What's a Siggraph?

When I first applied to do a year of study at Honours level, my first thought was that I had no idea how to organise an internship. I have been applying for internship placements everywhere in Australia and overseas with little success. I think that since cheaper work markets (South Korea, China and India) have entered the industry, many of the grunt work entry level positions that we would have once had as the first rung on the ladder; no longer exist in many studios. So then I began to look at 'experiences' that would get me closer to the industry and give me an opportunity to learn along the way.

Before uni started this year I applied to be a SIGGRAPH student volunteer and then in May.......I was accepted.  I'm very excited and also nervous, but more excited than anything. This year SIGGRAPH is in Los Angeles. I'm a member of ACM SIGGRAPH in Australia and was hoping to go to SIGGRAPH Asia this year, but I am well stoked that I will be a student volunteer in LA instead. Being a student volunteer means that I will be working 30hours over the course of the convention, but they have assured us that we will still have time to see and do things. Plus they are putting us up in accommodation and providing us with full access pass to the convention.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Sign

 So what exactly is a SIGGRAPH? Its a conference and convention for computer graphics and emerging interactive technologies. But it is so much more. It's an opportunity to meet other animators, programmers and artists from around the globe. Plus it sounds like fun. And they organise special student volunteer sessions just for us. From the 5-9 August at the LA Convention Centre there are panels, courses, an exhibition hall, job market hall plus an animation festival. At the moment all these events are just words on a page so I have no real expectations about what I will see only that I'm sure that it will be worthwhile. To see full details about SIGGRAPH, please click here. 


While I'm in LA I'm also going to attend a Disney Animation weekend which happened to be on at the end of SIGGRAPH. Once I'm finished in down town LA I pack my little bags and head to Anaheim. The D23 (Disney Fan Club) is putting on a retrospective of 75 years of Disney animation conference over two days at the Disneyland Hotel. They have so far only released certain information but I am loving the fact that it is all about Disney Animation and will include presentations and lectures by Disney animators such as Andreas Deja (my all time fave), Joe Hale, Burney Mattinson and Eric Goldberg. Plus voice talents and music, panels and screenings. So that's the weekend sorted. 

http://disneyetc.blogspot.com.au/2009/03/d23-details-announced.html

I stay on in Anaheim till Wednesday that week I think, so one of those days will be spent training it up to Simi Valley where the Reagan Library has a rare collection of artefacts from the Disney Archives on display- from film scripts and storyboards to theme park rides and live action film props. This one is extremely exciting and will be worth the two hour amtrak ride. 

http://english.sina.com/entertainment/p/2012/0629/481615.html

The rest of the time, and it will be summer so everything is open late and it will be light till late as well, will be spent at Disneyland; just cos.

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/au/

I haven't really been thinking about it all over the last few months as I've been focused on my study, but when I start to lay it all out like this, it's starting to sound pretty good.