For those who don’t know the event: FMX is where post, VFX, and realtime folks compare notes, spot new workflows, and meet toolmakers from Foundry to AYON .

The 30th edition runs on site May 5 to May 7, with Online and On Campus on May 8, and On Demand from May 9 to June 9. Early Bird ticket options run until March 20. Tickets are sold through the ticket shop, and the full schedule is published as an online program schedule.

This year’s reveal is a broad spread across VFX, animation, and digital media creation, with more updates promised as additional speakers and topics get added. The headline message is simple: the program is live now, and it is designed to be browsed like a buffet. Get your preferred morsels here :)

RENO turns a studio inward

A newly confirmed session in the Shorts track focuses on RENO, an original sci fi short used as a live testbed for virtual production and machine learning workflows. The session names Tav Flett, Rob Hifle, James Pollock, and Paul Silcox, and describes how a traditionally post-driven VFX studio re-engineered its pipeline for a newly opened virtual production stage. It also calls out Gaussian splat scanning, automated rotoscoping, and marker removal as tools for streamlining production.

Generative video, now with shot notes

The hype cycle is almost over. The bubble tends to pop the moment somebody asks where this stuff fits into an actual production pipeline. That is the useful angle of Moonvalleys‘ session in the “The Road ahead” track. . Instead of treating generative video as a party trick, Ben Lock looks at what happens when studios try to use it for real: control, continuity, versioning, integration, governance, and all the other small details that usually kill shiny ideas on contact.

For VFX and animation teams, that is the point. Not more halfbaked sizzle reels, but a sober look at where generative video already helps, where it still breaks, which parts of the panic were never grounded in production reality, and when studios may begin hiring artists again once practical applications, and their many many limits, are easier to assess.

Predator: Badlands, built as a handoff

A joint presentation in the VFX for Features track names Laurens Ehrmann from The Yard VFX and Dominik Zimmerle from TRIXTER discussing work on Predator: Badlands. Shared assets, shared look development, and constant creative exchange across studios to ensure continuity while elevating environments, characters, creatures, and effects, plus a deep dive into selected sequences and the creative and technical challenges behind them.

And there is more to come! Much more!

https://fmx.de/en/program/program-2026/overview

The post FMX 2026 program goes live first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the event: FMX is organised by the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and focuses on animation, VFX, games and immersive media, combining talks, workshops, screenings and recruitment under one roof in Stuttgart.

FMX has opened its ticket shop for the upcoming on-site and online event in Stuttgart. Early bird tickets are available until March 20. The conference runs on site from May 5 to 7, followed by an online programme on May 8 and on-demand access from May 9 to June 9.

Available ticket categories include Conference, Business, Combi, Day, Experience, Online and Press passes. Reduced pricing is offered for students, trainees, pensioners and people with disabilities. Student groups can apply for additional discounts. Pricing details are listed directly in the FMX ticket shop.

FMX 2025 Ticket Prices (Early Bird / Regular)
Conference Pass: Professionals ~ 370 / 410 € · Students ~ 185 / 205 €
Business Pass: ~ 470 / 510 €
Combi Pass (includes ITFS): Professionals ~ 410 / 450 € · Students ~ 205 / 225 €
Day Pass: Professionals ~ 185 / 205 € · Students ~ 92.50 / 102.50 €
Experience Pass: Professionals ~ 60 € · Students ~ 30 €
Online Pass: Professionals ~ 90 € · Students ~ 45 €

Get an overview of what’s included in each one here at FMX Ticket Options

All on-site passes include access to the new On Campus programme on May 8, hosted at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. The sessions focus on talent development and education and are primarily curated by the Animationsinstitut.

Collaboration takes centre stage

The Power of Collaboration category remains a visible part of the programme, with sessions grouped under Managing Change and Community and Inclusion.

Kader Bagli from RISE | Visual Effects Studios has been confirmed to give a talk titled “Resilience as a Collective System.” The session addresses resilience as a structural and cultural issue rather than an individual responsibility, focusing on leadership, empathy and human-centred workflows in VFX production environments. This session is part of the Community and Inclusion track.

Kate Menz from Women in Animation will present a session on the organisation’s Global Mentorship Program. The talk discusses mentorship as a mechanism for skills transfer, confidence-building, and access to professional networks across animation, VFX, and games. The session sits within the Managing Change track and is curated by Imke Fehrmann.

