Archive notice: This article was originally published on May 10, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
FMX 2010, which describes itself as Europe’s largest specialist event for digital entertainment, brought together well over 3,000 international animation experts, trade visitors and young talents from 41 countries on each of the four conference days, according to the organisers.
There was an unmistakable spirit of optimism in an industry benefiting from the 3D stereo boom and the global success of effects-laden feature films, especially in times of economic crisis. Above all, however, FMX gave its participants the much-invoked “immersive experience”, complete immersion in another world – with an immense wealth of lectures, professional exchange, new insights and contacts. VFX Oscar winner and FMX speaker Volker Engel probably summed up the spirit of this event most aptly: “Don’t be a fan, be a maker.”
The organisers from the Animation Institute at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg have now become accustomed to FMX attracting more visitors from year to year. This year’s conclusion was: 20 percent more visitors. However, the composition of the participants gave Prof. Thomas Haegele and his team genuine cause for celebration: those interested came from 41 nations, 60 percent of them were professionals and 40 percent students. This international character reflects the spirit of a creative community that consistently relies on global working models and has developed its own distinctive identity over the course of recent years. At FMX, this community finds exactly what it likes: an atmosphere of open exchange, plenty of like-minded people, a strictly non-commercial orientation and a comprehensive programme that enables participants to look beyond the confines of their own specialisation.
FMX’s unofficial guiding theme, found in almost every contribution, was “crossmedia” or “360°”: today, artistic content is conceived from the outset across genre boundaries and formats. The three tracks of the “360°” sessions explicitly revolved around this subject: “Beyond the Screen” dealt with innovations in interface design, while “Beyond the Format” presented case studies of multi-platform projects from Europe and the USA. Finally, the Co-Production Market connected the providers of 25 crossmedia projects from the USA and Europe with producers from other media sectors.
The current discussion about 3D, or more precisely stereoscopy, also played an important role at FMX. The illustrious “3D Stereo” lecture series at the Metropol cinema enabled demonstrations in the original presentation format. Bob Whitehill of Pixar (“Up”, “Toy Story 3”), Jayme Wilkinson of Blue Sky (“Ice Age 3”), and Ken Ralston, David Schaub and Corey Turner of Sony Pictures Imageworks (“Tim Burton’s Alice”) provided not only Hollywood glamour but also substantial contributions on aesthetics and storytelling in the third dimension. Lectures on the exciting possibilities of 3D gaming, which combines the 3D visual impression with interactivity, went one step further into the near future.
The new term “hybrid film” neatly describes a genre currently generating record box-office revenues. Digital images have reached a photorealistic level that allows them to merge completely with live-action scenes. All the major films of the previous year were represented at FMX with large specials: “Avatar”, “Iron Man 2”, “Alice in Wonderland” and “2012”. “Iron Man 2” even celebrated its German preview at FMX, including a speech by ILM president Lynwen Brennan and a very personal video message from director Jon Favreau. Computer games are also opening up ever more spectacular visual worlds. Thanks to support from the AIAS (Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences), many of the games majors were represented at FMX and spoke about new releases, including Christophe Brusseaux of Quantic Dream (“Heavy Rain”), David Hego of Rocksteady Studios (“Batman: Arkham Asylum”), Saku Lehtinen of Remedy Entertainment (“Alan Wake”), and Ben Diamand and Bruno Velazquez of Sony (“God of War 3”).
The School Campus once again exceeded all expectations, the organisers exulted: 22 universities from Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Austria and Great Britain presented themselves here to young talents looking for the right degree programme, as well as to companies hunting for promising graduates. The successful interlinking of official introductions in the School Presentations and direct experience at the interactive and often very witty stands on the School Campus also received much praise.
The fact that FMX has developed into the European job exchange for a very specific qualification profile is certainly also due to its organisation by the renowned Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. Word has spread: every third FMX visitor is still studying or is a graduate. Recruiting in Stuttgart can determine what happens next, and this year it triggered a larger rush than ever before. In presentations and one-to-one discussions, young talents as well as established professionals were able to find out about job opportunities with the industry’s global players and make direct contacts. The following companies were looking for new employees at FMX in 2010: Aardman Animations, Animal Logic, ARRI, Black Rock, Blue Sky, Cinesite, Crytek, Deutsche Telekom Product Design, Double Negative, DreamWorks, Framestore, Ilion Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, LIGA_01 Computerfilm, Mackevision, Moving Picture Company, Pixomondo, rise|fx, RTT, ScanlineVFX, Sony Pictures Imageworks, The Mill, Trixter Film, Ubisoft World Studios, Unexpected and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
Animation Production Day (APD) on May 4 and 5 once again brought together the industry’s most important players. The financing platform organised by FMX and the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film brings creatives and financiers into direct contact in prearranged one-to-one meetings. This time, 53 companies from ten countries negotiated their new projects in the feature-film, TV-series, games and mobile-entertainment animation sectors in more than 600 concentrated one-to-one meetings. The production volume was an impressive EUR 83 million. One important focus in 2010 was – how could it be otherwise – 3D stereo. After all, one third of future projects in Europe are already being planned stereoscopically. At the Financing & Brands: Stereoscopic Strategies conference, producers, buyers and banks formulated detailed objectives for financing and refinancing stereoscopic animated films.
FMX is an event of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, in cooperation with VES Visual Effects Society, AIAS Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, ACM Siggraph, 5D Conference and Hochschule der Medien Stuttgart.
