Convergence Panel

Saturday 10th July
11 - 12.30 (lecture theatre)

Animation is facing new opportunities and challenges in a number of areas including technology, education, exhibition and industrial changes. The nature of animation is questioned as live action increasingly embraces CG while the games industry is often at the forefront of digital animation techniques. With all of this in mind this panel will examine the nature of convergence of the animation industry with games, discuss new avenues of exhibition while querying the challenges of traditional broadcasting, and discuss the impact of these changes on the next generation of animators. In the midst of this, theorist increasingly battle apparent changes in the very definition of the form when the newest Hollywood releases rely heavily on digital effects, without acknowledging their animatedness.


Confirmed Panellists:
Gregor White – Abertay University (Chair)
Helen Jackson – Binary Fable animation studios.
Martin Fisher – Visible Ink
Dr Caroline Ruddell – Queen Mary’s University College


With support from the University of Abertay Dundee

McLaren Legacy Panel

Friday 9th July
9.15 - 10.45 (lecture theatre)

With a view to the centenary of Scotland’s most famous animator in 2014, the panel will examine his legacy in Scotland and throughout the world. The panel will discuss the extent to which McLaren’s name is known and promoted in his homeland within the industry and in education. The NFB rightly hails his contribution to their success but does Scotland? Does his work still inspire new animators? How important is his nationality within his legacy and how important is his legacy within his nation’s industry?

Confirmed panelists:
Dr Jonathan Murray – Edinburgh College of Art (Chair)
Karl Magee – University Archivist, University of Stirling.
Iain Gardner – Independent animator
Elizabeth Hobbs - Spellbound Animations, 2005 EIFF McLaren award winner

With support from the University of Stirling