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November 2006

"Robogirl vs. Spankbot"; ANIMATED SHORT FROM INTERspectacular SHOWCASED AT OTTAWA INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FESTIVAL

For a second year in a row, an animated short from New York's INTERspectacular featuring Robogirl was accepted into the prestigious Ottawa International Animation Festival. This year's short, Comedy Central's "Robogirl vs. Spankbot," screened as part of the festival's Short Competition 2.

The short film is 15-seconds in length and Directed by Luis Blanco and Michael Uman, co-founders and co-creative directors at INTERspectacular in New York. The film incorporates 2D computer animation and Flash.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival is the largest festival of its kind in North America and one of the most respected animation festivals in the world. Bringing art and industry together, the festival attracts production executives, artists, students and animation fans from across Canada and around the world.

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"PASSAGES BETWEEN THE PAST AND FUTURE"

Premiere Exhibit in U.S. of Photography by Bedouin Children of Abu Kaf, Israel at Venice Arts Gallery

Venice Arts Gallery was pleased to present "Passages Between the Past and Future," an exhibition of original photography from the children of the recently recognized Bedouin village of Abu Kaf. The exhibition, which opened on September 9th was the premiere exhibit in the United States; the work has previously been shown in Israel at the Museum of Bedouin Culture, northern Negev; the Yitzhak Rabin Center, Jerusalem; the Achva College of Education; and the Beit Berl College, Tel Aviv.

From December 2004 through April 2005, ten 13 and 14 year-old youths from Abu Kaf worked with American educator, artist, and Fulbright Fellow, Kim Frumin, to learn the basics of photography. The project was designed by Frumin to empower Bedouin children to use cameras to create individual self-portraits and portraits of their communities, challenging the children to articulate their hopes and dreams and to reflect upon the strengths of their community. Their photographs are being used as educational tools, allowing Bedouin youth to better know themselves and to share their unique perspectives with their counterparts throughout Israel. This exhibit represents a culmination of their efforts.

Passages was generously funded by the United States-Israel Educational Foundation (Fulbright Foundation in Israel) and the Jewish community of Houston, Texas. It is a collaboration between the Abu Kaf school and the Joe Alon Center.

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NEW MICROSOFT SPOTS UNITE TECHNOLOGY AND HUMANITY BOTH ON SCREEN AND OFF

When kaboom director Brandon Dickerson was approached to direct a web spot for Microsoft, he naturally embraced the opportunity. What resulted, says the director, was "an incredibly cool and unique collaboration."

The spot brings audiences to a modern office building and as the camera enters the front doors, the scene fast-forwards making its way to the welcoming people throughout the office, slowing briefly at sales teams downstairs to the managers upstairs in what looks to be a continuous shot. "Sales teams react faster and managers gain better insight. All thanks to the people in IT" - the final question being, "Is your business people ready?"

Beginning with previs tests using stills animated at 5 frames per second, the production ultimately involved shooting on 35 mm and a "great steadicam operator" to capture what would ultimately look deceptively simple: Shots with speed changes fused together seamlessly to capture the single fluid sequence. And produced with web constraints in mind. On the shoot day, the board was recreated two more times with different casts so that the spot could be used for Microsoft's vast International markets.

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COMEDIC WELLPOINT CAMPAIGN STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTH INSURANCE WITH HELP FROM UMLAUT EDITOR JEAN KAWAHARA

In a new campaign for client WellPoint, the company behind Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield humorously reminds you why it is important to have health insurance. The spots were created by ad agency Publicis & Hal Riney and edited by Jean Kawahara of Umlaut.

In "Spongeball," a nonchalant employee passes time at work by bouncing a spongeball against a wall. A fellow co-worker stops by to rave about their new health insurance plan and how convenient it is for all of the employees. Uncaring, the man leans back in his chair and brags about how he hasn't "been to a doctor since he was 10." Losing his balance, he tumbles backwards in his chair. The impact causes a trophy from a nearby shelf to fall on his head. The other two spots, "Father & Son Day" and "Married & Single," follow a similar theme, injecting comical dialogue and scenes to otherwise practical advice and hints at the necessity of having a good, affordable healthcare plan.

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