Animex Talk

11 - 12 February

OL1, Europa Building, Teesside University
Fully Booked - Animex Talk, festival pass and gold pass holders

Please note: the schedule of events and speakers at Animex Talk is a provisional programme and is subject to change.

Animex Talk: 12 February
9.15am Registration
Foyer of Europa Building
9.45am Recruiters Summit
Hannah Acock, Recruitment Manager, Double Negative
Rachelle Lewis, President, Rachelle Lewis Talent
Ben Owen, VFX Recruitment Manager, Framestore
Shelley Page, Head of International Outreach, DreamWorks

The search for animation and visual effects talent is incredibly competitive and studios are often fishing in the same pool. This panel will look at how recruiters and studio representatives do their work, and just what it is that could help you catch their eye.
11.00am Break
11.15am The making of 9
Matthew Teevan, Head of Production, Starz Animation

Matthew will talk about Starz Animation's role in making 9. This will include a presentation on how Starz addressed the projects' unique creative challenges as well as the broader practical issues of making an independent CG feature.
12.15pm Lunch
1.00pm Character animation with James Baxter
James Baxter, Head of Character Animation, DreamWorks

How to capture a convincing performance, deal with weight and balance and go beyond the animation books to a more complete understanding of movement and acting are topics animators, beginners and professionals alike grapple with day to day. James, with the help of clips from his latest DreamWorks animation film How to Train Your Dragon, will explore and attempt to illuminate these topics.
2.15pm From indie shorts to tentpole features
Mark Osborne, Director, Happy Product Inc

Two time Academy Award Nominee and Annie Award winner Mark Osborne has gone from making personal shorts films in stop-motion animation with a crew of eight on a shoe-string budget to a humongous studio feature blockbuster with a crew of hundreds. He will share his work and his experiences, giving you an insight into each filmmaking process, highlighting their differences, their similarities, and what he has learned about the challenges that come with any creative endeavour.
3.30pm Break
3.45pm A Retrospective
Max Howard, President, Exodus Film Group

Max will provide a behind the scenes look into his work in the animation industry, which began with Who Framed Roger Rabbit? in 1986 through The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Pocahontas, Quest for Camelot, Space Jam, The Iron Giant and Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron to the release of Igor in 2008. In addition, Max will discuss his humanitarian work with UNICEF, where he produced a series of short films that utilised animation to tackle health and social issues in developing countries from Burundi, Sudan, Ecuador and the island countries in the Caribbean.
5.00pm Close