There was a limit to the lighting range for the opening sequence because it occurs at sunset and gradually becomes darker.
Audiences were introduced to what appeared to be a ritualistic murder in the Southern heat of the Louisiana delta for the debut of the HBO anthology series True Detective, then headed to the Far North to encounter a bizarre collection of frozen bodies in Alaska for the fourth season titled True Detective: Night Country, which features a cast of Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, Fiona Shaw, Finn Bennett, Isabella star LaBlanc, Christopher Eccleston and John Hawkes. Taking over the roles of showrunner and director was Issa López, who brought on Barney Curnow as Production VFX Supervisor to oversee the visual effects work, with one of the major contributors being Cinesite, which handled 140 shots spanning five of the six episodes that consisted of the series-opening caribou herd, a roaming polar bear and Ennis, Alaska.
“Barney Curnow’s approach to the visual effects on True Detective: Night Country was to have a light touch, respecting the feel and tone of the cinematography and production design. He didn’t want anyone to be talking about the visual effects afterwards because that would mean they had been brought out of the world we were trying to create.”
Extensive environment work was required throughout the season to convincingly recreate the Alaskan territory and terrain.
“Barney Curnow’s approach to the visual effects on True Detective: Night Country was to have a light touch, respecting the feel and tone of the cinematography and production design,” explains Simon Stanley-Clamp, Visual Effects Supervisor at Cinesite. “He didn’t want anyone to be talking about the visual effects afterwards because that would mean they had been brought out of the world we were trying to create. A lot of the work was world-building because the story takes place in this particular environment of Ennis, Alaska, a fictional town. It’s almost its own character, and we were piecing together this environment using disparate locations and set builds, and using visual effects as the glue to bring it all together, and to expand that world.” Snow was a significant natural element ranging from incidental to a blizzard. Stanley-Clamp explains, “The challenge with this type of work is maintaining continuity throughout the sequence, ensuring that the effect builds over time and conveys the story while also incorporating any nuances in the live-action plates. For instance, a small gust of wind catching the hood of Chief Liz Danvers’ [Jodi Foster] car could initiate a slight change in the simulation. The show is predominantly dark with all the exteriors taking place in darkness, which required some adjustment. We integrated environments and extended Ennis town, often using tiny pinpricks of light to guide the viewer’s attention along a road or to the base of a mountain range. We utilized the torchlight beam from Danvers to illuminate the snowstorm she encounters, with much of the background snow fading into complete darkness.”
The caribou sequence underwent a comprehensive development process, starting with the script followed by storyboards, animatics and a cut comprising of live-action natural history footage.
“A lot of the work was world-building because the story takes place in this particular environment of Ennis, Alaska, a fictional town. It’s almost its own character, and we were piecing together this environment using disparate locations and set builds, and using visual effects as the glue to bring it all together, and to expand that world.”
Despite the desolate wintry landscape, animals can be found roaming with some of them deciding to visit the streets of Ennis. “Creating the polar bear was a delightful experience,” Stanley-Clamp states. “We meticulously crafted a detailed sculpt, groom and creature effects. Knowing that she would be prominently featured in a long, lingering shot, we initially designed her to be very skinny, as per the script, but Issa later requested that she be bulked up a bit to enhance her presence and create a more familiar silhouette for the viewers. I view the polar bear similarly to how we perceive foxes in the U.K.; they emerge at night, roam our streets and scavenge for food. In the two scenes where the polar bear appears, it simply wanders through, searching for its next meal. The caribou sequence underwent a comprehensive development process, starting with the script, followed by storyboards, animatics and a cut comprised of live-action natural history footage. We combined footage of caribou, deer, reindeer and any other relevant animals to convey the story. Silver Studios created a refined previs in collaboration with Barney and production, which helped solidify the final concept.”
Cinesite took photographic reference of reindeer in Hampshire as they are similar to caribou, which informed every aspect, from the groom to the lighting to movement.
“Subsequently,” Stanley-Clamp continues, “we commenced work on the sequence, developing still concepts for the environment. We began with production footage and expanded upon it, ultimately retaining only the section of terrain where the hunter was positioned. Integrating this element into our final shot granted us complete control over the lighting of the environment, allowing us to have the sun descend below the horizon by the end of the sequence, heralding the permanent night that persists throughout all six episodes. The charging herd of caribou was a combination of hand-animated and crowd-simulated elements, depending on the number of animals in the shot. Super close-up details of the main caribou showcased the groom, complemented by Houdini breath effects and atmospheric elements.”
“The show is predominantly dark with all the exteriors taking place in darkness, which required some adjustment. We integrated environments and extended Ennis town, often using tiny pinpricks of light to guide the viewer’s attention along a road or to the base of a mountain range. We utilized the torchlight beam from Danvers to illuminate the snowstorm she encounters, with much of the background snow fading into complete darkness.”
No major alternations had to be made to the pipeline. “This was the first show to fully utilize USD at Cinesite, ultimately giving greater flexibility to our pipeline, sharing and tracking work through various packages; it was more of a background change to our internal architecture,” Stanley-Clamp explains. “Principal photography took place in Iceland, doubling for Alaska; which meant that by the time we were looking at sequences, there was already a cutting copy and footage for us to look over. After initially bidding on boards and concepts, we pretty quickly received an animatic and previsualization. For the bigger sequences, like the creature animation, Barney tried to get as much in front of Issa for feedback as early as possible, starting with animatics, timing out the storyboards and then previs before anything was filmed. This worked well for the polar bear sequences, which ended up on screen pretty much as the previs. The opening sequence with the caribou, however, went on more of a journey because, unsurprisingly, we couldn’t find any reference of caribou leaping off a cliff to their death! For the look of Ennis and its surrounds, we had a lot of references from [Production Designer] Daniel Taylor’s art department look book, as well as the photography and drone work from Alaska itself. Daniel had a map of the whole town of Ennis, which we used as the basis for the really wide DMPs, and we also took that map and built it out into a wider environment.”
