{{Distinguish|text = Edward E. Kramer, the American editor and convicted child molester}} '''Edward A. "Ed" Kramer''' is a computer graphics pioneer who worked in computer-generated imagery (CGI). ACM SIGGRAPH, a Special Interest Group focused on computer graphics within the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), recognizes him as a member of "SIGGRAPH Pioneers." As of 2024, he is chair of the SIGGRAPH Pioneers.
== Early life and education == Kramer was educated at Duke University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology in 1977. He earned a Master of Arts in Film Production/Animation in 1981 at the University of Texas at Austin, where he'd done 3D vector animation in the physics lab for a local PBS series.<ref name="ACMKramer">{{cite web |title=Ed Kramer |url=https://history.siggraph.org/person/ed-kramer/ |website=ACM SIGGRAPH History |publisher=ACM SIGGRAPH, Association for Computing Machinery, Bowling Green State University |access-date=10 January 2025}}</ref>
== Career == He worked as a professional CGI artist from 1981, with jobs in Hollywood, New York, Atlanta, and for NASA in Houston.<ref name="presenter" /> In 1993, he worked as a CGI supervisor on the Secrets of the Luxor Pyramid trilogy of ride films for the Luxor Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.<ref name=Calculated/> Between 1994 and 2006, he worked for Industrial Light & Magic in San Rafael as Senior Technical Director<ref>{{cite web |title=Ed Kramer |url=https://dac.siggraph.org/person/808/ |website=Digital Arts Community: ACM SIGGRAPH |publisher=ACM SIGGRAPH Digital Arts Committee |access-date=9 January 2025}}</ref> and Sequence Supervisor. He was one of the first users of many tools for video production, among them ADO, Via Video, Quantel paint systems, System IV, Bosch FGS-4000, Abekas, Wavefront, and digital videotape.<ref name="Masson">{{cite book |last1=Masson |first1=Terrence |author1-link=Terrence Masson |title=CG 101 : a computer graphics industry reference |date=1999 |publisher=New Riders |location=Indianapolis |isbn=9780735700468 | oclc=42416832|page=462 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780977871001/page/462/mode/1up |access-date=2 January 2025}}</ref> In his film career, he worked on the computer graphics for six films nominated for Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, including the 2006 winner, ''Pirates of the Caribbean II: Dead Man's Chest'', as well as ''Twister'' (1996), ''The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997), ''Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace'' (1999), ''The Perfect Storm'' (2000) and ''Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones'' (2002).<ref>{{cite web |title=Results (displayed by award category; sort is chronological) |url=https://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/search/getresults?query=%7B%22Sort%22%3A%223-Award%20Category-Chron%22%2C%22AwardCategory%22%3A%5B%2224%22%5D%2C%22AwardShowNumberFrom%22%3A69%2C%22AwardShowNumberTo%22%3A79%2C%22Search%22%3A30%7D |website=Oscars |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |access-date=5 January 2025}}</ref><ref name=TCM/> Kramer also worked in television, including for CBS Evening News, ABC Sports, HBO, Cinemax, Lifetime Cable Network,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Parker |first1=Sally |title=Lights, Camera, Magic: Computer Graphics expert Ed Kramer |journal=Duke Magazine |date=October 1, 2004 |url=https://alumni.duke.edu/magazine/articles/lights-camera-magic |access-date=21 December 2024}} *{{cite journal |last1=Adams |first1=Patrick |title=Maybe You've Seen It |journal=Duke Magazine |date=October 1, 2004 |url=https://alumni.duke.edu/magazine/articles/maybe-youve-seen-it |access-date=21 December 2024}}</ref> CNN and Coca-Cola.<ref name=AWN/> From 2010, he was an instructor of CGI Lighting, Modeling, Dynamics, and Portfolio Development at the Colorado Film School (now the Cinematic Arts Department of the Community College of Aurora, Colorado), before moving to the now defunct Art Institute of Colorado.<ref name=presenter>{{cite book |chapter = Presenter Bios|title=SIGGRAPH '14: ACM SIGGRAPH 2014 Panels |date=27 July 2014 |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |location=New York |doi=10.1145/2614208 |isbn=978-1-4503-2959-0 |oclc=903236968|url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/proceedings/10.1145/2614208|url-access=subscription|access-date=21 December 2024}}</ref>
