Experts in movies and games will share talents

(SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.) – Two industry experts, one in movie animation and the other in video game character modeling, will share their talents with Art Institute of California-Inland Empire students and the public at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30.

Their presentations take place in Room R-154 at The Art Institute of California-Inland Empire. The experts are Brian Wells, an animator with the Los Angeles studio Rhythm and Hues; and Anwar Taylor, a character modeler for the game company Blizzard.

“Brian Wells is a respected leader in animation,” said Santosh Oommen, academic director of the Media Arts & Animation, and Game Art & Design programs at the Art Institute of California – Inland Empire. “He represents one of the bigger animation studios in Los Angeles, Rhythm and Hues.”

Students in the senior year of their bachelor’s degree program will meet with Wells after the presentation for a private portfolio critique.

Wells served as animator for a dozen or more movies. His work appeared in “The Golden Compass,” “Evan Almighty,” the 2006 version of “Charlotte’s Web,” “Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties” and its predecessor, “Garfield: The Movie,” “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” “Cat in the Hat” and many others.

“Anwar Taylor is working at Blizzard, which has the best game seller of all times World of Warcraft,” Oommen said. “He will show you how he approaches character modeling in Autodesk Mudbox, which is software designed by professionals in the film and games industries that allows artists to ‘sculpt’ three-dimensional characters digitally, without having to worry about the technical details.”

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Game Art & Design, Culinary Management, Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Interior Design, Fashion Design and Retail Management, and Media Arts & Animation. There are also Associate of Science degrees in Graphic Design and Culinary Arts. Each program is offered on a year-round basis, allowing students to work uninterrupted toward their degrees.

For more information or a tour, call The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire at (909) 915-2100.

The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), with more than 40 educational institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

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