Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1277231
2 cgw e d i t i o n 2 , 2 0 2 0 ADAPTING TO THE NEW NORMAL ack in March, when NAB was canceled abruptly due to COVID-19, I thought, "Well, thank goodness SIGGRAPH is months away. All will be back to normal by then." How wrong I was. Aer 46 years of adapting and serving the needs of the computer graphics industry, SIGGRAPH has proven how truly agile it can be, as the show management and volunteers for this amazing conference and exhibition have transitioned it to a virtual platform due to the ongoing pandemic. While some other trade shows have gone virtual with an extremely scaled-down offering, not so with SIGGRAPH. Instead, it is offering its extensive complement of events and programs, from a virtual exhibition area, to its famed Computer Animation Festival, to its Technical Papers, Panels, Courses, Emerging Technol- ogies, Job Fair, Immersive Pavilion, Keynote, Production Sessions, Real-Time Live!, Labs, VR Theater, and more. The various chairs and committees have devised the most optimal methods of bringing each element of SIGGRAPH to this year's virtual attendees. It seems that this year's theme of "Think Beyond" became even more relevant than anyone initially thought. Speaking of SIGGRAPH, the Computer Animation Festival's Best in Show award goes to Erica Milsom for "Loop," part of Pixar Animation Studios' SparkShorts program. Read more about this program and the making of "Loop" in this issue. Meanwhile, we are also presenting to our readers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the experimental Pixar VR short film "Myth: A Frozen Tale." Typically in this issue, CGW covers the year's summer VFX and animated theatrical blockbusters. This year, however, with film production at a near standstill, we have looked beyond the big screen and have found no shortage of amazing series made with amazing technology for smaller screens, including the newly released Netflix's Cursed. While many studios were establishing remote workflows due to the virus, there are some animators whose job it is to work intimately with the novel coronavirus and similar concepts in the field of medical visualization. We introduce you to some of these unique experts whose work straddles the line between science and art. We round out the print issue by examining an important technology: light fields. But wait, there's more. We have had a long lead time since our last issue in early April, made even lengthier since SIGGRAPH moved back a month. As such, we have been accumulating stories, stories you will no doubt still enjoy. Therefore, we are publishing an expanded digital version of this issue, with more great content. You can get it by signing up for this and other digital issues on CGW.com; you also will be able to find the stories on our website when we make the current print issue available there. Our bonus content includes coverage of the animated feature The Willoughbys as well as the live-action spy drama The Blacklist, which finished out its season with a hybrid live-action/animated episode when lockdown occurred. With Emmy Awards on the horizon, we also take a deep dive into two other captivating series: Amazon's Carnival Row and HBO's His Dark Materials, as the film hiatus provided us with additional time (and space) to cover some well-deserving projects that did not make it into our last issue. We also take a close look at Universal Scene Description (USD). As a departing note, I want to applaud all the resourceful technologists in our industry who, with a moment's notice, were able to get their studios and remote teams up and running so they could continue working on projects and keep the industry moving forward during this tough time. To everyone else, stay positive as we look ahead to better times. 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