Village Gamer

Happy Launch Day to everyone over at United Front Games – Congratulations on your first official “Game Now On Store Shelves” milestone, and we wish you every success with ModNation Racers as it karts its way into homes around the world – now on to True Crime!

The next Innovation Camp will be held on May 29th and 30th at Bootup Labs. Get your tickets now for a great workshop that will challenge assumptions, connect ideas, embrace failure and see problems as opportunities for creative solutions in order to take your entrepreneurial venture to the next step. Tickets for Innovation Camp are $119.00 and can be purchased online.

Tickets are also still available for the Vancouver SIGGRAPH presentation of Alice in Wonderland: Creating Underland. Taking place on May 25th at the Empire Theatre Granville, this session features two presentations, the first with animation director David Schaub (Sony Pictures Imageworks), who will give you a look behind the talent and tools that were used to create Alice In Wonderland. Mr. Schaub will focus primarily on the standard creative elements of the show, but he will also provide insight into the surprising challenges and innovative technical solutions that were used to breathe digital life into over 30 inhabitants of Underland including the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen and the Cheshire Cat.

The second Creating Underland session will be presented by freelance Visual Effects Supervisor Carey Villegas, who will focus on the process of photographing the “live-action” component of the film, as well as the many challenges that he and Senior Visual Effects Supervisor, Ken Ralston faced in post production while creating the visual and stereo 3D effects. A screening of Alice in Wonderland will follow the technical presentations. Tickets for this event are $20.00 for non-members and $15.00 for members. Please note that online ticket sales for the seminar are now closed, but you can still get tickets at the door.

Our friends over at AnnexPro have just told us about two upcoming seminars for Final Cut Pro editors. Presented by the International Colorist Academy, these two courses will be taking place in Vancouver beginning on June 7th. The first course, Apple Colour, will be held on June 7 & 8th, while the Colourist Strategies session will be held June 9th through 11th.

Interactive entertainment company Ludia and FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) today announced the American Idol Star Experience game will be available as a free download on May 26th to coincide with the Season 9 finale of the smash hit American Idol™ TV show. The game enables fans to continue their Idol obsession as they unleash their creativity by producing jaw-dropping online performances for family, friends and the whole Facebook community to rate and compare against other players.

Idol enthusiasts simply use their existing Facebook login to create a game account to access the free Performance Creator download for PC. The Performance Creator enables players to design their own unique stage performance, including building a custom avatar from head to toe, choosing a song to sing from dozens of hits, choreographing dance moves, and directing a multitude of staging elements like camera angles and special effects. The player can then post the performance to Facebook with one click, to be rated to see how they compare to other performers in singing, styling and staging categories.

Members of the Facebook community can also enjoy the American Idol Star Experience game in a highly social context as members of the “audience” view and rate performances, choose favorites, leave comments for performers and discuss the best (and worst) of the performances- all within the Facebook environment.

“We are excited to release a unique game experience based on American Idol, one of the most important entertainment franchises in the world,” said Alex Thabet, Founder and CEO of Ludia Inc. “American Idol Star Experience reinforces our existing multiplatform game strategy, now seamlessly integrated with robust social features.”

American Idol Star Experience features:

* A free downloadable Performance Creator, available via players’ existing Facebook account.

* Personal avatars that players build head to toe, including body type, face, eyes, hair and more.

* Dozens of hit songs available in a wide variety of genres to suit all musical tastes including rock, punk, pop, hip hop, disco, R&B and country.

Players can achieve further customization of all elements of a performance via a simple “drag and drop” interface, including:

* Recorded singing- Players can select pre-recorded voice tracks, or use their own voice to sing karaoke-style.

* Personal styling- Hundreds of hair styles, wardrobe items and accessories to choose from.

* Unique staging- Stages modeled after the famous American Idol stage, with special effects, lighting, camera angles, dance moves and props that players can craft to create a one-of-a-kind performance.

* Social interaction within the Facebook community as members of Facebook can visit the game’s page to view and rate performances based on singing, styling and staging criteria. Players have also the ability to invite select Facebook friends to a private viewing of their performance.

“After more than eight top-rated seasons on television, the Emmy-award winning American Idol is one of the most successful properties on TV,” said Olivier Delfosse, Director, Interactive, FremantleMedia Enterprises, licensor for the program. “We are pleased to extend American Idol to both the existing fan base and new audiences alike with a highly immersive game experience that further deepens consumer engagement with the franchise.”

Ubisoft Montreal has released the North American trailer for Shaun White Skateboarding, which is scheduled for release this fall.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jopFvyE99y0]

In other Ubisoft Canada news, and as many of you already know, the team at Ubisoft’s newest studio, Ubisoft Toronto, will lead development of the next installment of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell®, one of Ubisoft’s most successful franchises with over 19 million units sold worldwide.

“Building our studio around both AAA brands and original IP has allowed us to attract an all-star team to Ubisoft Toronto. We’re really happy to be able to tell the world that the Toronto studio’s first big franchise title is the next Splinter Cell game. Splinter Cell has become synonymous with innovative gameplay, great design, and one of the most beloved characters in games,” said Jade Raymond, managing director of Ubisoft Toronto.

Jade Raymond started the new studio with the core team of Alexandre Parizeau and Maxime Béland, producer and creative director on Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell® Conviction, and producer Lesley Phord-Toy and Rima Brek, head of technology in Toronto. They have been the foundation for a development team that has grown to over 40 very experienced and creative professionals today. And given the roster of ambitious AAA titles that Ubisoft Toronto has on deck, the new studio will continue to accelerate that pace, and keep hiring the best in the industry.

Stir Fry Games has released more information about their upcoming Xbox Live Indie Games title SFG Beach Volleyball, which was submitted to Microsoft last week.

In Beach Volleyball, you’ll be able to play online with your friends or join a single-player blitz-style tournament with up to 16 other players. Other game features will include 30 different tournaments around the world on 3 different tours in the multi-season career mode. The World Tour will feature realistic tournaments with up to 68 teams, double-elimination draws, pool play and qualifying rounds. With the RPG-style improvement system, you’ll be able to improve your skills as well as those of your partner, because you’ll be able to customize your AI partner’s blocking and digging strategies.

This is a reminder that Autodesk is looking for computer-generated animations to be included on its 2010 SIGGRAPH reel. Submit your latest short animation game cinematic, film, feature film, commercial, broadcast, music video and episodic projects created using Autodesk software, such as Autodesk® Maya®, Autodesk® 3ds Max®, Autodesk® Softimage®, Autodesk® MotionBuilder®, and Autodesk® Mudbox™ software. This is an opportunity to share your work with industry peers and potential clients at July’s SIGGRAPH event in Los Angeles. The reel will also be streamed live on the AREA, promoted on the Autodesk website and YouTube Channel, and played during industry events throughout the year. Autodesk is also looking for high-resolution images for inclusion in general marketing materials throughout the year. The deadline for video submissions is 31 May 31 2010 and for imagery 4 June.

Machinima.com has released the first episode for their latest series – Dragon Age: Warden’s Fall. The series picks up where Bioware’s Dragon Age: Origins ends, and you can watch as the Darkspawn are pursued in their retreat.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRVTl2ii8BM]

Also in major news from Bioware is the official announcement of the long-rumoured Mass Effect movie. Stories about interest for a Mass Effect movie began circulating earlier this year, when project director Casey Hudson told MTV that “we (Bioware) have a tremendous amount of interest from people in Hollywood to make a major motion picture about ‘Mass Effect. The most important thing for us is, we don’t just want to see a movie get made. We want to see a great movie get made, if it’s going to get done at all.”

The deal for a Mass Effect has apparently been cinched, as told yesterday in The Hollywood Reporter, who confirmed reports that the film rights have been picked up by Legendary Pictures (the studio behind 300, The Watchmen, The Dark Knight and the still-in-development Gears of War). BioWare’s Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk and Casey Hudson will reportedly be brought on as executive producers. Mark Protosevich, the writer behind I Am Legend and the upcoming Thor, is in talks to pen the adaptation. Bioware has opened a discussion area on their Social Bioware Community for fans to talk about their hopes and thoughts about the Mass Effect movie project.

British Columbia’s film industry will receive a major boost thanks to funding from the Government of Canada. In an announcement released late last week, an investment of $530,000 towards the Emily Carr University of Art and Design (ECU) will help purchase equipment and develop the first western Stereoscopic 3D (S3D) Centre of Excellence in digital media and film technologies.

“British Columbia has a vibrant film making industry and today’s investment will provide the necessary resources so this industry can remain competitive in the West,” said the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification.

The S3D centre will be housed in Emily Carr’s Intersections Digital Studios, based in Vancouver. This new initiative will strengthen Emily Carr’s applied research and collaboration with industry and will result in the only western Canadian S3D film-making technology research and training program.

S3D technology is coming of age and is expected to be adopted by significant segments of the movie industry over the next five years. Although 3D projection is not new, recent advances in computer technology allow a much improved viewing experience, and therefore there is an expectation of significant adoption within many segments of the industry.

Today’s investment by the Government of Canada will give the BC film industry a leading position through training and applied research in production and post-production for S3D technology which is being adopted by the industry.

“We are grateful to the Government of Canada for recognizing the need for this type of investment,” said Dr. Ron Burnett, Emily Carr President & Vice-Chancellor. “This funding will allow us to grow the capabilities of the Centre and lead the country in ground-breaking S3D technology research, education and training.”

The Creators Project, a creative initiative designed to connect global youth through creativity and technology, has launched its website and interactive portal where original videos, featured works and interviews with some 80 international artists, musicians and media creators are available.

The site will stream live content, including interviews, performances, exhibits and panel discussions from the Creators Conferences, allowing viewers around the world to participate virtually in advance of live events being planned in several international locations.

The Creators Project was conceived out of VICE, a small print ‘zine based in Montreal that launched in 1994. Today, as a global media company, it has several international offices, and it has branched into other digital media platforms, including digital filmmaking and online distribution, with the establishment of VBS.TV, an online broadcast network that streams original content 24 hours a day. VICE has also established a solid working relationship with tech giant Intel, tapping into advanced technologies and innovation through that partnership, as seen in the current initiative.

“The Creators Project is built on supporting leading musicians, artists and designers from every corner of the globe,” creator Mark Ronson described in a release. “All too often our most talented artists struggle to showcase their work. This project is designed to empower this next generation of artists by leveling the playing field. The fact that The Creators Project is driven by collaborations between artists across the spectrum of creativity is amazing. I came from being a DJ first, which is kind of the role of master curator, so I’m driven on watching people work together. The Creators Project is something that makes me think — because it’s VICE and because it’s Intel — this really could be the first special community of its kind.”

“At Intel, as the makers of the brains inside some of the world’s most cutting-edge tech tools, we’re lucky to have a backstage pass to the most exciting uses of technology and the artists that inspire us by how they harness technology’s power and potential to explore,” added Deborah Conrad, Intel’s chief marketing officer. “Thankfully, VICE wanted to give everyone a front row seat to all of these incredible artists, and they had the guts and talent to do just that. And so, our partnership and The Creators Project came to life.

“Now more than any other time in history, we’re watching a new generation of creative geniuses come into their own — artists who use technology tools as their paintbrushes, musical instruments, sculpting knives and sketchbooks. For them, computers are as pervasive as pencils. The Creators Project is where these worlds of art and technology collide. It is a powerful vehicle to tell amazing stories of the artists, celebrate their innovation and provide a place — literally and virtually — for them to collaborate.”

The project is highlighted by The Creators Conference series, and organizers are hoping for thousands of people to attend the live concerts, art exhibits, film screenings and panel discussions. New York City hosts the first Creators Conference with an all-day extravaganza at Milk Studios. The eight-floor art gallery and performance space will host exhibits by Takeshi Murata, Karl Sadler, Mark Essen and Radical Friend, and performances by Mark Ronson, Interpol, Gang Gang Dance, N.A.S.A, Sleigh Bells and Salem. The series will then move to London, Sao Paulo, Seoul, and concludes in Beijing with a three-day finale where participating artists and exhibits will be flown in from the across the globe.

Disney Interactive Studios invites kids and families to beat the heat on the snow-covered virtual island of Club Penguin this summer with Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge for Nintendo DS™, now available in retail stores nationwide.

“The first Club Penguin DS game was a huge hit with fans, and we’re excited to offer even more handheld fun for Club Penguin fans everywhere,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “With Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge, fans will enjoy more compelling missions with new and returning characters, engaging mini-games and unique ways to connect with the online world.”

Fans of Club Penguin will once again be able to join the Elite Penguin Force secret agency and work to unravel the mischievous plans of Herbert P. Bear, the island’s one true villain. Players will experience all-new mini games, secret agent tests, new gadgets and mysterious missions.

Returning characters from the first game include Gary the Gadget Guy, Dot the Disguise Gal, Jet Pack Guy and Rookie. Also back by popular demand are the furry Elite Puffles who each possess a unique skill. Pop (Purple Puffle) makes bubbles, Flare (Black Puffle) creates blowtorches and Chill (White Puffle) produces frost breath.

Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and includes many features that link the game back to the original Club Penguin virtual world. Players now have the unique opportunity to synchronize exclusive items such as secret agent bow ties, sunglasses and crab costumes collected in the video game with their Club Penguin online account. Players can also earn coins that can be seamlessly uploaded to their online accounts or used to purchase virtual items in game. This compatibility has been one of the most popular features since the launch of Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force in 2008, with close to one billion coins being transferred to more than 275,000 online accounts by kids around the world.

“Increasing the connectivity between the creativity and imagination kids love so much in the online world of Club Penguin and the experience of playing the DS game was really important to us, and we’re really excited to launch the first mission that will take the storyline and adventure across both platforms,” says Lane Merrifield, co-founder of Club Penguin and executive vice president of Disney Online Studios.

Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge, while not developed in Canada, is at heart a Canadian creation, with Penguin Central still based in Kelowna BC. The game also features “Veggie Villain,” a new mission which launched simultaneously on ClubPenguin.com for players of both platforms to enjoy. Here, Herbert tries to expose the secret Elite Penguin Force agency and destroy the headquarters with a secret gadget.

TRZZonline.com, a Ph03nix New Media company, will be launching their new social game Fame & Fortune on May 31st, fusing time management/social gaming with the entertainment industry. TRZZonline’s Fame & Fortune will be featured and exclusively played on Facebook®, creating its own user fan base and joining the upper ranks of its predecessors.

Fame & Fortune is a social game about acquiring super-stardom, with a tongue-in-cheek twist on the entertainment industry. Players will assume the role of the ‘starving artist’ as they move to Hollywood to build a career in the music and film industries. From living in their car to waiting tables in restaurants to ultimately owning a private island, it’s all part of Fame and Fortune.

This fun journey provides your ‘pretentious-self’ with a false sense of security as you climb the ladder of success. It also gives you a few ‘reality checks’ along the way when your friends from your Facebook friends list join in on the fun and compete with you. Challenging your friends to see who is the most popular, or who has the largest entourage, or who owns the largest mansion is what will keep you coming back for more, (not to mention, an in-game music player that contains a great play-list of Top 40 music and indie artists’ songs that make you want to just leave the browser open all day). Special rewards and perks are unlocked as you become more and more successful, although, if you become too successful, your friends are able to execute antics like creating “Bad PR” to knock you down a few notches.

This game taps into the budding star within us all. You can acquire fame and fortune the old fashioned way by performing gigs that allow you to level-up and make money, or you can get on the fast track with in-game “ICE” purchases that allow you to quickly upgrade your lifestyle with items that include fancy cars, clothes, beach houses, airplanes, skateboard ramps, pets, paparazzi, security guards, and anything else you can think of that a famous socialite can’t live without.

While other social game developers are performing the old “copy/paste” cloning method of games that are already popular on Facebook, TRZZonline is creating something completely new by essentially turning their real-world experience in the music entertainment industry into a game that crosses all demographics.

The Fame & Fortune Facebook Game has teamed up with Hip Hop Weekly Magazine in an effort to show how merging ‘real world’ products with gaming concepts can maximize company exposure through in-game involvement. Hip Hop Weekly Magazine is well known throughout the world for covering “all things happening in urban entertainment”. Inside of TRZZonline’s Fame & Fortune Facebook Game, Hip Hop Weekly Magazine plays the role of the official news reporter, documenting your success as your popularity grows.

“We didn’t want to build another time management game just for the sake of building it. Our team is great at creating games with stellar graphics and amazing game play, but we wanted to do something different, something innovative. We wanted to be one of the first developers to successfully merge online gaming with offline rewards,” said Jon Lam, founder and CEO of TRZZonline/Ph03nix New Media. “Imagine an online game that gives you a chance to meet one of your favorite rock stars, or attend one of their private events. As users level-up, TRZZonline’s Fame & Fortune rewards them with a variety of real-world elements provided by our friends in the entertainment industry.”

BigStack Studios invites you to enter the world of Sigma – the most unique, challenging and defiant Match 3 game to surface in ages, and coming soon to your iPhone/iTouch. Using multi-touch, you will be able to independently spin two columns of blocks on either side of the screen. Tapping either side of the screen sends blocks back and forth across the screen. Once a match has been created, you’ll have a couple of seconds to tag additional blocks on to the cluster before the whole thing goes BOOM! Whether you’re a beginner creating simple horizontal or vertical match threes or an expert strategically setting up massive block clusters, it’s an experience like none other.

Sigma Features:

· A Truly Unique Twist on Match 3 – Harness the power of multi-touch to independently spin two columns of blocks. Tap to shoot blocks from side to side creating matches then quickly tag on additional blocks before the match detonates.
· Build Massive Combos – Clear huge block clusters to earn big points and big power ups. Match the same color consecutively to create an escalating point multiplier.
· Three Game Modes – Progress through the three difficulties of Sector Mode to unlock themes. Compete for a high score in one of the three times in Time Attack Mode. Go head to head with a friend over WiFi or Bluetooth in Versus Mode.
· Unlockable Themes – Unlock ten graphical themes each with its own music track.
· Showcase Your Awards & High Scores – Sigma features Plus+ Awards and Leader boards.

Meanwhile, Terrace-based Rusty Axe Games is excited to announce that applications are being accepted for closed beta testers for its forthcoming dungeon editing system. Geared towards pencil and paper and computer adventure game developers alike, Dungeon Demon is an easy to use map editor that comes with enough great looking artwork that novice and pro adventure designers will be designing gorgeous maps in minutes. The closed beta test will begin on June 1st, 2010.

Dungeon Demon is a top down, graphical object oriented editor that mixes tiling and simple graphical object editing to produce a fast and easy to use dungeon editor. Users can specify up to nine named graphics layers, each with an optional grid system. Legend items can be dropped into any layer and can be used for traditional text markup or for more technical purposes if being used for computer game map editing. Maps can be printed, exported as bitmaps or saved in a flexible XML format for use by other programs.

Rogers Media today announced that it is releasing unique video content through “Shorts in the City,” a Citytv.com programming initiative in partnership with Nissan Canada and OMD Media.

“Shorts in the City” will offer Canadians the largest selection of serialized online video content available in the country and will feature over 17 shows, 500 episodes and 35 hours of drama, comedy, sci-fi, thriller, horror and animation. The content is supplied by Vuguru, Michael Eisner’s new media studio in which Rogers is an investor, and international distributor Fireworks.

“Shorts in the City is a first in Canada for serialized content, a wide multi-screen and multi-platform release,” commented Claude Galipeau, SVP & GM Digital Media, Rogers Media. “We plan to release the video first on the web and mobile, and then migrate some titles to TV and the Rogers On Demand VOD platform. The content will be available on a range of Rogers brands including Citytv.com, Sportsnet.ca, RogersonDemand.com, Flare.com, Macleans.ca, and Louloumagazine.com. An iPhone application, launching today, is available exclusively to Rogers and Fido customers. The programming will also be available on a new iPad application when it is launched in Canada.”

Nissan Canada partnered with Rogers Media on this initiative and will integrate their ads within the programming. “Nissan Canada is proud to partner with Rogers to present “Shorts in the City”. Our mission at Nissan Canada is to fuse the most advanced technology and design to make great cars,” said Mark McDade, Director, Marketing, Nissan Canada. “At the heart of the “Shorts in the City” program is a unique entertainment experience that puts viewers in the driver’s seat as to when and where they enjoy this content.”

A national advertising campaign promoting “Shorts in the City” starts Tuesday, May 25th. Over the course of the summer, “Shorts in the City” will be announcing the release of new and exclusive shows coming to this multi-screen schedule, including “Prom Queen 3: The Homecoming” and “The Booth”.

Game Nation™ is going to be the world’s first Experiential Video Game Theme Park and Resort – as soon as it finds a hometown. Over the next 12 months, Game Nation will be deciding on the best location for it theme park, and you are invited to participate.

“I remember when I was younger and I played video games. When I finished the game I wished that world was real and I could be part of it.” said Ruke, Creator of Game Nation. “It’s fantastic that people will get to actually realize everything they’ve seen in a video game come to life”.

When visitors come to Game Nation, they will become players as they step into a realistic re-creation of a world filled with myths, legends and arenas all crying out for their champion. As you pass through the gates, you’ll leave behind all worldly stereotypes. You’re now one of millions, all equal, separated only by your skill, wit, and achievements, which will be proven. Your experience points and score are recognized by the guardians of this domain. As players walk by, recruits are saluted and veterans are bowed down to. You are guided to the armory where you must select your weapon. You choose from majestic relics, whimsical hardware or advanced gear. Here your dreams and fantasies will come to life in adventures yet to be told. You will become anything you like and live out the character you create. But this is no game. It’s real and will all happen at Game Nation.

Kitchener-Waterloo based Desire2Learn Incorporated and its subsidiary, D2L Ltd. (Desire2Learn), leading providers of mission-critical enterprise eLearning solutions have announced that Portland State University (PSU), known nation-wide for its innovative approach to education, has converted to Desire2Learn® Learning Environment.

Portland State University conducted an in-depth evaluation process of several learning management systems (LMSs) earlier this year. The process, which involved the entire university community, also included open demonstrations for faculty and students as well as sandboxes in which end users could actively engage with the prospective platforms.

Desire2Learn Learning Environment was selected based on its ability to meet the PSU technical and functional requirements, a learning repository that is tightly integrated with the Learning Environment and built on the same platform, while also being the preferred platform of faculty and staff participating in the evaluation process.

“We are very excited to enter into a partnership with a company so committed to research and development,” says Sharon Blanton, Chief Information Officer, Portland State University. “The new tools in Desire2Learn Learning Suite, including Course Builder and Instructional Design Wizard, will save valuable time, enable broader adoption of the platform and increase the quality of our online course experience for our students.”

Desire2Learn is working in close partnership with PSU to facilitate a rapid conversion of their 800 courses for the more than 15,000 students who use the LMS.

“Our partnership with Portland State University will provide the University with the necessary technology and services to supply both a reliable system that meets all of their functional requirements, as well as one that will enhance student educational experiences and help transform teaching and learning,” states John Baker, President of D2L Ltd. “We are thrilled to be assisting them as they continue on their innovation path for their students and programs.”

