As it gears up for next months’ VES Awards presentation, the Visual Effects Society (VES) today announced the 2008 Board of Directors officers. Decided during the Jan. 9 board meeting, the new appointments include ComputerCafe Group founder and CEO Jeff Barnes as board chair. Replacing Jeff Okun, who has reached his term limit, Barnes will work closely with VES exec director Eric Roth in furthering the initiatives of the professional, honorary society dedicated to advancing the arts, sciences and applications of visual effects.
‘I am honored to have been elected chair of the VES,’ says Barnes. ‘The VES has the opportunity and momentum to reach out in unprecedented ways to studios, filmmakers, ad agencies, game developers and the technology sector to shape the future of visual effects. I have great respect and admiration for the talents and contributions of the global visual effects community and look forward to working on their behalf.’
Barnes oversees ComputerCafe Group’s feature effects division, CafeFX, and its Santa Monica-based commercial visual effects and design studio, The Syndicate. He also provides management support and development input for Sententia Ent., the company’s feature film production division. His credits as a visual effects production exec include The Kite Runner, Evan Almighty, Spider-Man 3, Ghost Rider, The Departed, Pan’s Labyrinth, King Kong, Memoirs of a Geisha, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Sin City and The Aviator. In addition, he was instrumental in forming the creative and financial partnership with director Guillermo del Toro to co-produce the Academy Award-winning Pan’s Labyrinth through Sententia Ent.
VES founding member an dofrmer board chair Carl Rosendahl was elected first vice chair. He founded Pacific Data Images (PDI), which was later bought by DreamWorks. At PDI, he received multiple Emmy Awards and in 1998 was recognized with a Technical Achievement Academy Award for the company’s contributions to modern filmmaking.
The second vice chair seat goes to Richard Winn Taylor II, cinematic director for Electronic Arts LA and worldwide cinematic consultant for EA. At EA, Taylor designs and directs the non-interactive scenes in games, as well as the real-time gameplay cameras in PC and console games. He is a member of the DGA and has directed live-action commercials and special effects for more than thirty years.
Ray Scalicem, VP and general manager of Pixel Magic, has been re-elected VES treasurer. Also a founding member of the VES, Scalice has workedbehind the scenes for more than 25 years, serving in various management positions with Lucasfilm, ILM, Walt Disney Pictures, Pacific Title Digital, and now Pixel Magic.
Re-elected as secretary is Pam Hogarth, director of industry relations for Gnomon School of Visual Effects. She has served two terms on the board of directors and the strategic planning committee, and is co-chair of the Education Committee of the Visual Effects Society. She is also a co-founder and Steering Committee member of the Alliance of Digital Effects Production Trainers (ADEPT). Before joining Gnomon, she was director of Digital Media Institute.
