Press Release #9

For immediate publication

 

FMX 2024
Film & Media Exchange
On Site April 23 to 26, 2024
On Demand April 27 to May 31

 

Stuttgart/Germany, April 11, 2024. With huge imagery and a thunderous sound shaking the seats, DUNE 2 has brought the cinematic experience about as close to immersion as it gets. The secrets behind the force of that sound will be revealed by one of its masters at FMX 2024 in a presentation and a masterclass.

 

AVATAR - THE LAST AIRBENDER, an animated series turned into live-action, revolves around people mastering the four elements. Some of the makers will show at FMX, how they have visually captured that. The conference will also allow a glance at the battlefields of NAPOLEON and how they were filled with masses of cavalry and infantry.

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how it may affect the industry is one of the pressing issues of the present. It will be adressed at FMX by several AI experts - including a panel on the future of academic education. FMX Program Chair Sol Rogers and FMX Conference Chair Jan Pinkava will take a look into the future with Rob Bredow, Chief Creative Officer at Industrial Light & Magic.

 

Press accreditations are available at the FMX Ticket Shop.

 

 

LATEST CONFERENCE CONFIRMATIONS

 

The world is black and white on the Harkonnen planet Gieidi Prime in DUNE 2 - Copyright: Warner Bros. Pictures

 

SOUND DESIGN, curated by Nami Strack (Nami Strack Filmton/Sounddesign):
The Sound of DUNE Part 2

 

Sound Editor Martin Kwok uncovers spects of Dune’s rich cultural tapestry and alien traditions, connecting Frank Herbert’s epic writing and world building with Denis Villeneuve’s expansive cinematic vision and sense of realism.

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Weaving large group recordings, bespoke language creation and combining sound design elements with both sound effects and dialogue editing approaches, the DUNE Part 2 sound team helped to conjure a sense of history and tradition to match the director's majestic landscapes and alien worlds. The levels of inspiration and the magic of collaboration will be shared alongside sequences from the recently released film.

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In addition to his presentation at FMX, Martin Kwok will give a Masterclass for everyone interested at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.

 

 

A glimpse into the wondrous world of AVATAR - THE LAST AIRBENDER - Copyright: Netflix

 

VFX FOR EPISODIC: Creating visual effects for AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER

 

Accenture Song VFX brought the iconic city of OMASHU from the world of AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER to life. Including a variety of bending effects as well as multiple creatures, Show VFX Supervisor Marion Spates and Accenture's VFX Supervisor Emanuel Fuchs will unpack what it takes to master all of the four elements.

 

 

Huge armies, most of them created digitally, populate Ridley Scott's NAPOLEON - Copyright: Sony

 

VFX FOR FEATURES: Revolutionizing Realism:
Unveiling the invisible VFX for Ridley Scott's NAPOLEON

 

In this presentation, MPC's Production VFX Supervisor Charley Henley will pull back the curtain on the invisible VFX of Ridley Scott's NAPOLEON. The spectacle-filled action epic details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix.

 

Henley worked closely with Director Ridley Scott, overseeing all of the visual effects work on the movie. The magnitude of Napoleon’s battles had to reach epic proportions, requiring meticulous teamwork between SFX and VFX.

 

On top of that, FMX Silver Partner Foundry will offer a compositing breakdown of naval battles and street riots in NAPOLEON in their Company Suite with VFX Supervisor & Creative Director Henry Badgett (BlueBolt) as well as Product Manager Ale Esquerro (Nuke Timeline).

 

 

CONNECTING IDEAS: 30 years from now...

 

Join Sol Rogers, FMX Program Chair and Magnopus Head of Innovation, alongside Rob Bredow, SVP & Chief Creative Officer at Industrial Light & Magic, and Jan Pinkava, Oscar-winning filmmaker, Director of Animationsinstitut at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and FMX Conference Chair, for an insightful exploration into the future of technology and storytelling.

 

In "30 Years From Now…", they will delve into the key technologies that are bridging the gap between the physical and digital realms, paving the way for a more immersive and kaleidoscopic reality. From augmented reality to virtual production techniques, we'll discuss how these advancements are shaping the future of entertainment, media, and beyond. Get ready to glimpse into the possibilities of tomorrow and how they might affect our lives in the decades to come.

 

 

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, curated by Andy Cochrane (The AV Club Productions):
Integrating AI into Professional Creative Pipelines

 

Bilawal Sidhu, creator, engineer, and product builder, is obsessed with blending reality and imagination. He will demonstrate recent advances like generative image/video/3D models and gaussian splatting/neural radiance fields and show how they can be integrated into professional creative workflows.

