CENTER FOR COMPUTATION & TECHNOLOGY

The Advocate By: Ned Randolph The Red Stick International Animation Festival is the only festival in the nation dedicated solely to animation, its organizers say. Starting Thursday, the three-day event will bring to downtown, the industry's leading animators and directors as well as screenings of Hollywood blockbusters and independent films. The festival has received 150 entries. All finalists will have their projects screened at one of three downtown locations: the Shaw Center for the Arts, Old State Capitol and Louisiana Arts & Science Museum Auditorium and Planetarium. Workshops and master classes by directors and "acting coaches" will teach animators to breathe life into their characters. Also on hand will be video game producers, artists and job recruiters. Red Stick is modeled after the Animex Festival in Middlesbrough, England, a once-declining industrial town that transformed itself in the 1990s by embracing computer and animation technology. In five years, Animex grew from a single-day event into a corporate-sponsored weeklong festival of film animation, computer gaming and virtual reality. Last year, the Animex student competition drew 350 entries from 25 countries. Animex also sponsors outreach programs in schools throughout the region. Animex representatives have been working with the Red Stick organizers since February 2004, said Jennifer Hughes, a spokeswoman with the CCT. Planned speakers at Red Stick include: Pixar executive Mark Walsh, who will talk about the making of "The Incredibles," and designer Curtis Jobling, who created "Bob the Builder" and worked on "Mars Attacks." Also speaking is Rachelle Lewis, an animation-recruiter in Los Angeles who has hired artists for DreamWorks, Toon Ranch and Klasky Csupo. Acting coach and author Ed Hooks will teach animators how to give characters added charisma. Anatomy consultant Stuart Sumida, a biology professor at the University of California, will discuss using physiology of humans and animals to create realistic animation. A special kids event, Cartoon-A-Palooza, features "Bob the Builder's" Curtis Jobling and Stuart Sumida who is currently working on "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." Cartoon-A-Palooza is free and open to the public. No advance registration is necessary. For a complete schedule and to register for events visit: www.redstickfestival.org.