Returning FMX regulars

FMX also confirms the return of long-standing contributors. Ed Hooks will once again teach Acting for Animators, a workshop based on his long-running training methodology for animation and game professionals. Hooks’ book Acting for Animators was published in a revised fourth edition by Routledge in 2025 and is widely used in animation education.

Shelley Page of Locksmith Animation returns with Shelley’s Eye Candy, a curated screening of recent short films and graduation projects discovered over the past year. The session traditionally focuses on character-driven animation and contemporary visual storytelling.

Industry research under the microscope

A new PANEURAMA survey is currently collecting data on the state of the creative industries, with a focus on animation, VFX, virtual production and games. The EU-wide survey is conducted by Breda University of Applied Sciences as part of the PANEURAMA Innovation Alliance.

The research examines technological trends, skills transfer between industries and how education aligns with professional requirements. Results will be presented and discussed at FMX 2026, including fishbowl discussions hosted during the conference. Silke Haßreiter from Breda University will present the findings publicly for the first time.

Participating institutions include The Animation Workshop at VIA University College, Université Paris 8 and Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, alongside industry partners such as Fortiche Production, Qvisten Animation, DIGIC Pictures and RISE FX.

Animation Production Days deadline

The Animation Production Days co-production market will close project submissions on February 4. The event focuses on animation projects in concept or development stages with international co-production potential. Selected projects are scheduled for one-to-one meetings with potential partners and financiers.

FMX
https://fmx.de

PANEURAMA Innovation Alliance and survey
https://paneurama.eu

Animation Production Days submission information
https://animationproductiondays.de

The post FMX opens ticket shop and confirms collaboration track talks first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the event: FMX is Europe’s long-running conference for animation, visual effects, interactive media, games and basically the same topics as Digital Production. It takes place every spring in Stuttgart and online as part of Stuttgart Animated Week. The event is organised by the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and runs alongside the Animation Production Days (APD) market and the International Festival of Animated Film Stuttgart. FMX combines technical talks, case studies, workshops, exhibitions and a marketplace for tools and services. Attendance spans creative professionals, technologists and students.

Early Programme Highlights Confirmed

FMX 2026, themed THE ROAD AHEAD, has confirmed the first sessions focusing on visual effects practice and the impact of artificial intelligence on creative workflows. One confirmed session from Pixomondo VFX Supervisor Max Riess will detail the transformation of human actors into animal characters for the feature Woodwalkers 2, covering on-set supervision, digital blend techniques and rendering strategies used to create authentic animal performances. This is one of the first concrete case studies announced ahead of the conference.

Another confirmed talk will feature Dr Aaron Hertzmann from Adobe Research discussing whether AI algorithms can be considered artists, grounded in parallels to historical art technologies. He argues that while generative AI tools reshape production and the understanding of art, they are unlikely to be recognised as artists themselves in the near term.

Larry Cutler, CTO of Baobab Studios, is scheduled to share industry-wide patterns in reactions to “job-killing” technologies, drawing from his experience with AI-driven character systems. These early confirmations suggest FMX 2026 will combine production insight with reflective debate on emergent technologies.

FMX Forum and Partner Participation

In addition to conference talks, the FMX Forum is open for bookings and planned to include workshops, a marketplace for tools and technologies, recruiting hubs, and university showcases. Partners already confirmed include Abstract, CG Wire, RnDeep and VFX PICK for the marketplace; Artineering and Prism Pipeline for workshop slots; Chaos in the company suite; and several studios and educational institutions in the recruiting and campus spaces. These components aim to give attendees direct access to tools, technology and talent pipelines.

Animation Production Days: Submit by February

The Animation Production Days (APD 2026), the business and co-production market that runs from 5–7 May in Stuttgart as part of Stuttgart Animated Week, has opened submissions for animation projects. APD is the key co-production and financing platform in Germany for feature films, TV series, mobile content, games, cross-media and virtual reality projects, bringing producers into curated one-to-one meetings with broadcasters, streamers, distributors and financing partners. Projects should be in concept or development and demonstrate international co-production potential. Up to 50 projects will be selected and showcased at the event. Project entries are accepted until 4 February 2026.

APD also offers a Talent Programme for emerging European producers and creator teams, providing free accreditation and festival access to selected teams, including accommodation support.

Notes for Production Artists
Attendees and presenters should verify final session details when the full FMX programme is published, as early confirmations may be updated with additional technical specifics closer to the event dates. And there is always a boiit of shift.

P.S: This is your reminder: Book hotels well in advance, or you have to stay somewhere in the Swabian mountains. There be dragons!

