Italy’s premier international event promises an exceptional in-person program of talks, presentations, in-depth workshops, and masterclasses designed to inspire, inform, and educate; join industry professionals, thought leaders, students, and enthusiasts in a celebration of the latest in animation, VFX, and games - event runs October 15-20.
AWN and VFXWorld will be there… and so should you! VIEW Conference, Italy’s premier international event on Computer Graphics, Interactive Techniques, Digital Cinema, 2D/3D Animation, VR and AR, Gaming, and VFX, takes place October 15-20 in the beautiful baroque city of Turin, Italy.
An English-speaking event, this year’s program features a stellar lineup of award-winning speakers from around the globe, with a live program of talks, presentations, in-depth workshops, and masterclasses designed to inspire, inform, and educate. Join the industry professionals, thought leaders, students, and enthusiasts who gather to celebrate the latest developments in animation, VFX, and games.
Tickets are now available on the official VIEW Conference website.
The VIEW Conference 2023 program boasts a cross-section of award-winning international talent – kicking off with Oscar-winner and vice president and executive creative director at Lucasfilm, Doug Chiang's presentation of this year’s keynote, “Old and New: How Star Wars Shaped My Art and Design.” Chiang oversees the Star Wars franchise designs for films, theme parks, games, and new media.
Following the keynote is Oscar-winning sound engineer Mark Ulano’s talk, “Killers of the Flower Moon: Telling the Story with Sound,” a look at his recent work on Martin Scorsese’s latest film, which begins its theatrical release during the week of the conference.
“When I look at the program for VIEW Conference 2023, I have only one thing to say: ‘Wow!’” said Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “I am honored to welcome so many talented individuals to Italy for the annual event that is VIEW Conference. The caliber of our award-winning speakers is second to none, and I cannot wait for them to share their passion and wisdom with our audience. I urge everyone to visit the VIEW Conference website where they can see the entire program. I guarantee you will be blown away!”
Every year, VIEW Conference hosts the directors of the latest animated features to speak about their creative journeys, bringing the latest blockbusters to the screen – this year is no exception. Joaquim Dos Santos (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) will discuss the critically acclaimed superhero hit with Oscar-winning director Peter Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse).
Also attending:
- Peter Sohn, director of Disney and Pixar’s latest animated feature, Elemental.
- Jeff Rowe, director of Nickelodeon’s and Paramount’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
- Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, directors of Netflix’s Nimona, will be joined by author ND Stevenson, creator of the original “Nimona” graphic novel.
- Oscar-nominated Henry Selick, director of stop-motion classics The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, Coraline, and Wendell & Wild.
- VFX supervisor Kyle Odermatt offers a special preview of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 62nd animated feature Wish.
- Benjamin Renner speaks about Illumination’ upcoming animated feature Migration.
- Director Sam Fell presents Netflix’s and Aardman’s Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.
- VFX supervisor Marc Scott shares the wonders of DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming feature Trolls Band Together.
- DNEG Animation global head of character animation Ted Ty, and Andreas Deja, veteran Disney animator and director of Mushka, present a two-hour character animation workshop.
Also in animation, the Women in Animation panel – moderated by The Hollywood Reporter’s Carolyn Giardina - with panelists including:
- Osnat Shurer, co-CCO of Baobab Studios
- Lotte Kronborg Thomsen, media consultant and executive producer
- Amy Ash from Axis Studios
- Apollonia Hartmann from Accenture Song VFX
VIEW Conference 2023 program of visual effects sessions features award-winning production VFX supervisors delivering presentations on the latest blockbuster movies - Speakers include:
- Andrew Jackson, overall VFX supervisor of Christopher Nolan’s epic thriller Oppenheimer
- Multi-Oscar-winner Joe Letteri, senior VFX supervisor of James Cameron’s sci-fi sequel Avatar: The Way of Water
- Glen Pratt, production VFX supervisor on Barbie
- Michael Lasker, production VFX supervisor on Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse
- Stephane Ceretti, production VFX supervisor on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3
Masterclasses include:
- Marvel Studios VFX supervisor Jake Morrison (Thor: Love and Thunder) presents “Learn New Approaches to VFX Lighting,” followed by an exclusive meet-and-greet session.
- Keynote speaker Doug Chiang presents “A Masterclass Conversation about Art and Star Wars.”
