Animex AVFX

AVFX talks from industry speakers.

9 - 10 November 2023

Check out our schedule for Animex AVFX talks below, more speakers to be confirmed soon so keep checking back. Talk times are subject to change.

09 November 23

Middlesbrough Town Hall | TS1 2QJ

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8:50AM

Registration

9:30AM

Puffin Rock - Finding Isabelle & My Feet

Jeremy Purcell | Cartoon Saloon

Jeremy Purcell discusses bringing a six-minute TV series preschool show to the cinema as a 75-minute feature film. And some of what he has learned as a first-time Feature Director.

10:30AM

Breaking into animation (armed with a crayon)

Curtis Jobling | Freelance

This talk covers Curtis' career in publishing and animation. From early work on Wallace & Gromit, through puppet painting on Mars Attacks!, leading to Curtis designing the BAFTA-winning Bob the Builder. There are gems of inspiration here for any soul looking to break into the world of animation. Curtis also covers show conception, including the pitching and development of his own BBC series such as Frankenstein’s Cat and Raa Raa the Noisy Lion. He then talks about the adaptation of his Wereworld series into a major new animated show for Netflix.

11:30AM

Lunch

1:00PM

From dragons to strange worlds – the unexpected importance of the biological sciences in creature creation and world building

Stuart Sumida | California State University, San Bernardino

Stuart Sumida discusses the importance of reference to the characters of animation and digital visual effects. He talks about the importance of generating the suspension of disbelief required when placing fantastical creatures in believable environments. And the importance of understanding biological organisms and body systems in environmental world-building. Stuart documents this spectrum ranging from early career work to the flight physics of dragons to his most recent work on Disney’s Strange World.

2:00PM

Visualising Barbieland

Kaya Jabar | Framestore

Join Kaya Jabar as she takes you behind the scenes of the visualisation process for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. Explore the workflows Framestore employed on the film and the advanced planning techniques that ensured every element of the visual effects work was executed to perfection.

3:00PM

Break

4:00PM

Star Wars Visions ‘I Am Your Mother’

Magdalena Osinska | Aardman Animations

Magdalena Osinska discusses creating Star Wars Visions 'I Am Your Mother' from pitch process, through writing, design, animation and VFX.

5:00PM

Layout and story driven cinematography from Raya and the Last Dragon

Rob Dressel | Walt Disney Animation Studios

Since story is the number one goal at Disney Animation, you'll look at how it motivates the cinematography of an animated film. You explore how Layout creates the cinematography for a film and then explore how cinematic styles and choices were driven by the story on Raya and the Last Dragon.

6:00PM

10 November 23

Middlesbrough Town Hall | TS1 2QJ

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9:00AM

Registration

9:30AM

Visualising the rebellion: A behind-the-scenes look at Andor

Jen Kitching | The Third Floor

Exploring a new perspective of the Star Wars galaxy, Andor tells the tale of a rising rebellion in the orbit of Cassian Andor. Jen Kitching presents how The Third Floor collaborated with the show team and VFX supervisor Mohen Leo to support visualisation and planning for shots and scenes. She breaks down the different visualisation techniques including previs, techvis, postvis and virtual camera.

10:30AM

Shine bright like Nimona

Johan Dekker | DNEG
Benjamin Spence | DNEG
Toby Seale | DNEG

Join the DNEG team behind the film adaption of the graphic novel Nimona, as they discuss how they blended heart and metal to achieve the edgy, defining look of the movie. Johan Dekker and Toby Seale outline the creative, technical and production challenges involved in their departments. Benjamin Spence will conclude with a look at his career journey and highlight how he got to be a part of such a special film.

11:30AM

Lunch

1:00PM

2.5D and beyond! Animating concept art at Atomhawk

Niel Bushnell | Atomhawk

Niel Bushnell discusses Atomhawk's approach to animating concept art for games and film. Using examples from recent projects, he shows how the studio's growing animation team combine 3D techniques, VFX and simulation to bring 2D art to life.

2:00PM

Lights, camera, render! Sequence-based lighting workflows at MPC

Will Earl | Moving Picture Company

Will Earl delves into MPC’s innovative approach to the lighting process for VFX in major movies and series, using examples from movies including Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers and Prehistoric Planet. He showcases how MPC harness Katana, RenderMan and Sequence Render, MPC’s in-house toolset for managing the lighting departments creative and technical workflows.

3:00PM

Break

4:00PM

Creating a post-apocalyptic world: The VFX of The Last of Us

Nick Marshall | DNEG

Join Nick Marshall for an in-depth look at the VFX of HBO’s hit series The Last of Us. Nick breaks down the creation of the vast environments in the show - from the first previsualisation tests, through to the modelling, surfacing, FX, animation, lighting, matte painting, and compositing that brought the iconic locations to life on our screens. Nick also discusses how striking a balance between beauty, photorealism, and compelling storytelling was key to the success of the visual effects work for the highly acclaimed series.

5:00PM

Magic of the man in the hat: Designing VFX for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Andrew Whitehurst | Industrial Light & Magic

Andrew Whitehurst discusses the creative and technical journey in making visual effects shots for the final Indiana Jones film. From the earliest sketches to final composites.

6:00PM