The post FMX 2026: First Talks Confirmed and APD Project Submissions Open first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

World VFX Day has announced its first round of speakers for the 2025 edition, broadcasting live on 8 December. Founded in 2023 by Hayley Miller, the annual event has quickly become a fixture for VFX and animation professionals worldwide, part celebration, part industry summit, and completely free to attend.

This year’s 12-hour livestream will once again originate from London – the hybrid format allows both in-person and online participation, connecting artists and studios across time zones in one continuous global broadcast.

A Strong Start to the Speaker Line-Up

The 2025 roster reads like a who’s who of modern visual effects. Denis Baudin, Genevieve Camilleri, and Aidan Martin from WētāFX open the programme with the VFX & Animation Supervisor Roundtable, an insider discussion on creative direction and team leadership at the highest level.

ILM’s compositing veteran Todd Vaziri joins Valentina Sgro for “VFX: Hollywood’s Underdog”, tackling the question of how visual effects are perceived and valued within major studio production pipelines.

Leadership takes the spotlight in a fireside chat with David Li (Dream Machine FX, ILP, FIN Design, Arc Creative, Zero VFX, Mavericks VFX) and William Sargent (Framestore). The conversation will focus on running studios across continents while keeping both creative integrity and artist wellbeing intact.

The panel “VFX Innovation” brings together Michael Ralla (Warner Bros.), Johnny Han (HBO), Christina Caspers (Trixter & Cinesite), Kevin Baillie (Eyeline Studios), and Christine Resch (Adobe), in association with the Visual Effects Society (VES) and the View Conference, to examine current technology shifts and production trends.

In “An Inside Look at the Future of VFX,” Alana Newell, Clare Cheetham, Jonathan Cheetham and Jasper Kidd of Crafty Apes London share their perspective on studio growth, creative collaboration, and adapting to the evolving demands of modern production.

ILM’s Delcio Gomes presents “When 85 Artists Unite,” a case study developed with Chaos Group that highlights collective creativity and technical problem-solving under production pressure.

Marcus Ryder MBE will mark “100 Years of Supporting the Film & TV Industry,” and the Leadership Roundtable will feature Laurens Ehrmann (The Yard VFX), Brian Carbin (Stone Dogs), Lucy Cooper (Union VFX), and Vikas Gandhi (Gelaro Grace), exploring what it takes to guide independent studios in today’s competitive landscape.

Additional speakers and sessions are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

A Platform for Collaboration and Change

According to founder Hayley Miller, the mission of World VFX Day is to “elevate our industry in the eyes of the wider world” while sparking collaboration, new ideas, and shared growth. The emphasis this year continues to be on diversity, inclusivity, and the long-term sustainability of VFX as both a craft and a business.

Since its first edition, World VFX Day has reached more than forty thousand viewers, with the support of over four hundred sixty studios and one hundred fifty speakers. The initiative extends beyond the annual livestream through its “Connects” meet-up series and participation in major industry conferences.

Honouring the Origins of VFX

World VFX Day takes place every 8 December in honour of Georges Méliès, regarded as the grandfather of visual effects. The date serves as both a tribute and a forward-looking platform for discussing the art, craft, and evolving role of VFX within film, television, and games.

The post World VFX Day 2025: Global Line-Up Revealed first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

The legendary FMX conference will celebrate its 30th edition from May 5 to 8, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. Founded in 1994 by Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, FMX has evolved from a student event into one of (or even THE) the world’s leading gatherings for professionals in animation, visual effects, realtime graphics, and digital media.

The 2026 edition runs under the theme “The Road Ahead”, a nod to both the conference’s anniversary and the industry’s perpetual motion. According to FMX organisers, the event will explore transformation in creative production, from AI-driven workflows to new collaborative models, all while honouring three decades of digital artistry and technical ingenuity.

From “Jurassic Park” to Generative Pixels

The first FMX took place in the wake of Jurassic Park’s CG revolution and just before Toy Story hit theatres. Thirty years later, the creative toolbox has shifted from Silicon Graphics workstations to neural networks, but the mission remains: connect artists, engineers, and educators in a space where future workflows are debated and occasionally demystified.

FMX’s organisers call this anniversary “an opportunity to honour the past, survey the present, and discuss the future of digital media creation.” The quote of choice for 2026 comes from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “Our task is not to predict the future, but to make it possible.” In other words: no crystal balls—just solid pipeline design.

