The conference program for effectsMTL18 (5-6 June 2018), was announced on 16 May 2018 during a presentation at INIS, in the presence of programme chair Marie-Odile Demay, Connection Events sales manager Marie Gislais, Digital Dimension head of technologies Pierre Blaizeau, and also INIS managing director Michel G. Desjardins.
Forty conferences fall into four themed tracks : VFX an animation study cases, Collaboration, Technologies, and Real time/AR/VR
Three keynote highlights are Avengers : Infinity War, Blade Runner 2049 and “streaming”
For the much-anticipated evening keynote Phil Cramer, animation director for Digital Domain, will share his expertise on the creation of the Thanos character in Avengers : Infinity War on Tuesday evening. The Marvel theme will also be discussed at the very end of the afternoon before the Nocturne, thanks to a case study presented by overall VFX supervisor at Marvel Studios Geoffrey Baumann and VFX supervisor at Scanline VFX Bryan Grill, about Black Panther : the making of Wakanda’s Warrior Falls.
Atomic Fiction co-founder Kevin Baillie will launch the event Tuesday morning at 9 am with his opening keynote on the topic, Binge Watch: How streaming content is shaping our industry. The closing conference of the two-day event will be presented by VFX supervisor for Framestore, and Oscar-winner for the best VFX in feature film Blade Runner 2049, Richard Hoover. Several artists who have worked on Black Panther, The Shape of Water and IT will showcase their creative process.
Animation will also be highlighted thanks to top-quality conferences presented by On Animation, Mikros, Animal Logic and Cinesite.
Increasing expertise and developing skills with three Master Classes on major software
On the technology side, software editors will present some new features, among them Pixar RenderMan, Side FX and Foundry. On Tuesday, 4 June 2018, a full schedule of conferences will be focusing on real time study cases and sessions held by Eidos, Epic Games, Imaginary Spaces and Digital Dimension. Nvidia will join the program with a talk about the use of artificial intelligence in animation. In collaboration with INIS, three master classes will take place prior to the conference, on Monday, 3 June 2018 on the premises of INIS. The classes are designed for junior or senior level professionals wanting to increase their skills in creature design (Madeleine Spencer), in compositing (Mathieu Brodeur) and in motion control in visual effects (Andrew Lowell).
Bringing together the people from the industry: resources and technologies
For two days, networking, career fair, and mentoring sessions are designed to spotlight the VFX community from Montreal as well as internationally. Forty exhibitors representing major VFX studios and software technology providers will have booths to showcase their expertise. A career fair will facilitate match-making between artists and recruiters. Mentoring sessions are arranged for junior collaborators to have their work reviewed by senior level professionals.
Rates for effectsMTL18
Expo pass: $CAD15 – access to Expo conferences, keynotes and show floor, including Tuesday night
Premium pass: $CAD295 – Expo pass access + access to Premium conferences + access to Premium lounge
Masterclass: $CAD595 – Premium pass access + 1 Masterclass on 4 June 2018
Ticketing is now open online on effectMTL’s official website. effectsMTL18 will take place on 5 and 6 June 2018 at the Palais des Congres in Montreal, Canada.
