Early days in France

fmx/09, Stuttgart, 8 mai 2009

 

fmx/09 Paris ACM SIGGRAPH Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs 3DVF

EnsadLab/HIST3D and the Paris ACM SIGGRAPH professional chapter have compiled, over the past two years, a history of computer graphics in France.
This industry started in the early 80s and was focused mainly on entertainment. Our honorable guests from today’s session are all keys actors from that era, and will testify how they started in the business, sometimes by pure chance.

We will retrace how the more important studios evolved from heavy in-house software to simpler turnkey systems in under five years. The founders of these studios will recall the trials and successes of the early days, when complete movies were being made on hardware that was less powerful than today’s cell phones.

Thierry Frey Thierry Frey,  Conference advisory group chair, SIGGRAPH Asia
Host
Pierre Hénon Pierre Hénon, Professor, École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (EnsadLab)  &  ACM SIGGRAPH (Paris chapter)
How Computer Graphics Began in France in the Early 80’s, a brief timeline.
Georges Lacroix Georges Lacroix, GL Consulting
« Fantôme »: The Birth of a Crazy Company
Pierre Buffin Pierre Buffin, Founder and CEO, BUF Compagnie
The Beginning of Buf Compagnie in 1985 – Today one of the main Studios in Paris
Jean-Charles Hourcade, Red Cat Technologies
INA, first CG trials; TDI the creation of the Explore software, the world’s most popular 3D animation package in 1991
Xavier Nicolas Xavier Nicolas, Managing Director, Lucasfilm Animation,
Jerzy Kular, Director Animation & Gaming, Independent Author, DSK International Institute of Industrial Design, Animation & Gaming
Sogitec, the first CG studio in Paris; ExMachina main studio in Paris at the end of the 80’s
Olivier Emery Olivier Emery, CEO, Trimaran
Imagix-3D, the Beginning of 3D Animation Software Running on a PC in The 80’s
Jacques Bled Jacques Bled, CEO, Mac Guff Ligne
The Beginning of MacGuff in 1985 – Today one of the main Studios in Paris 
François Garnier François Garnier, Director, Founder and Creative Director, AmaK Studio,
Francois GarnierProfessor, Head of Research Program, EnsadLab
The Médialab’s “Starwatcher” – History of a Non-Standard Studio
Maurice Benayoun Maurice Benayoun, Film Director, Media Artist, Co-Founder of Z-A Production,
Maurice BenayounArtistic Director and Co-Founder of CITU Research Center
Z-A Story : the Quarxs, God and the Devil
Crédit photo: Reiner Pfisterer