Cutting-edge 3D animation software company signed up as sponsor to award-winning child animator Perry Chen’s new film

Perry Chen at Sandde poster at CTN Animation Expo (photo by Zhu Shen)

Press release

Cutting-edge 3D Animation Software Company Signed up as Sponsor to Award-winning Child Animator Perry Chen’s New Film

San Diego, California, and Montreal, Quebec, January 4, 2012

For immediate release

Janro Imaging Laboratory, Inc.  the owner of the world’s first freehand stereoscopic animation system “Sandde,” signed up as the first sponsor to award-winning 11-year-old animator Perry Chen’s next animation film, to be made in 3D.  Sandde was invented by IMAX co-founder Roman Kroitor, who founded Janro Imaging Laboratory.

Following the enthusiastic reception of his first animation short about a young Holocaust survivor, “Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest,” in collaboration with Oscar-nominee Bill Plympton, director Kevin Sean Michaels, co-produced by his mom Dr. Zhu Shen, the 6^th-grade animator Perry Chen is ready to take on the next challenge: writing, animating, and directing his next animation film in 3D.

“I loved animating ‘Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest’ and learned a lot about making animation films,” said Perry, “After making this serious film about a heavy subject, I want to try something more light-hearted and fun for my next film, called ‘Stix,’ about a young boy’s adventure using his creativity and imagination.  Mom and I are thrilled to have Janro Imaging Laboratory sponsor my new animation.  I was hooked when I first tried the Sandde software using the ‘magic’ wand at the Creative Talent Network (CTN) Animation Expo, and can’t wait to use it to create my new film in 3D!”

Perry Chen trying Sandde 3D demo at CTN Animation Expo (photo by Zhu Shen)

“When we met Perry at the 2011 CTN Expo, he told us that his next film was about a boy who finds a magic pencil that allows him to draw in mid-air, and that those drawings come to life, leading the boy into an adventure,” commented Emily Pelstring, Janro Imaging Laboratory’s Vice President of Business Development and Marketing.  “Our Sandde software essentially fulfills that fantasy: it allows animators to draw and animate in space using a motion-tracking pen.  It’s a perfect match for Perry’s new film!  We are supporting the project because using Sandde will allow Perry to continue to work in his charming, hand-drawn style, while exploring the creative possibilities offered by stereoscopy.  The film has a strong conceptual justification for the use of stereoscopic 3D, so we’re thrilled to be able to offer Perry our product and support.  We look forward to assisting him in making his first 3D film a reality!”

Perry Chen with Janro Imaging Lab staff at CTN Animation Expo (photo by Zhu Shen)

“Perry and I had an incredible experience making our first film ‘Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest,’ thanks to the generous sponsorship and support of Toon Boom Animation, Wacom, Reel Picture, and so many friends and colleagues,” said Zhu Shen, Perry’s mother and producer. “Perry learned a lot about how to tell a story with compelling visuals and well-designed characters, how to connect scenes smoothly in interesting ways, how to create drawings that match the narrative and soundtrack, how to research to ensure the historical accuracy of the characters and their environment in the final film. I have learned how to put a film together, finding and collaborating with different partners.  We are ready to put our learning into good use in our new 3D film next.  I am very grateful for Janro Imaging Laboratory’s sponsorship, and look forward working with Emily Pelstring and her team to help make Perry’s imagination take flight.”

Perry Chen, mom/producer Zhu Shen & AWN publisher Dan Sarto (L) & editor Rick DeMott (R) at CTN Animation Expo

“Stix” will combine the appeal of both 2D and 3D animation, as Perry will use Toon Boom Studio software (2D) to create the beginning of the film, and switch to Sandde 3D software when the boy in the story finds that things he draws with the magic pencil comes to life.  Perry and Zhu attended the 2011 CTN Animation Expo for the first time while covering the event for the Animation World Network for which Perry is an expert blog since 2010.

