Revealing graphics: an animated character gives Siggraph attendees quite a show. (short film).

The audience certainly got an eyeful at this year's annual Siggraph Computer Animation Theater with "Washed Up," a humorous animated short created by Vinton Studios (Portland, OR).

The 90-second spot, which opened several of the Animation Theater presentations, shows a peculiar character as he begins preparing for his trip to Siggraph 2002 in San Antonio, Texas. He dons his Texas finery--cowboy hat, bolo tie, boots, and a Texas Star-embossed pocket protector--and shoots himself a proud glance in the mirror. In a following shot, he holds out a cardboard sign that reads "San Antonio or Bust," As the camera pulls back, it is apparent that in his haste, he has forgotten a key part of his outfit--his pants. Somewhat embarrassed, he reaches for a pair hanging from a clothesline, as an image of the symbolic Siggraph teapot covers his private parts. Next, the audience discovers that the character has now mistakenly slipped on a pair of chaps, once again leaving him overexposed. The final shot reveals that the character's preparations are for naught, as he is stranded on a deserted island shaped like Texas.

Vinton Studios was approached by Linda Walsh, director of the Animation Theater, to create the production. The company, known for its stop motion and Claymation work, had expanded into digital animation. And, being able to showcase those capabilities at a venue such as Siggraph was an opportunity not to be missed, notes director Kyle Bell.

"Washed Up" originated as an R&D project conceived by visual effects supervisor Dan Casey and director Mark Gustafson. "We already had this character that we liked and the island, so we thought we could generate the production around that without too much of an effort," says Bell. "But we soon found out that we only had a fragment of what ...