Spring Break
Go-Go Aggie talent
Students in the Visualization Sciences program gear up for 14th annual show
By: Stephanie Rancier
Issue date: 5/4/07 Section: News
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Newcomers are obvious because they look lost; everyone inspects the outsiders as if to determine their purpose. The only proof to outsiders that they haven't accidentally stumbled upon a dungeon is the atmosphere of dedication and the palpable desire these people have to someday create animated films.
Some of the creators of entertainment for companies such as Pixar, Rhythm & Hues and George Lucas' company, Industrial Light & Magic, have called the fourth floor of the Langford Architecture Center home - they are Aggies from the Visualization Sciences Program. Current students of the Visualization Sciences Program have been working all year to exhibit their work at the 14th annual Viza Go-Go Show.
Professor Karen Hillier, who teaches a class that produces work for the show, called Viza Go-Go "a celebration of the arts." The students act as directors and producers to create multimedia work, animations and video-based works. Viza Go-Go will include gallery exhibits of still images and two days of demonstrations and screenings.
Students, families and even representatives from animation and gaming companies come to Viza Go-Go to see what the students have created, Hillier said.
Representatives from Pixar and Industrial Light & Magic will be on hand to scout new talent and to award scholarships.
"There are hundreds of people who work together to create animation, and all of these companies come to see what all our students have produced," Hillier said.
There are several areas of animation that students could contribute to in an animation-based career, Hillier said.
Most of the students participating in Viza Go-Go aspire to work in the film industry, Hillier said. However, more students are becoming interested in working for companies such as EA Games as the gaming industry continues to grow.
Hillier said that although the appeal for working in the entertainment business is great, creating animated films and games are not the only possible jobs for these students after graduation.
"They can go on to work in architecture firms, web design and research," she said. "The demonstrations the students create for the show act as part of their portfolio to gain interest from prospective employers."
The process of making the Viza Go-Go demonstrations begins simply as concepts and sketches, said Tony Piedra, a student in the Visualization Sciences program. The sketches are then scanned into the computer where models are made from digital clay using special computer programs such as Maya.
"The work that we do is a merging of technical education, computer science, and art," Piedra said.
Jessica Riewe, a graduate student in the program, joked that she only gets to go home to sleep and eat. Other students such as Piedra take time out to play basketball on Saturdays.
Piedra said the students spend so much time in the Vizlab that the days seem to run together.
"In undergrad we couldn't tell the difference between the weekdays and the weekends," Piedra said. "Every day seemed like the weekend. Now, we still can't tell the difference, but every day seems like a weekday."
The students' goals and reasons for working diligently become apparent as they show their work to others and talk about their colleagues' accomplishments at the Viza Go-Go show. Four of these students already have six-month internships at Pixar beginning this summer, Piedra said.
Though the visualization sciences students laughed about how little time they spend outside of the Vizlab, their love for what they do is evident.
"There's no way we would be here all the time if we didn't like what we do," Piedra said.
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