We’re looking forward to FMX in Stuttgart, Germany, which begins on April 24th. It’s most certainly one of our favorite conferences of the year and and an event we never want to miss. It has a lineup of stellar speakers with great presentations. Tickets are still available and there are still some good deals on Airbnb rentals.
The full conference program can be found on the FMX website. The folks at FMX released some more highlights about the conference, so we’re sharing them here:
Effects – Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver
Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivfuehrer) is a live-action movie based on the classic German children’s book of the same name by Michael Ende. The story of Jim Button, a little orphan who strands on a deserted island and later leaves for a big adventure with Luke, the engine driver, has been enchanting generations of children and grown-ups alike since the book release in the 60s. Director Dennis Gansel rose to the challenge and adapted the beloved book into a VFX-intense feature film. At FMX 2018, he will be joined by the movie’s production VFX Supervisor Frank Schlegel, José Manuel Weil (ScanlineVFX), Prof. Juri Stanossek (Mackevision), Andreas Giesen (RISE) and Jan Adamczyk (Trixter) who are going to shed some light on the stunning visual effects of the movie.
Business – Managing Change in the VFX and Animation Industry
What is the daily work of production teams like and what are the main challenges they have to face? The track Managing Change, curated by Hahn Film’s CEO Imke Fehrmann, will offer insights into the daily business behind the scenes of VFX and animation projects, presenting solutions and case studies for young and seasoned professionals. On stage will be Pam Marsden, Head of Production at Sony Pictures Animation, Fiona Walkinshaw, Global Joint Managing Director, Film at Framestore and Nicole Hearon, Associate Producer at Walt Disney Animation Studios.
World Crafting – Netflix Original The Rain and other story worlds
The track World Crafting, curated by Prof. Inga von Staden (Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg), will explore how imaginary worlds are built in a team as a base for live-action and animation series as well as computer and tabletop games. Esben Toft Jacobsen, creator and visual supervisor of the upcoming Netflix original The Rain, will illustrate how world building works by using the The Rain as well as some animated films as an example. Simon Jon Andreasen (The National Film School of Denmark) will share his findings from exploring the great world builders from the past and the present. Mariusz Szypura(Telehorse) will talk about how he created a unique and fascinating steampunk universe. Felix Mertikat (King Racoon Games) will elaborate on the entire process of story world creation, from the initial idea to the final project, by referring to his game Tsukuyumi – Full Moon Down.
From Indie to IP – The Simpsons and Shaun the Sheep
Many world-renowned intellectual properties started as simple ideas in the heads of young, independent artists who then developed them into story worlds for a big audience. The track From Indie to IP will present some of these projects while also discussing how IPs can be protected. Aardman Animations’ co-founder David Sproxton will share the story of how Shaun the Sheep went from having a minor role in Wallace and Gromit to a global franchise in the space of ten years. Long-time FMXfriend David Silverman will talk about his role as a director on the hit series The Simpsons. Prof. Thomas Meyer-Hermannand Julia Ocker (both FILM BILDER) will talk about Animanimals, a successful children’s series about quirky animals that is based on a funny short film. Moreover, Acting Trainer Ed Hooks and Brian Gabriel, Legal Correspondent at Cartoon Brew, will elaborate on strategies for developing and protecting intellectual properties in a panel discussion. Check the FMX website to find out more about other presentations that will be featured as part of our From Indie to IP track.
Technology – Tools of Tomorrow
The track Tools of Tomorrow, curated by Prof. Volker Helzle (Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg), provides a vivid perspective of the next generation of software tools for animated movies and visual effects. Dan Golembeski and Doug Sherman (both DreamWorks Animation) will shed some light onto challenges of building a highly-scalable, multi-functional, and production-friendly feature animation pipeline on a core infrastructure comprised of microservices. Jasper Brekelmans (Brekel) will share some insights into the use of consumer depth sensors, look at recording Vive/Rift tracking data and how a HoloLens can be used on a highend mocap shoot. Simon Clavet (Ubisoft) will present a technique called Motion Matching, which was recently used while producing Ubisoft’s fighting game For Honor. Farhez Rayani will explain how Soba Productions created the animated short film Sonder by using Unity.