The effects caches for the polar bear in Episode 404 totalled 15.6 terabytes of data.
Extensive environment work was required to turn Iceland into Alaska. “Distant mountain ranges were added to the background, leading down to the town, to the outskirts of which extend out to the frozen open expanse of sea and to a perpetual snowy wilderness,” Stanley-Clamp states. “A blizzard approaches around the end of Episode 404, which continues into the following episodes. We matched closely what they had created and filmed on set. They had fake snow with smoke pumped into it, blown in with fans, and we needed to augment and extend that. It looked like fine particulate mist rather than snow and we needed it to match it. We created it using volumetric mist, CG effects, adding in snow particulate to bulk it out, and adjusting the speed, density and depth.”
“Besides weather simulations, digital breath was added throughout the season to reflect the frigid, chilly atmosphere. Bears are warm-blooded creatures, and when we see it peering through Danvers’ driver’s-side window, it breathes on the glass, pausing before walking away. It is an unnerving moment; breath was added to the side window, which evaporates to reveal the bear looking in.”
Initially, the polar bear was skinny, as per the script, but later redesigned and bulked up to enhance her presence and create a more familiar silhouette for the viewers.
“Moving away from snow to fire simulations,” Stanley-Clamp remarks, “there’s a sequence towards the end of the season where Danvers is in a warehouse, and there is a fire with sparks floating around. There are embers coming off a bonfire, and when we first see them, they are real. But they need to help tell the story, to lead Danvers through a warehouse, so from a certain point they are visual effects. When she finds an open door, we added the snow blowing through it. Besides weather simulations, digital breath was added throughout the season to reflect the frigid, chilly atmosphere. Bears are warm-blooded creatures, and when we see it peering through Danvers’ driver’s-side window, it breathes on the glass, pausing before walking away. It is an unnerving moment; breath was added to the side window, which evaporates to reveal the bear looking in.”
Initial versions of the groom for the polar bear were more shaggy, long and greasy; however, the final version was cleaner and carefully adjusted not to be too cute or fluffy.
The biggest challenge was the landscape for opening caribou sequence. “The valley was in five shots that we keep coming back to in the cut,” Stanley-Clamp describes. “We were creating an environment, which was based on a plate that didn’t satisfy the brief. We needed to create something new but not completely different, and there was the uncertainty of not knowing whether the client would like it. We needed to find a sweet spot where it looked similar but better. That was tricky because there were a lot of people who have spent a lot of time finding that location, dressing it and filming it. You need to be sensitive to that but do the right thing for the sequence. Of course, the caribou and polar bear were also difficult. Cinesite has created monsters and otherworldly creatures for countless episodic and feature film productions previously. With fantastical creatures, there is no existing audience expectation about what they might see. However, with realism you have the additional challenge that people think they know what something should look like, which is in many respects harder. I am incredibly proud of the whole team for its work on True Detective: Night Country, which I believe raises the bar in terms of quality and realism.”
Production built a relatively small set featuring the Creation Pools and a circle of columns encircling them.
The Pool of Life sequence is rooted in Choctaw lore where the act of drawing water from the Pool of Life starts a transformation within their world and themselves, eventually turning them into humans.
Set five years after the events of the 2021 Disney+ mini-series Hawkeye, the origin story of Echo follows Maya Lopez as she returns to her hometown in Oklahoma where she is confronted with her troubled past. To move forward with her life, she must reconnect with her Native American roots and embrace the meaning of family and community. Alaqua Cox reprises her Hawkeye role as Maya Lopez/Echo for the sequel.
“In terms of the cave’s look and feel, we had initial concepts from our first designs, but we weren’t sure about our final approach, nor the extent of the virtual set we were going to have to build. My priority, working with CG Supervisor David Liu, was to make sure that our environment felt as real as possible, within reason. Creating this mythical cave was tricky, since we were aiming for realism without good real-world references. This balancing act is always a challenge, so we began experimenting.”
—Aladino Debert, Visual Effects Supervisor, Digital Domain
Aladino Debert served as Digital Domain Visual Effects Supervisor on the show, which streams on Disney+ and Hulu. “The show essentially had two incarnations,” Debert explains. “We originally started in the summer of 2022 doing concept designs and some R&D for the main sequences assigned to us at the time; things like building assets for the ‘Creation Cave’ and digi-doubles for the main Choctaw characters. Then, suddenly, the show was put on hold by the studio and production was stopped. We feared the show was gone for good.” Debert continues, “But six months later, around April 2023, after I’d finished work on Citadel for Amazon, production restarted with a different client-side VFX supervisor and producer team. Having previously worked on Ms. Marvel, I was familiar to the studio, and given my previous, albeit brief, experience with part one of the show, I started work once again.”
There were around a dozen ancestors adorned with clay makeup and wearing underwear that needed to be removed by the roto/paint team, led by Cynthia Trevino.
