I have been writing about the MIA/Animation Conference and Festival since its inception not so long ago (2010). In a short time, the concept has exploded in dimension to include this past summer’s (2015) opening of the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex (M.A.G.I.C.) at the Wolfson Campus of Miami Dade College. “Built in partnership with Pixar, MAGIC is the only learning facility in all of Florida that functions just like a professional animation and game design studio.” quotes its web site.
Mauricio Ferrazza (Founder, President of MIA/Animation Conference and Festival).
Photos provided by MIA/Animation.
It’s a doozy. I toured the facility with designer and chairperson of the Complex, as well as Founder/President of MIA/Animation Conference and Festival, Mauricio Ferrazza, last summer and was gob-smacked to use the fitting British slang term.
Animation is so much more than one imagines, and this new learning facility can do a great deal to broaden the horizons of our young/not so young and talented here in South Florida.
Medical applications are a growing usage to expand the possibilities of surgery, organ replacement and other endless implementations other than media. Education in 3-D is a more efficient communication tool not only for the medical field (Virtual Reality for Specialized Training and 3-D printing to examine the patient's' heart prior to surgery), but architecture, urban development, real estate, mechanical design, forensics and hospitality (ie interactive signage).
Ferrazza elaborates: “MAGIC was implemented and built at MDC, due to the growing interest in the technologies showcased at the conference each year: animation and video game development. We have seen an increase in conference attendees each year, especially now that so many other industries are getting interested in utilizing VR (Virtual Reality) or AR (Augmented Reality) to enhance or increase sales/opportunities in non-entertainment areas.
“At MAGIC, we have signed Collaboration Agreements with Frost Museum of Science, Baptist Health, Alienware, the Miami DDA (urban planning), Canada and the United Kingdom, the Kingdom of Morocco in order to develop, explore ways to utilize these technologies in innovative ways.”
MIA/Animation Conference and Festival promotes winning films for one year to include: youtube channel, MIA website and your film will be sent to all major animation studios in the USA. Ferrazza informed me that “Just a couple of weeks ago, the winner of the 2014 Animation Festival with the film, ‘Tone Deaf’ by Manuel Zapata, received an offer from Nickelodeon to develop and create three other episodes; the deal was intermediated by MIA Animation Festival.”
LEFT: Drew Tolman (Walt Disney Television Animation), RIGHT: Leah Hoyer (Microsoft Studios).
Photos provided by MIA/Animation.
MIA/Animation will take place in the fall, but it is now time to make plans to participate in some manner, before sloth takes over and you miss out on an exciting wrinkle in Miami’s burgeoning foray into new and existing frontiers.
Participation can take many forms, from entering a film or gaming concept, master classes, lectures by top notch experts in the field, exhibiting relevant wares, portfolio reviews, or volunteering at the conference.
There are dates to adhere to if you will be sending in your creative baby to be judged and possibly included in the 2016 event.
Competitions encompass Young Directors (submission deadline Sept. 15), Pitch to the Industry (deadline Aug, 31), Student Competition (deadline Sept, 15)and Indie Gaming Competition (deadline July 10) .This is the very first Indie game competition, all sparkly and fresh this year as MIA/Animation, LLC and the IDEA Center on Wolfson Campus are sponsoring the newbie. There is $1,000 cash award at stake and a big opportunity to consult with an experienced incubator program. This could be the ticket to the rest of your life.
Miami Animation logo
by MIA/Animation.
Also new this year:
MF: “We will be having a MIA HACKATHON in 2016, where programmers will spend 24 hours trying to develop a video game based on a surprise theme announced at the event. Until now, the conference only covered the creative and artistic areas of these industries, we are now adding technical aspects of the trade, programming, coding in order to balance our program evenly. MADE IN MIAMI panel discussions with local professionals will be added to this year's schedule. We are now at a point where video games are being developed in Miami, animations as well, an industry is slowly emerging from Boca Raton to Homestead. We want to showcase what's being developed here, and start creating a dialogue with the west coast.”
Ferrazza closes with this thought: “Animation & Video Game Development, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality are technologies primarily developed by the entertainment industry to create out of this world experiences and enhance our imagination. It's fascinating the fact that these same enhanced experiences are now being used to cure phobias in patients and help a surgeon navigate the human body more accurately. What once was a niche industry, very profitable but with very clear borders and limits is now free to explore and discover endless opportunities, advancing a social economic growth in communities as well."
Miami Animation logo.
Photos provided by MIA/Animation.
Guest speakers read like a laundry list of who’s who in the field of animation: heads of Deluxe 3D LLC, HTC Vive, 20th Century Fox Animation, Arena.net, WETA Digital, Walt Disney Company, Univision, Splinter Studios, Film Gate. Need I go on?
This is a full blown world class animation conference, so draw all your brain cells into fast forward mode and catapult your cleverness into actual/virtual movement.
Winner Student Competition 2015
"TAKING THE PLUNGE" Directed by Elizabeth Ku, Nick Manfredi, Thaddaeus Andreades & Marie Raoult
Winner Young Directors Competition 2014
"TONE DEAF" Directed by Manuel Zapata & You Na Kang
MIA Animation Conference & Festival
October 21 & 22, 2016,
Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus,
For in depth info go to: www.miaanimation.com,
or SIGN UP for info.
M.A.G.I.C at Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex at Miami Dade College at the downtown Campus,
MDC Wolfson Campus,
300 NE Second Ave.
Miami, FL 33132
