Set of tools designed to improve interoperability and streamline work of effects software vendors and studios
The Visual Effects Society (VES), the industry’s professional honorary society, has announced the release of the industry standard VFX Reference Platform, a set of tools and library versions to be used as a common target platform for building software for the VFX industry. Its purpose is to minimize incompatibilities between different software packages, ease the support burden for Linux-based pipelines and encourage further adoption of Linux by software vendors. The Reference Platform is updated annually by a group of software vendors in collaboration with the VES Technology Committee.
The Calendar Year 2014 (CY2014) Reference Platform is the first-of-its-kind and represents the closest collaboration yet between software solutions providers to converge on a common platform. The CY2015 Platform developed for 2015 software releases has now been published in draft form and feedback is invited from software vendors and customer studios. The final version will be published in August 2014 and announced at SIGGRAPH.
“By working with industry software providers, we’ve identified major library versions that are updated annually that can be shared between all major apps. This is a huge step forward for software distribution for VFX on Linux,” said Jeffrey A. Okun, VES Board chair. “We’re proud that the VES Technology Committee, under the leadership of Rob Bredow and Nick Cannon, has successfully addressed this critical challenge and developed a much-needed solution.”
The VES worked in collaboration with leading VFX companies and application providers to develop the platform, which provides a forum to coordinate major platform upgrades, easing the transition to new technologies, while increasing reliable interoperability and lowering costs for vendors and customers.
“For the past year, the VES has been collaborating with Autodesk and other software vendors to create a reference Linux platform to address the endemic hassle of ‘version-itis.’ We’re thrilled the VES is taking the lead to rally both the visual effects community and vendors on the Linux platform to organize this working group and benefit all of our customers,” said Chris Vienneau, Autodesk Media & Entertainment’s director of product management.
The Reference Platforms along with further supporting information, including how to contribute feedback, are available on http://vfxplatform.com.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More