BURBANK, CA (March 1, 2000) Following recent publication of nominations for the 72nd Annual Academy Awards, Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) is pleased to announce that for the first time, all films across the Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Film Editing categories were edited digitally with one company's digital nonlinear editing system: Avid's award-winning Film Composer system. During official Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ceremonies just last year, Avid itself was presented an Oscar statuette for concept, design and engineering insight in its development of this pioneering 24-frames-per-second, computer-based nonlinear editing system.

For the First Time, All Academy Award-Nominated Films in Best Picture, Best Directing & Best Film Editing Categories Edited Digitally on the Avid Film Composer System Visual Effects, Sound Effects & Sound Nominees Use Avid/Softimage & Digidesign Products.

In addition to the films in Best Picture, Best Directing and Best Film Editing categories, all projects nominated this year for Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Sound were also edited digitally using the Film Composer system. Editors on hundreds of other Hollywood feature productions, independent movies and films projects from all over the world have utilized the Film Composer system since its introduction by Avid in 1992.


Whether through visionary directing, incredible editing, visually stunning effects or astounding soundscapes, Academy-nominated films have always shown exceptional levels of artistry and technical excellence in bringing stories to the screen, said David Krall, Avid's President and Chief Operating Officer.

The Academy recognition we were pleased to receive in 1999 is even further validated by the fact that storytellers at the top of the craft this year. Though each with different approaches, goals and production challenges all chose to use our Film Composer product. Application of this system, especially

in the highest echelons of the industry, confirms Film Composer's universal appeal as an established tool to support editors and the art of editing. At the same time, we are excited to be continuing to introduce innovative developments for filmmakers, such as our new 24P Universal Mastering capabilities for maximum flexibility in outputting for film and television distribution, and our DV-native systems for editing and finishing in that emerging digital format.

Oscar-Worthy Achievements in Effects & Audio

Films in the Academy's visual effects and sound categories evidence that editing is only one of many filmmaking aspects that can benefit from having digital tools in the hands of talented artists. Every year, nominees use a combination of creative ideas and techniques to arrive at amazing new levels of originality, accuracy and impact, and achieve never-before-seen technical firsts.

In 1999-2000, each of the visual effects teams for nominated projects put together a palette of powerful software that included Softimage 3D to aide animators in creating effects -- from backgrounds for CG bullets and armies of folding destroyer Droids to sarcastic talking cats. On the audio side, sound artists nominated for excellence in Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Sound had available digital tools such as Digidesign's Pro Tools audio workstation in building the powerfully effective audio environments that complement the audiovisual landscape of those nominated films.

The films nominated for Academy Awards in Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Effects and Best Sound are:



Best Picture: American Beauty, The Cider House Rules, The Green Mile, The Insider & The Sixth Sense;

Best Directing: American Beauty, Being John Malkovich, The Cider House Rules, The Insider & The Sixth Sense;

Best Film Editing: American Beauty, The Cider House Rules, The Insider, The Matrix & The Sixth Sense;

Best Visual Effects: The Matrix, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace & Stuart Little;

Best Sound Effects Editing: Fight Club, The Matrix & Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace;

Best Sound: The Green Mile, The Insider, The Matrix, The Mummy & Star Wars

Episode I: The Phantom Menace.



About Avid Technology

Avid Technology, Inc. is an international, industry-leading provider of digital audio and video tools for information and entertainment applications. The company's products are used by a variety of customers worldwide including film, television and interactive content producers, TV news broadcasters, corporate communicators and consumers. For more information, visit Avid?s Web site at www.avid.com.