From SFBAPG member, Christine Papalexis who lives in L.A.:
New Exhibition opening May 12 in the Academy's Grand Lobby
and Fourth Floor Galleries:
It's Alive!
Bringing animatronic characters to life on film
May 12- August 20, 2006
http://www.oscars.org/events/animatronics/
Fantastical creatures, otherworldly characters and hideous monsters
have been featured in movies since the earliest days of film, and
they've often been brought to life with such realism that they've
earned a place in our collective hearts, or our nightmares. The
Academy's exciting new exhibition will honor the remarkable
accomplishments of a group of artists whose work in the field of
animatronics has created some of the most memorable non-human actors
to ever work in motion pictures.
Through the art and technology of animatronics, filmmakers can shoot
in real time as these mechanical creatures, operated through a
combination of sophisticated electronic circuitry and old-fashioned
puppeteering, interact with live actors on set in front of the
camera. With its roots in the early years of fantasy films,
animatronics became widely used in the '70s and into the '90s, making
characters like Yoda (from The Empire Strikes Back) to the giant ape
Harry (of Harry and the Hendersons) possible. Although the advent of
CGI has given filmmakers a different range of options when designing
these characters, such recent films as Herbie Fully Loaded and The
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy have elected to use animatronics to
allow real time performance.
The Academy Gallery is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5
p.m., and weekends from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is free. For further
information on all Academy events and exhibitions, call (310)
247-3600. Please note that the Academy will be closed from May 27-29
for Memorial Day.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is located at 8949
Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
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