Every year in spring, FMX gathers international film and media professionals in the heart of Stuttgart, including many Oscar and Emmy award winners.
Project Hail Mary: Behind the Xenonite with The Foundry
Jonni Isaacs Compositing Supervisor | 6 May 10:00 CEST | Raum Mannheim
A voyage into the compositing techniques used to meet alien life and save the sun. Join 2D Supervisor Jonni Isaacs to discuss Framestore's use of Nuke in their work on Rocky, Ryland Grace, and the Hail Mary spacecraft interiors, featuring the alien substance Xenonite
A Calculated Hail Mary
Nestor Prado CG Supervisor | 6 May 11:35 CEST | Bertha-Benz-Saal
Transitioning Framestore’s lighting pipeline to a new, more integrated environment mid-production on Project Hail Mary could’ve been a huge gamble, but it proved to be a very calculated risk. Moving to Houdini shifted the paradigm from static lighting scenes to a more dynamic, procedural approach
What the Studios Say: Using AI in Your Reel
Stuart Penn VFX Supervisor | 6 May 12:30 CEST | Turm Aalen
The future is unpredictable, but what are VFX Recruiters saying about Generative AI right now? In this session we intend to answer questions like; What levels of AI expertise are seen as acceptable or useful for new VFX and Animation entrants, and are certain apps emerging that are more useful than others for success in VFX and Animation companies? As Generative AI marches on, what do recruiters want, are there specific roles and opportunities opening up, or are companies preferring pure craft skills, wanting AI restricted to early ideas and pre-vis?
Project Hail Mary
Stuart Penn VFX Supervisor | 6 May 15:45 CEST | König-Karl-Halle
The VFX for Project Hail Mary were grounded in practical production. The collaboration with the filmmakers took us from pre-production to final delivery. Virtual production was a valuable tool for planning the shoot. We will explore how Rocky was brought to life, seamlessly integrating with the practical puppet and the challenge of maintaining the presence of glass between Rocky and Grace. Zero G sequences required reconstructing sets and costumes to remove rigs, while maximising the retention of actor performance.
Evolving Spatial Storytelling with Emerging Technologies
Kevin Young Creative Technology Director | 8 May 15:35 CEST | Online
More information coming soon!
Meet the Speakers
Stuart Penn | VFX Supervisor
Stuart began life as a research physicist, before his passion for CG led to a successful VFX career working alongside the likes of Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott and Bong Joon-ho. His scientific knowledge and experience came into their own when confronted with the unique challenge of Gravity’s stunning zero-G sequences. Here, he helped develop the techniques used to shoot zero gravity scenes, working with motion control robots and the film’s pioneering LED lighting stage.
Stuart’s technical and scientific knowledge is paired with a true artist’s eye, one that has seen him supervise shoots for the likes of Paddington 2 and The Aeronauts, as well as leading Framestore’s work on the monumental Avengers: Endgame. Having led Framestore’s work on Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, he has put his scientific acumen to use on Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s adaptation of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary.
Kevin Young | Creative Technology Director
A pioneer in real-time and interactive media, Kevin Young is the Creative Technology Director within Framestore’s Immersive team, where he spearheads the studio’s exploration of spatial user experience and next-generation mixed reality. With over two decades of experience at the intersection of craft and innovation, Kevin’s career began designing groundbreaking online experiences for Oasis and The Mighty Boosh before leading innovation-led film campaigns for the likes of Disney, Fox, and HBO. His technical leadership is underpinned by a tenure as the first Head of Creative Technology at The Mill and time spent within Wētā FX’s Special Projects team, where he pushed the limits of emerging technology. This diverse expertise has seen his work showcased on global stage,s including Sundance, TriBeCa, and the White House.
Nestor Prado | CG Supervisor
Nestor Prado is a CG Supervisor at Framestore in London with a background in computer engineering. He has led pipeline transitions across studios — including the revamp of the lighting pipeline at DNEG in 2016 and the FUSE pipeline at Framestore — and most recently oversaw the transition of Framestore's lighting pipeline to Houdini during production of Project Hail Mary while helming the CG Supervision of the London team. His work sits at the intersection of pipeline architecture and artist-facing workflow design.
Jonni Issacs | Compositing Supervisor
Jonni Isaacs is a 2D Supervisor with experience across film, episodic TV, commercials, virtual production and rides. He’s worked at large and small studios across the world—in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and Malaysia.
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