WWW stands for Works (in progress), Wrinkles or Whoops (whenever and wherever they happen) and Wraps (completed films and projects of any kind). As always, your contributions to this feature are solicited and encouraged.
Stories by Eric Reeves, Henry Ferrini, Bob Lamm, Wendy Harrold, Karin Segal, & the Imagine Staff.

Tucked away in Belmont Ma, is one of Boston's leading traditional animation companies, Gabriel Polonsky Studio. Since 1992 the Emmy nominated studio has been creating hand crafted, yet state-of-the-art cel, stop motion, mixed media and clay animated commercials, show opens and network ID's.

National Ministry of Design, Boston, recently commissioned Polonsky Studio to create a thirty-second cel animated commercial for Filene's Basement. It features colorful, sophisticated fashion illustrations that twirl, explode, and and morph to the jazzy beat of the classic song, "Orange Colored Sky." Original song writer, Milton Delugg, revamped the lyrics for the spot. The tireless crew at Gabriel Polonsky Studio, directed by Polonsky, created the six hundred hand drawn animation cels. They were then colored and compostited digitally using specialized software, and Flash! Bam! Alakazam! A unique ad that seems to jump right off the screen. Other credits for the spot include; Dave Allen, design director and layout artist, Jim Ball Executive Producer both of NMD. Dick Allen of DA Design as creative director. Sound production, the Handsome Brothers. John McKenny as Executive Producer, and the illustration style is based on a print ad concieved and designed by Kurt Lumkins, both of Filene's Basement.

Also just completed by Gabriel Polonsky Studio is a cel animated public service announcement for The Big Sister Association, commemorating it's fiftieth year. R+D Advertising, Boston tapped into the creative talents of both Polonsky Studio and Brickyard VFX also in Boston. The spot features animated colored crayon drawings on a black background. We see things a girls dream about for the future such as a jump rope, diploma and house. Polonsky Studio created the hand drawn crayon animation, which was seamlessly combined with the "Flame" computer animations of Brickyard VFX to create the endearing spot.

Both spots may be seen airing currently on the local Boston TV stations.

ViewPoint Studio's climbs to the top of the visual effects ladder with its creation of HGTV's (Home & Garden Television) mascot for the new show "Bugs, The Secret World of Gardens".

ViewPoint Studios recently completed a promotional package for HGTV utilizing a mischievous 3D bug character to promote their new show "Bugs, The Secret World of Gardens". Although this bug is not a character in the new show, he does a wonderful job introducing us to the lush, vibrant and sometimes mysterious world of your own backyard.

"To create our roguish bug," stated ViewPoint Studios Design Director Michael Frederick, "we examined different bug characteristics and body formations to evolve sketches that resembled a mix of bug types." "The final CGI character resembles not one species of bug, but the attributes of many." Using their extensive knowledge of CGI development, ViewPoint Studios Animators then breathed life and human qualities into their character. Mike Leone, ViewPoint Studio's CGI Animator explains, "Created in Maya, this animated character was developed with the ability to show emotion, walk, fly, smile, frown, laugh and wink." Continuing on, the creative team showed the same expertise in the development of the star's fantastically fun backyard paradise. The bug flies through blades of grass, overgrown plants and dandelions until it reveals the Secret Garden lush with wild flowers, roses, tulips and green grass.

Every component of the design, from logo development and CGI studies, to Flame composite and effects went seamlessly together. The ViewPoint Studios creative team created an effective, fun and visually engaging tool for HGTV's promotion.

ViewPoint Studios is a full service, multi-faceted creative firm with extensive experience in the media industries. Established as an independent resource for design, live action, animation and visual effects, their clients include Discovery Communications, Encore Media Group LLC, ESPN Networks, The History Channel, TNN as well as broadcast groups and TV stations nationwide.

This item is a definite "wrinkle" and not because there is anything wrong with it. In fact, everything is right about it. It is a "wrinkle" because it is a "new take" on technology and it's not just a "wrap," (although its coming out party is a successful one) and it doesn't really qualify as a "work," (although it is a work; it is a work that will never be finished). It's mystifying isn't it? Well, here it is: welcome to Preview the Future, as the opening night party was so aptly named. It's a new exhibit at the Museum of Science in Boston that will never sleep, will not be the same day-to-day, will never be outdated, and will never move on to another museum.

Filling the void between the sound-bite and the scientific journal, the Museum of Science brings headline-making science and technology news into a dynamic new educational environment that is the first of its kind in the world! Making use of the digital technologies fueling science and technology today, the $2.5 million Current Science & Technology (CS&T) Center is designed to present and interpret discoveries and innovations virtually as they occur.

"We want to excite people about science and technology, inspire future leaders in research and innovation, and provide a forum to consider the impact of scientific discoveries and new technologies," says David W. Ellis, the Museum's President and Director. "CS&T programs and exhibits are a bold experiment in enhancing the public understanding of research and what's behind the hype and the headlines. If it works, it will provide a new model for museum content delivery which others may find useful."

Aided by a versatile digital production studio, a direct access multimedia database, and real-tiime communications with researchers in the field, Museum educators will offer live presentations and exhibits that engage visitors in exploring new avenues of research and their sometimes controversial applications. The CS&T Center will present the science behind the news in three areas: Ourselves (health sciences, biotechnology, genomics); Our World (earth, space, biology, physics, chemistry); and The World We Create (technology, communications, robotics, materials science).

The CS&T Center's architectural focus is a spectacular oval stage, weighing over two tons, that hangs on four thin steel rods, backed by a four-plasma-screen display, and crowned by an LED band carrying news headlines. Dazzling technology delivers multimedia to different systems instantly. With the tap of a finger, a CS&T staff educator hits "satellite reception," and a live shot of a spacewalk on the International Space Station (ISS) flashes across the giant screen.

The stage serves the presenter simultaneously as the news desk, television studio and control hub of an open two-level theater with large-screen displays and a multi-channel surround soundscape. The presenter can call up live video images from the Museum's Gilliland Observatory telescopes and the stage console's microscope, as well as videoconference with offsite researchers; and hook into NASA satellite news sources. The presenter also controls three robotic cameras in the exhibit area. A fiber optic link to New England Cable News is planned, for live cablecasting of CS&T science and technology news reports.

ABC News has agreed to provide fast-breaking science and technology news footage through NECN. The 2,500-square-foot exhibit space will feature dynamic exhibits focusing on "cutting edge" technologies and their potential impact, and large-screen displays and interactive touch-screens packed with science-in-the-news stories.

The Museum of Science introduced its newest exhibit April 11th with an appropriate display of its capabilities including a call up of live video images from the Museum's Gilliland Observatory telescopes. A cloud cover obscured the heavens, but not the star quality of the evening that included Museum leadership and staff, directors, sponsors, and special guests, all of whom revealed their enthusiasm for the leading edge project. The CS&T Center technology was not available even a few years ago. Watch for a feature article in Imagine in June.

For more information about this amazing exhibit visit www.mos.org.

Raffi Landau, Director of Photography, volunteered his talents to shoot DANCE BY DESIGN.

Harvard University's Dudley Drama and Film Society, a non-profit student organization, wrapped its first feature length film in April. Tentatively titled, DANCE BY DESIGN, it's the story of a young woman who struggles to balance her career as an architect with her artistic ambition to be a dancer. Shot and edited entirely on digital video in the Boston area, the film features original music by local artists. Now in post-production, it's scheduled for Boston release in August of 2001.

The project provided an incredible opportunity for a diverse group of more than seventy students and community members to gain hands-on experience in the process of filmmaking. Four people are at the core of the project: Head writer/Director Valerie Weiss is currently a full-time graduate student at Harvard Medical School; Lisa Frenchik, also a student, is Producer and Wendy Chan, is Associate Producer and Raffi Landau donated his considerable talents as Director of Photography. Mr Landau was one of several film professionals who volunteered time to the project.

Valerie Weiss, a full time graduate student at Harvard Medical School, directs her first feature film.

Dudley House is hosting a fundraiser for the project on May 23, 2001 in the Dudley House Common Room at Harvard University. "We've been raising money as we go along and we need to continue those efforts," said Ms. Chan. "This will be a great affair featuring a special guest speaker." For further information, contact Wendy at rsoxgirl@yahoo.com.

The Dudley Drama and Film Program welcomes everyone to their workshops on screenwriting, acting, editing documentary filmmaking, and animation. For more information and events, please visit http://go.to/dudleyfilm.

Sandy Slade is considered the best basketball handler in the world.
Independent filmmaker and screenwriter, Lorre Fritchy, officially released her highly anticipated documentary, SANDY SPIN BLADE: BEYOND BASKETBALL in mid-April. An inspiring 54-minute biography of renowned basketball entertainer and speaker Sandy Slade, BEYOND BASKETBALL has been two years in the making.

Sandy Slade is considered one of the best basketball handlers in the world, performing at NBA/WNBA halftimes, school assemblies, and special events. But it is Slade's undeniable aura and electrifying connection with people that inspired Fritchy to tell her tale. "I originally thought about writing a screenplay about Sandy and her unique career and persona," Fritchy states, "But the fact that she is an ordinary person doing such an extraordinary thing, impressed me enough to realize a documentary would be a more effective way to convey her story at first."

The director hopes this positive story will not only serve as preventive medicine, but also be a good springboard for future projects. "My goal is to counteract some of the negative influences out there, especially the ones that children are exposed to," explains Fritchy. "Sandy is one of the many unsung heroes making a difference one person at a time. I couldn't think of a better foundation to build my storytelling career on than a film that is not only visually compelling but also socially important."

Fritchy, a freelance producer and writer who has also worked on various New England films and videos, was pleased to use area resources for her low-budget indie project. The score was composed by Boston's own Jeanine Cowen of HOME BEFORE DARK repute, and was recorded and mixed locally as well. And while some filming took place at Slade's Southern California headquarters, a great deal of shooting occurred throughout New England, including at a Celtics halftime and at many schools like the Brown Elementary School in Fritchy's own Newburyport backyard.

For more information about this project visit www.masterpieceproductions.com.