Gamertell

The Second Annual Elan Awards -  which honor excellence in the Canadian video game, animation and digital arts industries - were held at Vancouver last Friday (Feb 15, 2008). It was attended by the crème de la crème of the Canadian videogame and animation industries, along with digital art students still learning the ropes of the trade. The names of the winners were pompously announced at the glitzy ceremony, which had its share of technical flubs that were excused by the attendees and laughed off.

The show was hosted by animator Seth MacFarlane of Family Guy fame, who brought his impish humor along and also managed to win an award himself. His animated show Family Guy was ajudged the Best Animated International Television Production. In its second year, the Elan Awards even made room for international award categories.

Mass Effect, which was developed by Canadian developer Bioware, bagged the top honors. It was recognized as the game of the year and triumphed in four other categories. The game has set the benchmark for storytelling in videogames several notches higher. Assassin’s Creed was extolled as the best console game, while Company of Heroes and Socom U.S Navy Seals: Tactical Strike were named as the best PC game and Handheld game respectively.e

And the winners were:

• Best console game: Assassin’s Creed.
• Best feature-length animated production: Barbie as the Island Princess, Rainmaker Animation, Jennifer Twiner Mccarron.
• B.C. government award for student animated or motion graphic production of the year: Legend of Boruta, Emily Carr Institute, Bartosz Nowakowski.
• Best original musical score in an animated production: Bruno and the Banana Bunch Cuppa, Coffee Studios, Adam Goddard.
• Best original musical score in a video game: Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft, Jesper Kyd.
• Best student original sound design/musical score for an animated production or game: Le Building, Vancouver Film School, Doug Woods.
• Best male voiceover in an animated feature or television production: Lee Tockar, George of the Jungle, Studio B.
• Best female voice over in an animated feature or television production: Maryke Hendrikse, Johnny Test, Cookie Joe Entertainment.
• Best student writing for an animated or game production: documentary, Vancouver Film School, Lawrence Chung.
• Best writing in an animated production: Storm Hawks, Nerd Corps Entertainment, Rob Hoegee.
• Best student art direction - animated production: Mano Sinistra, Emily Carr Institute, Kate Lee.
• Best storyboarding on an animated production: George of the Jungle: Naked Ape Man, Dennis Crawford/Lyn Hart.
• Best student art direction - game production: Seas of Europa, Vancouver Film School, Todd Agnello, David Bowring, Diego Rodriguez Pons, Ryan Stanci.
• Best production design or art direction in an animated production: Edgar & Ellen: Crushed, Bardel Entertainment, Greg Huculak and Zoe Evamy.
• Best direction in a feature length animated production: Barbie as the Island Princess, Rainmaker Animation, Greg Richardson.
• Best PC Game: Company of Heroes, Relic Entertainment, Ian Thomson.
• Best direction in an animated television series: Rudy Gloom: Venus de Gloomsville, Nelvana LTD, Robin Budd.
• Best new video game company: a tie win between Blue Castle Games, Rob Barrett for The Bigs; and Slant Six Games, Brian Thalken for their Socom U.S. Navy Seals: Tractical Strike.
• Best handheld game of the year: Socom U.S. Navy Seals: Tactical Strike, Slant Six Games, Brian Thalken.
• Best animated short subject: yellow sticky notes, Jeff Chiba Stearns.
• The student “ready to rocket” award (animation and games): Bartosz Nowakowksi, Emily Carr Institute.
• Video game hall of fame: Don Mattrick
• Lifetime achievement award: Kai Pindal
• Outstanding innovation in gaming: Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, Relic Entertainment, Josh Mosqueira
• Student game of the year: Bloom, Vancouver Film School, Boring Games; project manager: Adrian Audet; team: Brennan Massicotte, Guilherme Ramos, Mike Wilson, Brian Vidovic.
• International game of the year: Crysis, Crytek/ Electornic Arts USA, Cevat Yerli
• Best animated production (television): Edgar & Ellen Bardel Entertainment: Delna Bhesania, Barry Ward, Trish Lindsay, Barbara Ferro.

Read [The Vancouver Sun] Site [The Elans]