About “Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest:”

“Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest” is Perry’s first film as the sole animator, with storyboard and character design by Bill Plympton, directed by Kevin Sean Michaels, produced by Drs. Zhu Shen and Jud Newborn, a Holocaust historian. The film premiered to critical acclaim at LA Shorts Fest & Comic-Con in July, 2011, acquired for worldwide distribution in Sep 2011 by Shorts International, distributor of Oscar-nominated shorts, won a “Special Jury Award” for “Extraordinary Vision” at Flyway Film Festival in Wisconsin in Oct, 2011, featured as a bonus film at the 2011 Animation Show of Shows, and has been touring film festivals around the world. The film was among 45 animation shorts announced by Animation World Network and Animation Magazine as 2012 Oscar contenders:

http://www.awn.com/news/short-films/academy-screens-next-oscar-winning-animated-short

http://www.animationmagazine.net/features/academy-screens-45-shorts-for-oscar-consideration/

Perry Chen and Zhu Shen were invited to present the film at DreamWorks Animation at its Glendale, CA headquarter in Dec 2011. Dean DeBlois, co-director of How to Train Your Dragon, introduced Perry Chen at the presentation.

More info: http://ingridpitt.co.uk (official film website)

http://www.facebook.com/ingridpittanimation (Facebook)

About Perry Chen:

Perry S. Chen is an 11-year-old award-winning child film critic, artist, animator, TEDx speaker, and entertainment personality, currently in 6^th grade from San Diego.  He started reviewing movies at age 8 in 3^rd grade using a kid-friendly starfish rating system, and has been featured in CBS, NPR, NBC, CNN, CCTV (China Central Television), Variety, The Young Icons, The Guardian, The China Press, etc.  He has written movie reviews for Animation World Network, San Diego Union Tribune, Amazing Kids! Magazine, and his own Perry’s Previews blog:

www.perryspreviews.com

Perry won an “Excellence in Journalism Award” from San Diego Press Club in 2010 and 2011 for his movie and restaurant reviews, an “Excellence Writer Award” from “We Chinese in America” Magazine in 2010 for his movie review column. Perry is widely recognized as an authoritative spokesperson about movies for his generation, and appears frequently at red carpet movie premieres, awards, and film festivals, interviewing prominent directors from such films as Toy Story 3, Up, How to Train Your Dragon.  He was a presenter at the 2010 Annie Awards for Animation in Hollywood.

In addition to animating “Ingrid Pitt: Beyond the Forest,” Perry also animated one scene in Bill Plympton’s award-winning “Guard Dog Global Jam.”  Perry and his mom Dr. Zhu Shen are featured in a new book about parenting and youth entrepreneurship, “The Parent’s Guide to Raising CEO Kids,” published in Aug 2011.

http://perryspreviews.com (main website)

http://www.facebook.com/perryspreviewsfan (Facebook)

For more information about Perry Chen, his animation films, and sponsorship opportunities, contact Dr. Zhu Shen, bioforesight@gmail.com

About Sandde and Janro Imaging Laboratory:

Sandde is the world’s first freehand stereoscopic animation system.  It is the stereoscopic equivalent of a piece of paper and a pencil. This immersive, stereo-3D animation tool allows you to create 3D content with the graphic charm of traditional hand-drawn animation.  Whether you need to create a finished animation, a 3D storyboard, or a stereoscopic painting, Sandde offers quick and intuitive methods for getting your ideas out into a virtual 3D world. Simply pick up the Wand and draw!

As you move the Wand, the Sandde system tracks its position and orientation. Sandde then interprets the Wand’s coordinate data to create and display 3D stereoscopic lines that correspond to your real-world movements. And all of this outputs in real-time to any 3D display, so that you can see your work in 3D as you draw it.

Sandde was originally developed at IMAX Corporation and – with the encouragement and assistance of the National Film Board of Canada – was further developed and commercialized by Janro Imaging Laboratory by license from IMAX. Janro Imaging Laboratory has been the home of Sandde software since 2007.

Janro Imaging Lab (JIL) was founded by Roman Kroitor, a Canadian filmmaker who began his career at the National Film Board of Canada in the late 1940s and is a co-founder of IMAX. Kroitor, the inventor of SANDDE, has written, directed, edited, and produced more than 70 films in his lifetime, many of them award-winning.

For more information on Sandde and Janro Imaging Laboratory, visit www.sandde.com, or contact:

Emily Pelstring, Vice President of Business Development and Marketing, emily@janroimaging.com

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