The FMX 2023 programme is online. With around 50 days to go, the conference is showcasing the diversity of its content, which ranges from new series productions to sustainability in the entertainment industry. The recently confirmed talks include technological highlights, including the “invisible” VFX of the recent four-time Oscar®-winning IN THE WEST NOTHING NEW, the Disney series SHE-HULK and the visual effects for the Netflix series 1899, as well as the track on diversity curated by FMX Programme Chair and Producer Jinko Gotoh and Julie Ann Crommett (Collective Moxie). Other topics include a presentation on the genesis of the animated Netflix fantasy production ONI: THE STORY OF THE THUNDER GODDESS and the risks of artificial intelligence. There’s news in the Recruiting Hub, and Rise FX is on board as a Silver Partner. The discounted Early Bird rate ends on 17 March 2023.

On site: Jan Philip Cramer (Digital Domain) with a case study on SHE-HULK: DIE ANWÄLTIN

Digital Domain will be presenting their work on the Disney series SHE-HULK: THE ADVENTURE at FMX. From day one of the project to completion, the Digital Domain team worked closely with Marvel Studios and the creative leadership team to create She-Hulk, a new kind of superhero who is also a fashion icon and the best lawyer in News York. Visual effects supervisor Jan Philip Cramer will shed light on the development of the main character, the motion studies and the final shots. Visitors can look forward to a detailed case study on facial animation, muscle and cloth simulation, as well as new groundbreaking technologies used on She-Hulk. Specifically, this means that Cramer will talk about facial animation using machine learning. In addition, Jan Philip Cramer will talk about Charlatan, Digital Domain’s neural network for “deep fakes” to exchange faces and the practical application of the network for SHE-HULK.

On site: Frank Petzold on the creation of the “invisible” VFX for IM WESTEN NICHTS NEUES

Frank Petzold, Overall VFX Supervisor for the four-time Academy Award® winner IN THE WEST NOTHING NEW, will talk about the transition from optical special effects to the CG era: He will show how he combined all the techniques he has learnt throughout his career to create the seamlessly integrated VFX for IN THE WEST NOTHING NEW. In his talk, Frank will outline the production process from the first meeting with director Edward Berger to the final round of film correction.

On location: Christian Kaestner (Framestore) about 1899

An adventure journey of epic proportions: this is how production VFX supervisor Christian Kaestner ‘s work on the Netflix series 1899 by DARK makers Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar can be described. Kaestner will dedicate his talk to the creative and technological tour de force that the show has travelled: from concept art, virtual scouting, virtual set walks and virtual art department to the construction and use of the innovative 360° LED Volume Stage from DARK WAYS and the final visual effects. The audience will be up close and personal when Kaestner provides an insight into the use of Framestore ‘s virtual production toolkit, but also introduces the new storytelling possibilities that come with LED technology: A technology that has the potential to put VFX artists, producers and tech experts at the centre of the creative process.

On site: FMX Programme Chair and Producer Jinko Gotoh and Julie Ann Crommett curate “Cultivating Inclusion” track

The Cultivating Inclusion track, curated by Jinko Gotoh, FMX Programme Chair and Producer, and Julie Ann Crommett, Founder and CEO of Collective Moxie, is all about how diversity, equality and inclusion are at the heart of a path towards true sustainability and growth in the global entertainment industry.

Julie Ann Crommett (USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative Women in Animation) will moderate a fireside chat on “Landscape Look: WIA/USC VFX Study & Industry Accountability”. The conversation will address the current diversity in the global VFX and animation landscape using the 2021 WIA/USC VFX Industry Gender Study as an example. One of the key demands of the study was that institutions and the industry commit to taking responsibility – FMX will focus on the steps that have already been taken as a result.

Crommett will also be part of a panel discussion with independent studios and producers, including Deepa C. Joshi (Incessant Rain Studios), Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt (Chocolate Tribe), Christina Lee Storm (Netflix). The discussion will centre on “The Business of Inclusion”, i.e. the need to invest in diversity, equality and inclusion even in economically uncertain times. The FMX audience will be provided with concrete statistics, case studies and information.

In the third talk of the track, FMX Programme Chair Jinko Gotoh also invites Hidetaka Yosumi (Studio Nowake Canary Islands S.L.), Rob van den Bragt (Chocolate Tribe), Kiran Bhakta Joshi (Incessant Rain Studios) and Su-Jin Song (Cologne Game Lab of TH Köln) to talk about allyship based on concrete experiences under the headline “How to be an Inclusion Accomplice”. Visitors to the “Cultivating Inclusion” track can therefore look forward to taking home specific tools that can be directly applied to their organisations, technical expertise and creative work.

On site: Robert Kondo on shaping the world of ONI

Robert Kondo(Production Designs/Tonko House) will talk about the genesis of ONI: THE STORY OF THE THUNDER GODDESS, a Netflix fantasyanimation series inspired by Japanese mythology.

On location: Dave McKean talks about the discrepancy between art and artifice

Artificial intelligence is here, it’s here to stay and it will change everything – as with all technological changes, we will slowly say goodbye to some things, but also discover completely new possibilities. The English artist Dave McKean, who is at home in various media, fears that this time, however, the loss will affect the essential core of humanity: Namely, the question of why we do what we do. He believes that now is the time to define frameworks in which we allow AI to make the most of its inherent possibilities, but also set ethical and territorial boundaries to mitigate the worst collateral damage.

Forum News. Space has been made available in the fully booked Recruiting Hub for a few newcomers, and the first company suites have also been booked. Here are more new additions to the FMX Forum:

Recruiting Hub: DNEG, Jangled Nerves, Umedia.

Marketplace: Basilic Fly, Digital Production, InstaLOD, ScannedReality.

Workshops: Pixar’s RenderMan, Ranch Computing (online).

Company Suites: Foundry, Framestore, Side FX (Houdini).

Silver Partner: Rise FX !

With RISE, another multiple award-winning company is now a Silver Partner of FMX. RISE has been covering the entire spectrum of digital production design and visual effects since 2007. You can find more information here.

The post The FMX programme is online first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.