This week's #1 movie at the box office is the animated Ratatouille, proving you don't need a camera at all to make an entertaining film. But what do you need if you plan to ditch human actors in favor of ink and paint? Our panel of animators will take us through the process of creating story reels and animatics, working with voice actors and musicians, and distributing animated films on the internet, DVD, and at film festivals. We'll learn about traditional, hand-drawn cel animation as well as the modern, digital 3D techniques. We'll also see exciting clips from the latest work of all our talented panelists!

Sam Chen helped pioneer 3D content creation for the web during the 90s before switching over to 3D animation filmmaking. His last animated film Eternal Gaze has screened in over 90 film festivals world-wide, garnering over 30 awards, and was shortlisted for the Academy Award. Sam is currently a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow.

Rob Cozzens is the supervising animator for Grand Design Productions in National City. He started by experimenting with flipbooks and eventually taught himself computer animation using Lightwave. Five years ago he became the supervising animator for the 38-minute direct-to-video children's title Sara and the Starfish, as well as the entire Starfish Cove series.

Taylor Richards, a graduate of the Art Institute of California, San Diego, is a storyboard artist and animator. He is currently animating the series Dr. von Kaiser for AntiKaiser Productions and will unveil world premiere concept art from this amazing project!

We'll also have prizes to give away, including two festival passes to all four screenings of the 48 Hour Film Project on July 18 and 19 at the Hillcrest Cinemas, a $40 value!

Come network with your San Diego filmmaking peers from 6-7 PM, then stay for our animated animation discussion!

Don't forget to bring your business cards and head shots! And please be sure to tell everyone you know in the San Diego filmmaking community about this exciting, free event. See you there.

(scheduled guest speaker and content subject to change)

(no pets, please)