NEWS

WordSign Strategic Planning Meeting Held

September 2, 2009 (Waxhaw, NC, U.S.A.) - The WordSign project team met for two days on the campus of JAARS to review development progress and to prepare plans for the next six-months. The six members of the team (Terry Smith, Shawn Collins, Kirby O'Brien, Michael Fleming, Josh Stuck, and Michael Rennert) were joined by Steve Parkhurst, who heads the SIL sign language translation program in Spain, John Wickberg, JAARS liaison to WordSign, Keith Betsch, Sr. VP of JAARS to whom the WordSign project reports, and David Reeves, President of JAARS. This was the first opportunity for the team members to view a live demonstration of the stereo camera used for motion capture. The main technical topics covered in this meeting were: motion capture, character development, scenery development, story board preparation, and production editing. For each topic, team members demonstrated examples of their latest work and led discussions about technical solutions within each area.

WordSign Project Team Expands

June 10, 2009 (Waxhaw, NC, U.S.A.) – The WordSign project team is expanding with the addition of three new volunteers who are located in California, Oregon, and British Columbia, Canada. These volunteers are individuals with skills in computer graphics art, 3D animation and character development, graphics software development, and American Sign Language. The WordSign project is being developed by a multi-site virtual team, that previously included full-time members located in Waxhaw, NC, Los Angeles, CA, Silicon Valley, CA, and Dallas, TX. In parallel with motion capture and 3D editing software development, the animation and graphics team are preparing characters and scenery for a ‘test story’ based on the Bible’s description of Nicodemus coming to Jesus at night with important spiritual questions in John 3:1-17.

WordSign Project Formally Launched

July 19, 2008 (Grand Forks, ND, U.S.A.) – At a meeting held at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, where SIL International conducts courses in sign language linguistics, representatives of JAARS and SIL agreed to formally establish the WordSign Project under the management of JAARS, to develop sign language animation tools and support capabilities. Subsequent to this meeting a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by both organizations, defining the objectives of this multi-year project.

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