Q&A with Side Effects Software's Mark Elendt, SIGGRAPH Dailies Chair

What Motivated You to Come Back and Be the Chair Two Years In a Row?

Mark Elendt

Dailies is a very special program to me because it celebrates the artists who create computer graphics. As one of the only forums where artists can share their stories, I think it's very important the program succeeds.  By volunteering to chair the Dailies, I have the opportunity to ensure the program remains interesting and relevant to the community. While every year brings it's own unexpected challenges, chairing the program the second year is always a smoother ride.

I should mention that this is my last year as chair of the program. While I really enjoy the opportunity to chair, it's very important to keep the program fresh and get new ideas. I'm happy that Juan Buhler will be taking over my duties for 2015.  He has years of production experience and he's possibly even more passionate about the ideals behind Dailies program than I am.

Why Do You Think the Program Has Caught On So Quickly? i.e What Makes Dailies Special?

There are more than 40 presentations in fewer than two hours. This means that the event is really fast paced with a huge amount of variety.

Dailies is a unique experience. It's one of the few places where you can see students presenting their work right along side artists from big studios like DreamWorks, Pixar, and Naughty Dog.

The variety of work presented also keeps the event fresh and interesting. There really is something for everyone, including feature film shot break-downs, game art & design, scientific visualization and even jewelry design.

Dailies is always an audience favorite and should not be missed.

How Many Submissions Did You Receive This Year?

It was very difficult for the jury to select the 43 submissions from more than 70 we received this year. The quality of submissions was outstanding.

Geographically, Where Do the Submissions Come From?

Perhaps because SIGGRAPH is in Vancouver, this year's presentations seem to have a much more international feel. We have several submissions from Australia, Canada, Poland, the UK and even one from Syria. I'm looking forward to their presentation about creating a music video  that tries to reflect their cultural heritage while capturing some of the current events in Syria.

Any Surprises or Trends That You Noticed?

Last year there were a significant number of submissions by two large studios and though the presentations were amazing, it did make  the evening feel a touch unbalanced. This year, there was a much broader base of submissions which should add to the variety of pieces presented.

What Can the Audience Expect?

There is such a variety of content that people should come ready to be inspired, entertained, educated, and delighted.

To highlight a few of the presentations:

                 Volume Rendered Global Atmospheric Model

Volume Rendered Global Atmospheric Model
Greg Shira, NASA
How NASA was able to visualize terabytes of data and gain a deeper understanding of weather systems.

The Last of Us - Saving Ellie
Michal Mach, Naughty Dog, Inc.
In  this piece, rag-doll character simulation led to some in-game issues.  This presentation discusses how Michal Mach overcame these challenges.

RIPD: Frozen World 
Jacob Clark & Daniel Elophe, Image Engine Design, Inc.
Effects simulations are always challenging, but Image Engine was faced with further challenges while creating high-quality “frozen” explosions for RIPD.

 Poly's Feast: Snappy Stop-motion Style Achieved by Using CGI

Poly's Feast: Snappy Stop-motion Style Achieved by Using CGI 
Simone Giampaolo & Robert Stratton, BFX/Bournemouth University
How an artist's background in traditional stop-motion animation influenced the look and style of their CGI student project.

What makes these presentations so special is that they are given by the artists who created them.

If Someone Only Has Time to See ½ of the Program, Do You Still Think It Is Worth Attending?

There's always so much to do at SIGGRAPH it's often a challenge to fit everything into your schedule.  At Dailies, there are more than 40 short presentations. So, if you can only see half the program, you still see more than 20 presentations. You may miss some great presentations, but even so, you'll still walk away amazed and entertained.

You should definitely make time to see Dailies, even if you can't watch the entire program.

What Advice Would You Give Someone Who Is Interested In Submitting Content Next Year?

There are two criteria the jury looks at to choose Dailies submissions. The first is obviously the quality of the work – we look for excellence in computer graphics. But the second and more important factor is the story behind the work. The jury is certainly interested in how you made the art, but they are much more interested in why you chose to do things the way you did, or how you were personally affected by the process.

What Personally Motivates You to Continue to Come to SIGGRAPH?

There are innumerable reasons why I continue to attend SIGGRAPH. Personally it's the premiere opportunity to get my fix of new research and technology;  to see what's going on, and keep my finger on the pulse of the industry. More than that though, it's a chance to stay in touch with my graphics family - to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

SIGGRAPH 2013 Highlights Accomplishments in Computer Graphics

SIGGRAPH Dailies is a show celebrating excellence in computer graphics, showcasing images and short animations of extraordinary power and beauty. It is a fast-paced event where each presenter has less than two minutes to show an animation and describe their work.

There is an immense variety of stunning imagery showcased at Dailies. Hearing the artist tell the story behind their work is what makes Dailies extra special. Attendees may hear an entertaining tale about a tight deadline, or a thought provoking discussion about a clever technique used to make incredibly complex imagery.

Mark Elendt

“Dailies is a whole evening of "behind the scenes" stories. Not only do you see outstanding imagery, but you also hear the stories from the artists who did the work: the challenges, clever tricks, or even how they were personally affected by the work,” said Mark Elendt, SIGGRAPH 2013 Dailies Chair from Side Effects Software Inc. “With 45 different stories, it makes for a very fast-paced and exciting evening. There really is no other place where you can experience this kind of event.”

Seating for the live show is limited and will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. View the Dailies YouTube video below:

Specific highlights include:

The Octopus And The Geisha
Presenter: Edward Dawson-Taylor, EDJFX

What began as a technical and creative personal project, to create an eerie underwater short film with tentacles, took me to creating one of my proudest works and ended up being used as a music video and visuals for a band I have loved for over 15 years!

World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria Cinematic Intro
Presenter: Marc Messenger, Blizzard Entertainment

For this cinematic intro, the Blizzard Film Department explored a heightened level of stylization that influenced everything from character design and animation to environments, effects, and lighting.

Animator-Friendly Simulation - Rigging for Deep Dance
Presenter: Georg Schneider

Rigs that give animators the ability to use simulation at the beginning of the animation process and continue working on the result as if it had been animated by hand.

Sleddin'
Presenters: John Pettingill, Kelly Kin, Junze Zhou, Texas A&M University

In this short film, a daring boy sleds down a towering mountain. After crashing, he discovers that reality was not quite what it seemed. His adventure is a metaphor for larger-than-life experiences. These moments, often created in our childhood, depend on our perspective.

Monsters University: Art's Groom and Simulation Setup
Laura Beth Albright, Pixar Animation Studios

For "Monsters University," the stylized design and unusual animation requirements of a new character, Art, presented unique challenges for grooming, shading, and simulation, which required custom solutions.

Visit the website for a list of Dailies contributors.

Q&A with Mark Elendt, SIGGRAPH 2013 Dailies Chair

Mark Elendt

Following is a brief Q&A with Mark Elendt, SIGGRAPH 2013 Dailies Chair from Side Effects Software.  Mark has had quite a successful CG career and has been a devoted SIGGRAPH volunteer for many years.  He is well known for his work at Side Effects Software. In 2012, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized Mark and his colleague (Andrew Clinton) with a Technical Achievement Award. 

You can read about this achievement here on the Side Effects Software website.

To those new to SIGGRAPH, here are the details on SIGGRAPH Dailies:

"This celebration of excellence in computer graphics showcases images and short animations of extraordinary power and beauty. Each presenter has one minute to present an animation and describe the work. The format is very similar to Technical Papers Fast Forward, except there is no talk later in the week.

Dailies is where you will be astounded by sheer excellence in modeling, shading, animation, lighting, effects, and more. Where you can participate in the vibrant production culture that surrounds presenting and reviewing work that was completed despite seemingly endless obstacles."

