Alumni Events
How To Make A Blockbuster Animated Film*
*Your results might vary
Presenter: Andrew Pearce (BSc’84, MSc’88) is the former Vice-president of Global Technology at DreamWorks Animation (yes, that DreamWorks).
Date: Thursday, June 6, 2024
Time: Networking and Dessert Reception: 6:15 p.m.; Presentation: 7 p.m.
Location: MacEwan Hall Ballroom
Mr. Pearce will review his journey from UCalgary to DreamWorks and delve into the pipeline, algorithms, tools, and techniques he learned along the way while developing and delivering tools to produce Animation and VFX for motion pictures. He will touch on past and future challenges for the industry and show examples of the work.
Please note: This event is in-person only. There will be no livestream or post event video available.
Andrew Pearce has spent his career working in the field of computer graphics in various roles. He was VP of Global Technology at DreamWorks until 2023, where his projects included spearheading Open Source initiatives such as Academy Software Foundation (ASWF.io), OpenVDB which won a Sci-Tech Academy Award for its inventors, and DreamWorks’ MCRT renderer, MoonRay, as well as the boring budget and management stuff you might expect. Andrew has 40 film credits, 4 patents, shares in the Sci-Tech Oscar for the development of Maya, developed and runs TheHockeyPool.com, is the President of the Board for Impro Theatre in Los Angeles, and wrote and performed in a 1999 CBC comedy special.
Before joining DreamWorks in 2004, Mr. Pearce was Head of Production Technology & CTO at ESC, the visual effects house behind the Matrix sequels. He started his career at Alias (then Alias|wavefront, and now part of Autodesk) developing technologies such as Paint Effects, Maya, the Alias Ray Tracer and delivering Maya for Mac OSX as Director of Maya Technologies.
Andrew received his M.Sc. from the University of Calgary where he studied Computer Science specializing in multiprocessor ray tracing.