Vegas Fest 2024, organised by Tamil Nadu’s VEGAS (The Visual Effects-Game-Animation Society) kicked off the first day of the two-day festival, bringing government officials, renowned AVGC-XR industry leaders and other stakeholders under one roof. Taking place on 28 and 29 September at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it recorded a massive footfall of 3000 plus attendees on its first day.
The inaugural day commenced with a welcome address by VEGAS president Bejoy Arputharaj. It was followed by the lamp lighting ceremony in the presence of the event’s chief guest TN WeSafe project director & IAS officer M. Prathap and guests of honour which included Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation project director Raj Kumar, Image Group of Educational Institutes founder chairman K Kumar, and other special invitees. Prathap felt glad to see the young crowd attending the event as the AVGC sector has immense potentials in near future.
“The VEGAS association is a forerunner in bringing the industry very close to the students. They bring a lot of insights to the government to finetune our initiatives,” said Raj Kumar. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Government of India Dr. L Murugan who graced the occasion also congratulated the VEGAS members for putting up an event bringing the industry people amidst the students.
The event had an amazing lineup of sessions on AR, VR, insights on creation of movies such as Kalki 2898 AD, animating everyday objects and so on.
The first session in the main hall on Masterclass by MPC Showcasing Behind-The-Scenes Visual Effects From Leo – explored the technical and visual mastery of the action packed Thalapathy Vijay film. The masterclass by Technicolor Group creative director Rajarajan Ramakrishnan provided viewers with an inside look on how some of the most electrifying moments in the film were enhanced with the power of VFX.
The event progressed with the session titled Eizo’s Role in Revolutionising Gaming, VFX And Animation Studios Worldwide With its Colour Accuracy And Precision. Eizo managing director and CEO Rohan Chahande highlighted how Eizo’s premium computer displays and monitors are a game changing peripheral for animation studios and gaming enthusiasts alike. The session showcased the visual prowess of the company’s flagship products and how they add visual flair and enhancements to activities such as gaming as well as animation and VFX creation.
Building The Future: Leveraging Gaming, AR & VR Sector for Enhanced Experience session explored how AR, VR and gaming offer a more innovative approach to storytelling compared to other mediums and how they provide more freedom to the storyteller. The speakers were Chennai Games CEO Mohan Doss, Madras Mindworks co-founder & director Satya Priyan and Cavin Infotech immersive technology director Jainaressh BC, while Hero Vired program director Ajay Kumar moderated the discussion.
The panellists pointed out how gamification and usage of AR & VR can break the monotony of mundane work. They also stressed the importance of a mixed skillset and not narrowing oneself towards learning different engines and softwares.
The next session for the day, Key Advantages For The AVGC Sector in Fostering Government Collaboration explored the benefits and advantages of partnering with the government for the AVGC-XR industry. The discussion included speakers like Veloces AVGC education management Puneet Sharma, Guidance Tamil Nadu associate VP Kuhan Madhan, educationist & mediaprenueur ABAI B.S. Srinivas and Toonz Media Group CEO P. Jayakumar. It was moderated by Khimesara Institute of Visual Media and Design senior managing director Sanjay Khimesara.
In Bridging The Gap Between Filmmakers and VFX Technical Execution, Cinegence CEO Stephen Mascarenhas and Resonance Digital co-founder and CEO Abhyuday Grover discussed how VFX helps bridge the gap between a filmmaker’s vision and the final produced result in a film. They both mentioned that VFX is all about “creative agreement” between the director and the VFX supervisor. Perfection can be achieved when they find the right balance.
This was followed by the session Business Opportunities in The UK for Creative Sector which threw light on the myriad of business opportunities in the United Kingdom for the AVGC-XR sector. The session was helmed by British Deputy High Commission business and trade department inward invest senior advisor Sundheep Balu and adviser Swetha Ratnasabhapathi. They explained how the AVGC-XR industry can find opportunities to thrive in the UK.
Next up was the Creation of The Mystical Shambala Sequence in Kalki 2898 AD by DNEG presentation where the experts from the DNEG India studio head A. R. Seshaprasad, lighting supervisor Sankar Rajendran, compositing supervisors Karthik Chandrasekar and Kiran ES shared an inside look into how the surreal Shambala sequence in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi epic film was created. The VFX giant delved deep into how they brought to life various sequences like the tree of life, Manas’ military armada, raider’s arc and so on.
The event moved further with a panel on VFX Business Models and Revenue Streams that entrepreneurs can leverage if they plan to get into the industry. The panel featured eminent professionals from the VFX industry like 88 Pictures co-founder and COO Aby John, Famous Studios managing director Anant Roongta, Nube Cirrus founder Navin Shetty, Polyphonic Technologies CEO/creative head Prashant Thakur. They explored the complexities of VFX businesses and how professionals can successfully navigate the market. The session was moderated by NY VFXWaala business head Yogesh Chhag.
The next session titled, The Importance of Establishing a CoE in the AVGC Industry and Its Expected Outcomes highlighted the significance of having CoEs (Centre of Excellence) to train the next generation of animators, game developers and VFX professionals as well as to provide adequate funding to rising startups in the sector. The speakers for the session included Veloces AVGC education management Puneet Sharma, Studio Stree COO Shiji Sunil, Brimbus Production creative visualiser Srikanth V and World Design Council country head Philip Thomas. The session was moderated by Davinci Media College founder and Digital Magic Visuals MD Arul Moorthy.
The first day of VEGAS Fest 2024 witnessed an interesting session on Animating With Objects: Everyday Items as Characters in Stop Motion by Praveen Chrispugg. The animation filmmaker explained how mundane objects hide beautiful stories in them. It was an engaging session mixed with showcase of short stop motion films and creative activities. Sharing his piece of advise for the young aspirants, Chrispugg shared, “Animation is not just about moving objects. You have to put yourself inside the object to understand its as a character and tell a good story.”
In the Women Pioneers: Celebrating Achievements of Women Who Have Paved The Way in The AVGC Industry panel, successful ladies deliberated how gender biases cannot be a deciding factor as they all believe that, not just in AVGC industry but everywhere, emotional balance and a sense of fulfillment makes a person successful. The session featured speakers like ILM executive in charge Kiran Prasad, Bigfatphoenix interactive game designer lead Pavitra Sridhar and Quantifies Logistics assistant vice president HR Priyanka Gurav in conversation with Hoop VFX founder and MD Priyanka Balasubramanium.
The session was followed by Behind The Magic of Leo: A Technical Breakdown on how the full CG car chase scene was brought to life, by PhantomFX senior creative lead Asif Bhushan. The final session for the day was Unveiling the VFX Techniques Used in Aranmanai 4. The showcase featured Knack Studio co-founder & president Harish Ram and his team members Azhagu Raj Pandian and Satheesh.
The inaugural day of VEGAS Fest 2024 ended on a high note as it included various interesting discussions, visual effects breakdowns and masterclasses. This festival gave amazing networking opportunities to the attendees.
(The article has been jointly written by Suyash Daundkar and Binita Das)