Burbank Expo to Put Spotlight on Industry Creative Talent

When the Creative Talent Network Animation Expo takes place in November the exhibition featuring artwork and vendors will make attendees feel like they walked into the greatest studio in the world. At least that is the promise of CTN founder and expo organizer Tina Price. When Price staged the expo for the first time last year, she had not been prepared for the interest shown by the fans of the professional animators who turned out to talk about their work. She expects the attendance figure of 3,000 people to be eclipsed by several thousand more when the expo takes place Nov. 19 to 21 in Burbank. By putting a focus on the animators, graphic designers and illustrators these talented professionals get to step into a spotlight often reserved for others in the entertainment industry. “Doing it this way ties the talent together because they are the heart of it,” Price said. A veteran animator herself who spent her career with The Walt Disney Co., Price started the Creative Talent Network in 2004 as an online community for artists and animators with at least five screen credits. Two years later, Price started hosting networking activities that began to grow in number with each event. Those events then evolved into the expo, which, unlike the CTN itself, is open to the public. For those who are entering the industry, a number of film studios will be at the expo for recruiting purposes. “Whether they have openings or not they are looking to connect and build their databases,” Price said. Animators, Price pointed out, just don’t work on animated films. Their work also appears in CGI-heavy live-action films such as “Avatar,” and in video games. Bringing together the many professionals also aids in landing work. No longer will an artist, such as in Price’s days, stick with just one studio. There has been a transition from the in-house, long-term staffers to short-termers hired for specific projects to independent freelancers who float from studio to studio. Rather than a shrinking market, Price believes the market has expanded for animators. “There is a lot of work out there; it is just a different production model,” Price said. In addition to the panel discussions, book and artwork signings, workshops and live demonstrations, the expo will open with a screening of “The Illusionist,” a film from Scotland. There will also be an appearance by comic artist Jean Giraud Moebius, his first in the U.S. in 15 years. The CTN Animation Expo takes place at the Burbank Marriott Convention Center. MASH Memories Dr. Walter Dishell, who has long had a practice in Encino, will take part in a panel discussion as part of the California State Parks Foundation film series. Dishell served as the medical advisor for the television series “MASH.” The series will include a screening on Nov. 6 of two “MASH” episodes filmed at what is now Malibu Creek State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains. Joining Dishell for questions are actors William Christopher, and Jeff Maxwell, show director Charles S. Dubin, series co-creator Gene Reynolds, and writer Jeff Levine. The film series takes place at the Paramount Theater in Los Angeles on Nov. 6 and the Darryl F. Zanuck Theater, Twentieth Century Fox Studios on Nov. 7 For information on the film series call (877) 663-0566. Signing With DreamWorks Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro has chosen DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. as the studio to release his animated films. Del Toro will write and direct “Trollhunters,” a project the Academy Award nominee had in development that was bought by the Glendale-based studio. Del Toro will also be an executive producer for the “Shrek” spinoff feature with feline character Puss In Boots, schedule for release in 2011. DreamWorks Animation provides a place of spirit and creativity that will allow him to pursue his ambition as a filmmaker to tell the best possible stories, del Toro said. “Animation is a singularly unique medium in that it allows an artist to envision, articulate and manipulate whole new worlds that spark the imagination in amazing ways,” he added. More From DreamWorks… A sequel to the studio’s springtime hit “How to Train Your Dragon” will fly into theaters in 2013. The film will be written and directed by Dean DeBlois, produced by Bonnie Arnold and based on the book series by Cressida Cowell. The voice talents from the original, including Jay Baruchel, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, and Kristen Wiig, will return in the sequel. 3D Technology The Marcus Theatre chain will install Technicolor’s 3D on film technology on 15 screens at select locations. Technicolor began the deployment of its proprietary projector lens and film print system for 3D films in March and has so far installed it on 300 screens in North America with additional screens in Europe. The Technicolor system allows for 3D films to be shown in an inexpensive, alternative way in theaters not ready for digital projection, said March President Bruce J. Olson. Marcus Theatres currently owns or manages 684 screens at 55 locations in the Midwest. Staff Reporter Mark Madler can be reached at (818) 316-3126 or by e-mail at [email protected].