Kramer was an early participant in SIGGRAPH conferences, for instance as both course organizer and a presenter of "Computer Animation Using Video Techniques" in 1985,<ref>{{cite web |title=Computer Animation Using Video Techniques|date = 1985 |url=https://history.siggraph.org/learning/computer-animation-using-video-techniques-by-kramer-chiani-jackson-and-rosenfeld/ |website=SIGGRAPH History: Information and Artifacts |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |access-date=1 January 2025}}</ref> 1986,<ref>{{cite web |title=Computer Animation Using Video Techniques |url=https://history.siggraph.org/learning/computer-animation-using-video-techniques-chaired-by-ed-kramer/|date = 1986 |website=SIGGRAPH History: Information and Artifacts |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |access-date=1 January 2025}}</ref> and 1987.<ref>{{cite web |title=Computer Animation Using Video Techniques |url=https://history.siggraph.org/learning/computer-animation-using-video-techniques-by-kramer-winkler-chiani-and-rosenfeld/ |website=SIGGRAPH History: Information and Artifacts|date = 1987 |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |access-date=1 January 2025}}</ref> As SIGGRAPH Pioneers Chair 2019–2024,<ref>{{cite AV media | people = Kramer, Ed (editor); submitted and curated by the SIGGRAPH Pioneers | date = 2023 | title = Rare Gems from CGI History | type = video | via = Google Docs | url = https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DVqTDQYfqiGPSqvSn4P7Fe_dzyFvMrf7/view | access-date = 1 January 2025 }}</ref> he interviewed the SIGGRAPH Conference Chairs for 1979, 1980, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2020, as well as chairing or participating in panels. These panels and interviews are preserved on video.<ref>{{cite web |last1=edk (Kramer |first1=Ed) |title=SIGGRAPH Pioneers Online Content |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZiVT9MZYzScFMnWzGqwkMKkzwATuBbX0XKOxPa-hz5Q/edit?tab=t.0 |website=Pioneers Online Content |publisher=Google Docs |access-date=2 January 2025}}</ref>
== Assessments == Kramer's importance in the development of computer graphics is attested by his capsule biography,<ref name=Masson/> one of only four, along with industry luminaries John Whitney Sr., David C. Evans and Ivan Sutherland, in Terrence Masson's "first and only detailed behind-the-scenes history about the people and companies that have formed today's industry."<ref>{{cite web |title=CG 101: A Computer Graphics Industry Reference |url=https://www.peachpit.com/store/cg-101-a-computer-graphics-industry-reference-9780735700468 |website=Peachpit |publisher=Pearson Education |access-date=10 January 2025}}</ref> Masson himself, chairing the SIGGRAPH 2006 Computer Animation Festival, described the eight jurors whom he chose, including Kramer, as{{blockquote|text=people who've been deep in production for a long time... who've seen it all, having dwelt at the very highest levels of quality so long that our standards would be positively stratospheric.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Plantec |first1=Peter | date=July 7, 2006 |title=The Digital Eye: Inside the SIGGRAPH 2006 CAF | url=https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/digital-eye-inside-siggraph-2006-caf |website=Animation World Network |access-date=26 January 2025}}</ref>}}An essay, "Who are the Siggraph Pioneers?" from 2024, answers that question in several paragraphs. Quoting: "Rather than sitting passively on the sidelines, they have influenced continued discoveries, developments, and the maturation of the industry. People like Ed Kramer,{{nbsp}}..." followed by thirteen other names, "... and many more."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Moltenbrey |first1=Karen |title=Who are the Siggraph Pioneers? |url=https://www.jonpeddie.com/news/who-are-the-siggraph-pioneers/ |website=Jon Peddie Research |date=3 July 2024 |access-date=2 January 2025}}</ref>
==Filmography== ===Visual effects (feature film)=== *''101 Dalmatians'' (1996): Visual effects<ref name=TCM>{{cite web |title=Ed Kramer: Filmography |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/1114382%7C0/Ed-Kramer#filmography |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026075636/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/1114382%7C0/Ed-Kramer/#filmography|url-status=dead |archive-date=October 26, 2021|website=Turner Classic Movies |access-date=25 January 2025}}</ref> *''Twister'' (1996): Visual effects<ref name=TCM/> *''The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997): Visual effects<ref name=TCM/> *''Deep Impact'' (1998): Visual effects<ref name=TCM/> *''The Mummy'' (1999): Digital effects supervisor<ref name=TCM/>{{ref|TCM1|ILM}} *''Galaxy Quest'' (1999): CGI artist<ref name=TCM/> *''Star Wars: The Phantom Menace'' (1999): Visual effects<ref name=TCM/>{{ref|TCM2|ILM}} *''The Mummy Returns'' (2001): Visual effects supervisor<ref name=TCM/>{{ref|TCM3|ILM}} *''Star Wars: Attack of the Clones'' (2002): Visual effects<ref name=TCM/>{{ref|TCM4|ILM}} *''Dreamcatcher'' (2003): CGI artist<ref name=TCM/> *''Van Helsing'' (2004): Digital effects<ref name=TCM/>{{ref|TCM5|ILM}} *''Son of the Mask'' (2005): Computer graphics supervisor<ref name=TCM/> *''Herbie: Fully Loaded'' (2005): CGI artist<ref name=TCM/>
===Animation (feature film)=== *''Clear and Present Danger'' (1994): Animator<ref name=TCM/> *''The Island'' (2005): Animation director<ref name=TCM/>
