Search form

FMX Adds Insights into Blockbuster VFX, AR, Animation

‘Black Panther,’ Oscar-winner ‘Blade Runner 2049’ and ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ will be spotlighted.

FMX has released the fourth episode in its 'Behind the Beard' trailer series for the 2018 conference.

LUDWIGSBURG, GERMANY -- FMX 2018 will put some of the greatest recent VFX productions into the limelight, including Marvel's box office success Black Panther, Oscar-winner Blade Runner 2049 and TV series Star Trek: Discovery.

Furthermore, technology giants Google and Apple will present their AR work and Beaver Bruno’s new episode of the FMX 2018 trailer Behind the Beard series is, literally, moving.

FMX 2018 is set for April 24-27 in Stuttgart, Germany.

This year’s Sound Design track, curated by Nami Strack (Nami Strack Filmton/Sounddesign), discusses how sound creates a sonic world and places the audience right in the environment a story is set in. Paula Fairfield (Eargasm Inc.), sound designer on Game of Thrones, will talk about the creature sounds she created for the acclaimed fantasy drama. The sound design expert has worked in the industry for many years, receiving plenty of awards and nominations -- among them an Emmy Award for her outstanding sound editing on Game of Thrones in 2015. Her other work includes Lost and Hands of Stone.

There is going to be lots of impressive VFX content on the 2018 program, so here are some presentations that should not be missed: This year’s VFX in TV track features Thilo Ewers (Pixomondo), who will elaborate on Star Trek: Discovery. Filip Orrby, Daniel Nordlund and Martin Hobbs (all Goodbye Kansas) are going to shed light on the VES-award nominated storm sequence in Outlander. Robert Pinnow’s (RISE Visual Effects Studios) presentation on Babylon Berlin rounds off the VFX in TV track.

Moreover, the audience can look forward to plenty of VFX case studies. Black Panther will be the focus of a presentation given by Geoffrey Baumann (Marvel Studios), Jesse James Chisholm (Marvel Studios), Bryan Grill (ScanlineVFX), Stephan Trojansky (ScanlineVFX), Jonathan Weber (RISE Visual Effects Studios) and Michael Wortmann (Trixter Film). Paul Lambert (Double Negative), Luigi Santoro (Framestore) and Axel Akesson (MPC) are going to talk about Oscar-winning Blade Runner 2049. Animation Director Pablo Grillo (Framestore) will share some insights into the creative decisions and tools behind the studio’s VFX work on Paddington 2.

The AR Platforms track, curated by Volker Helzle (Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg), will take a closer look at the latest augmented reality platforms created by major corporations, and explore what to expect from them in the future. Dr.-Ing. Christian Lipski and Dr. Andreas Möller (both Apple) will present core concepts and best practices for augmented reality on iOS. Ivan Neulander’s (Google) talk will take an inside look at how Google developed the augmented reality app AR Stickers.

The Wild & Strange track, curated by Jeanette Bonds, director and co-founder of GLAS Animation, will feature four indie artists and their impressive work. Réka Bucsi will discuss how she got into animation, how she builds unconventional narratives as well as some of her projects, such as her first feature length film Solar Walk. Nikita Diakur’s talk will focus on the animation style applied in his film Ugly, which sports a combination of puppeteering and dynamic computer simulation. Animation director Chintis Lundgren (Chintis Lundgreni Animatsioonistuudio) will talk about developing characters and worlds, using the example of her animated TV series Manivald and the Absinthe Rabbits. Sean Buckelew’s talk aims to unpack how the present can be represented on film, specifically in relation to the demarcation of time through technology.

Isotropix will support FMX 2018 as a main partner. More companies have announced their participation at the Recruiting Hub: 3DExcite, Cinesite, Ilion Animation Studio, One of Us and The Third Floor. Filmakademie Wien, Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, RECA (French Animation Schools' Network), Salzburg University of Applied Sciences, Plymouth College of Art and The Animation Workshop will – among many others – be part of the school campus. Last, but definitely not least, PresenZ will be represented at the Marketplace.

Source: FMX

Thomas J. McLean's picture

Tom McLean has been writing for years about animation from a secret base in Los Angeles.