On November 21, 1997, the newest Pixar Short, "Geri's Game", premiered at the Laemmle's Monica 4 in Santa Monica. I was the Supervising Technical Director for Geri's Game, and work on it from March through November of that year.

Geri's Game was the brainchild of Jan Pinkava, a Pixar commercials director, and I worked on many aspects of modeling, articulation, and lighting. At right of some of my fellow TDs (from left) Steve Kani, Paul Aichele, a guest of Paul's, Mamiko Uchida, and Jason Bickerstaff, relaxing at the wrap party afterwards at Mama's in Santa Monica.

Mike Quinn (left) is the oh-so-dapper husband of one of the star animators on Geri's Game, Karen Prell. Mike and Karen came over from a puppeteering career in England to hang at Pixar. Big loss for puppeteering, big gain for us! Karen (sorry no photo) did the pose of Geri used in the poster and the life-size cutout (at right) found in theaters across... well, across Santa Monica on this happy evening.

Yet more of us, at right: unknown guest, Ana Lacaze (another third of the shot lighting crew), Sue Kalache (honorable Pixar holder-of-TD-reel-review), and Jean-Claude Kalache, Oscar-winning master lighter and anchor of the Texas A&M contingent at Pixar.

Well, the evening ended way too soon, and we had to stumble... er, head back to our hotels. Sue and Jean-Claude, Paul and Mamiko bid farewell to the Geri's premiere.