Attendees can explore the sound design of ‘Dune Part 2,’ the visual effects of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender,’ and the invisible VFX of Ridley Scott's ‘Napoleon;’ 4-day event kicks off in Stuttgart on April 23, 2024.
The FMX 2024 countdown continues with only one week left to go! Once again, we have the latest program updates for the 4-day hybrid event, which returns to Stuttgart April 23-26, available on demand April 27-May 31.
Tickets are on sale here.
Here are the latest program confirmations and updates:
Sound Design, curated by Nami Strack (Nami Strack Filmton/Sounddesign): The Sound of Dune Part 2:
Sound editor Martin Kwok uncovers aspects of Dune’s rich cultural tapestry and alien traditions, connecting Frank Herbert’s epic writing and world building with Denis Villeneuve’s expansive cinematic vision and sense of realism.
In addition to his presentation at FMX, Kwok will give a Masterclass at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.
VFX for Episodic: Creating visual effects for Avatar: The Last Airbender
Show VFX supervisor Marion Spates and Accenture's VFX supervisor Emanuel Fuchs on Accenture Song VFX’s work on the iconic city of Omashu from the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender to life, including a variety of bending effects as well as multiple creatures.
VFX For Features: Revolutionizing Realism: Unveiling the invisible VFX for Ridley Scott's Napoleon
MPC's Production VFX supervisor Charley Henley pulls back the curtain on the invisible VFX of Ridley Scott's Napoleon. The action epic details the rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix. Henley worked closely with Scott, overseeing all VFX work on the movie including the teamwork between SFX and VFX.
In addition, Foundry will offer a compositing breakdown of naval battles and street riots in Napoleon in the company suite with VFX supervisor and creative director Henry Badgett (BlueBolt) as well as product manager Ale Esquerro (Nuke Timeline).
CONNECTING IDEAS: 30 years from now...
Join FMX Program chair and Magnopus head of Innovation, Industrial Light & Magic SVP & chief creative officer Rob Bredow, and Oscar-winning filmmaker, director of Animationsinstitut at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and FMX Conference chair Jan Pinkava for an exploration into the future of technology and storytelling.
They will delve into the key technologies that are bridging the gap between the physical and digital realms, paving the way for a more immersive and kaleidoscopic reality. From augmented reality to virtual production techniques, we'll discuss how these advancements are shaping the future of entertainment and media.
Artificial Intelligence, curated by Andy Cochrane (The AV Club Productions): Integrating AI into Professional Creative Pipelines
Creator, engineer, and product builder Bilawal Sidhu will demonstrate recent advances such as generative image/video/3D models and gaussian splatting/neural radiance fields and show how they can be integrated into professional creative workflows.
Sidhu shared the new possibilities are "real-time VFX on the phone in your pocket. The visual effects industry has had largely dominion over creating things that are indistinguishable from reality. Now that capability is being democratized, we will deploy audio visual creations we wouldn't have otherwise because it was too expensive. Interesting stories will be told that would never have been told in the traditional green lighting process."
Education
FMX School Campus will include 22 film schools from nine countries showcasing their curriculum and latest student projects in the arts and technology of animation, visual effects, computer games, and VR/AR.
The FMX host Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg will be on site with its Animationsinstitut, presenting current projects and organizing workshops. FMX attendees are invited to visit the Animationsinstitut's Diploma Showroom off site at the Filmakademie campus in Ludwigsburg.
Artificial intelligence and its impact on education will be one important topic at the school Campus, including a high-caliber panel discussion:
Education Today & Tomorrow: That which doesn’t kill us... AI Education Panel, hosted by Saint Walker
The participants Lotte Marie Allen (Computer Arts, School of Visual Arts), Olia Lialina (Design and Media, Merz Akademie Stuttgart), Harvey Goodall (VFX, Arts University Bournemouth) and Stefan Albertz (3D Animation and VFX, Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences) share their different angles on the topic, both artistically and technologically.
“I think the message from higher education is that we've got to be in control of the tools,” said Walker. "We want to paint a picture of how academic research and creativity can help shape an industry and society that we want to live in. We can't put the genie back in the bottle. What we can do is positively engage and create new ways of teaching and learning with these tools."
He added, "Without academic experimentation some kids will draw the wrong conclusions and think: Why should we learn to draw and to film? A robot will do it for us! This discussion at FMX and at universities across the world may help us to remember what it is to be human and what it is to come up with ideas and, just as importantly, execute those ideas."
Forum Confirmations
Adobe and Chaos join the conference with company suites, both will let the audience in on information regarding their latest developments. Adobe will offer additional workshops, and Chaos will be present at the FMX Marketplace.
Visit the FMX 2024 website for more information.
Source: FMX 2024
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