The Dailies take place on Wednesday during conference week from approximately6pm - 8pm. 
Click below to watch the Dailies 2013 preview video.
 
Why do you think the Dailies program has caught on?
Though it's relatively new, I personally feel that Dailies is one of the most exciting SIGGRAPH programs and I think it really strikes a chord with a lot of the SIGGRAPH attendees.

I mean, I've always really enjoyed the other programs at SIGGRAPH, particularly the technical programs.  But one thing I particularly enjoyed was the "how we did this" clips shown by big studios at the Electronic Theatre.  I really enjoyed watching how all the different components come together to make a single complex shot in a movie.

Dailies is a whole evening of "behind the scenes" stories.  Not only do you see outstanding imagery, but you also hear the stories from the artists who did the work:  the challenges, clever tricks, or even how they were personally affected by the work.  With 45 different stories told in a space of about 90 minutes, it makes for a very fast-paced and exciting evening.

If you think about it, there really is no other place where you can experience this kind of event.

What motivated you to want to be the Chair?
I have been a SIGGRAPH volunteer for many years and was fortunate to be around when the first Dailies program was rolled out by Pixar's Bill Polson.  Bill's explanation of Dailies really captured my imagination. Electronic Theatre shows the final product and Production Sessions give us an in-depth look into the process, but Dailies is the only place at SIGGRAPH where we get to hear from the artist who actually did the work. I guess my motivation to be Chair was that I wanted to step up and help this fledgling program off the ground.

How did you pick your Jury?
This year, I was really fortunate to get a great jury of industry professionals together to review the material.  It was a very small group of very talented individuals from Dreamworks, Pixar, Microsoft Games and Rhythm and Hues.  I felt that to avoid conflicts of interest, it was essential to select jurors with different talents from across different studios.  Of course, it was also important to choose people with production experience, jurors who knew what it was like to work in the trenches.

Editor's note: To view the Dailies jury, click here.

What was your biggest challenge this year?
Though the Dailies program has gained popularity among attendees, there has actually been a slight downward trend in the number of submissions.  So my biggest challenge this year was to try to bolster the number of submissions.  In many ways, 2013 was a challenging year for film production, but even so, I was happy to see the number of submissions increase.

What should people expect this year....any highlights?
With 45 unique presentations by 45 different artists, all crammed into about 90 minutes, it's going to be a frantic, fast-paced roller coaster of an evening.  There's a huge variety of content - from fantastic student work to talks by top studios.  Along with the stunning imagery, what really stands out at Dailies are the stories behind the work.  There are a couple of very special pieces, but I'd prefer not to give away any spoilers.

What does it take to get accepted to Dailies?
There are two components to a Dailies submission.  The first is the work itself.  The second, and often more important component, is the story behind the work.  With a good story and compelling imagery, you have a shoe-in submission for Dailies.

As a Canadian, are you surprised at how well SIGGRAPH 2011 did in Vancouver and are you excited to go back?
2011 was the first time SIGGRAPH was held outside the United States and as a Canadian, I was thrilled to see it come to Vancouver.  Not only is Vancouver a picturesque location, the whole graphics community really pitched in to make SIGGRAPH 2011 a magical experience.

In my 20+ years of SIGGRAPH, Vancouver 2011 stands out as an exceptional conference and I can't tell you how delighted I was to hear that SIGGRAPH is going back in 2014.  Though my expectations are set pretty high, I don't think I'll be disappointed, eh?

What has been your biggest career honor?
When I'm not volunteering for SIGGRAPH, I build animation and rendering tools for Side Effects Software.  I'm always blown away to see how talented artists can use (and sometimes abuse) the tools I make to create such amazing imagery.  But the single biggest career honour would have to be my Technical Academy Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, recognizing my contributions to the film industry (BTW, there's an extra 'u' in honour in Canada).

Editor's note:  Watch Mark accept his Technical Academy Award by clicking here.