The close-up shot of Chafa’s hands turned out to be the most stress-inducing shot in the entire show for Debert and his team. They studied time-lapses of dried mud to understand the process.
Debert knew that Digital Domain were mostly going to be involved with the main creation sequence for Episode 01. “Those sequences had been shot already, so we had plates, if not necessarily a locked cut.” Debert says. “Production built a relatively small set featuring the Creation Pools and a circle of columns encircling them. The legend revolves around the ancestors, moulded from clay, emerging from the pools and gathering around Chafa, the first to appear. The sequence is rooted in Choctaw lore, where the act of drawing water from the Pools of Life starts a transformation within their world and themselves, eventually turning them into humans. That, in a nutshell, is the essence of the story.”
“In terms of the cave’s look and feel, we had initial concepts from our first designs, but we weren’t sure about our final approach, nor the extent of the virtual set we were going to have to build,” he continues. “My priority, working with CG Supervisor David Liu, was to make sure that our environment felt as real as possible, within reason. Creating this mythical cave was tricky, since we were aiming for realism without good real-world references. This balancing act is always a challenge, so we began experimenting.”
Visual Effects Supervisor Aladino Debert worked alongside CG Supervisor David Liu to make sure that the environment felt as real as possible, within reason. It was a constant challenge creating a mythical cave while aiming for realism, which resulted in some experimentation.
Debert and his team created around 100 visual effects shots for the show. A cultural consultant from the Choctaw people was on set throughout production due to cultural sensitivities and to ensure missteps were avoided.
Debert and his team looked at lots of caves for reference. “We also looked at glow worms for inspiration since we wanted a bioluminescent, almost nebula-like appearance to the ceiling. It was an evolutionary process as designs often are. That’s why we studied real-life elements found in caves, such as crystal formations, stalactites, stalagmites and so on. For the exterior shots, the story required the clay ancestors to become human,so we knew that the process of the clay drying up, cracking and revealing the human underneath was crucial. We primarily studied time-lapses of dried mud to understand the process. From there, our effects artists, led by FX Supervisor Jaymie Miguel, went to work.”
When it came to managing the workload with his team, Debert approached the project the same way he always does. “To start a project well-prepared, a great producer is essential, and I had the fortune to collaborate with VFX Producer Ryan Wilk on this show. I’m systematic about certain things, and once you’ve been doing this for a while, you realize most projects have similarities,” he remarks.
From left: Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin and Darnell Besaw as young Maya Lopez.
“First off, when we receive the turnover of plates, our initial steps involve identifying camera roto/paint needs,” Debert adss. “Camera tracking was straightforward, but, for instance, the women playing the clay ancestors had patches on their nipples, and everyone had underwear on, as one would expect. So, although the makeup team’s work was amazing, there was no way to conceal the fact that you could see what they were wearing. So our roto/paint team, led by Cynthia Trevino, got to work on the task of removing everybody’s underwear. There were maybe 12 or 14 ancestors all adorned with clay makeup and wearing underwear that needed to be removed. We also had to devise a system for color correction that could target specific areas of the clay without appearing too obvious. It was a mix of roto and comp tricks to make sure that we could darken or shift the hue of certain sections. Dealing with a single person who wasn’t moving much would’ve not been a big deal, but once you have 12 or more with motion blur, it became quite the challenge.”
Alaqua Cox reprised her role from Hawkeye as Maya Lopez/Echo. (Photo: Chuck Zlotnick)
“We also looked at glow worms for inspiration since we wanted a bioluminescent, almost nebula-like appearance to the ceiling [of the cave]. It was an evolutionary process as designs often are. That’s why we studied real-life elements found in caves, such as crystal formations, stalactites, stalagmites and so on. For the exterior shots, the story required the clay ancestors to become human,so we knew that the process of the clay drying up, cracking and revealing the human underneath was crucial. We primarily studied time-lapses of dried mud to understand the process. From there, our effects artists, led by FX Supervisor Jaymie Miguel, went to work.”
—Aladino Debert, Visual Effects Supervisor, Digital Domain
Continues Debert, “And, of course, we had to create the cave. The clients asked for a sense of infinity, wanting it to seemingly stretch on forever. Which was all good, but, of course, we had to build it and then collapse it! That was a predictably long process. Environments Lead Chris Watkins and his team began with what was built on set and then expanded upon it. Ultimately, it took on a cathedral-like look, but with an organic and natural feel, featuring stalactites, stalagmites and a lot of that bioluminescent light. Additionally, the columns, ceilings and floor had veins of lava running through them, so cooling lava was another reference we studied. We wanted to recreate the effect of charred, blackened exterior contrasted with undulating veins of red, glowing bits. The digital set went on forever and ended up being a massive environment that was at times quite tricky to render.”
From left: Zahn McClarnon as William Lopez, Devery Jacobs as Bonnie, Graham Greene as Skully and Tantoo Cardinal as Chula Battiest.
Debert and his team created around 100 visual effects shots for the show, most of which were for the Choctaw creation sequence. “In the story, Chafa, the first ancestor, drinks from the Pool of Life, initiating the collapse of their underground world, and setting in motion the process that ultimately leads them to become human. As the cave collapses around them, she holds up the ceiling to allow her people to escape. The realism of this sequence was crucial, and I wanted to make sure it felt natural in the way that it was breaking up. The cave couldn’t just collapse into dust. As always, I started by looking at a lot of references of post-earthquake imagery to understand how columns shear and partially collapse without disintegrating entirely. That approach is one that resonates with my work ethos: start with realism as a baseline and then adjust to suit the desired aesthetic or narrative tone. It gives us a solid ground to stand on, no pun intended in this case, while at the same time allows the freedom to deviate artistically when needed.”
