Submitters

Computer Animation Festival

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 3 July 2012 (23:59 UTC/GMT)

The Computer Animation Festival invites presenters from around the world to showcase their most innovative and stimulating computer-generated animation and visual effects. The 2012 Computer Animation Festival continues its traditional format of having both Electronic Theater and Animation Theater, just as how it had been presented in previous SIGGRAPH Asia editions. The aim is to allow attendees to immerse themselves in a comprehensive and compelling distillation of the best work in the world that advances animation, visualization, real-time rendering, and entertainment via computer animation.

This year's festival will introduce a new track on virtual fashion shows. Videos showing simulations of collections of high-end or casual clothes will be considered. Ancient garments, heritage, and cultural garments simulation videos are welcome.

The Computer Animation Festival contains two main components:

  • Screenings – It includes Electronic Theater and Animation Theater screenings where the full breadth of this year’s work in computer animation can be enjoyed at length.
  • Panels & Talks – It includes presentations by experts on a variety of topics related to the creation of computer animation and visual effects, as well as behind-the-scenes presentations by the creators whose works are screened at the festival.

The submission deadline is 3 July 2012, 23:59 UTC/GMT and the jury's decisions will be announced in August 2012. Please consider submitting your best work to the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Computer Animation Festival and contribute to the wide spectrum of animations and creative innovations that lead the way to the future of computer graphics.

Nadia Magnenat-Thalmann
Computer Animation Festival Chair
Nanyang Technological University

 

To qualify for the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Computer Animation Festival Competition Section, each submission must:

  • Be a complete, finished work
  • Have been completed after 1 January 2011
  • Include a significant percentage or inventive use of computer-generated imagery and/or digital production
  • Be uploaded at final resolution at time of entry
  • Be submitted in the appropriate category (Student works must be entered in the Student Projects category)

Submission Categories

We expect works submitted for the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Computer Animation Festival were completed on or after 1 January 2011. All submissions should be computer-generated or include certain parts of computer-generated production for which the computer was essential to the creation of the piece.

The Computer Animation Festival accepts submissions in the following categories:

  • 1. Computer Animation Shorts: This includes independent shorts, character animation, sponsored creative explorations, narrative and experimental works, opening sequences, game cinematics, selections and/or montages of animated television series, machinima, and new-media formats. Shorts of any length may be submitted, but the Computer Animation Festival reserves the right to show only excerpts of selected works at the jury's discretion.
  • 2. Music Videos: Commissioned and/or independent works that use any combination of computer animation, digital effects, and live action to illustrate, enhance, and/or complement a musical creation.
  • 3. TV and Web Commercials: Advertisements created entirely or partially with computer animation and/or digital effects. Also promotional spots, broadcast bumpers and graphics, and public service announcements.
  • 4. Visualizations and Simulations: Computer animations created to explain, analyze, or visualize information for applications including scientific research, architecture, engineering, systems simulations, education, and documentary projects.
  • 5. Animated Feature Films: Selections and/or montages of computer animation created for animated feature films.
  • 6. Visual Effects for Films and TV Programs: Selections and/or montages of visual effects created for live-action films and/or for television programs.
  • 7. Real-time Animation: Game, web, and mobile animations that are rendered in the same amount of time that it takes to play them back. Real-time technology demos are also encouraged! Real-time technology demos should be submitted to Real-Time Live!
  • 8. Computer-animated Virtual Fashion Shows: Any simulation of virtual fashion show is welcome. It could be either simulation of new collections or ancient clothes or imaginary and futuristic clothes and models. Emphasis will be put on the originality of the presentation.

The Computer Animation Festival reserves the right to place entries in the category that is most appropriate. For submission details, please contact the Computer Animation Festival Committee.

How to Submit Your Work

Step 1: Complete the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Computer Animation Festival Online Submission Form.

It provides instructions on how to submit your entry in details. The online submission system allows you to edit or correct your form as many times as you need until the deadline (3 July 2012, 23:59 GMT/UTC). At the end of the online submission process, you will be assigned a submission ID.

Step 2: Upload your movie file for the jury to evaluate your work. Please note the following technical requirements:

  • File size: Under  500 MB
  • File format: QuickTime (preferred), AVI or MP4 also acceptable (over 640 x 480 pixels)
  • Valid video codecs: H.264 (preferred), DivX, Wmv, Sorenson, Mpeg-4
  • Representative still image: At least 1K pixel resolution or higher
  • Representative image for web: JPG or PNG format, max. 200 KB

Step 3: All submitters must complete the Submission and Authorization Agreement before the submission deadline. Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed or accepted.

