch series continues this Thursday with Wendy Ederer, a well known sales and marketing guru, presenting her "Top 10 Tips for Successful Marketing." The August NMITSA luncheon will take place on August 14th at the Flying Star downtown from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm.

Wendy Ederer has been referred to as "eternally optimistic and contagiously enthusiastic." Wendy draws upon her 28 years of sales and marketing experience to enable her clients' organizations to grow. Utilizing her proven method of Connection Based Selling, and infusing her personal motto of, "Make a Positive Difference," in all of her sales and marketing training and consulting, she has assisted many companies including Panasonic, Bausch & Lomb, Principal Financial Group, and Fidelity National Title to achieve greater revenues and client retention.

Registration for this event is $25 for members and $40 for non-members. To register, please click here.

Character Animators for Imageworks?

Saw an interesting post on a job board a few minutes ago...

Sony Pictures Imageworks, Inc. is an Academy Award winning, state-of-the-art digital production studio dedicated to the art of visual effects production and character animation.

The company's achievements have been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with Oscars for its work on SPIDER-MAN 2 and the CG animated short film The ChubbChubbs! Other Oscar nominated projects include Surf's Up! The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Spider-Man, Hollow Man, Stuart Little and Starship Troopers. Movies currently in production include body of lies, valkyrie, Open Season 2, G Force, Watchmen and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Sony Pictures Imageworks is currently looking for qualified Character Animators for our new digital production studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Character Animator:

Utilizes traditional methods and computer graphics systems to create desired performance of computer graphics characters within a shot. Emphasis should be placed on conveying emotion along with motion. The ideal candidate will have strong skills in Maya, while additional experience with other software packages is highly desirable. 2 -5+ years production animation experience is required with feature film experience highly desirable. Ability to follow creative direction is a must. Character design and acting experience a plus.


If you fit the job requirements for Character Animator and are interested in living and working in Albuquerque, please email a copy of your resume to ABQrecruit@imageworks.com

For job descriptions and more Sony Pictures Imageworks/SIGGRAPH details, please visit us at www.imageworks.com

Sony Pictures Imageworks is an EO/AA employer.

--
NMITSA is now accepting nominations for the fourth annual Tech Excellence Awards.  More info at http://www.nmitsa.org/

Eric Renz-Whitmore, Program Coordinator
ARTS Lab
MSC04 2570
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
505-277-2253
http://artslab.unm.edu