Intel Corporation announced a collaborative animation project to produce a computer-generated animated short film for theatrical release. The Mass Animation Project, presented by Intel, will be open to established and aspiring animators.

Intel is sponsoring the development and promotion of a Facebook Page where animators will be able access a collaboration application built on the Facebook Platform, and will work together to create the animated short film. Starting this fall, artists around the world will be able to contribute by animating small pieces of a 5-minute, professional-quality animated short film. The start date will be announced soon.

"This is a great opportunity to bring together computer graphics with the creativity of both Hollywood and the Facebook community," said Michael Hoefflinger, general manager of Intel's Partner Marketing Group. "The power of Intel high-performance processor technology makes it possible for content creators to design, animate and innovate. Intel processor performance and Facebook communication and sharing tools enable large numbers of people around the globe to collaborate on a single creative endeavor."

The Mass Animation project will be produced and directed by industry veteran Yair Landau, former vice chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment and president of Sony Pictures Digital.

"Mass Animation combines original computer-generated animated storytelling with social networking in a powerful, new way," Landau said. "With such partners as Intel, Autodesk, Reel FX Entertainment, Aniboom and Facebook, we will reach so many talented animators who might not otherwise have access to this community of imagination and artistry. This project is the future of creative collaboration."

The tools that animators need to collaborate on this project will be provided. Participating animators will be able to download an evaluation version of Autodesk Maya Unlimited software to layout and animate sections of the script. Reel FX Entertainment animation studio will then use proprietary tools to convert the selected videos to final quality animation frames for posting and sharing on the Facebook page. Aniboom brings its experience in supporting a community of animators from more than 70 countries around the world and its content management infrastructure to help manage the community element of the project.

For more information, including how to receive a notice when collaboration begins, visit www.facebook.com/massanimation and become a fan of the page. People who are not yet Facebook members can also register at the Mass Animation website.