SIGGRAPH is more than just a massive trade show for animation studios, graphics card companies, and technology firms. It is a time for exhibition, to learn of movie magic from those who make it happen, to make contacts and form relationships with those in the industry, and to see the most cutting edge products, technologies, and techniques that are on the bleeding edge of computer graphics accomplishment.
The event is a who’s who of Hollywood, hardware, and software; if you ever need any indicator as to the newest trends and vibes of the industry, this is the place to find it. But there’s more to SIGGRAPH than all of that. I believe that SIGGRAPH delivers much more to its attendees than is intended, and I think the most important bit of knowledge to be gained from attending SIGGRAPH is real perspective on the current state of the industry.
The computer graphics industry has not been exempt from the current state of the American economy. Jobs are harder than ever to land, and many big name studios, such as Imagemovers Digital and The Orphanage, have closed up shop. Though the evidence was all around us, SIGGRAPH conferences in 2008 and 2009 were telling examples of the real shape that the industry was in.
At SIGGRAPH 2008 in Los Angeles, you could tell there was something dark brewing on the horizon. That summer was right when the bubble had begun to burst, and you could feel it from many of the companies at the show. Studios were still hiring, and there was still much promise coming from the job fair, but you just couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
Everything changed leading up to SIGGRAPH 2009 in New Orleans. The economy dumped out, companies froze their recruiting, shops closed down, and many people lost their jobs. The conference in New Orleans had the the lowest attendance in over a decade, and the amount of exhibitors were equally small. The job fair was crammed full of desperate hopefuls, and every one of the few company tables had resumes stacked to perilous heights. Even with the amount of job searchers, no one was hiring.
Further, SIGGRAPH 2009 carried an air of sadness, laden with foreboding. Attendees were happy to see friends and to interact with the few companies that were there, but no one was truly excited about the industry. It was a very dark year, and the pure emotion coming from every single person at the show was a horribly accurate depiction of the greater computer graphics industry. These were hard times, and caught up in the despair, a conference like SIGGRAPH 2009 is something I hope to never experience again.
An entire year has passed. Things have once again changed. It is debatable whether or not the industry has truly improved at this point, but SIGGRAPH 2010 in Los Angeles was once more a clear indication of the way things are within the realm of computer graphics. After a week amongst the professionals, peers, and colleagues, I can tell you that without question: things are finally looking up.
SIGGRAPH 2010 was a much smaller show than normal while in the City of Angels. The expo floor was missing some of the standard heavy hitters, such as Dreamworks Animation, Lucasfilm LTD, and even Disney. It was easy to presume that the disappointing trend set by SIGGRAPH 2009 was going to continue. Fortunately for everyone in the industry, the comparisons stop there.
Some perspective: The map is the show floor from 2008, and the dark gray box is 2010's floor.
This year’s conference had double the attendance of last year. Despite the smaller exhibition floor, the crowd was back in full force. The positive buzz coming from the scores of people was incredible. Virtually everyone seemed to have an optimistic outlook on how things are shaping up for the industry; we few, we happy few, we were excited and anxious. The good vibes were simply infectious, and it seemed that we all shared the sentiments.
The more you interacted with people at this year’s show, the better it got. Booth exhibitors were proud of the advancements they’ve made in the last year, and they were eager to tell you about what they are doing. Attendees walked the floor with a smile on their faces, anxious to get to the next talk or speak with the next professional. The job fair retained its new, smaller persona, but it wasn’t presented in such a gloomy and hopeless demeanor. Every time I spoke with an exhibitor at a press event or at a booth, they always had positive things to say about the direction of their company and the industry on the whole. Things were finally looking up.
The excitement continued for the entire week; there was energy everywhere you looked. By the third day, I was feeling quite enthusiastic myself. In fact, as I began realizing that things were finally improving and that this article was something I needed to write, fellow writer Chris White commented on the good vibes of the show without even speaking to me about it. We all could see it, and it was a welcome sight to behold. The state of the CG union is growing stronger by the day, and you could see it in the faces of all who attended.
So are we out of the clear? No, not quite. There is still much work to be done before we can declare a full recovery. That being said, I did walk away from SIGGRAPH 2010 quite optimistic. The positive vibe at SIGGRAPH is more telling of the actual reality of our industry than any numbers and charts could ever hope to convey. One thing is for certain—never has there been a more exciting time to be in this industry, and I cannot wait to see where things go from here.
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