In Review: fmx/08 In Stuttgart
In its 13th annual appearance, fmx/08 once more lived up to its reputation. For four days, the conference on all things relevant to digital entertainment drew the international CG community to Stuttgart's Haus der Wirtschaft to inform themselves about the latest developments and -- more importantly -- to exchange ideas and experiences.
The comprehensive and first-rate program is decisive in making this event the best of its kind in Europe, but other factors also play a role. Under the Animation Institute's lead, fmx has been able to garner an atmosphere in which students, companies and world-class speakers engage in heartfelt discussion. The spirit of fmx is entrenched in the participation that the visitors bring with them.
Guests looking for big names at fmx/08 were well rewarded: Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Aardman and other leading studios were present at numerous presentations. The vfx Ivy League was also in attendance with ILM, LucasArts, Framestore and Double Negative. And true global players Electronic Arts, Sony, Ubisoft and Crytek made a splash.
This year's particularly lush line-up is certainly a reflection of the partnership with VES (Visual Effects Society) who activated their outstanding list of contacts. And the companies weren't the only participants packing excellent credentials. Quite a few of speakers were winners of the Technical Achievement Award (often referred to as the "Tech-Oscar") or other renowned awards such as the Emmys. Their work demonstrates what VES chief Eric Roth's panel of experts substantiated: the borders between visual effects and animation are becoming blurred -- and the last vestiges of one-dimensional thinking is giving way to holistic approaches.
A hot topic that Alex McDowell addressed in his discussion round is the new "digital production space" that allows designer, camera operator and vfx supervisor to work together intensively from the very beginning of a project. Other participants in this revealing debate were VFX Senior Art Director Alex Laurent from LucasArts, Director of Photography and Lighting Sharon Calahan from Pixar (RATATOUILLE), VFX Supervisor Chris Watts (300, THE CORPSE BRIDE) and VFX Supervisor Sven Martin from Elektrofilm (DIE GUSTLOFF).
Young companies operating on the front line of technological developments are at least as important for the FMX program, most visibly in the series Media Future, Echtzeit and Digital Cinema, created by the Stuttgart Media University, as well as the fmx/artek exhibit. These important contributions offered a fascinating glimpse at what developments the world of CG have in store over the next few years.
Abundant, thought-provoking and informative assessments that met with evident enthusiasm: Well over 6,000 visitors from 40 countries descended on Stuttgart for fmx/08. In comparison to recent years, the number of visitors from Germany remained solid while the number of international guests continued to rise -- by more than 40 percent. A further indication of the high standards set at fmx: the percentage of decision-makers among the visitors also continued to grow, while maintaining the ideal proportion of two professionals to every one student.
Whether newcomer or conglomerate, two basic trends were undisputed.
The comprehensive and first-rate program is decisive in making this event the best of its kind in Europe, but other factors also play a role. Under the Animation Institute's lead, fmx has been able to garner an atmosphere in which students, companies and world-class speakers engage in heartfelt discussion. The spirit of fmx is entrenched in the participation that the visitors bring with them.
Guests looking for big names at fmx/08 were well rewarded: Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Aardman and other leading studios were present at numerous presentations. The vfx Ivy League was also in attendance with ILM, LucasArts, Framestore and Double Negative. And true global players Electronic Arts, Sony, Ubisoft and Crytek made a splash.
This year's particularly lush line-up is certainly a reflection of the partnership with VES (Visual Effects Society) who activated their outstanding list of contacts. And the companies weren't the only participants packing excellent credentials. Quite a few of speakers were winners of the Technical Achievement Award (often referred to as the "Tech-Oscar") or other renowned awards such as the Emmys. Their work demonstrates what VES chief Eric Roth's panel of experts substantiated: the borders between visual effects and animation are becoming blurred -- and the last vestiges of one-dimensional thinking is giving way to holistic approaches.
A hot topic that Alex McDowell addressed in his discussion round is the new "digital production space" that allows designer, camera operator and vfx supervisor to work together intensively from the very beginning of a project. Other participants in this revealing debate were VFX Senior Art Director Alex Laurent from LucasArts, Director of Photography and Lighting Sharon Calahan from Pixar (RATATOUILLE), VFX Supervisor Chris Watts (300, THE CORPSE BRIDE) and VFX Supervisor Sven Martin from Elektrofilm (DIE GUSTLOFF).
Young companies operating on the front line of technological developments are at least as important for the FMX program, most visibly in the series Media Future, Echtzeit and Digital Cinema, created by the Stuttgart Media University, as well as the fmx/artek exhibit. These important contributions offered a fascinating glimpse at what developments the world of CG have in store over the next few years.
Abundant, thought-provoking and informative assessments that met with evident enthusiasm: Well over 6,000 visitors from 40 countries descended on Stuttgart for fmx/08. In comparison to recent years, the number of visitors from Germany remained solid while the number of international guests continued to rise -- by more than 40 percent. A further indication of the high standards set at fmx: the percentage of decision-makers among the visitors also continued to grow, while maintaining the ideal proportion of two professionals to every one student.
Whether newcomer or conglomerate, two basic trends were undisputed.
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