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Robert Abel (animator)

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Occupation
  
Name
  
Robert Abel

Role
  
Film director


Robert Abel (animator) httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediaen44bRob

Born
  
March 10, 1937 (
1937-03-10
)
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.

Died
  
September 23, 2001, Los Angeles, California, United States

Education
  
University of California, Los Angeles

Movies
  
Elvis on Tour, Let the Good Times Roll, The Making of the President: 1968, By the Sea

Awards
  
Technology & Engineering Emmy Award for Pre-production Visualization System

Similar People
  
Pat O'Neill, Mel Stuart, Glen D Hardin, Charlie Hodge, James Burton

Robert Abel (March 10, 1937 – September 23, 2001) was an American pioneer in visual effects, computer animation and interactive media, best known for the work of his company, Robert Abel and Associates.

Robert Abel (animator) 65 Robert Abel and Associates Computer Graphics and Computer

Born in Cleveland, he received degrees in Design and Film from UCLA. He began his work in computer graphics in the 1950s, as an apprentice to John Whitney.

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Abel wrote or directed several films, including The Making of the President, 1968, Elvis on Tour and Let the Good Times Roll.

In 1971, Abel and Con Pederson founded Robert Abel and Associates (RA&A), creating slit-scan effects and using motion-controlled cameras for television commercials and films. RA&A began using Evans & Sutherland computers to previsualize their effects; this led to the creation of the trailer for The Black Hole, and the development of their own software for digitally animating films (including Tron).

In 1984, Robert Abel and Associates produced a commercial named Brilliance for the Canned Food Information Council for airing during the Super Bowl XIX telecast. It featured a sexy robot with reflective environment mapping and human-like motion.

Abel & Associates closed in 1987 following an ill-fated merger with now defunct Omnibus Computer Graphics, Inc., a company which had been based in Toronto.

In the 1990s, Abel founded Synapse Technologies, an early interactive media company, which produced pioneering educational projects for IBM, including "Columbus: Discovery, Encounter and Beyond" and "Evolution/Revolution: The World from 1890-1930".

He received numerous honors, including a Golden Globe Award (for Elvis on Tour), 2 Emmy Awards, and 33 Clios.

Abel died from complications following a myocardial infarction at the age of 64.

References

Robert Abel (animator) Wikipedia