===Art department (feature film)=== *''Jumanji'' (1995): Graphic artist<ref name=TCM/> *''Planet of the Apes'' (2001): Graphic artist<ref name=TCM/>{{ref|TCM6|ILM}} *''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' (2002): Computer graphics artist<ref name=TCM/>{{ref|TCM7|ILM}}
===Miscellaneous crew (feature film)=== *''Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith'' (2005): Digital effects artist<ref name=TCM/> *''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest'' (2006): Digital effects artist<ref name=TCM/>{{ref|TCM8|ILM}}
===Other=== *Secrets of the Luxor Pyramid trilogy ''In Search of the Obelisk'', ''Luxor Live'', ''Theater of Time'' (1993): CGI supervisor.<ref name="Calculated">{{cite book |last1=Wolf |first1=Mark J. P. |title=Calculated Imagery: A History of Computer Graphics in Hollywood Cinema |date=2025 |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |location=New York City |isbn=9798400712654 |oclc = 1514252098 |page=296}}</ref> *''Stargate'' (1994):<ref name=AWN/> *''The Perfect Storm'' (2000): Digital effects artist<ref name=AWN>{{cite web |last1=Desowitz |first1=Bill | date=March 1, 2007 |title=VFX Supervisor Ed Kramer Joins !mpossible Pictures | url=https://www.awn.com/news/vfx-supervisor-ed-kramer-joins-mpossible-pictures |website=Animation World Network |access-date=26 January 2025}}</ref>{{ref|TCM9|ILM}} *''Chasing Ice'' (2012): Animation: Look development:<ref>{{cite web |title=Submarine Deluxe Presents: An Exposure Lab Production | url = https://chasingice.com/credits/ |website=Chasing Ice |access-date=25 January 2025}}</ref>
==Selected bibliography== *{{cite journal |last1=Kramer |first1=Ed |title=Graphics and Animation — An Overview, Part I |journal=E-ITV |date=September 1983|oclc=9802994 |issn = 0046-1466 |pages=37 ff}}; also listed as ''Educational & Industrial Television'' or ''Educational and Instructional Television'' *{{cite journal |last1=Kramer |first1=Ed |title=Graphics and Animation — An Overview, Part II |journal=E-ITV |date=November 1983|oclc=9802994 |issn = 0046-1466 |pages=35 ff}} *{{cite book |last1=Kramer |first1=Edward A. |chapter = Analog to Digital Conversion: A History of Computer Animation|title=Proceedings : NCGA's computer graphics '87 : eighth annual conference and exposition : v. 3. Technical sessions |date=1987 |publisher=National Computer Graphics Association |isbn=9780941514156|oclc=1416203007|pages=363 ff}} *{{cite journal |last1=Fulton |first1=Jim |last2=Kramer |first2=Ed |title=Can you ever be too thin? |journal=netWorker <!-- Deny Citation Bot-->|date=1 August 1997 |volume=1 |issue=2 |pages=19–23 |doi=10.1145/267290.267300 |url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/267290.267300|publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |access-date=1 January 2025 }} *{{cite book |chapter = From production artist to educator: preparing for the change|title=SIGGRAPH '14: ACM SIGGRAPH 2014 Panels |date=10 August 2014 |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery |location=New York |isbn=978-1-4503-2959-0 |oclc=903236968|url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/proceedings/10.1145/2614208 |url-access=subscription|access-date=1 January 2025|doi=10.1145/2614208}}
==Notes== :ILM.{{note|TCM1}}{{note|TCM2}}{{note|TCM3}}{{note|TCM4}}{{note|TCM5}}{{note|TCM6}}{{note|TCM7}}{{note|TCM8}}{{note|TCM9}} while working at Industrial Light & Magic.<ref name=AWN/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.siggraph.org/inside-siggraph/member-profiles/profile/?member=ed-kramer "Member Profile," ACM SIGGRAPH interview with photo] *[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0469496/ Ed Kramer filmography] at IMDb *[https://vimeo.com/28732832 Ed Kramer Feature Film VFX demo reel 1994-2006] at Vimeo *[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0469496/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm IMDb Mini Biography by Ed Kramer (autobiographical)] *[https://www.youtube.com/@edkramer-cgihistoryexpertw3493 Ed Kramer - CGI History Expert Wizard] at YouTube: demo clips, production process. *{{cite journal |last1=Parker |first1=Sally |title=Lights, Camera, Magic: Computer Graphics expert Ed Kramer |journal=Duke Magazine |date=October 1, 2004 |url=https://alumni.duke.edu/magazine/articles/lights-camera-magic |access-date=21 December 2024}} *{{cite journal |last1=Adams |first1=Patrick |title=Maybe You've Seen It |journal=Duke Magazine |date=October 1, 2004 |url=https://alumni.duke.edu/magazine/articles/maybe-youve-seen-it |access-date=21 December 2024}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kramer, Edward A.}} Category:Living people Category:American visual effects artists Category:Industrial Light & Magic people Category:Computer graphics professionals Category:American digital artists Category:Duke University alumni Category:University of Texas at Austin alumni Category:Year of birth missing (living people)