Actors To Take The Digital Stage At Academy Event

ACTORS TO TAKE THE DIGITAL STAGE AT ACADEMY EVENT

Beverly Hills, CA — Actors Peter Badalamenti, Joel David Moore, CCH Pounder, Andy Serkis and Wes Studi will join several crew members from the Oscar®-winning films “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008) and “Avatar” (2009) in exploring the revolutionary developments in digital technology and its impact on acting at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ presentation of “Acting in the Digital Age” on Thursday, April 22, at 8 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Hosted by Short Films and Feature Animation Branch governor Bill Kroyer, the program will feature actors Badalamenti (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), Moore (“Avatar”), Pounder (“Avatar”), Serkis (“King Kong” and “The Lord of the Rings” trilogies) and Studi (“Avatar”); producer Jon Landau (“Avatar”); animation supervisor Richard Baneham (“Avatar”); character supervisor Steve Preeg (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”); stunt coordinator Garrett Warren (“Avatar”); and Paul Debevec, co-creator of Light Stage, a digital reflectance capture and rendering system that earned an Academy Scientific and Technical Award in 2009.

Presented by the Academy’s Science and Technology Council, the evening will use examples from “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Avatar” to illustrate innovations in performance-capture technology, digital doubles, digital makeup, photorealism and image manipulation are affecting actors. Film clips and behind-the-scenes footage of the actors will be presented.

Kroyer received an Academy Award® nomination for his 1988 short film “Technological Threat,” which pioneered the technique of combining hand-drawn and computer animation. He directed the animated feature film “FernGully: The Last Rainforest” (1992), was senior animation director at Rhythm & Hues Studios in Los Angeles, and is director of digital arts at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University.

Tickets for “Acting in the Digital Age” are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID. Tickets are available for purchase by mail, at the Academy box office (8949 Wilshire Boulevard, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open one hour prior to the event. All seating is unreserved.

The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at the 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.  For more information call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

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ABOUT THE ACADEMY

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the world’s preeminent movie-related organization, with a membership of more than 6,000 of the most accomplished men and women working in cinema. In addition to the annual Academy Awards – in which the members vote to select the nominees and winners – the Academy presents a diverse year-round slate of public programs, exhibitions and events; provides financial support to a wide range of other movie-related organizations and endeavors; acts as a neutral advocate in the advancement of motion picture technology; and, through its Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive, collects, preserves, restores and provides access to movies and items related to their history. Through these and other activities the Academy serves students, historians, the entertainment industry and people everywhere who love movies.

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