Preparations for fmx/07, the 12th International conference on Animation, Effects, Realtime and Content, has a new advisory board, and The Haus der Wirtschaft in Stuttgart will once again host the international digital community from May 1-4, 2007.
The website has been updated and companies are welcome to participate in fmx/forum, fmx/workshops or fmx/recruiting. You can receive a special offer until Dec. 31.
Joining the fmx/07 team are: * David Sproxton: co-founder/exec chairman of Aardman Animations Ltd, which has produced such land-mark films as the Oscar-winning short CREATURE COMFORTS, CHICKEN RUN, WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERERABBIT and FLUSHED AWAY. He is also on the Board of the UK Film Council and the National Film Television School.* Paul Debevec: Institute for Creative Technologies, University of Southern California, who has been instrumental in developing various techniques that are now indispensable to digital production, including HDRI-based lighting, the light-stage and image-based mesh construction. His research has been directly integrated into films such as SPIDER-MAN, THE MATRIX, X-MEN and THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA.* Laura Dohrmann: global marketing manager, Digital Film, NVIDIA Inc., who is engaged in driving realtime and visualization technology and offering training and support in communities of digital graphics artists around the world.* Kevin Geiger: Parallel to his responsibilities as Computer Graphics supervisor at Walt Disney, Geiger co-founded and manages the non-profit Animation Co-op, a meeting place dedicated to providing independent animators with a communication platform and educational opportunities.* Christophe Héry: lead Research & Development engineer at Industrial Light & Magic and recipient of the Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures for his work on skin and other translucent materials in 2003.* Nico Hofmann: co-founded teamWorx in 1988, which has since produced more than 100 films for broadcast and theatrical release. He also teaches numerous classes internationally and in Germany, where is professor of the feature film department at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg.* Ed Hooks: pioneered the teaching of acting theory to animators and is the author of the bestselling book ACTING FOR ANIMATORS. His most recent book is ACTING IN ANIMATION: A LOOK AT 12 FILMS.* Isaac Kerlow: a computer animation pioneer and author of THE ART OF 3D COMPUTER ANIMATION AND EFFECTS. In keeping with a career-long commitment to education, which began at Pratt Institute in New York, he is now the founding Dean of the School of Art, Design and Media at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is also director of a feature film being produced by Dygra studios in Spain.* Henry LaBounta: chief visual officer EA SPORTS/Electronic Arts and former vfx supervisor at PDI/DreamWorks* Alex McDowell: an innovative production designer and advocate of progressive film design, and has recently worked on BEE MOVIE, BREAKING AND ENTERING, CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and THE CORPSE BRIDE.* Stéphane Natkin: professor and member of the administrative board at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) in Paris, France. He heads the Graduate School of Games and Interactive Media (ENJMIN) and the Network System and Multimedia research group at the computer science research laboratory (CEDRIC).* Shelley Page: European recruiter for DreamWorks Animation and one of the pioneers of the industry, having contributed to WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? and the DreamWorks Animation studio.* Gabriele Röthemeyer: md Medien -- und Filmgesellschaft Baden- Württemberg mbH, division film promotion.* Klaus Haasis: director Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg's Medienentwicklung supports the development of the region's creative industries by sponsoring innovative technologies, transfer of technology, networking and cluster management as well as domestic and international marketing.* Jean-Michel Blottière: founder/ceo NX Publishing, and has accompanied the world of gaming as a journalist and editor since 1982 and has invaluable experience both in broadcast and festival programming. * Michael Schmetz: renowned for his participation in founding the European trade fair Cartoon Movie, which takes place annually in Potsdam, Germany. He also consults top feature film and animation companies such as NFP teleart, Egoli Tossell Film AG, Motionworks and Studio SOI and is spokesman for the recently founded German Assoc. for Animation Producers (VdAP).
fmx/07 (www.fmx.de) is organized by the Institute of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Postproduction, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. It is generously supported by the Staatsministerium Baden-Württemberg, the Wirtschaftsministerium Baden-Württemberg, the MFG Medien -- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg and the FFA German Federal Film Board.
fmx/07 partners include the 14th Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, ACM SIGGRAPH, NXPublishing, the Stuttgart Media University (HdM) and Gobelins, Lécole de limage.
fmx/07 event partners are Eyes & Ears of Europe, sagasnet and flash conference.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