You must review your permissions (part of your original online submission form) and complete the Submission and Authorization Agreement by entering an electronic signature before the submission deadline. You can already peruse and sign the agreement during the submission process. We strongly recommend this. If you do not complete the Submission and Authorization Agreement with an electronic signature, your work cannot be presented at SIGGRAPH Asia 2012.

For a better understanding of the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Submission and Authorization Agreement, please review the Submission and Authorization Agreement Explanation.

Other formats or submission methods will not be reviewed. If you have any questions about uploading files, please feel free to contact the Computer Animation Festival Committee. We will be happy to help.

Deadlines

Online submission forms must be completed no later than 3 July 2012, 23:59 UTC/GMT (United States-California, L.A., 3 July, 16:59 | Hong Kong, 4 July, 07:59 | France, 4 July, 01:59).

Jury Review

All submissions are reviewed by a jury of experts in computer graphics, interactive techniques and related fields. The Computer Animation Festival Chair and committee are responsible for conducting the jury process, selecting the final works, and presenting the official competition and invited programs to the highest standards of quality.

The Jury Reviewing will take place in August 2012.

Acceptance Notification

In late August 2012, you will be notified by email of the status of your work. Each year, we have far more submitted pieces than we can accept, and we are not able to accept many deserving pieces. If your work is selected for either Electronic Theater or Animation Theater, you will be expected to reply promptly to any request for information or clarification from the Computer Animation Festival committee.

Preparation of Final Movies

If your submission is accepted by SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Computer Animation Festival, and your final piece is different from the version you provided for the jury to evaluate, you will need to provide the final piece afterwards.

For pieces selected for presentation in the high-quality Electronic Theater format, we expect that you will provide a completed work at full-resolution (HD is strongly preferred).

Final Movie Submission Formats

The final screening material with proper formats must be received by the Computer Animation Festival no later than Mid-September 2012. The exact date and specifications will be listed in your acceptance notification.
For Electronic Theater pieces: High-Definition (HD)

  • Accepted Video Resolution: 1080p(1920x1080p) preferred, 1080i(1920x1080), 720p(1280x720p)
  • Accepted Video Codecs: Uncompressed (or lossless compressed) QuickTime file
  • Accepted Frame Rate: 24fps preferred
  • Audio Rate: 48.000 kHz
  • Presentation Medium: HD-SR tape(1920x1080 resolution, 24fps) with HD-SDI projector

Upload as well as submission via hard drive (including USB) for digital files or HD-Cam SR. We do not accept individual TIFF and audio files due to potential for timing confusion.

For Animation Theater pieces: Standard-Definition (SD)

  • Accepted Video Resolution: Over 640x480
  • Accepted Video Codecs: Uncompressed (or lossless compressed) QuickTime file
  • Accepted Frame Rate: 30fps(preferred), 25fps
  • Audio Rate: 48.000 kHz

Upload as well as submission via hard drive (including USB) for digital files or NTSC DigiBeta or Betacam SP tape. We do not accept individual TIFF and audio files. The show will be presented at NTSC frame rates.

Shipping and Returns

Hard drives and tapes will not be returned by mail. They may be picked up at the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Conference Management Office during the conference.

Submitters are responsible for all shipping and transportation costs, insurance charges, and customs fees that may be incurred in shipping materials to the festival.

If you have any questions regarding final submission formats and/or codecs, please contact the Computer Animation Festival Committee.

Screenings

Selected works will be presented during SIGGRAPH Asia 2012.

Awards

On the first night of the festival, the Festival Jury will present the Best in Show Award and Jury Award. All films screened in the Computer Animation Festival are eligible for the Best in Show and Jury Award.

Presenter and Contributor Recognition

Please see the Presenter Recognition Policy for a summary of what you will receive if your work and/or proposal are accepted by SIGGRAPH Asia 2012.

Permissions

You are responsible for securing the necessary permissions and licenses for visual and audio material contained in your work for the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Computer Animation Festival.

We encourage you to use original music or visual material for your film, however if visual or audio material is not originally made for the film, we ask you to obtain the necessary permissions or required licenses to prevent situations from leading to complaints or even any legal action from the rights holders.

What is the qualification for entry?

Only works completed on or after 1 January 2011 can be taken into consideration. Submissions to the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Computer Animation Festival should be included in the certain categories. See the Submission Categories.

