| Nation Geographic Channel's Alien Earths, created | | | | planet and activates lakes, oceans, streams, |
| by director/producer Dana Berry of Skyworks | | | | rivers, and waterfalls. The surface of "Yo Yo" |
| Digital, has been nominated for an Emmy® in | | | | becomes extremely familiar in those pockets of |
| the category of Outstanding Animated Program. | | | | Spring and Fall. With the Hubble-Telescope-like |
| Point 360 West and animation director Jason | | | | animation it's easily understandable how life could |
| Hearne, as well as animation director Dave Jerrard | | | | be sustainable here. |
| of Radical 3D, worked with Berry creating | | | | Skyworks Digital first began work with Point 360 |
| stunning animated effects of Super Novas and | | | | West on a documentary for the Hubble Space |
| exploding planets adrift in the universe. The | | | | Telescope in 2007 where the association |
| nominations were announced early July 8 2010. | | | | blossomed into a full vendor relationship that |
| This nomination puts National Geographic Channel | | | | culminated in the creation of Alien Earths. When |
| (NGC) up against heavy hitters in the animation | | | | Berry first approached West about Earths, the |
| field. Alien Earths contends with Disney's Prep and | | | | show was called Infinite Worlds. "The concept of |
| Landing, HBO's The Ricky Gervais Show, Fox's | | | | creating unstable planets for national broadcast |
| The Simpsons, and Comedy Central's Southpark. | | | | was exciting and provocative", recalls Hearne. |
| The idea behind the show was to stretch our | | | | "Other than shows for SyFy, how often do |
| imagination and ponder the existence of other | | | | animators get to create other worlds, and then |
| planets in the universe that were similar to our | | | | blow them up with neutron stars!" |
| own, such as planets with iron rain and hot ice, | | | | The pseudo reality form of the show did not |
| with diamonds everywhere, and endless oceans | | | | allow for much wiggle room however. To maintain |
| of gas. Planets with abnormal orbital patterns and | | | | the National Geographic standard of excellence, |
| planets with no pattern at all that drift alone in the | | | | the images required almost photographic quality |
| Milky Way. Planets so strange we never could | | | | and could not be too outrageous. With the right |
| have predicted them before. Planets so bizarre | | | | tools and team, the expected product could be |
| that they could have identical habitable | | | | delivered. Skyworks worked with West and |
| environments and support life? | | | | Radical 3D to produce the newly nominated |
| Edited with a mixture of interviews from | | | | footage. The software used was Autodesk's |
| astronomers and geologists, the show primarily | | | | Maya, Maxon's Cinema 4D, and Adobe After |
| centers on strong visuals of planets with their | | | | Effects for additional compositing. With advances |
| seemingly uninhabitable surfaces and conditions. In | | | | in this software and the teams knowledgeable |
| usual NGC style, the footage is realistic and | | | | execution of high bit resolution rendering for HD |
| ominous, yet beautiful and exalting. For example | | | | output, the expectations of NGC were exceeded. |
| through the use of CGI, NGC helps us imagine a | | | | Be sure to watch the Academy of Television |
| planet that gets thrust out of its solar system | | | | Arts and Sciences Emmy® Awards Ceremony |
| and caught by another. This event can cause a | | | | on NBC, 8-11 PM ET August 29 2010. |
| prodigious effect on it's environment. The | | | | The Emmy Nominees: Dana Berry, Dave Jerrard, |
| gravitational pull of the new host star slings the | | | | Jason Hearne |
| planet around and propels it into an elliptical orbit. | | | | ABOUT Skyworks Digital: |
| The planet becomes what is otherwise known as | | | | Skyworks Digital is a Privately held company that |
| a "Yo Yo Planet" for the back and forth motion it | | | | specializes in the creation of computer generated |
| makes to it's new sun. The effect that is | | | | animation of space. Skyworks works closely with |
| produced on the planet is severe cold and | | | | NASA. |
| unimaginable heat. But within 93 million miles from | | | | ABOUT POINT.360 (NASDAQ,PTSX): |
| the star, roughly the same distance as the Earth | | | | Point.360 (PTSX) is a multifaceted post production |
| from the sun, what is known as the "Goldilocks | | | | solution with multiple facilities to handle all aspects |
| Zone" provides comfortable temperatures for the | | | | of film and television. |