On Site, Online, and Still in Stuttgart

FMX 2026 continues the hybrid format introduced in recent years: three days on site in Stuttgart’s Haus der Wirtschaft, followed by one exclusive online day for remote sessions. The organisers promise “brand-new and first-hand tech and innovation” as well as discussions around AI, global production pipelines, and sustainability in digital media—though detailed programme announcements are still pending at press time.

If past editions are any indication, attendees can expect a mix of production breakdowns, realtime showcases, and a steady supply of caffeine-fuelled networking. Also, if you plan to attend: book your hotel early. By the time the keynote titles are announced, Stuttgart tends to run out of beds.

A History in Motion

From Jurassic Park to Avatar, from Toy Story to Fortnite, FMX has mirrored the evolution of film and interactive media. It has hosted artists and technologists from across the world, reflecting how postproduction and visual storytelling have adapted to every new wave of technology.

The 2026 key visual, titled “Bus Buddy”, comes from the FMX trailer produced by Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, another annual tradition that gives the event its visual identity. The trailer itself will be unveiled on FMX’s online channels soon.

Save the Date, Seriously

FMX is a calendar fixture for many in postproduction, VFX, and realtime graphics. Hitting its 30th anniversary is both a reason to celebrate and a reminder that, yes, we’ve all been rendering frames for quite a while now.

So: mark your calendars, Stuttgart, May 5–8, 2026, and prepare for another round of technical talks, production insights, and the occasional philosophical debate over whether Pixels can actually “have a soul”, and if “color is real” while standing atthe Schlesinger or Maritim Bar. Just random examples.

And if the last three decades of FMX have taught us anything, it’s this: the tools will keep changing, but the coffee machine will always be there.

The post FMX Turns 30 in 2026 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

The VIEW Conference 2025 will run from 12 to 17 October 2025 in Turin’s OGR complex. According to the official programme page, the 26th edition will host more than 150 speakers across animation, VFX, games, immersive media, AI and real-time workflows. The event’s structure is broad and tiered: daily keynotes, talks, panels, workshops, masterclasses, and portfolio reviews. This year’s focus leans strongly towards production methods and applied technology — not only creative storytelling.

Who’s Speaking

Confirmed guests include an unusually high number of feature-film directors, VFX supervisors, and production executives. Among them:

• Doug Chiang (Lucasfilm) – VIEW Visionary 2025
• Domee Shi and Madeline Sharafian (Pixar, Elio)
• Pierre Perifel and Matt Baer (The Bad Guys 2, DreamWorks)
• Alessandro Carloni (The Cat in the Hat, Warner Bros.)
• Pablo Helman (Wicked: For Good)
• Daniele Bigi (Fantastic Four: First Steps)
• Phil Tippett, Ramsey Naito, Fiona Walkinshaw, Kevin Baillie, and Jonas Kluger among the studio and production heads.

This blend of creative, technical, and executive profiles shows VIEW’s ongoing intent to bridge artistry and engineering.

Topics and Technical Weight

From the published schedule, several themes dominate: AI in production, virtual production, real-time rendering, story development, and cross-media workflows linking cinema and interactive stuff. The inclusion of “Premiere Talks” indicates that audiences will see first-look content from upcoming features.

Workshops and masterclasses promise practical sessions on shading, lighting, compositing, and storytelling. Portfolio reviews and recruitment tracks add a talent-development dimension — useful for artists and supervisors seeking connections beyond presentations. As always, new techniques should be verified before deployment in production environments; not every previewed pipeline will fit every studio setup.

Ticket Prices

Ticketing for VIEW 2025 follows a two-tier model. The Light Ticket costs € 186.55 and includes access to talks, panels and keynotes. The All Access / Full Ticket, covering all workshops and masterclasses, is listed at € 387.84. Prices may vary depending on regional VAT and booking conditions. Official registration runs through Eventbrite and the VIEW site.

A Day in Turin

Even the most production-driven delegate should plan at least one extra day in Turin itself. The city remains one of Italy’s most elegant and friendly. A few tipps: the Egyptian Museum. It is the second largest collection in the world after Cairo (Even bigger then the British Museum, with all the things the Brits didn’t think to steal). And a few actual “Books of the dead” (Picture Below. The person at the end is 1.70m, for size comparison. You can mumble everything in front of it, none of the mummies came alive. Maybe you have better luck.

