Animex Business

Wednesday 10 February

9.00am- 5.00pm, Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle

Are you a new or established animation or games company?

Animex Business is a one-day only opportunity to be inspired and motivated by some of the most successful and creative speakers from the world of animation and computer games. Find out how they started their business, the pitfalls and peaks and what the future has in store for your industry.

Meet the commissioners, producers and buyers

Animex Business is also a great opportunity to find out what the industry movers and shakers are looking for when they are sourcing new talent and services.

For more information contact Jane Hutchinson on 01642 738196 or email j.hutchinson@tees.ac.uk.

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

Animex Business: 10 February
8.30am Registration and breakfast networking
9.15am Welcome
James Terkeurst, Director Institute of Digital Innovation
9.30am Creating an effective story and how to pitch it
Max Howard
Max will give an insight into how to succinctly and effectively pitch a story. Using real examples Max will talk about how to clarify your story and theme and how to develop a successful pitch. Max will also discuss how, once someone wants to buy your project, you determine what to charge for it.
11.00am Break
11.30am Innovative animated techniques
Dave Mousley, Red Vision
Dave will talk about his experience of creating animated products in the areas of non-film and TV. He will also discuss pioneering innovative animated techniques and methods for creating them on a budget. Dave will pay particular attention to the need for constant evolution of the business model for small to medium animated businesses and will relate this to his experience.
12.00pm Life in UK animation production
Andy Staveley, Head of Computer Graphics, Studio Aka
Andy will talk about his hugely successful career in the animation industry - how he discovered his passion for animation and how he came to work for BAFTA-winning animation production company, Studioaka. Andy has worked on some of today's most recognised animated TV commercials including, Lloyds TSB, Guinness and MTV and he will share these experiences with the audience.
12.30pm Panel discussion
Max Howard, Dave Mousley, Andy Staveley
1.00pm Lunch
2.00pm Five rules for finishers
Mackey McCandlish, Lead Designer, Infinity Ward
Lead designer Mackey delivers his five personal rules for finishing content, with specific examples from the development of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
3.00pm Animated CBeebies
Jackie Edwards, Content and Acquisitions Manager, BBC
Working within CBeebies Jackie sees a lot of ideas submitted for animated programmes, as a result of this she is in a great position to discuss the do's and don'ts of submitting ideas to the BBC. She will talk about animation commissions versus acquisitions and her experience of working with independent animators.
3.30pm The convergence of games and animation in the production of Avatar
Martin Oliver, Ubisoft
Following the release of James Cameron's Avatar, Martin Oliver will talk about how the team who produced Avatar: The Game and how they worked closely with the movie team to create a breath-taking viewer and gamer experience. This is the first time a film and computer game have been launched at the same time and Gareth will discuss how both projects worked together to create the finished products.
4.15pm Hell at 60FPS
Sandy Lin, EA Visceral Games
Lead VFX Artist Sandy talks about how the development team artistically and creatively delivered the 60FPS game Dante's Inferno. With a primary focus on the important role of visual effects for the game, the speech will also cover the early production development of the story, gameplay design, and concept ideations of the game.
5.00pm Summary and close
James Terkeurst, Director Institute of Digital Innovation
5.15pm Networking drinks