- Industrial Light & Magic animation director Hal Hickel reveals the secrets behind The Mandalorian Season 3 in his interactive session “Ask Me Anything About Character Animation for VFX.”
VIEW Conference 2023 welcomes:
- James Knight - AMD global director of media and entertainment/visual effects, joins the filmmaker panel “The Future of Storytelling” and “Pixels & Processors: The Relationship Between Art and Technology in Visual Storytelling” with Pixar’s Dylan Sisson.
Panels and talks:
“AI and Education”
- Neil Peplow – London Film School director of London Film School
- Terrence Masson - NYC’s School of Visual Arts
- Lotte Kronborg - BFA Animation head of Studies
- Gray Marshall - SCAD chair of Visual Effects
“Out of Distribution: Thriving Creatively in the Age of AI”
- Scott Eaton - artist and creative technologist
“Copyright and How to Secure Your Digital Artworks” - discussion of legal issues surrounding copyrights with:
- Heidi Wang - Wacom senior vice president at Wacom
“Showcasing Africa's Future” - Disney+ sci-fi anthology creators of Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire
- Anthony Silverston
- Tendayi Nyeke
- Tshepo Moche
- Ng'endo Mukii
- Peter Ramsey
“Filmmaking's Role in Healing Our Planet”
- Simone Giampaolo - Aardman Animation
- Brenda Ximena Roldan Romero - Axis Studios
The 2023 program of hands-on workshops includes:
- “Characters and AI” - John Gaeta, Oscar-winning VFX supervisor of The Matrix
- “AI-Powered Video Magic: Creating Trailers and Videos Made Simple” - Andreas Maaninka, Inworld AI COO
- “Art Direction, Visual Development and Stylization” - Almu Redondo, Cartoon Saloon
- “Facial Anatomy for the Digital Artist” - Trent Claus, Lola VFX supervisor and de-ageing specialist
- “Composing Music for Animated Features” - Bruno Coulais, award-winning composer.
- “Sound Design” - Mark Ulano
- “Master the Principles of Ideation: Learn How to Develop Original IP” - Mike Jelinek
- Series: “Open Source 3D Computer Graphics Software Blender” - Helge Maus, senior 3D and VFX trainer
VIEW Conference 2023 allows students and junior creatives to meet their heroes and mentors, bringing young talent face-to-face with top-level professionals committed to nurturing the next generation.
Opportunities include portfolio reviews, mock interviews with experts such as Michael Coldewey, Professor of Concept Art, Drawing & Design at the Media Design University of Applied Sciences in Munich, and informal “Ask-Me-Anything” sessions with top achievers. Students and professionals can practice their skills in VIEW Conference 2023’s free exhibition featuring 15 workstations equipped with the latest Wacom graphics tablet technology.
“The Future of Education” a panel discussion with:
- Simon Devereux, founder of ACCESS: VFX and director of global talent development at Framestore
- Saint Walker, deputy dean at Escape Studios
- Tim McLaughlin of Texas A&M University
- Mauro Baldissera, founder of Skyup Academy
- Alwyn Hunt, Adobe’s head of education, partnerships, and co-founder of The Rookies
Get the scoop on the latest release of Pixar’s award-winning rendering software, Renderman 26, with Dylan Sisson.
- Workshop: “Unlocking the Future of Digital Artistry: AI, VR, and Pixar’s RenderMan Unveiled”
- Talk: “Exploring the Boundaries of Creativity: AI, VR, and VFX.”
“VIEW Conference 2023 is nearly upon us,” added Gutierrez, “and I want to take this opportunity to thank our partners for their invaluable support. Without their important contribution, we wouldn’t be able to deliver VIEW Conference. I also want to thank all our speakers for giving up their time and sharing their wisdom and experience. This year’s program is one of the most comprehensive and complete we have ever had. The common thread that binds everything together is the warmth and humanity of all the talented people who make it happen. It is going to be an unforgettable week here in beautiful Torino!”
VIEW Conference is made possible with the support from Fondazione CRT and Fondazione Sviluppo e Crescita; Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo; Regione Piemonte; Camera di Commercio di Torino; AMD; Amazon Web Services; Microsoft; Lenovo; Nvidia; Wacom, Netflix; and RenderMan.
Source: VIEW 2023
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
