The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present a weekend of public events and exhibitions focusing on the art and science of animation: "The Sound behind the Image II: Now Hear This!," "Normand Roger on The Animation Soundtrack," and "Frederic Back: A Life's Drawings." The events will be held from Friday–Sunday, August 8–10, in Beverly Hills and Hollywood.
On August 8, "Now Hear This!," presented by the Academy's Science and Technology Council, will examine the evolution of sound in animation throughout the decades. The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Hosted by Academy Award nominee Mark Mangini (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Aladdin, The Fifth Element), "Now Hear This!" will feature discussions with Oscar-winning sound editor David E. Stone (Bram Stoker's Dracula) and Disney Imagineering media designer Joe Herrington, who will talk about the work of early sound effects masters Treg Brown and Jimmy MacDonald. The presentation will include a live demonstration of many of MacDonald's actual props.
Foley artist John Roesch will demonstrate foley techniques, and 14-time Oscar nominee and two-time winner sound designer Randy Thom (The Right Stuff, The Incredibles), will explain how new technologies have affected the way sound is created for animated motion pictures.
The program will feature clips from Steamboat Willie (right, 1928), Clock Cleaners (1937), The Reluctant Dragon (1941), Zoom and Bored (1957), Now Hear This (1962), Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Polar Express (2004), and The Incredibles (2004).
On August 10, the Academy will present "Normand Roger on The Animation Soundtrack" at 7:30 p.m. at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Moderated by Academy Award-nominated composer Michael Giacchino (Ratatouille), the program will feature an onstage conversation with Normand Roger, who has composed scores and designed sound effects for more than 300 films. They will be joined by two-time Oscar-winning animator Frederic Back, with whom Roger collaborated on six films.
Four Oscar-winning animated short films featuring Roger's scores and sound design work will be screened — Every Child (1979, directed by Eugene Fedorenko), Crac (1981, directed by Back), The Old Man and the Sea (1999, directed by Alexander Petrov) and Father and Daughter (2000, directed by Michael Dudok de Wit).
Also on August 10, the Academy will open a new exhibition, "Frederic Back: A Life's Drawings" in the lobby of the Linwood Dunn Theater. The exhibition will showcase drawings, illustrations, and sketches created by Frederic Back using colored pencils on frosted cels, in addition to highlighting Back's environmental concerns. Back won Academy Awards for both Crac (above) and The Man Who Planted Trees (top image, 1987).
"Frederic Back: A Life's Drawings" will have special viewing hours on August 10, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. The exhibition will be open to the public through November 1 on Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m., and whenever Academy public programs are hosted at the Dunn Theater. Admission is free.
"Frederic Back: A Life's Drawings" is presented with the support of the governments of Quebec and Canada, Societe Radio-Canada, Pixar Animation Studios, and SIGGRAPH.
The Academy's ongoing summer exhibition, "Ink & Paint: The Art of Hand-Drawn Animation," will be open throughout the weekend. Showcasing more than 125 hand-drawn works encompassing all stages of the filmmaking process, the exhibition presents paintings, drawings, sketches and cels from the 1950s through the 1990s, including examples from Alice in Wonderland, Lady and the Tramp, Sleeping Beauty, Gay Purr-ee, Pink Panther, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Iron Giant, and The Lion King.
"Ink & Paint" is presented in the Academy's Grand Lobby Gallery, located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and weekends, noon to 6 p.m. Those who attend "Now Hear This!" will also be able to see the exhibition following the event. The exhibition will remain on display through Sunday, August 24. Admission is free.
Tickets to "Now Hear This!" 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, or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For additional information, visit www.oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.
Tickets to "Normand Roger on The Animation Soundtrack" 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, or online at www.oscars.org. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. All seating is unreserved. The Linwood Dunn Theater is located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. Free parking is available through the entrance on Homewood Avenue (one block north of Fountain Avenue).
For additional information, visit www.oscars.org or call (310) 247-3600.
Photos: Courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library
Click on the photos to enlarge them.
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