Fine Animation, Superhero Misfits
and a Make-up Effects Live-Session
News | 17.02.2025
HEY EVERYONE,
The great revelation draws near: The FMX program will go live in early March. Meanwhile, we have some thrilling news to announce. 📣
Longtime FMX curator Ian Failes (Sydney) has come up with exceptional treats 🍪 that really deserve to go on "not-to-miss" lists around the globe. Shelley Page will bring her finely curated program of the latest animated shorts to the conference - there are no better sweets than "Shelley's Eye Candy"! 🍬 Both are members of the FMX Program Board.
We are very happy to announce that a close FMX partner is with us again: the AMCRS, the thriving VFX and animation community in and around Stuttgart. 💡
There is still time to join Europe's leading conference on media and entertainment creation as a partner - and benefit from our Early Bird Discount, 🔥 in place until February 22!
THEN & NOW: VFX deep dive with true experts
Ian Failes, editor-in-chief of "befores & afters" magazine, will bring four very special sessions to the conference. 🧙♂️ They touch on completely different aspects of VFX art, both historical and contemporary.
Find more information on Ian here.
Jake Morrison and a scene from "Thunderbolts*" starring Florence Pugh and David Harbour. © Marvel/Disney VFX supervisor Jake Morrison shares VFX secrets of "Thunderbolts*"
Marvel Studios' "Thunderbolts*", from director Jake Schreier, tells the story of depressed assassin Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh) alongside the MCU’s latest band of misfits.
To share how the old-school and new-school visual effects for the film were achieved, production visual effects supervisor Jake Morrison ("The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers", "Ant-Man", "Thor: Ragnarok") will sit down with Ian Failes for this in-depth discussion.
They will dissect the approach to the VFX, including for specific scenes, revealing behind the scenes of the planning, shoot, and execution of the film’s biggest moments. You will also get a chance to ask Morrison about how he shepherded visual effects teams from around the world to make "Thunderbolts*
Begoña Fernández Martín and two of her models. © Begoña Fernández Martín Make-up effects artist Begoña Fernández Martín live on stage
In this special THEN & NOW session, special make-up effects artist Begoña Fernández Martín will transform a volunteer live on stage at FMX using make-up effects and prosthetics. You’ll be able to get up close and personal with this practical make-up effects work, and ask Begoña about her process as she works.
Ian Failes will also be on hand to chat to Begoña ("Damsel", "The Witcher", "Willow") about her career. Plus, as a special bonus during the week, Begoña will be doing live make-up effects demonstrations on the FMX floor at her booth.
VFX Supervisor Stefen Fangmeier and a glimpse into the production of "The Perfect Storm". © Stefen Fangmeier/ILM Celebrating 25 years of "The Perfect Storm"
The visual effects task on Wolfgang Petersen’s "The Perfect Storm" (released in 2000) was monumental — placing real men on a fishing trawler against the fiercest of storms, and even one 100 foot wave.
It would require the latest fluid simulation R&D and artistry from Industrial Light & Magic, overseen by visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier.
In this retro session, Stefen ("Jurassic Park", "Twister", "Eragon") will be joined on stage by Ian Failes to break down the big breakthroughs at the time, share stories from the set, and answer your questions about what had to be solved all the way back then.
Innovation Manager Jonathan Egstad will talk about the legendary tool Nuke. © Jonathan Egstadt/Digital Domain Nuke: from its beginnings to today
Jonathan Egstad worked at Digital Domain as an artist and supervisor at the incredible time that the compositing tool Nuke was born. There, he had a keen hand in how it would be designed.
After working at other facilities including ImageMovers Digital and DreamWorks Animation, Egstad is now Senior Product Innovation Manager at Foundry, again working on Nuke.
With Ian Failes, Egstad ("The Fifth Element", "Titanic", "X-Men") will share untold stories from Nuke’s beginnings, and answer your questions about the history of the compositing tool. You'll even get to see some old-school Nuke interfaces!
FMX proudly presents: Shelley's Eye Candy
Shelley Page (Locksmith Animation) returns to FMX with another selection of great new animated shorts and the best graduation films she has discovered on her travels in the past year! The "Eye Candy Show" is a collection of visually stunning, emotionally moving, beautifully animated and - above all - character-driven stories from around the world.
Find more information on Shelley here.
Gold Partner: AMCRS
Baden-Wuerttemberg is Germany's top location for Visual Effects and Animation. The Network ANIMATION MEDIA CREATORS REGION STUTTGART (AMCRS), initiated by media and film producers, consists of more than 35 VFX providers, animation studios, games developers and interactive media companies as well as 6 colleges.
AMCRS is promoting the development of IP (Intellectual Property) and the establishment of technical and organizational structures to be able to offer the region's bundled capacity to international film production companies.
Each year, FMX welcomes a select number of Premium Partners. Find out more about the opportunities here.
Last call: Early Bird Discount for Partners of FMX runs out on Feb 22!
Becoming a partner of FMX 2025, you can showcase your content, products and brand and connect with our community. 🚀 We offer options for animation, VFX and gaming studios, companies, start-ups, and media schools. The Early Bird Discount will be in place till February 22!
You can find out more about all participation opportunities on our website or reach out to our marketing manager Vanessa Steinmann!