2007 VES FESTIVAL OF VISUAL EFFECTS
June 7-10, 2007
Writers Guild Theater, 135 South Doheny Dr., Beverly Hills, CA
The VES Festival of Visual Effects has WRAPPED!
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VES was thrilled to present the 2007 VES Festival of Visual Effects at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills on the weekend of June 7-10th. Among the incredible panels and screenings presented, the highlight of the weekend was the official presentation of the VES 50: The Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time. View the VES 50 teaser trailer here!
To download a copy of the VES 50 program notes, by VES member Van Ling, click here [PDF].
Our extraordinary panel for the VES 50 included Academy Award-winners Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston, Doug Trumbull and John Dykstra and with moderator Academy Award-winner John Knoll. This incredible group of experts explored the top 50 films that have had “a significant, lasting impact on the practice and appreciation of visual effects as an integral, artistic element of cinematic expression and the storytelling process.” For a list of the entire VES 50, click here
Press inquires: contact Jason Grimley at Spelling Communications: jgrimley@spellcom.com or (310) 477-9500Thursday, June 7
7:00-10:00 OPENING NIGHT FESTIVAL PARTY
Friday, June 8
2:30-4:00: ACTIVISION PRESENTS: Rendering Cinematic Game Experiences in Real Time
Games and films are increasingly sharing the same techniques. Learn how Activision creates cinematic game play, believable characters and realistic game environments in real time for such games as Spider-Man 3, Call of Duty 3 and Tony Hawk’s Project 8.5:00-6:30: VFX FOR SPECIAL VENUES
Visual effects for special venues, from IMAX 3D to theme-park rides, are an art almost unto to themselves. This panel of pioneering special venue experts will give you the low down on what keeps them, and their work,aton the cutting edge of visual effects production.7:30-10:00: SURF’S UP Screening (Sony Pictures Imageworks) with Q&A
Saturday, June 9
10:00-11:30: SPIDER-MAN 3
The third installment of the Academy Award-winning Spider-Man franchise brought with it some of the series’ biggest challenges yet – and not just for the film’s super hero! Topping the dynamic action of previous installments was only the beginning for a vfx team faced with villains formed from alien goo and ever-shifting sand. Hear how they pulled it off from the people who made it happen!1:00-2:30: THE ART OF THE MINIATURE: WHAT CAN YOU GET ME IN TWO WEEKS?
Learn how miniature effects are called upon like the proverbial cavalry to come riding in to save a picture with a visual effect. See when miniatures are built and shot on short schedules to give movies that "Wow" factor at the last minute. Also, a special surprise "Behind the Magic" featurette!3:30-5:00: PRE-VIZ: ALL THE INS AND OUTS
Going far beyond conceptual artwork and storyboards, animatics are produced by dedicated pre-viz companies and artists (as well as art directors, effects supervisors and the directors themselves), to help filmmakers zero in on their creative vision while providing studios and producers with a concrete guide for budgeting and production. Once seen as a luxury, pre-visualization has become a mature tool and part of most every visual effects production. Join a panel of pre-viz veterans as they discuss the challenges of the design process, with plenty of eye-opening examples of how "visual drafts" are created.6:00-7:30: VFX MANIPULATION: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY
Visual effects technology has made virtually anything possible: long-dead actors can dance with vacuum cleaners or speak new dialogue; young actors can be inserted into films made before they were born; product placement can be added in post-production, circumventing the artistic stance of the directors; performances can even be altered without the input of the cast. While many of these techniques are being used to make films better and more to their creators' vision, it can be a slippery slope. Join the VES on a raucous and freewheeling journey through this digital frontier, with examples, opinions, and plenty of controversy.8:30-10:00: VFX GUILTY PLEASURES with JOE DANTE In-Person!!!
Join us on a fun-filled tour through the grindhouse world of guilty cult movie pleasures and the VFX that made them possible. See some of the stuff that you laughed at years ago and said to yourself, “Gee they’re really gonna show that?” Revisit some old cinematic memories and sit in ultimate judgment with the hindsight of age and experience. Above all, act superior!Sunday, June 10
10:00-11:30: SHREK THROUGH THE AGES
With Shrek, the storytellers and artists of DreamWorks Animation have created one of the biggest animation franchises in history, bringing Shrek’s world to life in three cohesive chapters. In the first movie, Shrek fell in love and married Fiona, in Shrek 2 he met the parents and in Shrek the Third he faced a whole new set of challenges. Meet some of the original creators of these beloved characters and learn how they continued to raise the bar from movie to movie to create some of the most stunning visuals in computer animation today. Come hear the war stories animators had to face and take a humorous peak behind the scenes into the world of Shrek.12:30-2:30: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: A VFX VOYAGE
Set sail for an epic exploration of the cutting edge technology and dashing storytelling that made Pirates of the Caribbean one of the most successful movie franchises of all time.3:30-5:30: THE VES 50: THE MOST INFLUENTIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FILMS OF ALL TIME
The VES 50 celebrates those films that have had a significant, lasting impact on the practice and appreciation of visual effects as an integral, artistic element of cinematic expression and the storytelling process. In this sure to be talked about panel, a distinguished panel of legendary visual effect supervisors share their thoughts on the list of 50 films voted on by VES members. A treasure trove of dazzling clips and behind the scenes reminiscences will make this the must-see event of the festival.6:30-8:30: VES 50 Screening: 2001: A Space Odyssey with DOUG TRUMBULL In-Person!!!
A special presentation by Doug Trumbull on the making of 2001 followed by a screening of Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece.