Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 7, 2019. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
At FMX 2019, numerous presentations highlight the latest visual
effects the industry has to offer. Films confirmed for the VFX topic include the Oscar-winning First Man, Disney’s Dumbo and the fantasy adventure Christopher Robin. FMX will also examine how virtual reality applications can raise awareness of social issues. The Expanded Realities track presents some of the most exciting mixed reality projects of recent years, including Jurassic World: Blue and Hold the World. In addition, the official trailer for the FMX Immersive Media category, Tiefenrausch, is online.
The FMX program will go live on the website http://www.fmx.de on March 08 and present many more program items. Early Bird tickets are available for only one more week, until March 15. You can now secure your press accreditation – please submit your application here.
The Evolution of SFX & The State of VFX – First Man, Alita, Mortal Engines & Dumbo
At FMX 2019, Oscar-winning Miniature Effects Supervisor Ian Hunter (New Deal Studios) and VFX Producer Michelle Eisenreich (DNEG) show how they were able to create some of the most realistic and immersive in-camera VFX shots for First Man. VFX Supervisor Eric Saindon will talk about Weta Digital’s work on the action-packed film Alita: Battle Angel. The creative and technical challenges of creating the VFX in Disney’s Dumbo are the focus of a presentation by VFX Supervisor Patrick Ledda (MPC). VFX Supervisor Ken McGaugh (Weta) will provide insights into the making of the post-apocalyptic adventure film Mortal Engines.
Social Impact – Raising Awareness of Social Issues Through VR
Although entertainment media primarily serve the purpose of escapism, they can also act as a platform for activities that otherwise do not receive public attention. VR and 360° applications are a perfect medium for raising awareness of social issues around the world. Gayatri Parameswaran
is a VR/360° creator, documentary filmmaker and journalist who has successfully drawn attention to issues such as slavery in Iraq or intimate-partner violence in India. Together with Felix Gaedtke, she founded NowHere Media, an award-winning immersive storytelling studio that produces VR and AR experiences. At FMX 2019 they will talk about their interactive VR application Home After War, which tells the story of an Iraqi father who returns to Fallujah to face the threat of improvised explosive devices.
Expanded Realities – Exploring Natural History and Digital Humans
Virtual, augmented and mixed reality are the focus of the Expanded Realities track, which immerses its audience in some of the most exciting recent creative, narrative and technical achievements in XR. John Foster (Factory 42) will provide an insight into the virtual reality experience Hold the World,
which gives users a private audience with wildlife filmmaker and naturalist David Attenborough at the Natural History Museum. Jurassic World: Blue takes visitors directly into the habitat of a velociraptor – the experience for Oculus Go and Rift will be the subject of a talk by Sebastian Sylwan (CTO and Creative Partner at Felix
& Paul Studios). Matthias Wittmann, Realtime Supervisor at Method EXP, will present FMX attendees with the work on the VR application for Lionsgate’s Robin Hood and the further research and development, showing how the state of the art in developing digital people for interactive environments continues
to advance.
Creatures & Characters – The Walking Dead, Captive State & Christopher Robin
The Creatures & Characters track at FMX 2019 brings together a selection of exemplary work from the field of VFX that convincingly portrays living beings of all shapes and sizes on screen. The presentation on the science-fiction thriller Captive State will bring director Rupert Wyatt as well as Tom Brass (VFX Creative
Director, Jellyfish) and Dave Cook (Head of 3D, Jellyfish) to the stage. Fredrik Löfberg (Director) and Henrik Eklundh (VFX Supervisor) from Goodbye Kansas show how the characters Aidan, Maya, Grant and Heather from the game Overkill’s The Walking Dead and the associated trailers were brought to the screen. Chris Lawrence (VFX Supervisor, Framestore) will talk about his studio’s work on the live-action adventure Christopher Robin, which was nominated for an Oscar as well as VES and Annie Awards.
FMX 2019 Trailer #3 – Tiefenrausch
In 2019, FMX will publish four different trailers for the first time. Each of the areas named in the FMX subtitle – Animation, Effects, Games and Immersive Media – will be represented by its own trailer, unique in technique, style and story. Tiefenrausch represents the Immersive Media area and was created by
students at the Animationsinstitut of Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg – Director: Marvin Sprengel, Concept/Design: Monja Dietrich, Animation: Lukas von Berg, Technical Directing: Enzio Probst, Animation/VFXProducing: Vincent Waltan, Art Director: Johannes Kammerer. A diver ventures deep down to the ocean floor. On the seabed, the world around her suddenly changes dramatically. What has happened? Tiefenrausch is the third trailer for FMX 2019, after Wonderful World, which represents the VFX area, and CatPlanets, which represents the Animation area.
FMX partner Scanline VFX will be on board as FMX Main Partner. Nu Boyana FX, Laubwerk, RebusFarm, Inria and Technicolor will be represented with a stand on the Marketplace. Further participants in the Recruiting Hub are The Focus, Goodbye Kansas, Rodeo FX, Trixter, Cinesite and Mikros Image, and Mediadesign Hochschule, Anomalia, Filmakademie Wien and Stockholm University can be
announced for the School Campus.
Tickets for FMX 2019 are available via the FMX website – at the Early Bird rate until March 15.
