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Academy Tunes Up for Animation Weekend

Events and Exhibitions to Take Audiences Behind the Scenes

Beverly Hills, CA(RUSHPRNEWS) JULY 23, 2008-- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will feature a weekend of public events and exhibitions spotlighting the art and science of animation - "The Sound behind the Image II: Now Hear This!," "Normand Roger on The Animation Soundtrack" and "Frederic Back: A Life's Drawings" - beginning on Friday, August 8, and continuing through Sunday, August 10, in Beverly Hills and Hollywood.


On August 8 "Now Hear This!," presented by the Academy's Science and Technology Council, will explore sound in animation from its beginning through the current digital age. The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Hosted by Academy Award® nominee Mark Mangini ("Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," "Aladdin," "The Fifth Element"), "Now Hear This!" will include discussions with Oscar®-winning sound editor David E. Stone ("Bram Stoker's Dracula") and Disney Imagineering media designer Joe Herrington, who will examine the work of early sound effects masters Treg Brown and Jimmy MacDonald. The presentation will incorporate a live demonstration of many of MacDonald's actual props.
Foley artist John Roesch will demonstrate foley techniques, and sound designer Randy Thom, a 14-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner ("The Right Stuff," "The Incredibles"), will explain how new technologies have changed the way sound is created for animated motion pictures today.
The program will also trace the evolution of sound in animation with clips from "Steamboat Willie" (1928), "Clock Cleaners" (1937), "The Reluctant Dragon" (1941), "Zoom and Bored" (1957), "Now Hear This" (1962), "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), "The Polar Express" (2004) and "The Incredibles" (2004).
On August 10 the Academy will present "Normand Roger on The Animation Soundtrack" at 7:30 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Moderated by Academy Award®-nominated composer Michael Giacchino ("Ratatouille"), the program will feature an onstage conversation with Roger, who has composed scores and designed sound effects for more than 300 films, discussing his creative approach to the animation soundtrack. They will be joined by two-time Oscar-winning animator Frederic Back, with whom Roger collaborated on six films.
Four Oscar-winning animated short films featuring Roger's scores and sound design work will be screened - "Every Child" (1979, directed by Eugene Fedorenko), "Crac" (1981, directed by Back), "The Old Man and the Sea" (1999, directed by Alexander Petrov) and "Father and Daughter" (2000, directed by Michael Dudok de Wit).

 

Also on August 10, the Academy will open a new exhibition, "Frederic Back: A Life's Drawings" in the lobby of the Linwood Dunn Theater. The exhibition will showcase drawings, illustrations and sketches created by Back using colored pencils on frosted cels as well as spotlight his commitment to environmental issues. In addition to "Crac," Back won an Academy Award for "The Man Who Planted Trees" (1987).

"A Life's Drawings" will have special viewing hours on August 10, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. The exhibition will be open to the public through November 1 on Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m., and whenever Academy public programs are hosted at the Dunn Theater. Admission is free.
"Frederic Back: A Life's Drawings" is presented with the support of the governments of Quebec and Canada, Societe Radio-Canada, Pixar Animation Studios and SIGGRAPH.
The Academy's ongoing summer exhibition, "Ink & Paint: The Art of Hand-Drawn Animation," will be open throughout the weekend. Showcasing more than 125 hand-drawn works encompassing all stages of the filmmaking process, the exhibition presents paintings, drawings, sketches and cels from the 1950s through the 1990s, including examples from such animated favorites as "Alice in Wonderland," "Lady and the Tramp," "Sleeping Beauty," "Gay Purr-ee," "Pink Panther," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "The Iron Giant" and "The Lion King."
"Ink & Paint" is presented in the Academy's Grand Lobby Gallery, located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends, noon to 6 p.m. Those who attend "Now Hear This!" will also be able to see the exhibition following the event. The exhibition will remain on display through Sunday, August 24. Admission is free.
Tickets to "Now Hear This!" are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets are available for purchase by mail, at the Academy box office, or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
For additional information, visit www.oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.
Tickets to "Normand Roger on The Animation Soundtrack" are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets are available for purchase by mail, at the Academy box office, or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available through the entrance on Homewood Avenue (one block north of Fountain Avenue).

For additional information, visit www.oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.
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About the Academy
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world's preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards - in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners - the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

©A.M.P.A.S.®
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
8949 Wilshire Boulevard Beverly Hills, CA 90211-1972
(310) 247-3000 | www.oscars.org | publicity@oscars.org

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