Set five years after the events of Hawkeye, the origin story of Echo follows Maya Lopez as she returns to her hometown where she is confronted with her troubled past.
Initially Debert’s plan involved simulating the collapse in a linear fashion, starting a distance away from the Pool of Life and ending at its center where the ancestors were. “The idea was to position cameras strategically and allow the dynamics of the scene to dictate the performance,” Debert explains. “But the edit changed throughout the project, and that plan had to be modified since the jumps in the timeline introduced inconsistencies. Thankfully, we had created custom simulations of ceiling collapses or columns crumbling that would be placed tactically to smooth out any continuity issues.”
“The realism of this sequence was crucial, and I wanted to make sure it felt natural in the way that it was breaking up. The cave couldn’t just collapse into dust. As always, I started by looking at a lot of references of post-earthquake imagery to understand how columns shear and partially collapse without disintegrating entirely. That approach is one that resonates with my work ethos: start with realism as a baseline and then adjust to suit the desired aesthetic or narrative tone. It gives us a solid ground to stand on, no pun intended in this case, while at the same time allows the freedom to deviate artistically when needed.”
—Aladino Debert, Visual Effects Supervisor, Digital Domain
Chaske Spencer as Henry Black Crow Lopez. (Photo: Chuck Zlotnick)
Stunt coordinator Mark Scizak was able to incorporate Cox’s prosthetic leg into her fights. (Photo: Chuck Zlotnick)
“A good illustration of the balance between reality and art involved dust. Initially, our shots featured a significant amount of it, limiting visibility into the distance – something that, to me, felt realistic given the context of collapsing rock. However, the client emphasized the need to see more of the cave collapsing, a crucial part of the story, which in retrospect seemed obvious. So, we ended up pulling back a lot of the atmospherics and finding a good balance between realism and creative choices. Compositing Supervisor Eric Beaver and his team were essential in finding that balance.”
Debert followed up working on Ms. Marvel, where the lead character is a Pakistani American teenager, with Echo, where the main character is a deaf Native American woman – two female heroes in the male-dominated superhero world. (Photo: Chuck Zlotnick)
“[T]hree weeks from delivery, we realized we were in trouble: We didn’t have a clean plate of hands for the entirety of this shot, necessitating the creation of full CG hands. Trouble was, we didn’t have accurately modeled CG hands because we hadn’t anticipated needing them! It’s one of those realizations that only hit you in hindsight. … That particular shot turned out to be the most stress-inducing shot in the entire show, catching us completely off guard. It was our infamous ‘pineapple shot.’ Go ahead and Google that! ”
—Aladino Debert, Visual Effects Supervisor, Digital Domain
Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin and Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez/Echo.
Debert and his team also worked on the Biskinik bird, sacred to the Choctaw people and featured on several shots during the creation sequence (the bird was an asset shared with ILM, which was also working on the show). As complex as the bird shots were however, for Debert the most challenging visual effects shot to create involved Chafa’s hands becoming human. “Our R&D for the clay-to-human simulation primarily had focused on larger sections of the body, such as the head and torso, and we were pretty happy with the results,” Debert notes. “The edit had two shots of Chafa observing her hands as the clay cracks and crumbles, revealing her human hands beneath. In the original cut the first shot mostly featured clay hands, followed by an insert of her observing the crumbling, before cutting to the final shot where most of the clay was gone, revealing the actual plate photography of her hands.”
Alaqua Cox as Maya Lopez and Vincent D’Onofrio as Wilson Fisk/Kingpin.
Continues Debert: “We started working on those shots by making sure we had accurate match-moving and determining the balance between CG hands, clay and plate. It was essential for the hands to appear natural, as inside the cave they were only decorated with makeup, resembling normal hands albeit made of clay. So, we aimed for a thin, almost potato-skin-like appearance to avoid a chunky look, which would not be attractive for close-up hands. But then the editor decided to merge those two shots into one that spanned the entire clay-to-human transition, one that would end up being a long close-up shot of hands. Initially, we thought we would simply use a long simulation of the clay crumbling over the combined plate since the original shots were derived from the same plate with an offset. We assumed it would be straightforward and continued working on the simulation side until, three weeks from delivery, we realized we were in trouble: We didn’t have a clean plate of hands for the entirety of this shot, necessitating the creation of full CG hands. Trouble was, we didn’t have accurately modeled CG hands because we hadn’t anticipated needing them!”
One of the first things Debert did when he joined Echo was forge a collaborative relationship with the show’s well-prepared VFX Producer, Ryan Wilk.
“It’s one of those realizations that only hit you in hindsight,” Debert acknowledges. “None of us considered the potential problems until we were dangerously close to delivery. That particular shot turned out to be the most stress-inducing shot in the entire show, catching us completely off guard. It was our infamous ‘pineapple shot.’ Go ahead and Google that! However, the entire team pulled together and came up with very creative solutions to the problems we were facing, and in the end the client was very happy with the result.”
