Panels

The Panels program reemerges at SIGGRAPH 2004 after taking a year off for some retooling. The new two-step Panels submission process has created a wider range of topics and a more diverse assemblage of panelists. This year's program features seven panels, all designed to encourage discussion among panelists and audience members. For a full list of Panels, go to www.siggraph.org/s2004 and click on the Panels link.

Panelists from large, mid-sized, and small companies spanning digital features, games, visual effects, commercials, and more discuss skills required for production, production support, entry-level positions, internships, reel and résumé preparation, how to apply for work, and typical job shortages and surpluses.
Moderator — Rachel Falk, PDI/DreamWorks

In many parts of the world, governments are allocating more financial support for projects that use technology such as computer graphics, to preserve and communicate cultural heritage. This panel brings together the growing population of people who work on these projects to report on their experiences (what has worked and what has not) and explore unsolved problems.
Moderator — Holly Rushmeier, Yale University

Custom software may be necessary for high-end postproduction and digital effects work, but from the perspective of digital artists and other users it is often fragile and difficult to use. This panel discusses in broad terms what is wrong with our custom software, why it is this way, and how it can be improved. Also a major topic: whether open-source software can be utilized to improve the situation.
Moderator — Andrew Chapman, Framestore CFC

In the early 1980s, a videogame was a six- to nine-month job for a single person. A typical team size these days is 25 to 30, and it's not uncommon to see games taking two or three years (or more) to complete. And with each new console, the production process grows more complex. But companies will not be able to expand their teams into the hundreds, take three years to put out a title, and then pray that it sells enough to support all those people and salaries. It's time for new solutions. This panel discussion explores how we can approach the challenge of making the games that the next generation of hardware will demand.
Moderator — Christian Lavoie, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe