Village Gamer

Toronto – There are some great Animation workshops and events coming up this March at the NFB Mediatheque in Toronto. With a wide variety of activities, there is something for just about everyone, and these events are family funding friendly and educational.

Animation Exploration Screening Programmes

Every day during March Break (March 14-22), join us for two fun-filled programs of animated shorts for the whole family! Admission is $2 per person, or FREE with registration to a March Break animation workshop.

Program A: March 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 AT 2 PM each day
Ruzz & Ben, Emission Admission, My Grandmother Ironed the King’s Shirts, Oh Sure, I Want a Dog, and The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin (approximate running time: 1 hour)

Program B: March 15, 17, 19, 21 at 2 PM each day
Sleeping Betty, Hothouse 5: Square Roots, The Danish Poet, The Owl Who Married a Goose, Getting Started, and Blackfly (approximate running time: 51 min)

March Break Animation Exploration

Do you want to discover the world during March Break? Now you can… during ANIMATION EXPLORATION!

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Vancouver – BCIC (BC Innovation Council)  is sponsoring the webcast of Angel Forums’ Exit Strategies for Investors and Entrepreneurs – An Investor Ready workshop. The film should be available on the web by March 23 – details to follow.

Why attend?
Companies need an exit strategy first; which in combination with their capital requirements, drives financing strategy.

Who should attend?
This unique workshop is targeted to entrepreneurs (the wrong exit strategy may scare off investors), angels (know how your investment will pay off) and advisors.

Content & Speakers:
This workshop is designed to be highly interactive for all attendees in a confidential protected environment (no solicitations). The format will be a blend of presentations, war stories by local experts, and lots of time for Q&A and networking.

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SEATTLE – The organizers of the PAX gaming festival today announced that this year’s “The PAX 10” independent games showcase is officially open for submissions. From now until May 9, independent developers seeking to participate can submit their original game creations for consideration online.

A panel of 50 industry experts, including Penny Arcade’s own Gabe and Tycho, will select the ten best submissions in terms of gameplay and overall “fun factor” for inclusion in The PAX 10. Winners will be announced in July and invited to show off their hard work in the PAX 2009 Exhibition Hall Sept. 4-6 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.

“We were absolutely amazed by the quality and diversity of games submitted in 2008,” said Robert Khoo of Penny Arcade. “I’m excited to see what the community of indie game devs have in store for us this year. Good luck to everyone!”

Toronto – Growing a digital business during a recession and debating the future of New Media in Canada are among the themes that will be examined by industry leaders at this month’s digital media conference, IN: The Interactive Exchange (IN09), taking place March 17-19 in Toronto.

The multi-stream conference will open with a keynote presentation by Futurist Christian Crews, Principal, andSpace Labs. Crews helps clients create sustainable competitive advantage in highly uncertain environments. Prior to andSpace Labs, Crews was Director of Futures Strategy, Director of Growth Strategies, and Director of Corporate Strategy at Pitney Bowes Inc (NYC).

IN09 will feature two interactive debates on the future of interactive media in Canada with panels that include Richard Stursburg, executive vice-president English services for CBC, journalist and blogger, Ivor Tossell, and entrepreneur Jeremy Wright, CEO, B5 Media. As traditional broadcasters reel from the downturn in advertising revenue, the CRTC is re-visiting regulation of New Media – a sector that continues to grow despite the global recession. Discussion will touch upon new media broadcasting, net neutrality and strategies key to creating globally competitive companies in the digital media space.

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Banff – Emmy Award-winner René Balcer, co-creator and executive producer of  “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and showrunner for the original “Law & Order” series, will join the Master Class series lineup for the 30th edition of the Banff World Television Festival (BANFF). BANFF takes place at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in Banff, Canada, June 7-10, 2009.

“We are thrilled to have René Balcer take the stage for the Master Class series,” commented Peter

Rene Balcer

Vamos, BANFF executive director. “René’s longevity in the television industry and success at leveraging a profitable series into a successful spin-off makes his attendance a valuable addition to this year’s program.”

Writer and producer René Balcer is a native of Montreal, Canada, and was a journalist and documentary filmmaker at Canada’s National Film Board prior to joining “Law & Order“ in its first season in 1990. He later became executive producer and head writer in 1996 and while under his leadership as showrunner, “Law & Order” won the Emmy for Best Drama Series in 1997.

