The first ever symposium on Animation and Visual Effects to be held in Wellington, New Zealand, called AnimfxNZ, will be launched Nov. 4-5, with the Visual Effects Society (VES) as a partner.
We were thrilled to be invited by Positively Wellington Business to play a role in this exciting event, said Eric Roth, exec director of the VES. This will be an opportunity for Los Angeles and the rest of the world to see first hand all the cool things that New Zealand is up to.
The symposium will feature cutting edge technology and a range of leading industry experts from New Zealand and overseas who will bring together business leaders and professionals in multi-media production at the Illott Centre in Wellington.
President of Warner Bros. Feature Animation Sander Schwartz is confirmed as a keynote speaker, as is Tim Johnson, the director of DreamWorks OVER THE HEDGE and 1998s ANTZ.
The principal sponsor of the symposium is IBM. Other sponsors are New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Weta Digital, Park Road Post and the Foundation of Research, Science and Technology.
More details, a full program list, and registration are now available at www.animfxnz.com.
One of Hollywoods youngest organizations, the VES (www.visualeffectssociety.com) was formed in 1997 in response to the explosive growth in the visual effects industry. It is a professional, honorary society, dedicated to advancing the arts, sciences, and applications of visual effects and to improving the welfare of its members by providing professional enrichment and education, fostering community, and promoting industry recognition. The VES is the entertainment industrys only organization representing the full breadth of visual effects practitioners including artists, technologists, model makers, educators, studio leaders, supervisors, PR/marketing specialists and producers in all areas of entertainment from film, television and commercials to music videos and games. Comprised of a diverse group of about 1,400 global members, the VES strives to enrich and educate its own members and members of the entertainment community at large through a multitude of domestic and international events, screenings and programs.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