A cultural consultant from the Choctaw people was on set throughout production due to the cultural sensitivities involved. “We had to make sure that the basic designs of the Pool of Life, for instance, or the Birth Mound where the ancestors emerge from after the cave collapses, met with approval from the consultants, so we would present to them for feedback. There were only a couple of times where changes or tweaks were needed, and they were minor, but, nevertheless, it was crucial for us to receive this feedback because it was a sensitive topic, and we wanted to ensure we handled it with care and avoided any missteps.”
Julia Jones as Chafa. The Choctaw legend of the Pools of Life revolves around ancestors, moulded from clay, emerging from the pools and gathering around Chafa, the first to appear, starting the transformation process from clay to human.
Concludes Debert, “When you are working on a show or sequence based on myths or legends, the approach is inherently subjective, and the challenge lies in creating elements that may not exist while ensuring they appear realistic. This requires a fine balance of artistic interpretation and attention to detail. I’ve been fortunate to work on culturally diverse shows lately. In my previous show for Marvel Studios, Ms. Marvel, the lead character, is a Pakistani American teenager with amazing powers. That show was significant to me as it introduced a different family culture, religion and dynamic to the MCU. So, to follow that up with Echo, where the main character, Maya Lopez [played by Alaqua Cox], is a deaf Native American woman with a prosthetic leg and a total badass, was a real joy. It offered a diverse representation within the male-dominated superhero world we’ve grown accustomed to. I learned a lot about Choctaw history from reading and researching for this show, making it rewarding both on a personal level and in terms of the technical challenges, which I always enjoy.”
It was important that CG creatures like Momo felt like they were making character choices rather than just simply appearing to be cool or cute.
Brought together by Netflix is the visual effects supervisor duo of Jabbar Raisani and Marion Spates who are collaborating on their third series together, beginning with Lost in Space and followed by Stranger Things and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Their current partnership is an epic adaption of the animated series that was previously tried by M. Night Shymalan in a much-maligned feature film that fans and critics would rather burn or bury.
As for what the live-action adaption could achieve that was not possible for the source material, Spates comes up with one word, “Perspective. The cartoon is 2D and hand-drawn perspectives, while this is all done in 3D with proper depth and scale. You are immersed in the show.” Raisani, who also took on the roles of director and executive producer, is in agreement. “Across the board, we tried to represent if this was real, what would this really look like? Hopefully, that allows for a suspension of disbelief that when you’re watching the animated [series], you know that it’s not real, but we tried to make it feel like a real living, breathing world.”
Aang leaves his earthly body and enters the Spirit World.
Aang visits the Fire Nation temple of Avatar predecessor Roku in order to communicate with him.
Spanning eight episodes, the Netflix adaption concludes where the first season of the animated series ended with the Fire Nation laying siege to the home of the Northern Water Tribe as part of its plan to gain global supremacy over the other three nations that have the ability to control water, wind and earth. The main threat is the Avatar, a reincarnated spirit who can master all four elements, who has returned after freak natural accident imprisoned him in a frozen tomb for a century. “We always knew the scale, scope, quantity and quality were going to be difficult because those things never align with the time,” Raisani states. “Specific challenges were Appa and Momo. We knew that we had to nail those characters because how beloved they are, and it took a long time to get them just right. On the Netflix side, working with Ted Biaselli, he was a great resource to look to, talk through the characters and look at the animated series, and he helped us all shape that feeling to get the emotion right for those characters. Once we nailed that, the execution was much faster than we might have anticipated. Bending was hard, too. It was hard to figure out how to do it right. There was a lot of trail and error. It took us awhile to understand exactly what components went into each form of bending.”
“Jared Higgins, who is a Visual Effects Supervisor, came up with the ‘barbershop pole’ as a way to always move the water. We used it to a degree on the other forms as well, but the water is where you see it the most because what we didn’t want was a ball or orb of water. It always feels like it has a current. That you can see throughout the series.”
—Jabbar Raisani, Executive Producer/Director
The Spirit World was shot in the forests of British Columbia and made otherworldly with lens effects such as chromatic aberrations.
A major storyline is watching Katara develop as a waterbender, which had to be reflected in the visual effects work throughout the eight episodes.
Around 3,400 visual effects shots were created for the eight episodes over a period of 18 months by Framestore, Scanline VFX, Important Looking Pirates, Accenture Song VFX, Pixomondo, Image Engine, Rodeo FX, Untold Studios, Outpost VFX, BigHugFX, Cadence Effects, The Resistance VFX, Atomic Pictures, NEXODUS, FABLEfx and DNEG VP. “We looked at the animated series and wanted to mimic everything that we could; however, what do we need to do to ground it in today’s reality?” Spates notes. “We looked at flamethrowers for firebending. For water, we didn’t find a whole lot of reference. We found some water that was in space and a lot of slow-motion buckets of water. You can’t find a water whip online anywhere, but if you do, let us know because we’ll use it for references!” Simulations had to be art directed. “You’re trying to art direct something that is a random event and attempting to use forces to get exactly what you’re after,” Raisani notes. “We understand that you cannot art direct every single drop or drip or element.” A major part of the waterbending recipe was the concept of an underlying force that resembles a twirling barbershop pole. “Jared Higgins, who is a Visual Effects Supervisor, came up with the ‘barbershop pole’ as a way to always move the water,” Raisani explains. “We used it to a degree on the other forms as well, but the water is where you see it the most because what we didn’t want was a ball or orb of water. It always feels like it has a current. That you can see throughout the series.”
Various dangerous beings inhabit the Spirit World, like the angry forest deity known as Hei Bei.
Sokka and Katara witness Aang escaping his century-old frozen tomb.