Do submissions have to be 3D animations?

Absolutely not. All forms of computer-generated works are eligible, including, but are not limited to: 2D Flash animation, 2D abstract art, live-action visual effects integration, real-time video games and visualizations, and digitally-manipulated imagery and/or video. We generally feature works where the computer was essential to the creation of the work, but there is no specific requirement that it be 3D. If you have computer-generated work within a larger piece, please remember that it is the CG component that will be judged, so please keep any extraneous footage to an absolute minimum in your submission.

Can I submit more than one work to the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Computer Animation Festival?

Yes, you can. There is no limit and you may submit as many as you like. Make sure that you should submit a separate submission form for each work. The jury will evaluate and decide on each submission separately.

Can I submit the same piece to multiple programs?

Yes, you are welcome to submit your work to the Computer Animation Festival and to other programs. For example, you may wish to submit animations to the Computer Animation Festival, and to submit an installation or related artwork to the Art Gallery. Please remember that each submission requires a separate online submission form. The Computer Animation Festival submissions should be movies for 'the official Competition: Electronic Theater and Animation Theater' that can be viewed.

I have an art animation (abstract or experimental). Should I submit it for the Art Gallery or to the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Computer Animation Festival?

All animation submissions should be submitted to the Computer Animation Festival.

I will not have my work finished by the submission deadline. Is it possible for me to submit "work in progress" for reviewing?

Yes, a work in process may be submitted if it is almost complete. However, you should remember that the juried program will be highly competitive, so your chances of selection are significantly better if you submit the final piece by the deadline.

When is the submission deadline for the Computer Animation Festival?

Online submission forms must be completed no later than 3 July 2012, 23:59 UTC/GMT (United States-California, L.A., 3 July, 16:59 | Hong Kong, 4 July, 07:59 | France, 4 July, 01:59).

The final uploads must be complete by the deadline and submissions received after the deadlines will not be reviewed. There is no exception, so please make sure that all submissions are completed before the deadlines. To determine what time that is where you are, you can use a converter such as The World Clock.

We are an art school and planning to submit several student works as one submission. Is it OK?

No. Each piece must be uploaded separately to the online submission system along with its own completed and signed submission form. Each piece is judged on its own merit.

What file formats are acceptable for submission?

Quicktime .mov movie files are the preferred format for jury reviewing. If necessary, AVI files or MP4 files may also be submitted. The movie file must be uploaded via the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 online submission system. For details, please see How to Submit.

Where do I send my submission materials?

All works must be submitted only via the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 online submission system. The online submission process allows submitters easy access to the online submission system, eliminates time-consuming shipping and mailing, and provides an efficient procedure for reviewing submitted work.

Is there a submission fee for submitting to the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Computer Animation Festival?

No, there is no submission fee. You only need to complete the online submission process.

What criteria does the jury use to select works?

All entries are reviewed by a jury together, and there are no strict rules for acceptance. The jury primarily looks for a combination of innovation and excellence. A longer list of traits the jury typically looks for includes originality, artistic achievement, technical accomplishment, technical innovation, production value, creativity, resolution, narrative quality, design, entertainment value, and advancement of visualization in the artistic and scientific fields of digital technologies.

What is the difference between the juried program and the invited program?

The juried program presents work selected by the jury that represents the best computer-generated film and video in the world. The invited program presents new visions and creative inspirations by inviting special presentations of pieces on chosen topics.

My animation makes use of commercially-recorded music. Is it OK?

You are responsible for securing the necessary permissions and licenses for audio material that is contained in your work. If your music was not created originally for your film or video, or if you are using another person's music, you must obtain the necessary permissions or required licenses. We will not purchase these rights for you.

Will SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 cover the shipping expenses for the final screening format?

No. SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 does not pay for any shipping or transportation costs. Submitters are responsible for all shipping and transportation costs, insurance charges, and customs fees that may be incurred in shipping materials to the festival.

If my work has been selected for the SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 Computer Animation Festival, will SIGGRAPH Asia 2012 pay for my accommodation and travel expenses?

Unfortunately, no. You are responsible for your accommodation and travel expenses. For details, please refer to the Presenter Recognition Policy.

3 July 2012, 23:59 (UTC/GMT)
Submission deadline

July - August 2012
Jury reviews

Mid August 2012
Acceptance notification

Mid September 2012
Final movie submission

28 November - 1 December 2012
SIGGRAPH Asia 2012

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