Conference
The State of VFX
VFX for Features
ON SITE
König-Karl-Halle presented by Unreal Engine
Thursday, May 05, 18:15
Swing Behind-the-Scenes of SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
Join visual effects artists from Sony Pictures Imageworks, Framestore, and Digital Domain for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the Academy Award®-nominated film, "Spider-Man: No Way Home." This presentation will explore the artistic and technological challenges and innovations developed to bring back some of the most iconic heroes and villains for the most successful film of 2021!
Charles Abou Aad, Digital Effects Supervisor, Sony Pictures Imageworks
Charles Abou Aad is a CG Supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks. With a specialty in lighting and almost two decades of experience in the visual effects industry, he most recently completed work on the Academy Award®-nominated blockbuster SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME.
Previously, Charles served as CG supervisor on the Academy Award®-winning SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE, and ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS.
Prior to Imageworks, Charles worked at Method Studios supervising teams on THOR: THE DARK WORLD, PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS, and RIDDICK. He also worked as a lighting technical director at Industrial Light and Magic, CG supervisor at Asylum Visual Effects and lighting lead at Digital Domain.
Charles earned an MFA in computer arts from the Academy of Art University and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from ESIB.
David Cunningham, DFX Supervisor, Digital Domain
With 12 years of experience in the film and visual effects industry, David Cunningham is a DFX Supervisor at Digital Domain known for being a driving force in both quality and efficiency. The results of his passion for delivering the highest standard of work and optimized workflows are exemplified by his key contributions as CG Supervisor for Digital Domain's Oscar-nominated work on both “Free Guy” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” For the latest Spider-Man film, David implemented a dynamic shift in Digital Domain's lighting pipeline to incorporate a USD and Solaris based workflow, which was used to allow the environments and lighting departments to efficiently render billions of polygons in their 2.5 square-mile CG recreation of a portion of New York. For Free Guy, David oversaw the creation of all CG assets including Digital Domain's Guy and BadAss digital doubles, and also helped deliver multiple sequences, including the stylised gameplay shots scattered throughout the film.
Prior to joining Digital Domain, David contributed both his supervision experience and skills as an artist to Oscar-nominated films “Guardians of The Galaxy Vol.2” and “Mad Max: Fury Road,” respectively. During his career, he has worked at studios such as Method, Iloura, and Animal Logic in visual effects and animation, contributing to over 20 feature films, as well as multiple episodics and commercials.
Currently, David is the DFX Supervisor on Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ series “'Ms Marvel,” and an integral part of Digital Domain’s global team of visual effects experts.