Turin rewards slow exploration — a morning walk through Piazza Castello or an evening espresso at Caffè Torino may reset your neural networks more effectively than any AI panel. While you are around, you should know about “Gianduiotto” – The stuff that Nutella is a poor imitation of. The small confections are to be found everywhere. Do NOT leave turin without trying some! (You’ll thank me later)

And yes, eat the tramezzini di Brah (“brah” sandwiches. “Brah” is a town a little way off. As a German, “Brah Wurst” is the height of sophsticated culinary humor, but the things are damn tasty as well. ).

Summary

VIEW 2025 presents one of its most ambitious schedules yet: 150+ speakers, extensive workshops, and a technical focus that connects real-time, animation, and AI production. The pricing remains accessible relative to comparable global events, and Turin offers enough culture, architecture, and food to justify staying longer.

The post VIEW 2025: Program, Prices & Turin Tips first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

ICE.Art returns on 1–2 October 2025. The event runs as an online-only conference, with sessions scheduled between 5 pm and 8 pm CET. That places it outside of most production hours, designed so professionals can join after work or catch up from different time zones without losing project time.

Organiser vrbn positions ICE as a conference “for everybody working directly or indirectly on fictional or real-world 3D worlds.” Unlike broad-spectrum industry fairs, ICE focuses tightly on environments and their technical and artistic context.

Digital environments in film, TV, games, and visualisation are rarely just scenery. They anchor storytelling, guide interaction in games, and stress-test rendering pipelines. ICE’s agenda covers the full stack: from concept art and visual direction to game level layout, pipeline efficiency, and the legal or personal aspects of working life in production. The mix makes ICE relevant not only for environment artists but also for TDs, compositors, shader developers, and realtime specialists whose work intersects with large-scale 3D datasets.

Michael Shelton: VFX Supervisor and Director

Michael Shelton (M. Shelton Supervision) is a Los Angeles–based VFX supervisor and second unit director. He started in creature workshops and practical effects before moving into 2D and 3D digital work. His credits include Game of Thrones, Winning Time, Westworld, The Mandalorian, Mary Poppins Returns and many others.

Shelton also worked on game cinematics, music videos and commercials for Bungie, Activision, Apple, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, and more. Known for a hands-on approach across matte painting, compositing, realtime workflows and practical effects, he combines broad craft skills with a measured view on industry shifts. His FMX 2024 talk on Westworld drew attention for its humour and technical scope.

Jay H. Patel: Unreal Specialist

Jay H. Patel (Jay-H) is a senior Unreal Engine artist and Unreal Engine Fellow. Self-taught, he has 14+ years of experience in realtime technology, focusing on cinematics. Patel’s work spans film production, automotive and architectural visualisation, VR, and realtime cinematics, with a focus on pushing Unreal Engine into cinematic territory.

Faruk Heplevent: CGI Photography Pioneer

Faruk Heplevent (The Scope) is founder, CEO and creative director of the Hamburg-based CGI studio The Scope. Starting as a photographer in the 1990s, he founded The Scope in 2007, coining the term “CG Photography” to describe fully computer-generated, camera-grade imagery.

The studio is a key player in automotive visualisation, delivering campaigns for Audi, BMW, Tesla, NIO, Genesis, Volkswagen and Toyota. Heplevent’s R&D work led to Scope City, a procedural city generator for photoreal customisable urban environments. His talks often highlight the convergence of CGI, realtime engines, and AI.

Sam Martino: Games and Preservation

Sam Martino (Dogwood Gaming) founded his indie studio in 2016, releasing four games on Steam since. Beyond game development, Dogwood Gaming expanded into digital historic preservation. Since 2024, Martino also teaches at Bristol Community College, focusing on entry pathways into the game industry for students.

Why ICE Matters

For environment specialists, ICE provides direct relevance. For others, the value lies in seeing how environment work shapes pipelines across departments. Examples include architectural realism that affects lighting and compositing, or streaming technologies that enable new delivery formats for interactive 3D. The evening schedule also reduces friction. Attendees do not lose production hours to sit through sponsor pitches or expo halls. ICE positions itself as a compact alternative to the large-scale conference calendar.

Community Focus

Since its start, ICE has prioritised access over spectacle. There is no expo floor and fewer marketing launches. Instead, the content leans on production stories, workflows, and first-hand lessons. Talks that discuss dead ends or tool limitations are part of the appeal: they reflect the daily reality of artists, TDs, and supervisors working under pressure.t a mix of visual showcases, pipeline talks, and the usual dose of production survival advice. vrbn highlights that talks will again touch on career development. Given the current state of VFX labour discussions worldwide, that may be as relevant as the technical sessions.

The post ICE.Art 2025: Virtual Worlds Meet After Hours first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.