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Vancouver – One of the original judges at the first Alcuin book design competition, Frank Newfeld, book designer, illustrator, art director, and former Vice President, Publishing at McClelland & Stewart, will share some of his thoughts on illustrated books, particularly those for the younger reader. This should be of special interest to fans of Newfeld’s illustrations for Alligator Pie (poems by Dennis Lee).

Copies of Mr. Newfeld’s recent memoir, Drawing on Type (The Porcupine’s Quill, 2008), will be available for purchase and signing.

Place: Fletcher Challenge Room, Simon Fraser University – Harbour Centre
2300 – 515 West Hastings St. Vancouver BC

Date: Thursday, April 2nd, 7:00 pm
Free event for members and non-members – Open to the Public. Space is limited.

RSVP at gdc.net

Vancouver – The ACM SIGGRAPH Vancouver Chapter is pleased ao announce that tickets are now on sale for their March event.

Eric Barba and Steve Preeg of Digital Domain will be at the VanCity Theatre on Wednesday March 18 to present details about the technology and artistry in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button that led to an Academy Award® for achievement in visual effects. Beginning with the invention of a new process called ‘e-motion capture’ for transferring a live actor’s likeness and performance to a CG model, it also includes everything from on-set data capture and editorial workflow, to facial expression and performance capture, to skin simulations and building a custom rig.

Doors will open at 6:30pm for an industry mixer sponsored by the BC Innovation Council, with the seminar beginning at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15.00 for members and $25.00 for non-members, with group pricing also available.

Other sponsors for this event are:  Sophia Books, Annex|Pro, Stash Media, Big Fish Games, Visual Effects Association of BC and the Society of Graphic Designers Canada BC Chapter.

$55,000 awarded to emerging Canadian artists – the largest competition of its kind in Canada

Ottawa – RBC, with the support of the Canadian Art Foundation, today announced the call for entries for the 2009 RBC Canadian Painting Competition. Entries must be submitted by May 3, 2009.

Winners will be announced in October, with the national winner receiving $25,000, and two honourable mentions each receiving $15,000. Semi-finalists in the competition will see their work displayed at prominent Canadian art galleries and featured in Canadian Art magazine.

“RBC is an important contributor to the Canadian visual arts community,” said Ann Webb, Executive Director, Canadian Art Foundation. “The RBC Canadian Painting Competition discovers and recognizes the skill and talent of Canada’s emerging artists and provides national exposure of their work.”

RBC has worked closely with the Canadian Art Foundation to deliver a top quality competition that continues to grow in stature. The Canadian Art Foundation oversees the adjudication process, allowing the works to be judged by a select panel of distinguished members of the visual arts community.

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Toronto – Corus Television is partnering with Hasbro Canada to give kids the chance to be the first to test new NERF products. Going live on March 2, YTV.com will connect viewers to CampNERF.ca, which showcases the latest in NERF gear and contests. Online games can be found on the website’s Elite Gaming Area as well as its four Training Zones. Other areas of Camp NERF include the Contest Bunker, the Mess Hall for the latest news and camp communications and the Outfitter Tent for all retail information. To top it all off, kids will also be able to play and interact with NERF this summer with YTV’s annual WOW cross-country tour.

Camp NERF is an online destination where kids are introduced to the world of NERF through various Camp Counsellors, all of whom hold different areas of expertise. Participants can also collect and earn NERF badges when they complete a game or finish their online training as part of their experience at CampNERF.ca.

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Video Games Live has announced more Canadian performance dates for 2009.  Video Games Live is a great journey down gaming’s nostalgia lane, it’s a fun and entertaining way to introduce our children to the world of symphonic music. Village Gamer highly recommends the production as worthy family entertainment.

New Dates:

A second performance date has been added for Kitchener, ON:

Kitchener, ON – March 13 and 14 2009 – Centre In The Square with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony

Winnipeg, MB – July 6 and 8 2009 – Centennial Concert Hall

Video Games Live has promised forthcoming tour dates for:

Montreal, Ottawa, Halifax, Vancouver, New Brunswick and Newfoundland.