Getting the glowing arrow and eyes of the Avatar State integrated with the plate photography took a lot of finessing.
Three departments that had to work closely were stunt, visual effects and special effects, all of which had multiple supervisors to manage the workload. “We all start from the moment we are on set,” Spates notes. “We didn’t have an opportunity to come on at the beginning in production, but we were definitely there for the reshoots. The way that Jabbar and I approach things is you get in and work with all of the different departments early on in the process so that way everyone is on the same page of what we’re trying to pull off. They can’t do it without us, and we can’t do it without them.” Easing the communication was an established shorthand. “Fortunately, with people like Jeff Aro, who was one of the stunt coordinators, we worked with him on Lost in Space for years, so there’s an existing relationship that helps to streamline the process,” Raisani remarks. “Nevin Swain was also the prop master on Lost in Space. I know a lot of the crew up in Vancouver from many years of working there.” The special effects team led by Chris Flemington and Mark Gibbard provided some clever solutions. “We had this cool contraption where they could blow wind from a hose,” Spates reveals. “For Aang’s landing, they could just blow the dirt out of the way, so that way we get that effect for free which was great.” Earthbending was mainly digital with exception of some practical debris. “For fire, we had the firelight on their hands to simulate the interactive lighting, and it had to be operated by the board operator, so when someone is bending and doing the firebending all of that has to be timed out and matched exactly,” Spates remarks. “We definitely had some things to figure out for Season 2 because we needed to tighten some areas as far as the interactive lighting and some things that we did on set.”
Along with being a firebender, Princess Azula has the ability to bend lightning, much to the pleasure of her father Firelord Ozai.
A lot of attention was paid to get enough detail between the iris, pupil and sclera for the Avatar State.
“[For the location of the Southern Air Temple] I spent a lot of time in China on another project, but I knew where these amazing mountains [Zhangjiajie National Forest Park] are, which were used in the film Avatar. That’s exactly what we wanted because the scale of those mountains is unbelievable. There is a lot of imagery that we can steal from the Internet, which obviously is what helped us to make such awesome Avatar mountains, because that’s what they have been labeled over the course of the multiple shows that have been there. It was awesome.”
—Marion Spates, Visual Effects Supervisor
Classic scenes were recreated, like when Aang is showing off his airbending skills to a group of children and accidentally crashes into a statue. “It was moments like that where you’re trying to emulate the animated series as well as you can,” Raisana observes. “For that particular shot, Gordon Cormier was on a practical driving rig that drove him around, then we do a swap to a full CG version of Aang. Once he comes to camera, he is digital and full CG, crashes and falls to the ground. We definitely used all of the magic of the practical stuff on set as well as full CG stuff, and pulling from this beloved animated series. Moments like that are fun.”
Something that had to be kept in mind was how and where Katara could summon mass amounts of water that she would be unable to carry.
A fun creature to create was the ostrich horse, which is a mode of transportation for the Earth Kingdom.
In the majority of cases, the earthbending was entirely digital, such as in the fight between Bumi and Aang.
Interestingly, a cinematic franchise that shares the same name but isn’t related provided the location of the Southern Air Temple. “I spent a lot of time in China on another project, but I knew where these amazing mountains [Zhangjiajie National Forest Park] are, which were used in the film Avatar” Spates recalls. “That’s exactly what we wanted because the scale of those mountains is unbelievable. There is a lot of imagery that we can steal from the Internet, which obviously is what helped us to make such awesome Avatar mountains, because that’s what they have been labeled over the course of the multiple shows that have been there. It was awesome.”
“[W]hat do we need to do to ground it in today’s reality? We looked at flamethrowers for firebending. For water, we didn’t find a whole lot of reference. We found some water that was in space and a lot of slow-motion buckets of water. You can’t find a water whip online anywhere, but if you do, let us know because we’ll use it for references!”
—Marion Spates, Visual Effects Supervisor
Acting alongside the live-action cast were CG characters, with two of the hardest being the air bison Appa and the flying lemur Momo. “There was a huge structure that was covered in fur for Appa that the actors are climbing or riding on top of,” Raisani explains. “There was a lot more of a physical representation of Appa on set and less so with Momo. There is a great scene in Episode 105, which Roseanne Liang directed, where Momo finds a little acorn. This acorn represents the fact that this forest has been burned down is going to be rebuilt. That’s a scene that we worked hard to ensure Momo brought an emotion to his performance and a connection, not only to Katara but to Aang, who is in the position of emotional strife, and make it feel like Momo makes a character choice to give this acorn that he wants to eat to Aang because Aang is struggling and he wants to do something for his friend. It’s moments like that we worked hard to ensure that they are giving a performance as opposed to being cool or cute-looking digital characters.”
The throne room of the Fire Nation made use of virtual production.
A fun creature was the ostrich horse ridden by the Earth Kingdom. “I love the ostrich horses,” Spates remarks. “Accenture Song VFX worked on that creature and did such a good job of bringing the movement of the ostrich into the ostrich horse. It’s unbelievable how [they captured] just little nuance motions of how they move around and walk. Also, there was the challenge of how do we make it into a horse and how do we make fur bend into the tail of a horse? Also, they had all of the armor, too. That becomes a big challenge because all of that stuff has to be simulated because there’s movement in the armor.”
Ian Ousley as Sokka leaps over the fur-covered buck for Appa with the help of wires and greenscreen.
