LOS ANGELES—(BUSINESS WIRE)—August 14, 2008— 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 Studios and 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.

About SIGGRAPH

SIGGRAPH 2008 brings an estimated 30,000 computer graphics and interactive technology professionals from six continents to Los Angeles, California, USA for the industry's most respected technical and creative programs focusing on research, science, art, animation, gaming, interactivity, education, and the web from Monday, 11 August through Friday, 15 August 2008 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Celebrating its 35^th year, SIGGRAPH 2008 includes a three-day exhibition of products and services from the computer graphics and interactive marketplace from 12-14 August 2008. More than 235 international exhibiting companies are expected. Registration for the conference and exhibition is open to the public. More details are available at www.siggraph.org/s2008.

About ACM

ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery www.acm.org, is the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, uniting educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. ACM strengthens the computing profession's collective voice through strong leadership, promotion of the highest standards, and recognition of technical excellence. ACM supports the professional growth of its members by providing opportunities for life-long learning, career development, and professional networking.

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Contact:

SIGGRAPH 2008
Brian Ban
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