SIGGRAPH 2008 Announces Winners of 2nd Annual FJORG! Animation Competition
Winners of FJORG!, the second annual “iron-animator” style competition were announced during SIGGRAPH 2008, the premier conference on computer graphics and interactive techniques taking place this week in Los Angeles. Team Grojf was chosen as the FJORG! winner for their animated reel, “The Red Truck”, comprised of Jacob Patrick, John Nguyen, and Kevin Rucker, were chosen from a field of 16, three-member teams that competed for 32 straight hours to create character-driven animations under extreme pressure and multiple staged distractions.
As overall winners, Team Grojf will receive an exclusive chauffeured tour through Walt Disney Animation Studiosand DreamWorks Animation Studios, as well as other recognition and prizes. Adhering to this year’s required theme (The Saddest Story Ever Told), The Mexicutioners and The Fjantastic Fjorgers tied for second place, with Honorable Mentions awarded to teams Mouthful of Cookies and Trikings. These teams will also receive trophies and prizes.
“The support and enthusiasm for this year’s event from the animation community has been absolutely amazing,” stated Patricia Beckmann-Wells, FJORG! 2008 Chair from Walt Disney Animation Studios. “The quality was top notch - making the content extremely difficult to judge. Team Grojf executed their animation reel flawlessly. It was truly a special experience from start to finish. The bonds formed during FJORG! should last for years.”
All FJORG! teams were provided with limited supplies of animation hardware and software from some of today’s top firms, music, and a series of sound bites to create their 15-second reels. FJORG! judges included Team MoCap, winners of FJORG! 2007, as well as several industry experts including:
– Julien Bocabeille, Co-Director of “Oktapodi,” Best of Show Award Nominee, SIGGRAPH 2008 Computer Animation Festival
– Bill Kroyer, Senior Animation Director, Rhythm & Hues
– Maggie Malone, Director of Creative Development for Walt Disney Animation Studios
– Dan Sarto, Co-Founder and Publisher, Animation World Network
– Simon J. Smith, Director of “Bee Movie” for DreamWorks Animation Studios
To view the winning reel “The Red Truck” from FJORG! 2008, visit www.siggraph.org/s2008/attendees/fjorg/GROJF__The_RED_Truck_v02.mp4.
Related Topics: 2008 Siggraph Newslink, Reel-Exchange, News