Greenscreen props assisted Elizabeth Yu in achieving the acrobatic firebending that Princess Azula showcases in the series.
A classic pose is Aang flying using his staff as a glider which involved Gordon Cormier being shot against greenscreen and suspended by wires.
“Another fun sequence is the Aang-Bumi fight, which is part of the block I directed in Episode 104. I leaned heavily on the animated series and tried to do everything I could to represent that animated series in living, breathing form. For every beat that I could, I would grab the animated series and say, ‘We’re going to do this shot and that shot.’ The crew had a fun time shooting it, and we definitely had a great time in post putting that onscreen.”
—Jabbar Raisani, Executive Producer/Director
On a different plane of existence is the Spirit World, which can be accessed via the Avatar State. “I won’t get into how the original footage was shot because we weren’t there,” Spates states. “That was one area we could get creative and stylized. Normally, Jabbar and I stay away from stylized stuff because we always try to keep it grounded.” It was a tricky balancing act achieving the proper visual aesthetic. “We were trying to come up with something that felt heightened but also photographic, so we were leaning on a lot of photographic elements like chromatic aberrations, treating it as if it was something that was happening with the lens but was also happening with Aang,” Raisani remarks. “Especially in that first scene where he hadn’t been in the Spirit World, and we were trying to make it feel almost out of focus. It’s overwhelming, and he doesn’t know how to process it. We were trying to get that visually into the footage, but also emotionally connected with what Aang is feeling. In terms of the color, Marion worked with our in-house vendor to figure out how we take this forest in Vancouver and make it feel heightened, but don’t break to where it does not feel like a real place at all.”
The stunt work was so extensive for the eight episodes that it was divided between Stunt Supervisors Jeff Avro and Dean Choe.
Clever devices, such as wind hoses that stirred up dirt, were critical in making the landings of Aang look believable.
Gordon Cormier performs alongside a stuffie of Momo.
A signature effect is the Avatar State when the Avatar achieves maximum power. “As far as the Avatar State and the arrow and eyes, that was something we put in a lot of effort into,” Spates reveals. “We figured out with one of our in-house vendors what that would look like. The tricky thing is you’re putting all of this illumination and light on an actual image of a character. It’s easier when it’s all in CG, but we couldn’t make the CG aspect of Aang be so far different than the physical production footage of Aang. We had to figure out how to illuminate his head. We have a little of subdermal that we put around the arrow and his eyes. How much detail between the iris, pupil and sclera? We spent days and hours [figuring that out].”
A partial set build of Agna Qel’a, which is the capital city of the Northern Water Tribe.
A gray proxie for the head of a shirshu is positioned beside Arden Cho, who portrays the professional bounty hunter June.
Nothing would have been possible without the contributions of the other three Production Visual Effects Supervisors: Jared Higgins, Christopher D. Martin and Alex Gitler. as well as the army of vendors. “Scanline VFX did this incredible sequence of Koizilla wreaking havoc on the Fire Nation, and it’s all done through animation combined with simulations,” Raisana states. “Really complex work that is a combination of character, story, performance and technical complexity. It’s a cool sequence.” Spates agrees with his colleague. “Definitely what I want people to see is Koizilla, which is insane,” Spates says. “You talk about simulation — that is a lot of simulations. It gives me chills to my bones every time I see it. The things that we did to it, also in color, to represent what happens in the animated series has turned out fabulous.”
A crane elevates Gordon Cormier as Aang loses control of his Avatar powers upon returning to the Southern Air Temple after witnessing the aftermath of the massacre caused by the Fire Nation.
Getting the cast to interact with the Appa was made easier by the furry gimbal constructed by the special effects team led by Chris Flemington and Mark Gibbard.
Raisani has a personal bias. “Another fun sequence is the Aang-Bumi fight, which is part of the block I directed in Episode 104. I leaned heavily on the animated series and tried to do everything I could to represent that animated series in living, breathing form. For every beat that I could, I would grab the animated series and say, ‘We’re going to do this shot and that shot.’ The crew had a fun time shooting it, and we definitely had a great time in post putting that onscreen.”
Images courtesy of Republic Pictures and Theodor Groeneboom.
The woman (Jodie Comer} and her baby navigate the flooded streets of London with the help of greenscreen. Comer’s compelling performance was one of the anchors of the film.
Mahalia Belo’s remarkable feature directorial debut The End We Start From follows a woman (Jodie Comer) and her newborn child as she embarks on a treacherous journey to find safe refuge after a devastating flood. Based on Megan Hunter’s 2017 novel, The End We Start From is a hauntingly realistic depiction of a dystopian London submerged underwater.
Theodor Groeneboom served as Visual Effects Supervisor on the film. “A friend of mine in London went to film school with Mahalia,” Groeneboom recounts. “Mahalia reached out to me because of him. I used to live in London and worked in a few of the big studios there doing visual effects. Then, I moved back out to Norway a couple of years ago and started my own little company. We do quite a bit of work for the U.K. visual effects companies and some of the independent UK films as well. It felt like an extension of keeping in touch with everything that was happening there. I was involved from the early stages – the screenplay breakdowns, planning on the shoot and throughout the shoot and post-production, so it has been a long journey. I very much enjoyed it.”
Jodie Comer and Joel Fry in British survival drama The End We Start From.
The post-apocalyptic elements in the film are a backdrop in the story. “It’s not a visual effects film,” Groeneboom acknowledges. “That’s very much true for how the book portrays it as well. Production Designer Laura Ellis Cricks and Mahalia were very much into making sure the film has some kind of texture to it, not just visually but the way the landscape conveys through the film that it’s not just front and center that everything is happening.”
