Gracing our 2004 NAB cover is Monti the Beaver, a character designed by Jeb Milne of Venice, CA's Wit Animation. After getting a look at a few of Wit's creations, we knew Monti was perfect for us, especially when posed as if he is performing in a Vegas lounge act. We knew he suited our purposes perfectly, but why did Wit create this buck-toothed performer?
"We created the Beaver because we wanted to develop a character around which we would be inspired to write original material," explains Milne. "This started as a song and dance number, and has developed into a concept for a feature film which stars Monti as the host of the Las Vegas 'Lavender Lounge.'
"The first piece we animated was a song and dance number, which allowed us to develop many aspects of Monti's character. He's cheeky, but not mean, not a great singer, but not bad. His mother always said that Monti was a natural born performer. We wanted him to be enthusiastic, but a little coarse. A likeable, blue-collar working beaver's hero!"
But Monti the Beaver isn't the only act performing in Vegas this month. The NAB convention takes over Sin City and here's what some of our readers are planning on checking out while in town. "I am, as always, fascinated with the technology that drives the post industry forward," explains Steele VFX's Jerry Steele, who is based in LA. "I will take the opportunity to not only further my awareness of emerging products that utilize the latest technological advancements, but also to meet and fraternize with the people who manufacture and distribute these products. It is in this manner that I hope to keep one step ahead of my competitors, being able to decide how and when to utilize the endeavors of these technical geniuses."
Don White, CEO of Match Frame (with offices in San Antonio and Austin), is looking for infrastructure equipment such as routing (for high definition as well as standard definition), networking and terminal equipment to accommodate a planned 12,000-foot expansion.
Sean Campbell, senior editor/partner of NYC's Rogue Post, says, "While in the past we were primarily looking at products that would increase our capabilities, such as technology for HD, for film, and DVD authoring, we're now hoping to find ways to consolidate and manage those capabilities to create a more cohesive workflow." Chuck Carey, executive producer at Hollywood's Troika Design, is looking at affordable pro HD monitors, Fibre Channel hardware, RAID controllers, and new products and updates from Apple and Adobe.
What are you looking for?