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PEOPLE & ARTS Saturday 10 February 2018
Inventors have their own Oscars: The Sci-Tech Awards

By SANDY COHEN acter animation systems al-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Engi- low artists to see their fully
neers and inventors who rendered characters inter-
create innovations for the act with other characters
movie business have their in real time. The old process
own Academy Awards. was far less detailed and
Presented since 1931, the way more time consuming,
film academy's Scientific Roble said. "The technology
and Technical Awards rec- these guys built is just beau-
ognize engineering and tiful, and it's optimized to
design achievements that take full advantage of the
have had a lasting influ- latest hardware," he said,
ence on the art of film- adding that it's been used
making, from newfangled in Pixar and DreamWorks
camera rigs to advanced Animation productions.
computer software that Three Oscar statuettes will
makes animated render- be presented Saturday as
ings more precise. well, with two of them rec-
"The academy tries to rec- ognizing the Houdini visual
ognize cleverness and the effects and animation sys-
things that change the tem. "It has become the
movies," said Doug Roble, de-facto standard for do-
creative director of soft- ing visual effects at studios,"
ware at Digital Domain and An Oscar statue appears in the ballroom during the 90th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon Roble said. "It's like a Photo-
at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
vice-chair of the acade- Associated Press shop for destruction."
my's Scientific and Techni- Where Photoshop allows
cal Awards committee. emy Awards, Sci-Tech inventions are eligible for among other films. users to manipulate imag-
Since 1977, these prizes prizes aren't for the previ- consideration. Other inventions that have es, Houdini allows them to
have been awarded at a ous year's work. Inventions "Last year we gave a me- been recognized include a manipulate three-dimen-
dinner ceremony ahead of aren't generally consid- chanical horse puppet a pump device that helps flip sional objects. Artists can
the Academy Awards. The ered for Sci-Tech Awards Sci-Tech Award," Roble cars in action films and soft- program specific details
private, untelevised event until they've been used in said. ware (created by Roble) that are then extrapolated
is generally hosted by a various productions, Roble The creation makes it easi- that digitized certain shots out to entire structures or
celebrity or two, who often said. er to film scenes on "horse- of food that were previ- scenes. It’s this technology
struggle to explain the in- "We take the long view," back," for both the per- ously done with practical that created the warped
ventions being honored. he said. "We are awarding former and director. But it's effects. buildings in Marvel’s “Doc-
This year's ceremony, set for software or hardware or not just a hydraulic marvel. This year's awardees in- tor Strange” and galac-
Saturday, will be hosted by engineering that has stood "It had to be horsey enough clude an advanced cam- tic destruction in “Rogue
Patrick Stewart. the test of time... One of the that the horses around the era rig mount that makes One.” Roble noted that
The Sci-Tech Awards, things we look for is adop- actor will accept it," Roble aerial shots easier and the innovations recognized
as they are colloquially tion of the technology be- said, adding that the pup- several software develop- with the film academy’s
known, comprise certifi- yond just the people who pet has a tail that swishes ments critical to modern Sci-Tech Awards all share
cates, plaques and Oscar created it." back and forth. It was used animated movies. one thing in common: “This
statuettes. Unlike the Acad- All kinds of game-changing in 2015's "The Revenant," The Presto and Premo char- is all in service of art.” q

New Bollywood film tackles

taboo of menstrual hygiene

By MUNEEZA NAQVI tion and menstrual hygiene in cleaving through the lay-
NEW DELHI (AP) — It's an un- is rarely, if ever, discussed ers of taboo. "Yes, these
likely scene in deeply con- openly in Indian homes. are pads. Yes, they belong
servative India: A hugely At pharmacies and depart- to these amazing women.
popular Bollywood male ment stores, tampons and Yes, they were happy to
star grinning widely as he sanitary pads get the same lend me one so I could
holds up a sanitary pad treatment reserved for con- stand with them in support
and talks of menstrual hy- doms — they are handed of this much needed initia-
giene. But that's exactly to customers discretely tive," upcoming Bollywood In this Feb. 5, 2018, file photo, Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar
what action hero Akshay wrapped in black plastic actor Siddharth Malhotra speaks during a press conference to promote his upcoming
Kumar did as he promoted bags kept on hand simply tweeted Friday along with a movie "Pad Man" in Ahmadabad, India.
his film "Padman," which for the purpose of saving photo of him surrounded by Associated Press
opened in theaters Friday. them any embarrassment. female fans as he held up a
Kumar plays the lead role In many homes women sanitary pad. Malhotra isn't film a shoutout. Radio talk breaking the taboo," Ku-
of a man who starts manu- are barred from temples the only mainstream star to shows have been discuss- mar, 50, tweeted of his film.
facturing inexpensive sani- and religious rituals as well speak up about menstrua- ing the film and the shame Kumar’s wife, the novelist
tary pads after he discov- as cooking or entering the tion. Dozens of other Bolly- generally associated with and one-time actress Twin-
ers his wife's lack of access kitchen when they have wood actors and actresses the subject in India. kle Khanna, wrote a book
to them in a small town in their period. have tweeted photos of "This, I think is the biggest on Muruganantham’s life,
southern India. So Kumar and his film are themselves holding up sani- achievement of #Pad- prompting her husband to
The subject of menstrua- definitely breaking ground tary pads as they gave the Man...men and women make it into a film.q