FMX 2019 to Welcome ILM’s Rob Bredow, Google Spotlight’s Jan Pinkava

Conference on Animation, Effects, Games and Immersive Media April 30 – May 3, 2019, Stuttgart/Germany, Haus der Wirtschaft Ludwigsburg/Germany, January 18, 2019.

FMX is building up the roster of animation, effects, games and immersive media luminaries for its 2019 edition – taking place in Stuttgart, Germany from April 30-May 3. These include Head of Industrial Light & Magic Rob Bredow, CG pioneer Andrew Glassner, and Google Spotlight Stories Creative Director Jan Pinkava.

The FMX ticket shop is now open, early bird tickets can be purchased until March 15, 2019.

Solo: A Star Wars Story and Studio Insights: As Executive Creative Director and Head of ILM, Rob Bredow is responsible for the company’s overall creative strategy and global operations. At FMX 2019, he will give a presentation about the BAFTA and VES nominated Solo: A Star Wars Story, on which he worked as VFX supervisor and co-producer. Bredow served as a creative partner to the filmmakers throughout the production, from the earliest story meetings to the final frames of visual effects.

Bredow is also the first speaker confirmed for the Studio Insights track, being curated by Dave Gouge, Head of Marketing & Publicity at Weta Digital. The track is focused on the business side of the industry where topics ranging from production, changing business models and new forms of content creation are discussed in an “in conversation” format.

Deep Learning: FMX 2019 will present a special Highlights of SIGGRAPH session with a focus on Deep Learning for computer graphics. Deep Learning methods are suddenly making significant impacts across all areas of computer graphics. The topic is fast becoming an essential part of any technologist’s intellectual toolkit, and is fueling computer graphics advances for such diverse tasks as cleaning up noisy images, generating texture, and creating lifelike and directable animation. A tutorial presented by computer graphics pioneer Andrew Glassner (The Imaginary Institute) will cover a broad overview of the basic concepts, great ideas, and overall language of Deep Learning.

Bridging the Gap between Art and Technology: How can artistic expression unite with technological innovation? Bridging the gap between tech and art can be a challenge, especially when working with new formats and new technologies. Jan Pinkava, Creative Director of Google Spotlight Stories, will share his views on this highly relevant topic in a keynote at FMX 2019. Pinkava has been working at the intersection of art and technology throughout his career. He earned a PhD in Theoretical Robotics and won an Oscar for Pixar’s short film Geri’s Game. At Pixar, he also worked on A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. He was co-director and original creator of the Oscar-winning Ratatouille. Currently, he is exploring new forms of immersive and interactive storytelling for mobile and VR at Google Spotlight Stories.

Check out a new video in which Pinkava shares what makes FMX a must-attend event:

Call for Submissions: Animation Production Days 2019 – In the APD Talent Program, young producers and animation and film production graduates can apply to participate free of charge in Animation Production Days 2019, which are hosted by FMX and Stuttgart Festival of Animated Film. The Program’s goal is to connect newcomers, who want to develop and realize their own project ideas, with established experts and decision-makers in the animation industry. Animation projects from the areas of feature film, TV series, short film, games, cross-media and transmedia with potential for the European or international market can all be submitted. Hybrid formats that mix live action with animation are also eligible. A total of 14 places will be awarded for the Talent Program. The application deadline is February 21, 2019.

FMX Forum – New Confirmations: KeenTools, Avid and Chaos Group will have a booth at the Marketplace, whereas Animal Logic, Axis Studios, Illumination Mac Guff, Recom and Scanline VFX will be part of the Recruiting Hub. Furthermore, Chaos Group will give a workshop. Autodesk and SideFX have booked Company Suites. School of Visual Arts MFA Computer Arts, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria (Hagenberg), Hochschule der Medien and ifs internationale filmschule köln will welcome prospective students at the School Campus.