Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 30, 2015. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
In around three months, from May 5 to 08, the "FMX 2015 Conference on Animation, Effects, Games and Transmedia Europe"will celebrate its 20th anniversary edition.
FMX, which was launched in 1994 as a German-language local expert conference (FMX is the abbreviation for Film and Media Exchange), has developed in the years since its foundation into an international event for professionals where important decision-makers from the fields of art, technology and business meet. To mark the occasion, special anniversary-related events will be held this year, integrated into the diverse programme of high-quality presentations, workshops and discussions.
In 2015, the specialist conference will once again focus on current and future developments in the fields of animation, effects, games and transmedia. Under the headline "Immersion and Virtual Realities – The Future of Content Production and Reception", it devotes particular attention to the cross-platform influence of immersive technologies on the financing, development, distribution and reception of media content.
In addition to the topics of immersion and virtual realities, the focus is also on concept art, The Fine Art of Animation, Virtualization, the Demoscene, Funding & Financing Technology Start-ups and many other focal points (confirmed speakers can be found below).
Art – Concept Art and "The Fine Art of Animation"
The filmmakers and their creative works are at the heart of FMX. For many of these artists, concept art serves as the visual starting point that prepares and accompanies the further conceptualisation of films, games and other media. In keeping with this, production designer Patrick Hanenberger is curating various presentations for the second year in a row that explore concept art more closely as a source of inspiration. In this context, for example, scientifically and academically trained creature designer and concept artist Terryl Whitlatch, who worked for Lucasfilm and created much of the creature design for Star Wars Episode 1 there, will speak. Alongside her, concept artist and character designer Chris Appelhans will also report on his work. Appelhans created designs for Coraline, Monster House and The Fantastic Mr. Fox, among others.
The entire field of animation is the focus of another series that deals with "Animation as Fine Art", or animation as an art form. For this, curators Prof. Dr. Susanne Marschall and Dr. Rada Bieberstein (University of Tübingen) invite various speakers who analyse the diversity of animation as an independent art form in their talks. In this context, the main focus is intended to be the aesthetics of the medium of animation and the immersive potential of animation – spanning a thematic arc from art history to 3D. The audience favourite "Wild ‘n Strange", curated by Prof. Andreas Hykade (Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg), which brings representatives of the international independent scene to Stuttgart, expands the artistic spectrum of the "Art" section, as does Shelley Page’s (Head of International Outreach at DreamWorks Animation) "Shelley’s Eye Candy" screening, in which she presents her personal animation favourites from the last 20 years.
Technology – Virtualisation Technologies and the Demoscene
New technical developments are the driving force in the fields of animation, effects, games and transmedia. Jon Peddie (founder of Jon Peddie Research), who is regarded as one of the pioneers of the computer graphics industry, addresses some of these developments with his Virtualization Track. The corresponding presentations discuss virtualisation technologies and their effects on collaboration and communication among participants in the art and entertainment industry.
In addition, curator Dr. Thomas Bednarz (The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation CSIRO) is dedicated to the demoscene, which has developed from a European into an international computer-art subculture. Its unique feature is the creation of demos, i.e. non-interactive multimedia presentations that are rendered in real time: these demos are intended to illustrate the creators’ programming skills. Content in this programme section addresses, for example, the working processes of the demoscene and the debate around Old School and New School. In addition, the tracks on pre-production, next-gen images, pipelines, virtual production and the traditional SIGGRAPH Papers provide information on the current state of technology.
Business – New Trends on the Horizon
Innovation is by no means a term that is exhausted solely in relation to creativity or technological progress – it is also accorded great importance in the economic sphere. This is particularly true when it comes to new business strategies that can financially underpin the implementation of projects. For this reason, the financing of technology start-ups is also on the programme this year. Curator Thierry Baujard’s (President of Media Deals) "ExitMercato@FMX" track creates a discussion platform that enables start-ups and early-stage investors to present their investment portfolio to larger investors and companies, as well as other stakeholders, with regard to exit strategies for investments. These are intended to help early-stage investors create value by selling their company shares (or a certain percentage of those shares) to a late-stage investor. This can take place through a sale to a larger company or an initial public offering
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