Siggraph: A blur of activity

I spent last week in Vancouver, BC, at the Siggraph exhibition. I was struck by the large number of VFX companies, including mocap and 3D companies, recruiting new employees.
While several of these companies are recruiting for faraway facilities, they are also recruiting for their Los Angeles home base. For me the takeaway is that while production is running all over the place, it is also booming and expanding right here in Hollywood.
And Scott Squires August 4 blogpost provides some clues as to why this is so. Scott talks about 3D conversion. And, while trying to avoid disclosing trade secrets, he actually goes to great lengths to acknowledge that US-based companies have a huge technical and artistic edge in this endeavor. We do really good work here. No where else is the skill level comparable. So, we're hiring, we're expanding, and, as long as movies cost hundreds of millions of dollars; there will continue to be a viable visual effects community right here. Maybe that's why Siggraph is meeting in Los Angeles next year?
I'll see you there.

Jimmy
vfx@iatse-intl.org