News | April 23, 2026
Sound Magic, Extended Realities & a Strong Forum -
The Sound of Disney, Camera Secrets & the Metaverse
HEY EVERYONE,
one cannot overstate the importance of sound in film and media production - and FMX has invited two grandmasters of sound this year: Nina Hartstone, who won an Academy Award for "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 2019, and multiple Emmy-winner David Fluhr.
Please note: Nina Hartstone has had to cancel her visit at short notice for health reasons –
someone from her team will be standing in for her. Get well soon, Nina!
We also have another confirmation for the already strong Cinematography track: Paul Cameron ("Westworld", "Collateral") will reflect on his career and the influence of VFX on visual design.
Extended realities of all kinds are the subject of the XR track, exploring how far we presently can go beyond the physical borders of our existence.
Sound Design
In animation, immersive, and interactive media, sound is 50% of the experience. The Sound Design track explores core principles while offering insights into outstanding contemporary projects. It also examines how AI can meaningfully support early creative phases, and where its limitations lie.
Curated by Nami Strack, Founder & Sound Designer, Nami Strack Filmton/ Sounddesign
The Craft of Sound: Innovation and Workflows
at Walt Disney Animation Studios
Supervising Re-Recording Mixer David Fluhr will give a presentation on how innovations in sound, music and mixing workflows support storytelling at Walt Disney Animation Studios. The session will also cover worldwide deliveries, language versioning workflows, unique mixing challenges and solutions, and the film sound evolution process from temp to final mix through select sequences from the studio's most recent feature films, "Vaiana 2" and "Zoomania 2".
From Pixels to Waveforms:
How AI Bridges the Gap Between Picture and Sound
In animation and VFX production, sound design often begins where the visual pipeline ends – but what if the pipeline itself could kickstart the audio process? Christoph Groß-Fengels built a set of AI-powered tools that do exactly that: they watch your edit, understand what’s on screen, and suggest sounds before a sound designer even opens a session.
Christoph will demonstrate a custom Python-based workflow designed to slot into existing post-production pipelines. The system automatically extracts key frames, and sends them to a vision AI (Google Vision API) for content analysis – identifying objects, environments, actions, and mood. Based on these visual tags, it searches a local sound effects library for matching audio and assembles a first-pass sound bed.
David Fluhr will present On Site as well as On Campus: He is going to give a masterclass at Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg.
Cinematography
Paul Cameron (right) on set. © Paul Cameron Cinematography in the Age of VFX
A journey through the evolving relationship between cinematography and visual effects, led by Paul Cameron ASC AMPAS DGA, as he reflects on his career and creative process in conversation with Jordan Thistlewood, Chief Innovation Officer at Cooke Optics.
Paul's visually groundbreaking work helped shape the craft of cinematography in the 21st century. His remarkable body of work as a Cinematographer includes "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell no Tales" and “Collateral”, the BAFTA Award winner for Best Cinematography. Steering his bold visual style of filmmaking into directing, Paul has most recently helmed “The Terminal List: True Believer”, and its spinoff series “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf”. He also has directed several episodes of Taylor Sheridan’s “Lioness”, and HBO’s acclaimed “Westworld” series.
From on-set collaboration to post-production, the talk explores how storytelling is shaped in an increasingly VFX-driven landscape.
The FMX track Cinematography is curated by Sara Coppola-Nicholson, Director of Research and Education at Cooke Optics.
Spatial Storytelling
Immersive environments are rapidly blurring the lines between film, theater, and gaming. But as these new tools evolve, how do storytellers ensure that spatial mediums actively serve narratives and don't simply showcase new technology?
This year marks FMX's very first Spatial Storytelling track, driven by a single mandate: story, story, story. We'll explore the nexus of XR in media and entertainment, focusing on innovative, recent projects that push creative boundaries to new heights.
The FMX track Spatial Storytellling is curated by Alex Coulombe, Leader in XR / Spatial Computing | CEO Agile Lens.
Alex Coulombe and Andreea Ion Cojocaru. Ghosts of Performances Past:
Five Years of A Christmas Carol VR
As the line between "Game," "Film," and "Event" blurs, XR studios need new pipelines to deliver narrative content at scale. Alex Coulombe (Agile Lens) and Director David Gochfeld reveal the Virtual Production workflows behind their award-winning "A Christmas Carol" VR and recent R&D with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Moving beyond traditional linear storytelling, they present a "Live-to-Media" framework: capturing the raw energy of real-time motion capture and preserving it via the Unreal Engine 5 Replay System. This talk demonstrates how to blend the spontaneity of live performance with the fidelity of high-end animation, creating a new format of "Living Media" that is scalable, repeatable, and deeply immersive.
