Virtual Stars
Monday, 13 August
6:30 - 8:30 pm
West Hall B

Visual Effects Supervisors at Sony Pictures Imageworks and Rhythm & Hues Studios discuss creation of photo-realistic digital characters for leading roles in films. This session provides a rare look at the evolving technical and artistic capabilities that have dramatically expanded filmmakers' boundaries: creation of digital characters with dynamic personalities and an unparalleled level of realism, seamlessly integrated into a live-action environment. Individual presentations will be followed by a roundtable discussion.
 
Moderator
Ken Ralston
Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc.

Panelists
Jerome Chen
Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc.

John Dykstra
Columbia Pictures

Bill Kroyer
Rhythm & Hues

Bill Westenhofer
Rhythm & Hues

Rob Legato
Warner Bros.

Masters of the Game
Wednesday, 15 August
12:30 - 2 PM
West Hall B

Winners of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences 2001 Interactive Achievement craft awards present their work in game design, game play engineering, character and story development, art direction, visual engineering, animation, and sound design.

Host
J.C. Herz
Joystick Nation Inc.

Introductions
Paul Provenzano
Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences

• Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design and Musical Composition
  Medal of Honor: Underground (PlayStation)
  DreamWorks Interactive/Electronic Arts
  Michael Giacchino
  DreamWorks Interactive
  
  
• Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering and Game-Play Engineering
  SSX: Snowboarding Super Cross (PlayStation 2)
  Electronic Arts/Electronic Arts
  Mike Rayner
  Electronic Arts
  
  
• Outstanding Achievement in Game Design
  Zelda Majorašs Mask (Nintendo 64)
  Nintendo Co. Ltd./Nintendo of America
  Ken Lobb
  Nintendo of America Inc.
  
  
• Outstanding Achievement in Character or Story Development
  Balduršs Gate II (PC)
  Interplay Entertainment BioWare Corp.
  David Hibbeln
  BioWare Corp
  
  
• Outstanding Achievement in Animation and Art Direction
  Final Fantasy lX (PlayStation)
  Square Co Ltd. / Square Electronic Arts L.L.C.
  Satoshi Tsukamoto

Web3D RoundUp
Wednesday, 15 August
7:30 - 9 PM
West Hall B

Acknowledgments

The interactive event for interactive content. Web3D content developers and toolmakers demonstrate the latest technology and applications in a fast-paced shootout. The audience selects the best of the best from over 25 pre-selected presenters.

Organizer
Timothy Childs
RoundUp Productions and Eyematic

Sensapolooza: Guided Tour of the New Silicon Senses
Thursday, 16 August
6 - 8 PM
West Hall B

Sensory explorers describe a future where computing strategies and digital devices enhance, heighten, and repair the human sensorium. This special session is a combination of talk show and television cooking program, with a Greek chorus attached. Six guests (one for each of the five senses and one for the sixth sense, mind) demonstrate leading-edge technologies that show how the human sensorium is being augmented with sophisticated computer chips. During and after the demos, members of the Greek chorus contribute their own observations and comments.

Organizers
Kathryn Saunders
ThinkTech

James Geary
Time Magazine

Host
James Geary
TIMEeurope.com

Participants
Ferdinando (Sandro) Mussa-Ivaldi
Northwestern University

Henri Lustiger-Thaler
Aerome USA

Thomas A. Furness III
University of Washington

Hiroshi Ishii
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ellwood Ivey
Trisenx, Inc.

Alex Waibel
Carnegie Mellon University

Commentators
Andrew Glassner
Writer and Consultant

Monika Fleischmann
GMD-Forschungszentrum Informationstechnik GmbH

Rosalind W. Picard
Massachusetts Institute of Technology


2001 in 2001: How a Film Inspired Our Future
Friday, 17 August
12:30 - 2 PM
West Hall B

In 1968, Stanley Kubrick created a motion picture that did much more than tell a story. "2001" defined the future and our place in it, inspired a generation of artists and filmmakers, and created a new perspective of the world. In this very special session, industry veterans, historians, and visionaries take us on a journey through "2001," discussing how its influent will extend far into the 21st century and the possible futures that await us.

Moderator
Jacquelyn Ford Morie
USC Institute for Creative Technologies

Panelists
Robert Abel
Robert Abel and Associates

Peter Hyams
Peter Hyams Productions

Syd Mead
Syd Mead Incorporated

Dennis Muren
Industrial Light + Magic