Registration

Middlesbrough Town Hall Foyer.

Welcome talk

A dragon ride: the texturing journey of House of the Dragon

Claudia Marvisi | Pixomondo

Join Claudia Marvisi, Head of Texturing at Pixomondo, for an immersive journey into the world of visual effects as she unveils the secrets behind bringing awe-inspiring dragons to life in HBO’s acclaimed "Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon". Claudia will dive deep into the creative process and technical wizardry that made these mythical creatures a reality and the pivotal role played by Mari Foundry in crafting intricate textures that gave the dragons their distinctive look and feel.

Hermit crabs to hermite curves: rigging Under the Boardwalk

Elliot Stammers | DNEG Animation

Elliot Stammers walks through the challenges of rigging on an all-singing crab cast, in Paramount's Under the Boardwalk. Elliot will cover how they approached facial expressions, translated graphic 2D notes to 3D solutions as well as the battle for rig speed. Get your claws sunk into what it was like managing the variety and complexity of a huge cast of musical crustaceans.

Lunch break

Kate Bush - "Little Shrew" screening

Little Shrew | Meet Little Shrew @ Kate Bush.com

"In 2022, with war breaking out in Ukraine, I decided I wanted to make an anti-war animation. In particular, I hoped to draw attention to the children caught up in war. This little shrew would take a journey on a moonlit, winter’s night through a war-torn city, initially unaware of what was going on around her in this land of the giants. She can sense that she’s being called by a kind of spiritual presence… HOPE. She starts to search for HOPE. Sometimes hope is all there is to hang on to." Kate Bush

A visual clash: VFX in films and games

Dee Kariyawasam | TT Games
Piotr Czternasty | TT Games

This talk looks at the differences and similarities between VFX in games and in movies to paint a picture of where the main points of divergence lie, where the difficulties lie on both sides and how they cause a transition between the industries.

Enter the world of a TV creator

David Neumann | NEWMATION

Whether you’re an Emmy winning TV creator or a university student, both have something in common, both must first create a TV series bible. Any TV creator with a new idea, must develop their show from scratch. Like an architect, they must blueprint their story and series into a compelling series bible which includes several preliminary elements including characters, artwork, storylines, season arcs and more. David Neumann talks about how to make your own series bible.

Break

MPC - Animation & TechAnim

Chris McKenna | MPC
Ben Krolick | MPC

In this presentation, MPC’s Head of Creative Operations Chris McKenna and Head of Animation Ben Krolick join us to discuss the various processes used at the studio in the Animation, CFX and TechAnim department. They will break down the animation work on the Lion King, the Technical animation and creature effects used in Dumbo and the creation of Digital Doubles for Ghostbusters.

Shelley's "Eye Candy Show" + "That Christmas"

Shelley Page | Locksmith Animation

Shelley sits on many international festival and graduation juries every year and, in the course of these events, she collects her personal favourites into a series of special screenings, known as 'The Eye Candy Show'. This personal selection represents some of the brightest young talents emerging on the international animation scene as well as award-winning work from renowned independent studios and directors around the world.
Shelley's selection is constantly evolving as she discovers wonderful new films during the year's festivals and other events.