VFX ABAI Fest ‘08-Merging trends & tech with skill -

ABAI Fest ‘08-Merging trends & tech with skill

The Association of Bangalore Animation Industry (ABAI) Fest is here once again with a power packed line up of speakers and sessions for professionals and students alike. The two day festival will be held on September 5 and 6, 2008 at the JN Tata Auditorium, IISC Bangalore.

Last year‘s edition saw a total of 1600 people attending sessions by DreamWorks, Prasad Group, R & H, VCL and more, along with lively panel discussions. This year, ABAI features even more industry stalwarts in the forefront for all to meet, network with and learn from.

True to its aim of ‘Merging trends and technology with skill‘, ABAI brings together production houses, training institutes, professionals from the animation, VFX and gaming community along with students for a festival that enables them all to come together and share success stories.

How global brands can be created, the secrets behind the enormous success of certain animated films, what it takes to develop an exciting game, the importance of training students in the right way as well as developing the right kind of skills for the field, all will be discussed under one roof at ABAI Fest.

“We organise ABAI Fest every year with the objective of creating a platform to bridge the gap between production facilities and qualified manpower. Along with a clear intent to promote animation, gaming and VFX professionals and production houses in Bangalore, we constantly encourage talent to enhance artistic and digital skills qualitatively,” ABAI Secretary Chetan S told AnimationXpress.com.

“This year we are going to have some really exciting discussions, insights into new technologies as well as the making of some of the best films in animation. The festival will leave a lasting impression in every person‘s mind,” he added.

The festival will feature the following:

Seminars
The seminars include eminent speakers such as Prime Focus‘ Aijaz Rashid, Govind Nilhani, Pala Flicks‘ Greg Acuna, Big Animation‘s PC Vikram, MAAC‘s Sanjeev Waeerkar, NID‘s Sekhar Mukherjee, Vaibhav Kumaresh and more.

The day will begin with a keynote by NASSCOM‘s Rajiv Vaishnav and speeches by chief guests Tapaas Chakravarti of DQ Entertainment and Ashok Kumar Manoli, Karnataka Principal Secretary for IT. Following this, the making of Earthlings, Taare Zameen Par, Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic and Om Shanti Om, commercials and films by Prime Focus and games such as Congo bugs will be showcased.

There will be seminars on Animation for Learning and Acting in Animation; while the panel discussions include topics such as Growing with animation, HR and Best Practices, Gaming Trends East vs West, Maturity of Indian Animation Talent and Stability and also Ideation to Pre production.

There will also be presentations by Lenovo, Intel, IBM and Western Digital, simultaneous CGT Masterclasses along with activities such as War Zone by cgTantra and an animation quiz by AnimationXpress.com‘s Anand Gurnani.

To add icing to the cake, RK Lakshman of Times of India and Vishwanatha Reddy of Chandamama will be felicitated for their special contribution to the entertainment industry.

Exhibitions
This is where leading vendors of software, hardware and media and entertainment companies will showcase their latest products and technologies.

Networking
Artists, professionals and students, all will have a chance to share their experiences and knowledge and gain new acquaintances from among the industry.

Knowledge is power and ABAI Fest ‘08 creates endless possibilities for gaining more knowledge, getting a clearer picture of the industry and in all, bettering the industry together.

So if you are or aspire to be part of the animation, VFX and gaming community, ABAI Fest is the place to be.

ABAI Fest is sponsored and supported by IBM, Aiga, Autodesk, Frameboxx Animation and VFX, Takshaa, Wacom, Big Animation, Western Digital, Image, iCAT, ToonSkool, cgTantra, AnimationXpress.com, Animation Reporter, iSearch, eFactor, TASI, Asifa India and All About Animation.

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