Note: This article is a machine translation from the original Japanese post. If you notice any translation issues, please let us know.
LOPPO will be exhibiting in person at the "Animation Creative Technology Forum (ACTF) 2024 in TAAF," to be held on Sunday, March 10, 2024. In this article, we'll give a brief overview of what we'll be showcasing on the day.
ACTF2024 in TAAF Overview
ACTF is an annual technology exchange event held for animators and industry professionals. This year, it will once again be held near Ikebukuro Station, where TAAF (Tokyo Anime Award Festival) draws lively crowds.
Exhibition Date & Time: Sunday, March 10, 2024, 10:30 – 17:00 Exhibition Venue: Toshima Civic Center, 7th Floor Conference Room
Industry professionals can attend for free, but advance registration is required. For details, please check JAniCA's event information page. https://www.janica.jp/course/digital/actf2024inTAAF.html
LOPPO's Exhibition Content
LOPPO will be presenting under the theme "Coloring Digital Archive / Introduction to Production Management Automation Tools," featuring the following exhibits:
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Progress Report on the Cel Animation Coloring Reference Digital Archive: We will share the current status and interim results of the digital archive of cel animation coloring references, which is being carried out with the cooperation of domestic finishing studios.
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Proposals for Color Management and Archiving Methods in Anime Coloring: We will present simple tips based on the color management knowledge gained from the aforementioned project, designed to be useful even for small organizations and individuals.
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Introduction to a Project Management Tool Using Notion, Born from a Small Video Studio: We will introduce a project management tool for video production, developed and used at creative studio nim, featuring automatic data integration with local video editing software and flexible views.
All of these topics have already been or will be covered on this blog, but since 高橋 will be stationed at the booth during the exhibition, we hope to have more in-depth conversations, share behind-the-scenes stories, and actively exchange information. We would be grateful for the opportunity to learn from everyone.
In addition, we will also have some cel animation art supplies currently sold at LOPPO Art Supply Store on display.
Afterword: How We Came to Exhibit, and How We're Feeling Right Now
LOPPO has been engaged in activities that, at first glance, seem to go completely against the spirit of ACTF — such as reproducing and selling the lost art supplies once used in cel animation's coloring process. We sincerely apologize for that.
However, as 高橋 explained in a previous column, this is by no means a nostalgic endeavor. It was started with the intention of analyzing lost technologies using modern information technology and fusing them to create new forms of expression.
高橋, LOPPO's representative, is an active software engineer who has been involved in building network systems and asset pipelines for game title development — so he has strong opinions about development environments in general, and can be quite a handful.
After 高橋 visited ACTF2023 last year and was deeply impressed, we reached out to the ACTF secretariat on a long shot to see if we could share the knowledge we had accumulated through the aforementioned activities. Being complete newcomers, we fully expected to be turned down, but...
"We've been following your activities, so there shouldn't be any problems."
...we got an easy approval. Wait, were we really doing that much public-facing work...?
We are truly honored to have the opportunity to exhibit at the milestone 10th ACTF. We will do our utmost to make this a valuable opportunity for information sharing and exchange with everyone in the anime industry.
Now, this year there seem to be even more talks and exhibits than usual, and expectations for the overall event are running high. The list of company presentations on the 9th features a lineup of renowned studios.
According to the timetable released by the secretariat, Trigger will be presenting on archive management, Ghibli on color management, and EOTA on Notion-based production management.
Every single one of those overlaps with our exhibition topics ／(^o^)＼ Oh come on!
We're incredibly nervous about standing alongside so many distinguished organizations. Please go easy on us on the day.
