Evening a Huge Success for ELAN Producers -

VANCOUVER, BC Apil 27, 2009 - ELAN Producers announced that Saturday night’s awards were a huge success and that their Host, Tom Kenny (”SpongeBob SquarePants©”) made certain that everyone had a good time … That along with the opulent venue (Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s Pacific Ballroom), the gourmet meal, fantastic performance by “Splittig Adam“, the amazing enthusiasm from the audience and, of course, the excitement of those who walked away with statuettes, of course.

The evening was attended by 400 of the best from Video Game, Animation and Visual Effects, many of whom had traveled a long way to attend. Carles Salvany and his “Number 6” team came all the way from Spain for their nomination in Best Student Video Game while other nominated students flew in from Ottawa and from Los Angeles. Also in from LA was Microsoft Game’s Global Product Manager, Guy Welch who brought with him Ross Perez, Senior Producer of their nominated game Gears of War 2 developed by Epic Games; also accompanying Welch was Rich Bryant, Writer for another of their nominated games, Fable II from Developer Lionhead Studios. Chet Faliszek and Heather Fagan from Valve Software flew in and is it ever a good thing that they did as they walked away with four of the nine video game awards.

On that note the winners at the 3rd Annual ELAN Awards are:

VISUAL EFFECTS:

Best Visual Effects in a Visual Effect Driven Feature Film
IRON MAN
The Embassy VFX, Inc. / Ironworks Prod’s
Marvel Studios / Paramount Pictures

The Embassy’s Winston Helgason, Visual Effects Supervisor
Charlie Bradbury, Visual Effects Producer
Stephen Pepper, Compositing Supervisor
Michael Blackbourn, CG Lead

 Best Visual Effects in a Broadcast Series, Miniseries or MOW
Terminator - The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Bartleby Co. and The Halcyon Co. in assoc. with Warner Bros. Televisions

Jim Lima, VFX Supervisor
Steve Galich, SFX Coordinator

 Best Visual Effects in an Independent/Short Film
Rock Garden: The Love Story
Pix Ray VFX / Gloryous Production, 2.8 Pictures

Andrew Szerszen, VFX Supervisor
Guy Gatenby, Lead Matte-Painter
Michael MacInnis, Lead Composer

Best Visual Effects Shot
Max Payne
Spin VFX / 20th Century Fox

Jeff Campbell, VFX Supervisor
Eric Doiron, Compositing Supervisor
Mark Schreiber, Lead Animator
Tim Sibley, Lead FX TD

Best Digital Environment
Max Payne
Spin VFX / 20th Century Fox

Jeff Campbell, VFX Supervisor
Eric Doiron, Compositing Supervisor
Mark Schreiber, Lead Animator
Tim Sibley, Lead FX TD

Best Animated Character
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
MPC / Walt Disney and Walden Media

Greg Fisher, Animation Supervisor
Peta Bayley, Lead Animator
Julio del Rio Hernandez, Lead Animator
Tom Reed, Head of Rigging

ANIMATION AWARDS:

 Best Feature Length Animated Production
WALL-E
Disney / Pixar

Best Animated Television Production
Zeke’s Pad
My Pad Prod’s / Avrill Stark Entertainment
Bardel Entertainment Inc. / Flying Bark Productions

Delna Bhesania, Producer
Liz Scully, Producer
Leonard Terhoch, Producer
Avrill Stark, Producer

Best Animated Short Subject
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (intro cinematic)
Blizzard Entertainment

Jeff Chamberlain, Director
Phillip Hillenbrand, Producer

Best Director for an Animated Production
Wapos Bay: The Series
Wapos Bay Studio National Film Board of Canada

Dennis Jackson,Director
Melanie Jackson, Director
Cam Lizotte, Director

Best Voice Over in an Animated Production (All genres)
Tom Kenny
Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants

 Best Character Animation
Toot & Puddle
Mercury Filmworks / National Geographic Kids Entertainment

Graham MacDonald, Animation Director
Emma Gignac, Animation Director
Kim Buck, Animation Supervisor
Justin Sels, Animation Supervisor

 Best Art Direction
Zeke’s Pad
My Pad Prod’s / Avrill Stark Entertainment
Bardel Entertainment Inc. / Flying Bark Productions

Zoe Evamy, Senior Art Director
Patricia Atchison, Art Director

VIDEO GAME AWARDS:

VIDEO GAME OF THE YEAR
Left 4 Dead
Valve

 BEST CONSOLE GAME
Fallout 3
Bethesda Softworks

Todd Howard, Game Director
Emil Pagliarulo, Lead Designer & Writer
Gavin Carter, Lead Producer

BEST PC GAME
Left 4 Dead
Valve

BEST CASUAL/ARCADE GAME
Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst
Big Fish Games

Pat Wylie, Adrian Woods, Chris Campbell, Producer

BEST MOBILE/HANDHELD GAME
Club Penguin :Elite Penguin Force
1st Playable Productios/Disney Interactive

Tobi Saulnier, Founder & CEO, 1st Playable Productions
Zhenelle Falk, Producer/ Designer
Andrew Carroll, Lead Programmer
Ian McConahey Stead, Lead Artist

BEST SOUND in a VIDEO GAME PRODUCTION
Epic Games, Microsoft
Gears of War 2

Mike Larson, Audio Director
Steve Jablonsky, Composer
Jamey Scott, Sound Designer
Joey Kuras, Sound Designer

BEST ART DIRECTION
Istvan Pely, Lead Artist
Bethesda Softworks
Fallout 3

BEST GAME DESIGN
Gabe Newell
Valve
Left 4 Dead

OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL INNOVATION
Gabe Newell
Valve
Left 4 Dead

STUDENT AWARDS:

 Best Student Video Game
Deguiyu Bryant DJ Davey, Xbox Director
Su Yon Sohn, Web Presence Director
Liam Kelly, Support

Masters of Digital Media,Centre for Digital Media, Vancouver BC

Best Student Animated Production
Snared,  Shane Plante
Algonquin College Animation Program, Ottawa ON

 Best Visual Effects in a Student Project
Space Bar, George Kyparissous
Lost Boys Learning, Comox BC

“As the Movie Industry goes to Hollywood for its Oscars, so will the world of Video Games, Animation and Visual Effects come to Vancouver for their ELANS.”