Archive notice: This article was originally published on May 11, 2015. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Final Program Highlight
The final talk in the FMX conference program was a genuine superhero highlight and, despite the late hour, every last seat in the König Karl Hall was occupied: VFX Supervisor Christopher Townsend from Marvel, VFX Supervisor Paul Butterworth from Animal Logic and VFX Supervisor Alessandro Cioffi from Trixter spoke about “The Birth of Ultron” for the latest Avengers film. If you could not stay that long or did not find any time for FMX at all this year, no problem: For the upcoming issue of DP, which appears on May 22, Alessandro Cioffi explained how villain Ultron came to life in the pipeline at Trixter.
Anniversary Events
FMX celebrated the anniversary in fitting style with the appropriate talks: beginning with the “20th Anniversary of FMX” event format, in which twenty industry greats reported on their own personal milestones from the past two decades. In addition, FMX celebrated the 20th anniversary of the internationally successful VFX studio Weta Digital together with multiple Oscar winner Joe Letteri and looked back at the making of the film “Toy Story”, which also turns 20 this year. The 40th anniversary of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) was also celebrated extensively in a talk event.
Virtual Reality
Developments in virtual realities and immersion, which formed the heart of FMX this year, were examined by experts such as VR pioneers Mark Bolas and John Root (Magic Leap). Former Obama adviser Mark deLoura presented new approaches in the gaming sector, while Alex McDowell, Baby-X inventor Mark Sagar, visual communications expert Jacquelyn Morie and prominent Disney figure Mk Haley illuminated the breadth of transmedia content production.
Baby X is a digital research project that reacts interactively to the people in front of the monitor. Here are its first words:
Visitor Numbers
Although construction work at the Gewerkschaftshaus meant that only the Haus der Wirtschaft and Gloria cinema could still be used as venues, visitor numbers rose significantly in 2015: This year FMX recorded around 3,200 visitors from 55 countries each day; professionals accounted for 60 percent. 270 speakers from 22 countries gave talks, ran workshops or took part in panel discussions. In addition, FMX is becoming increasingly international, with the specialist audience travelling to Stuttgart from 55 countries. Last year, the analysis of visitor data showed that around one third of participants came from abroad; this year the figure was as high as 40 percent. Of those 40 percent, 10 percent in turn came from Great Britain.
Recruiting
The Recruiting Hub was distinguished by an equally great diversity: 22 regional and international market leaders were on the lookout for young talent, including ILM, Walt Disney Animation Studios and the New Zealand company Weta Digital, which recorded long queues of interested applicants, especially on Thursday. At the School Campus, 18 media universities presented themselves and their curricula.
The DP editorial team was also able to return to Munich with a well-filled interview basket, and you can soon look forward to making-ofs for “The Minions”, “A Single Life”, “Interstellar” and “Song of the Sea”, as well as interviews about new technologies at Weta, Dneg or Pixar.
FMX 2016
If you would already like to note the FMX 2016 date: Next years, the Animationsinstitut of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg will hold the 21st edition of FMX from April 26 to 29, 2016.
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