Toronto’s Geneva Film Co. founder, producer and director James Stewart, known as the ‘Ambassador of 3D’, will deliver an exclusive presentation at Dimension 3, being held this June in France. Stewart is the only Canadian representative invited to attend the event, joining industry experts in 3D from around the world to discuss such topics as 3D as a new film paradigm, as an emerging medium for film, spots entertainment and advertising, new filming techniques and the future of 3D in the home.

Stewart will appear as part of a panel discussion on the growing role for 3D in communications and advertising. Stewart will lead the panel through a lively discussion on the opportunity for marketers to exploit this highly immersive communications method to broadly reach consumer audiences and achieve wide marketplace reach through cross-medium campaigns showcasing 3D content in cinemas, on the web, via 3D-enabled mobile devices, and soon, television in the home. The panel will also debate and discuss the need for new thinking and strategies in the advertising industry, as well as writing and production methods that will enable marketers and advertisers to fully leverage 3D as a communications medium. Finally, Stewart will screen his most recent work on behalf of the Tema Conter Memorial Trust — the world’s first 3D commercial produced for charity.

“It is time for the advertising community to seize the opportunity and capitalize on 3D,” he says. “This is a medium that has the potential to transform the advertising world, and fundamentally change the way marketing messages reach and affect audiences. We are on the edge of the wave, carried forward by the popularity of 3D films such as Coraline, Monsters vs. Aliens, and now, Disney·Pixar’s celebrated Up, the first animated opening film in Cannes history. Several years from now, we’ll look back on this tipping point to remember a time when commercials were still shot and produced in 2D.”

James Stewart will also be joining an illustrious speaking roster representing creative leaders from around the globe including industry heavy-weights: Jon Landau, producer of Avatar, Director Ridley Scott, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, director Spike Jonze, and Richard Pinder, COO of Publicis Worldwide, and Goodby Silverstein founder, Jeff Goodby at the Cannes Lions Advertising Festival. Stewart is one of a select group of industry leaders invited by Cannes Lions to deliver an in-depth keynote on 3D and its breakaway success as an entertainment and commercial medium.

On Monday, June 21, 2010, Stewart will speak about 3D on behalf of the Screen Advertisers World Association (SAWA) in the Seminar entitled “The Cinematic Medium – Connecting Technology, the Audience and the Advertiser.” He will then deliver a two-hour intensive workshop on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 entitled “Are You Ready for the 3D Revolution?.” The presentation offers a journey into the next dimension- From the history of the medium to today’s 3D production methods, and the future impact of 3D on the modern creative process.

Stewart began working in 3D back in 2005, and is one of a select group of film directors actively shooting commercials in Live-Action Digital 3D. An active and passionate ambassador for 3D in Canada, Stewart is recognized around the world for his 3D work and evangelism on the 3D topic, speaking alongside such celebrated 3D authorities as Jeffrey Katzenberg and James Cameron at such events as LA’s 3D Entertainment Summit, and 3DX, a 3D Film and Entertainment conference held in 2008 in Singapore.

On the dark side of the ‘net, from the OPP: The Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) Squad is requesting the public’s assistance in locating Roger TOURIGNY, a Federal Offender wanted on a Canada Wide Warrant as a result of his breach of Parole. Roger TOURIGNY is serving a sentence for possess child pornography.

Roger TOURIGNY is described as male, white, 5’8″, 180lbs, brown eyes, grey hair, balding and wears glasses. He has a scar on this left knee, abdomen and left leg. He also has a tattoo on his left arm. He is 71 years old. He is believed to be in the downtown Toronto area.

Anyone having contact with Roger TOURIGNY should use caution. Anyone with information with regards to the whereabouts of Roger TOURIGNY is asked to contact the Provincial ROPE Squad at 416-808-5900 or toll free at 1-800-870-ROPE (7673) or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or call 9-1-1.