Designing the Psyche:
Scale and Transition as Narrative Devices in VR
VR is the technology, but the actual medium is Space. Andreea Ion Cojocaru (NUMENA) argues that while disciplines like theater and architecture have mastered spatial storytelling for millennia, game design and UX often treat environments as mere backdrops. This talk transfers "critical spatial knowledge" into practical narrative tools for VR.
Andreea will contrast the "spatial affordances" of the Acropolis against the level design of Half-Life’s City 17 to show how space can actively organize plot and action rather than just contain it. She will also explore scale transitions as a narrative device—using examples from Mamoru Oshii’s Angel’s Egg and her own Venice Biennale project Dear Mother—demonstrating how psychological spaces (like the attic or basement) can drive character development and metaphysical storytelling.
Robyn Winfield-Smith and Balthazar Auxietre. Space IS Story: Mastering Environmental
Narrative in Immersive Experiences
In Virtual Reality, space is not merely a backdrop—it is the protagonist. Balthazar Auxietre (Creative Director of InnerspaceVR) explores the unique dramaturgy of immersive environments, demonstrating how to transform "emptiness" into a powerful narrative device.
Moving beyond the binary of passive observation versus active gaming, this talk outlines a framework for "activating" space in the next generation of Location-Based VR (LBVR). Balthazar will share practical design techniques - fusing lessons from architecture, theater staging, and level design - along with production workflows using tools like Gravity Sketch.
Attendees will learn how to balance cinematic direction with user agency to push the creative and technological envelope of spatial storytelling.
THE PRESENT: Colliding Theatrical and Stereoscopic Filmmaking
Techniques in Apple's 180° Immersive Format
With the technologies of stage, screen and immersive converging, and the boundaries between these different media dissolving, new spatial storytelling opportunities are emerging.
Come and hear from the director of the UK’s first scripted drama production to use the new Blackmagic URSA Cine Immersive camera developed specifically for Apple Vision Pro’s 180° immersive video format: Robyn Winfield-Smith will share creative, technical and practical insights into the unique opportunities and challenges of shooting premium stereoscopic narrative content for Apple Vision Pro, covering story development and previsualisation, stereoscopic workflows, the use of scenic elements to guide audience attention, spatial audio considerations, and the future of spatial entertainment.
Silver Partner: Adobe
Empowering digital experiences for everyone. With industry-leading tools and generative AI, Adobe enables individuals and businesses to unlock creativity, create high-quality content, and deliver personalized experiences across channels.
Adobe@FMX 2026: Get engaged with multiple touchpoints
At FMX 2026, Adobe presents its creative ecosystem. Visit our booth with two Digital Video & Audio workstations and connect with our experts, i.e. Robert Hranitzky. Join six masterclasses from May 5-7, covering Adobe Creative Cloud and Substance 3D, with AI-driven creation, 3D design, and production workflows.
Highlights include an Adobe keynote by Aaron Hertzmann on the evolving role of generative AI in creative practice, and a tech talk by Prof. John Collomosse on content authenticity, provenance, and responsible AI (May 5). On May 6, Christine Resch joins a panel discussing how AI is transforming creative workflows and industry roles. Discover new tools, gain insights, and connect with creatives shaping the future!
Silver Partner: Bolt
Bolt Graphics is a semiconductor startup building the fastest and most efficient GPUs for Rendering, HPC, & Gaming based in Sunnyvale, CA. Our mission is to reduce the barrier of entry for content creation & scientific simulations to enable everyone to easily create, simulate and consume immersive experiences as vividly as they can imagine them.
We’re looking forward to meeting with creators from around the world to learn how we can help solve their problems and build out our own internal studio with humans that love to tell stories.
Silver Partner: MACK One
MACK One has grown from an in-house agency at Europa-Park to an international creator and consultant of innovative theme park design, media-based entertainment and media content. Our team develops ideas for the attraction industry of tomorrow. We are proud that every day audiences enjoy our work worldwide. Creating lasting emotions is at the heart of what we love and do.
MACK One@FMX 2026: Projects you want to work on
Why MACK Studios? Because we create worlds that people around the globe experience. We don't do boring B2B projects, we offer pure entertainment. We bring together the most exciting employers in the industry under one roof: MACK Magic, MACK Animation, VR Coaster, MACK Interactive and 2112 Studios. Whether it's virtual reality, high-end animation, immersive experiences, or massive sound – we have the projects you want to work on. Come visit our booth, skip the standard application jargon, and talk to us directly about your future.
More Forum Partners
Marketplace:
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Carl Laemmle Institut (CLI) & Colibri Project
Workshops:
Recruiting Hub:
School Campus:
A big thank you to our generous sponsors providing free drinks in the FMX square right outside the venue - first come, first serve!
FMX 2026: On Site May 5-7 | Online & On Campus May 8 | On Demand May 9-June 9