Press Release #6

Stuttgart/Germany, March 12, 2025.

AI-Driven De-Aging in "Here"

Join Production Supervisor Kevin Baillie and Metaphysic VFX Supervisor Jo Plaete for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how artist-empowering AI transformed Robert Zemeckis’s film "Here". This session explores how AI-enabled de-aging technology preserved the performances of Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, and Kelly Reilly, seamlessly spanning decades.

Baillie and Plaete will break down the real-time face-swapping system that allowed actors and directors to see de-aged performances instantly on set, enabling them to truly interact with the VFX process, as well as the AI-driven post-production techniques that allowed Zemeckis to leap over the “uncanny valley.” They will also discuss AI’s broader impact on digital environments, body reconstruction, and enhancing prosthetics for aged characters.

Attendees will gain insights into how AI, when combined with human creativity, can accelerate workflows, expand storytelling possibilities, and redefine VFX pipelines. This presentation will showcase "Here" as a landmark case study in artist-empowering AI, pushing the boundaries of modern filmmaking.

This session is part of the VFX FOR FEATURES track.

A cat is the star in Latvian Oscar-winner "Flow". © Dream Well Studio, Sacrebleu Productions, Take Five

A devastating deluge hits the world in "Flow", the Academy Award-winning animated feature of 2025. A cat, a dog and a capybara team up with a secretarybird and a ring-tailed lemur to find a safe place to survive the disaster.

Latvian Director Gints Zilbalodis hat stated, that he wanted the audience to feel immersed in the story, to be close to the characters and live their experiences. Since the animals don't talk, non-verbal communication plays a decisive role: body language and the animals' natural sounds.

In his FMX presentation Animation Supervisor Thibaut Delahaye will let the FMX audience in on how he approached his part of the feat, especially focussing on animating quadrupeds.

This session is part of the FEATURE ANIMATION track.

Sound Designer Gurwal Loïc Dallas is going to elaborate on how sound can convey emotions and help to immerse the viewers in a film without dialogue.

This session is part of the SOUND DESIGN track, curated by Nami Strack

The lemur in "Flow" loves and collects shiny objects. © Dream Well Studio, Sacrebleu Productions, Take Five

Since the early days of VFX, our vocabulary has defined our role in the pecking order of the filmmaking process: we're vendors, we supervise, we work as artists, we comp CGI. What seems normal to us has an effect on the outside world and how the audience values our contribution to the stories we tell.

Florian Gellinger, Co-Founder and Executive Producer, RISE | Visual Effects Studios, looks at the history of our vocabulary and compares it to other industries. How are these industries perceived in the public compared to what we do? How are the companies in our industry marketing themselves? How do other industries define the language in conjuction to their tools or services?

Let's face it: We're horrible at marketing what we do, and the way we talk about our work is a masterclass in self-devaluation.

This session is part of the MANAGING CHANGE track, curated by Imke Fehrmann.

A glimpse into the world of "Secret Level". © Platige Image/Amazon

This presentation will offer an in-depth look at the preproduction process of the "Crossfire" episode. Producer Marina Borokhova and Lead Previz Artist Dominik Wawrzyniak (both at Platige Image) will cover everything from storyboarding to motion capture to editing and previs. Get ready for a comprehensive overview of the project, with detailed descriptions of the various preproduction phases.

The presentation will draw on the experience of the producer as well as the artistic and technical perspective of the previs supervisor. It will also highlight the challenges encountered and the solutions developed during the course of the project. The presentation will conclude with Q&A.

This session is part of the ANIMATED SERIES track.

Scene from the video for "Pamphlets", a song of the British band Squid. © Raman Djafari

How does it feel to have a body? How do we want it to feel? What can we imagine our bodies to be? Where is the edge of this imagination? What can we express through these imagined bodies and the fictional worlds that surround them? Can we learn something about ourselves in the process?

This presentation will give an insight into Raman Djafari's process and thoughts as a director of animated music videos and short films as well as his practice as an illustrator. He will share how I think about narrative and world building, character design and animation as a way to live in the world and reflect our current moment.

This session is part of the NEWS track, curated by Shelley Page.