Press release:
Dr. Alvy Ray Smith, Glen Keane, and Tom McGrath highlight the 15th annual conference, Italy’s largest computer graphics conference, October 14-17.
[TURIN, Italy] “It is with extreme pride and great pleasure that I announce our 2014 VIEW Conference keynote speakers,” says conference director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Alvy Ray Smith, Glen Keane, and Tom McGrath are highly respected gurus in the computer graphics and digital entertainment industry and we are immensely honored to host them in our beautiful city.”
“Alvy Ray Smith invented core computer graphics technology and co-founded Pixar, the first studio to make a CG feature film, the famous Toy Story,” Gutierrez continues. “Glen Keane created and animated some of our most renowned and most-loved Disney characters: Tarzan, the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, and Aladdin. Now, he’s working with Google to create a state of the art interactive, animated story for mobile devices. Tom McGrath wrote and directed one of the most successful CG animated feature film franchises, the three-film Madagascar series, which were the first to give CG animated characters a wacky cartoon style. In November, DreamWorks will release the fourth film in the series, The Penguins of Madagascar, for which Tom McGrath was a writer and executive producer and also the lead as the voice of Skipper the Penguin. You can see why I’m so excited.”
The 2014 VIEW conference will take place October 14 to 17 in Turin (Torino), Italy, a baroque city in the foothills of the Alps known for cars, chocolate, and cinema. The largest computer graphics conference in Italy, VIEW is celebrating its 15th year of bringing top talent and remarkable visionaries to Turin. The VIEW conference follows the annual VIEWFest digital film festival. Most talks are in English, with translation available to and from Italian and English.
“We will roll out announcements to introduce more speakers and our workshop series over the next few weeks, so please stay tuned,” Gutierrez says. “I am so enthusiastic about our 2014 program. It matches the amazing conferences we’ve had before and takes us beyond.”
Tom McGrath, leading director, writer, producer and actor. Tom wrote and directed one of the most successful CG animated feature film franchises, the three-film Madagascar series, which were the first to give CG animated characters a wacky cartoon style. In 2010 Tom also directed Megamind. In November 2014, DreamWorks will release the fourth film in the series, The Penguins of Madagascar, for which Tom McGrath was a writer and executive producer. Tom is also the lead of the movie as the voice of Skipper the Penguin.
Alvy Ray Smith, computer graphics pioneer, Pixar co-founder. He wrote the first 24-bit painting program, co-invented the alpha channel, and introduced the concept of image objects. He directed Andre & Wally B. and the Genesis Demo in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He is currently writing a biography of the pixel.
Glen Keane, legendary animator. Known for drawing and animating the Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, and Aladdin. Recently, through Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group, he directed and created Duet, now available as a cinematic version of a future, interactive, hand-drawn animated story for mobile phones.
For more information, please visit the website: www.viewconference.it.
