Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH and the Vancouver International Film Centre present: SPARK VFX '08
Celebrating Innovation and Inspiration in Visual Effects
January 30 – February 4, 2008
www.spark.siggraph.ca
Featuring a selection of 9 of the most influential visual effects (VFX) films in the history of cinema, and a series of speaker events given by film industry veterans, SPARK celebrates the history of innovation in VFX, and the films which have inspired the work of the next generation of effects artists. The films have been chosen from the "VES 50", a list of the 50 most influential and inspiring VFX films as selected by the members of the Visual Effects Society.
OPENING NIGHT: PANEL DISCUSSION
Wednesday - January 30, 7:00
Innovation & Inspiration: The Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time
Members: $10 // Regular: $20 // Groups (10+): $15
Larry Bafia hosts a panel of visual effects veterans as they talk about the films they've made, and the films that have inspired them. Ed Jones spent years at ILM - the undisputed champion of visual effects throughout the 80's and 90's - where he led the VFX teams on titles such as The Witches of Eastwick and Terminator 2: Judgement Day. He also won an Academy award for leading the Visual Effects team on Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Frank Vitz was one of the first people to ever create digital effects for film when he worked as a programmer and animator on TRON. Later he went on to develop software for Judge Dredd and to work as an visual effects supervisor on the X-Men series. George Borshukov turned the spawned dozens of imitators when we worked on The Matrix series where he developed the bullet time techniques that would become the trilogy's signature, and for which he won an Academy Technical Achievement Award. He also worked on the painterly effects seen in What Dreams May Come. Join us for an evening of discussion as these four film makers look back on the history of visual effects cinema.
Panellists:
• George Borshukov (The Matrix Trilogy, What Dreams May Come, MI2...)
• Paul Debevec (Peter Jackson's King Kong, Spider-Man II & III, Superman Returns...)
• Ed Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Empire Strikes Back, Who Framed Roger Rabbit...)
• Frank Vitz (Tron, Stargate, X-Men, X2...)
Moderator: Larry Bafia (Mars Attacks, MI2, Antz...)
SPEAKER SESSIONS
Saturday - February 2, 9:00 am
Inside the Visual Effects Industry with Alastair Macleod
Members: $10 // Regular: $20 // Groups (10+): $15
Course Outline:
Alastair will take you on the journey of how he went from working on never-to-be-seen tv pilots to working on some of the largest Visual Effects Films of our time. He will give inside knowledge of how the visual effects industry works and will be available to answer questions.
Saturday - February 2, 10:45 am
KONG: The 8th Wonder of the World with Ken Priebe & Brett Purmal
Members: $10 // Regular: $20 // Groups (10+): $15
Course Outline:
Join animators Ken Priebe and Brett Purmal for a discussion on the legacy of King Kong. This presentation will cover the history of the original 1933 film which started an entire genre of film making spectacles, and provided the inspiration for most people still working in the industry today. Come and see a limited edition replica of an actual King Kong armature re-created by the WETA Workshop, and hear about the presenters' experiences meeting Ray Harryhausen, who worked with Kong's original creator Willis O'Brien.
Saturday - February 2, 1:00 pm
Building Digital Dinosaurs the First Time with Eric Armstrong
Members: $10 // Regular: $20 // Groups (10+): $15
Course Outline:
It's been fifteen years since the release of Jurassic Park and in that time many of the approaches pioneered on the film have become common practice…but in 1993 they were all new. The average person was more likely to see techniques such as inverse kinematics, enveloping and 3D texture painting in a Siggraph presentation, not a feature film. Building Digital Dinosaurs the First Time will attempt to shed some light on the foils and fears faced by the effects crew as they attempted to create terrifyingly believable, digital monsters for the first time.
Saturday - February 2, 2:45 pm
Reality Through the Lens of the 'Camera': Compositing for Transformers & Pirates of the Caribbean with Brian Connor
Members: $10 // Regular: $20 // Groups (10+): $15
Course Outline:
Brian will be sharing some complex shot breakdowns from his recent work on Pirates of the Caribbean and Transformers, two blockbuster effects films from ILM. He will also share some insights into learning to see as a compositor, and how to learn to 'see' through the lens of an imaginary camera.
Saturday - February 2, 4:30 pm
The Making of The Matrix Bullet Time: The Original Story & Techniques with George Borshukov
Members: $10 // Regular: $20 // Groups (10+): $15
Course Outline:
The presentation will focus on covering the background, techniques, and challenges that brought together one of the most famous and imitated visual effects of the last decade. The talk will feature rare behind of scene imagery and videos from the presenter's personal archives.
Official Website: http://spark.siggraph.ca