Report from the Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Bill Taylor, co-chair, Science and Technology Council, is a visual effects supervisor and cinematographer who started out as an optical cameraman specializing in blue screen compositing. In 1974 he began working at Universal Studios under the mentorship of renowned matte artist Albert Whitlock. The Hindenburg (1975), Taylor's first film as Whitlock's cameraman, earned an Oscar for its visual effects. In 1985 Taylor and a Universal colleague, matte artist Syd Dutton, co-founded the special effects studio Illusion Arts, where they have worked on nearly 200 films. Taylor's credits as a visual effects supervisor include The Fast and the Furious (2001), Bruce Almighty (2003), Casanova (2005), Milk (2008) and Public Enemies (2009). Taylor is a founder and honorary life member of the Visual Effects Society, a co-chair of the Academy's Science and Technology Council, and an Academy governor representing the Visual Effects Branch.

Peter Anderson, chair, Technology History Subcommittee, was the director of photography and visual effects supervisor on U2 3D , the first live-action feature film recorded in digital 3D. After a career in advertising, he joined Douglas Trumbull's Future General visual effects company during the making of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Anderson went on to create Universal Studios' Hartland visual effects facility, which was used for Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979) as well as numerous other Universal productions. In 1981 he joined Disney Studios to film and supervise the visual effects for features such as Tron (1982) and Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983). It was for Disney's Epcot that Anderson developed the modern 3D systems and technologies for filming Magic Journeys (1982), Captain EO (1986) and Muppet * Vision (1991). Since leaving Disney, Anderson has continued to film and supervise many 3D productions including the 3D IMAX releases of Cirque Du Soleil: Journey of Man (1999), Ultimate G's: Zac's Flying Dream (2000) and Wild Oceans (2008). A member of the Academy, he also serves on the Academy's Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee and the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee.

Jonathan Erland, chair, Research Subcommittee, is a London Film School graduate and was a member of the visual effects team on Star Wars (1977) before he went on to become the director of research and development for Apogee Productions. The owner of numerous patents, Erland is also the recipient of four Academy Scientific or Technical Awards for photographic effects innovations that include advances in a traveling matte process for motion picture compositing. In 2008 he received an Award of Commendation from the Academy for his testing and coordination work on the “High-Speed Emulsion Stress Syndrome” in motion picture film stock. Erland is a SMPTE Life Fellow, a founding member of the Academy's Science and Technology Council and a co-founder (with his wife Kay Beving Erland) of the Composite Components Company. A past chairman of the Academy's Visual Effects Award Executive Committee, he was elected to the Board of Governors after Visual Effects members achieved branch status.

Charles “Tad” Marburg, outgoing chair, Public Programs and Education Subcommittee, has had a long career in studio operations and as a technology executive. A 23-year career at Warner Bros. included diverse roles, from General Manager of the studio's digital mastering facility to being in charge of the Warner Bros. film and corporate archives. His particular skill is managing the adoption of new technologies into the production and post-production process. After leaving Warner Bros., he started a consulting practice that specializes in strategic business planning and new technology evaluations. For the past seven years Marburg has served on the Science and Technology Council and was the first chair of its Public Programs and Education Subcommittee. Under his leadership, more than 40 Council public programs were produced, as well as the initiation of the Science and Technology Council Internship Program. Marburg has a B.A. in Theatre from Oberlin College and continued his education at UCLA in the MFA program in theater technology and lighting design. Marburg is also an active member of SMPTE.

Barry Weiss, incoming chair, Public Programs and Education Subcommittee, is an accomplished animation and entertainment executive and has worked on some of the most profitable and award-winning projects of the past 15 years. Weiss is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Short Subject and Feature Animation-branch Executive Committee and is a founding member of the Academy's Science and Technology Council. He has lectured worldwide on the subject of animation and technological change, and he has been a keynote speaker at many industry events and major universities. Most recently Weiss was the senior vice president of animation production and artist development for Sony Pictures Imageworks, where he planned, created and managed a collaborative creative team that produced the animation and created characters for projects, ranging in creative scope from Open Season to I Am Legend. Weiss' animation career began at Hanna-Barbera and Turner Feature Animation, where he was the principal studio executive and producer, who designed, built and supervised the production infrastructure for the studio's feature film division. Returning to his Hanna-Barbera roots, Weiss is currently the Animation Producer on the Warner Brothers feature film Yogi Bear due for release Holiday 2010. Weiss received a master's degree in film from the University of Southern California and an undergraduate degree in television and film from Northwestern University.

Andy Maltz, director, Science and Technology Council. As the first director of the Academy's Science and Technology Council, Maltz was responsible for initiating the Council's operations, and developing and implementing its operational plan. Previous to the Academy, Maltz was CEO of Avica Technology Corp., where he led the first worldwide commercial deployment of digital cinema servers, drove the development of key technologies for digital cinema, and was heavily involved with the digital releases of many major motion pictures in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Previous to Avica, Maltz served as a consultant to companies such as Sharp Electronics and Microsoft, where he spearheaded the development of the Advanced Authoring Format. Prior to these assignments, he was executive vice president of operations and engineering for nonlinear editing pioneer Ediflex Digital Systems. Maltz received a B.S.E.E. from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He is a member of the National Archives Public Advisory Committee for Electronic Records Archives, and is a Fellow of SMPTE, where he serves on several engineering committees and the SMPTE Journal Board of Editors.