 

For him, the new possibilities are "real-time VFX on the phone in your pocket. The visual effects industry has had largely dominion over creating things that are indistinguishable from reality. Now that capability is being democratized, we will deploy audio visual creations we wouldn't have otherwise because it was too expensive. Interesting stories will be told that would never have been told in the traditional green lighting process."

 

One crucial aspect for Bilawal: "If you don't have anything interesting to say, the AI model isn't going to help you. The stuff that gets people's attention has an artistic vision behind it." His recommendation for AI skeptics: "Play with it! The moment you do, it stops being this Godzilla-like Kaiju that's going to trample the city. Think of it not as something that's going to replace you, but to augment you. This is, for the lack of a better analogy, your Iron Man suit. You're in the driver's seat, orchestrating these models like co-pilots to tell your story.""

 

 

 

EUDCATION

 

22 film schools from 9 countries will be part of this year's FMX School Campus, showcasing their curricula and latest student projects in the arts and technology of animation, visual effects, computer games, and VR/AR.

 

The FMX host Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg will be on site with its Animationsinstitut, presenting current projects and organizing workshops. FMX attendees are invited to visit the Animationsinstitut's Diploma Showroom off site at the Filmakademie campus in Ludwigsburg.

 

Artificial intelligence and its impact on education will be one important topic at the School Campus, including a high-caliber panel discussion:

 

EDUCATION TODAY & TOMORROW: That which doesn’t kill us...
AI Education Panel, hosted by Saint Walker

 

The participants Lotte Marie Allen (Computer Arts, School of Visual Arts), Olia Lialina (Design and Media, Merz Akademie Stuttgart), Harvey Goodall (VFX, Arts University Bournemouth) and Stefan Albertz (3D Animation and VFX, Hamm-Lippstadt University of Applied Sciences) have different angles on the topic, both artistically and technologically.

 

“I think the message from higher education is that we've got to be in control of the tools", says the host, VFX Educationalist Saint Walker. "We want to paint a picture of how academic research and creativity can help shape an industry and society that we want to live in. We can't put the genie back in the bottle. What we can do is positively engage and create new ways of teaching and learning with these tools."

 

For him, basic skills are still essential: "Without academic experimentation some kids will draw the wrong conclusions and think: Why should we learn to draw and to film? A robot will do it for us! This discussion at FMX and at universities across the world may help us to remember what it is to be human and what it is to come up with ideas and, just as importantly, execute those ideas."

 

 

FORUM CONFIRMATIONS

 

More Premium Partners have been coming on board: Adobe and Chaos are joining us at the conference with Company Suites. Both will let the audience in on some exciting content about their latest developments. Adobe is going to be offering additional workshops, Chaos will be present at the FMX Marketplace.

 

 

GOLD PARTNER: Adobe

 

Changing the world through personalized digital experiences: Founded 40 years ago on the simple idea of creating innovative products that change the world, Adobe offers groundbreaking technology that empowers everyone, everywhere to imagine, create, and bring any digital experience to life.

 

Elevate your After Effects & Premiere Pro workflow with the latest updates for Speed, Collaboration, and Creativity: In his masterclass, Robert Hranitzky will show you the latest new features and workflow enhancements in Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro. Discover new native 3D capabilities in After Effects and learn how AI-driven tools can make your productions look and sound better, while always maintaining creative control in Premiere Pro. Robert will also demonstrate effective ways to collaborate with others and gain more time for creative work.

 

More Information on Adobe here.

 

 

 

SILVER PARTNER: Chaos

 

Chaos develops 3D visualization technology for architecture, engineering, construction, product design, manufacturing, and media and entertainment. We create intuitive and powerful workflows for architects, artists, and designers in any industry. Our research and development is leading the way towards a truly comprehensive end-to-end visualization ecosystem to meet the evolving needs of our customers.

 

In 2022 Chaos merged with Enscape and acquired Cylindo. Headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, Chaos is now the largest global 3D visualization company, with more than 700 employees and offices worldwide.

 

We’d love to see you at the Chaos booth, #2.5, where our colleagues will demonstrate our latest software and its features. Don't miss the chance to connect with members of the Chaos team and chat about the latest updates in our product portfolio. Be sure to join us in the Reutlingen room on April 24, from 10 AM to 19.15 PM, where you'll be shown some exclusive behind-the-scenes content and discover valuable tips and inspiration from our expert speakers..

 

More Information on Chaos here.

 

 

Find out more about the FMX Program here and watch out for the green VoD flags indicating which presentations are going to be available online from April 27 to May 31.

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