SXSW Sydney brings together professionals from business, tech, government, health, marketing, creative industries and more for seven days of ideas, innovation and inspiration.
At its heart, the Conference offers 550+ sessions including keynotes, panels, workshops, and conversations to help you uncover emerging trends, challenge your thinking, and gain practical insights.
Building Dread: The Art of Body Horror
12:00pm AEDT 17th October | Palace Central Cinemas - Cinema 11
Have you wondered how the physical and visual effects on a film go from script to screen?
Framestore's Head of Studio in Melbourne, Lara Hopkins, hosts a panel with Director Michael Shanks, Director of the runaway international hit film Together, with the creative team behind both the physical and the digital effects on the film. VFX Supervisor Josh Simmonds and Prosthetic FX Designer Larry Van Duynhoven will share practical tips, workflows and insights into how effects can be used to bring bold ideas to life on any scale and show some behind-the-scenes footage to illustrate the inventive ways Shanks’ ideas were brought to life.
Meet the Panellists
Lara Hopkins | Head of Studio, Melbourne
Lara brings over 30 years of international animation and VFX experience to her role as Head of Studio, having worked in Australia, UK, USA, and Canada in both production and talent roles. She started working in traditional animation in 1992 at Adelaide's Anifex, before moving to Animal Logic as a Producer in Sydney in 1997. Her journey with Framestore started in 2001 as a Senior Producer in the London Advertising division, before moving to a CG manager role in the Film and Episodic division, which is where she started her career in VFX management.
After four years at Industrial Light & Magic in Sydney, most recently as Director of Talent Management, Lara rejoined Framestore. One of the first two employees, Lara leaves ILM having helped expand and establish the studio. She brings a passion for identifying the best talent, building and managing creative teams and shaping workplace culture to our Melbourne studio.
Josh Simmonds | VFX Supervisor
The past 20+ years have seen Josh lead and deliver incredible work for a wide range of popular, household-name projects. These include Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Nia DaCosta’s record-breaking Candyman and billion-dollar DC blockbuster Aquaman.
The last 12 months highlight the range and breadth of Josh's talent, expertise and filmmaking knowledge: not only has he crafted standout work for hotly-tipped horror title Together (subsequently acquired by NEON), but he is currently leading Framestore's Melbourne team on Three Bags Full - a large-scale, CG-heavy feature for Amazon MGM Studios.
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