CAEAA 2006
On Thursday, September 14 the River Rock Casino Theatre in Richmond BC was home to the first CAEAA ceremony, and what an evening it was. From the moment the red carpet was rolled out until the end of the night, the mood was one of anticipation and excitement. The nominees and V.I.P. guests began arriving on time, and were soon followed by our host for the evening, Mr. William Shatner. Prior to the awards ceremony and dinner, we were treated to a Gala Champagne Reception where interview and networking opportunities were bountiful. Mr. Shatner conducted interviews with many of the journalists who were present and graciously answered questions on topics from Star Trek to the Canadian CGI industry.The reception was followed by a sit-down dinner in the River Rock Casino’s dinner theatre. Lynda Brown, the Executive Director for New Media BC began the evening’s ceremony with a brief welcome to the nominees, students and industry luminaries, along with a thank you to the BC Ministry of Economic Development for sponsoring the fine meal we were served. Before long, the audience was rejoined by Mr. Shatner and his entertaining dialogue. Many people outside of the entertainment industry may not be aware of this, but Mr. Shatner is a partner in one of the first CGI companies in Canada. C.O.R.E began in 1994 and has produced many, many pieces over the years, including the Carl and Ray commercials for Blockbuster Video. Mr. Shatner was not only a pioneer in the final frontier, he is a modern pioneer in the endless dimensions of the Canadian animation industry; his being a host for the first Elan awards was very appropriate, and an excellent choice on the part of the evening’s organizers.
Presenters for the awards were just as entertaining as Mr. Shatner and served as another reminder of the many talented people we have not only in Canada but right here on the west coast. With appearances from those responsible for giving voice to the characters from The Ant Bully to X-Men, there was never a dull moment during the awards. Even Optimus Prime and Megatron (Gary Chalk and David Kaye) shared the podium to hand out a few Elans. Other presenters for the evening included actresses Teryl Rothery, Crystal Lowe, Sonya Salomaa, Jillian Michaels, Janyse Jaud, Chiara Zanni, Gwynyth Walsh and Nicole Oliver along with actors Andrew Jackson, Mackenzie Gray, Michael Dobson, Scott McNeil, Ian James Corlett and the elusive cigarette smoking man from X-Files, William B. Davis. Other presenters included Vancouver Sun reporter Dominic Patton, movie producer Uwe Boll, G4-TechTV personality Victor Lucas, the Art Institute’s Cliff Jones and Canada’s New Media Producer of the Year Brooke Burgess. The evening’s three special awards, Video Game Hall of Fame, Ready to Rocket and Lifetime Achievement were presented by Mr. Earl Hong Tai, Western Regional Director for Telefilm Canada.
Recipient of the first Elan for Lifetime Achievement was awarded to Marv Newland. Although Mr. Newland was born in California, he emigrated to Canada in 1970 and settled in Vancouver in 1972 where he began his animation company International Rocketship. Mr. Newland made his first animated short film in 1969. Bambi Meets Godzilla was a true animated suspense story; it took viewers a full two minutes to find out what happened when the journeying Godzilla happened upon the quietly grazing little deer. Another notable project for Mr. Newland was the 1994 animation of Gary Larson’s Tales From The Far Side and its 1997 sequel. Mr. Newland is a true veteran of the Canadian animation industry who not only produces his own work, but also takes the time to help others with various projects.
One other highlight of the evening was seeing Mr. Shatner reunited with his highly valued – and well-travelled – kidney stone. Originally bought from a charity auction by GoldenPalace.com for $25,000.00, the stone was presented to Mr. Shatner (under the guise of being an award hidden in a steel briefcase), along with a $10,000.00 cheque from GoldenPalace.com for the Richmond Therapeutic Equestrian Association, a cause close to Mr. Shatner’s heart.
In his closing dialogue for the evening, Mr. Shatner summed up the CGI industry as the theatre of the infinite, and that Canada is on the cutting edge of the industry. He made note of the extremely talented students who were present in the room, some of whom went home as Elan winners. Award winners or not, they are all members of an incredibly creative talent pool which is distinctly (and proudly) Canadian. The nomination trailers were a steady testament to our Canadian talent. The only limits to where our industry can go are those of our creative imagination and the technology we use to give it life.
The awards evening was closed out with an after party in the Runway 24 room, where everyone could gather for further socializing, congratulating and interviewing. There was a musical performance by The Sessions, winners of The 2006 Emergenza Music Festival’s Battle of the Bands. An awards ceremony of this calibre is a daunting undertaking, but Producer Holly Carinci and the entire CAEAA team deserve full recognition for presenting a very entertaining evening which brought together the many aspects of the CGI industry in one place, and in formal attire to boot. Congratulations to all of the winners and to the CAEAA team for an event very well done.
___
Originally Published on KillaNet.net – September 26 2005