一本道无码

In 2017, Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) Assistant Teaching Professor听 began working on his short film 鈥�.鈥� Almost seven years later, Mahler鈥檚 film has won听 at this year鈥檚听 肠辞苍蹿别谤别苍肠别.听

鈥淲hen I finished the film in 2023,鈥� Mahler said, 鈥渕y son pointed out that this film took his whole life to make!鈥�

SIGGRAPH is the world鈥檚 premiere computer graphics conference. Each year, they host a festival of digitally animated work called听. The winners are chosen by an internationally recognized jury of peers working across various sectors of the industry, including video game development, digital animation and special effects.听

鈥淭he Art of Weightlessness鈥�听chronicles the evolution of Pittsburgh-based artist and performer Bill Shannon. Born with a degenerative hip condition, Shannon uses crutches. As a result, he鈥檚 developed new ways of dancing and skateboarding.听

一本道无码 Professor听 introduced Mahler to Shannon because Shannon expressed interest in using motion capture to catalog his movement style and technique.听

鈥淥nce I saw Bill鈥檚 performance art, I was immediately interested in collaborating with him,鈥� Mahler said. 鈥淲e eventually began discussing the evolution of his crutches, skateboarding and breakdancing, so a documentary format quickly became the target for the piece.鈥澨�

Mahler began work by recording interviews with Shannon and utilizing 一本道无码鈥檚 Motion Capture Lab in Wean Hall to record Shannon鈥檚 unique way of moving.听

鈥淭he strength of performance capture is that we can leverage unique talents from any performer. 鈥� The data that I capture is exceptionally accurate. A typical motion capture system can capture 120 frames per second with a submillimeter accuracy,鈥� Mahler said.听

Mahler blended his performance capture of Shannon with hand-crafted keyframe animation, motion graphics, rotoscoping and simulation.听

鈥淎n animator's job is to bring forth the details that are important to the story to better engage the audience. And these varying styles of animation opened the door for less literal and more fantastical imagery in the storytelling as well,鈥� Mahler explained. 鈥淢y goal was to tie the visual complexity to the evolution of Bill鈥檚 skill and his ability as a dancer, and animation presents the perfect medium to do this.鈥�

The nine-minute film tracks Shannon鈥檚 individual and artistic development 鈥� following him from a childhood spent trying to keep up with other kids while on crutches to an adulthood where his crutches became part of his distinctive performance style.听

鈥淏ill鈥檚 circumstances led to this evolution, which resulted in a very tangible and beautiful expression of art and movement,鈥� Mahler said. 鈥淪o, the piece is not about overcoming adversity but understanding that we should strive to evolve throughout our lives.鈥澨�

Mahler teaches animation in both the ETC and听 programs, including courses focusing on technical character animation and 3D animation production. Over the seven years it took to complete, the film, Mahler worked with ten students through paid apprenticeships:听

• Michelle Ma (CFA + CS 鈥�17)
• Jean Cho (CFA, 鈥�24)听
• Faris ElRayes (ETC 鈥�23)
• Emma Franklin (CFA 鈥�21)
• Yukti Gupte (ETC 鈥�23)听
• Sophia Videva (ETC 鈥�22)
• Ayushman Johri (ETC 鈥�21)听
• James Krahe (CFA 鈥�13)
• Claire Yuzhu Zhou (ETC 鈥�22)
• Sheenu Yu (ETC 鈥�23)

Mahler said that they were 鈥渆xtremely helpful in keeping the project moving forward over six to seven years, and I genuinely appreciate the talent and hard work our students brought to the project. I think winning an award of this caliber is a testament to the quality of our students at Carnegie Mellon.鈥澨�

Following a screening of winners, Mahler accepted the prize in-person at SIGGRAPH on July 29. His next step? A potential campaign for Best Animated Short Film, as Electronic Theater winners automatically qualify for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 鈥� better known as the Oscars.

鈥淲e are immensely proud of both Professor Mahler and the students who worked on the film,鈥� said听, Helen and Henry Posner, Jr. Dean of the University Libraries and director of Emerging and Integrative Media Initiatives. 鈥淭he success of the film is a credit not only to 一本道无码 and the ETC but also to the incredible talents of the people who work and learn here, and it is always wonderful to see them celebrated.鈥