“We need to treat visual effects like some kind of story-driven element. They are just sprinkled around to provide texture to what is happening to Jodie [Comer] and her character, which is quite different from making a big scene and point out of it. It just happens to be what they are going through. There are quite a few scenes where we just put stuff in the background that could tell some kind of environmental thing that something has happened and not draw any attention to it. I guess that’s part of the whole textural side of things; they just want to paint the world but not make it completely obvious. I suppose subdued and textual were words that were frequently used about how to make the visual effects integrate.”
—Theodor Groeneboom, Visual Effects Supervisor
A woman (Jodie Comer) and her newborn child embark on a treacherous journey to find safe refuge after a devastating flood.
Explains Groeneboom, “It’s not so much a coherent film that goes from A to B; it sort of drifts in and out of these moments that you take in when you view the film that go away from the whole. We need to treat visual effects like some kind of story-driven element. They are just sprinkled around to provide texture to what is happening to Jodie and her character, which is quite different from making a big scene and point out of it. It just happens to be what they are going through. There are quite a few scenes where we just put stuff in the background that could tell some kind of environmental thing that something has happened and not draw any attention to it. I guess that’s part of the whole textural side of things; they just want to paint the world but not make it completely obvious. I suppose subdued and textual were words that were frequently used about how to make the visual effects integrate. Suzie Lavelle, the DP, was also a big part of that conversation in driving the lighting and the look of everything.”
The End We Start From is a hauntingly realistic depiction of a dystopian London submerged underwater.
Groeneboom and his team collected lots of material for visual references and relied heavily on the production design ‘bible’ that Production Designer Laura put together. “We were just looking at real photos of flooded areas such as farmland and cities around Europe and all from recent events,” Groeneboom explains. “It’s all based on real references that are quite current. The concepts from Laura were amazing, and it was sort of a bible – its own locations and references from both the recce and the [actual] places. There’s a bunch of scenes where there are animals trapped in a bit of mud, and you just see those skeletons sticking out. It’s just in the background and you don’t notice it, but it’s everything that can tell some kind of story. Barbed wires being cut for some of the fences, just whatever environmental storytelling they can think of, we tried to put in the background for some of these shots.”
“There’s a bunch of scenes where there are animals trapped in a bit of mud, and you just see those skeletons sticking out. It’s just in the background, and you don’t notice it, but it’s everything that can tell some kind of story. Barbed wires being cut for some of the fences, just whatever environmental storytelling they can think of, we tried to put in the background for some of these shots.”
—Theodor Groeneboom, Visual Effects Supervisor
The biggest challenge for Visual Effects Supervisor Theodor Groeneboom involved trying to figure out how to do London underwater, specifically Fleet Street. Greenscreen was required to isolate key elements to be added later.
“There were loads of references we were putting into the film,” he continues. “There were references for the textural quality of the rain and how much we should use. Some of it was more on the practical side of things and how to shoot, etc. and elements we want to use. As an overarching production design bible, there was a lot of stuff that came from Laura. A lot of ideas of not strictly stuff they wanted to see in the film, but Mahalia liked the feeling of it. There’s definitely less of the 28 Days Later vibe with the military and trying to keep it a bit more chaotic and grounded in the people around Jodie.”
“[Fleet Street underwater] was all approached from the same angle as everything else, that it needs to be grounded in reality, and you shouldn’t really pay attention to the effects of it. You should just take in the image as this is something that’s happened. We rebuilt the whole of Fleet Street. … I was taking photographs of every single façade, building, element and item that I could find. We later modeled them up in 3D for textures and lighting ornament and rebuilt the street from scratch. There are some obvious liberties taken to make sure that lighting looks as good as it can, so there are gaps in-between the buildings just to put nice eye lights on every other building.”
—Theodor Groeneboom, Visual Effects Supervisor
Groeneboom took photographs of every single façade and building, element and item that he could find of Fleet Street, then modeled them in 3D for textures and lighting, rebuilding the street from scratch.
Belo and Lavelle had a clear vision in their heads of what they wanted to achieve. “It wasn’t specific, but they were after a certain feeling. I think the production design bible picked all the right pieces,” Groeneboom remarks. “It was Suzie who set the real textural film quality to everything with her cinematography. We did really early development, sketches of trying to make things feel like they are underwater, like a suburban submerged in the city. This was all CG stuff that we were playing with beforehand to see whether or not it was doable with a small team and the amount of resources that we had. These were all based off the same references from the production bible.”
The biggest sequence for Groeneboom involved trying to figure out how to do London underwater, specifically Fleet Street. “Underwater in whatever capacity we could do,” he adds. “I think we got there in the end. It was all approached from the same angle as everything else, that it needs to be grounded in reality, and you shouldn’t really pay attention to the effects of it. You should just take in the image as this is something that’s happened. We rebuilt the whole of Fleet Street. I was dangling off a rental bus, one of the old Routemasters, and I was taking photographs of every single façade and building and element and item that I could find. We later modeled them up in 3D for textures and lighting ornament and rebuilt the street from scratch. There are some obvious liberties taken to make sure that lighting looks as good as it can, so there are gaps in-between the buildings just to put nice eye lights on every other building. Once the light hits a certain angle on Fleet Street, it just becomes completely obscured by the buildings.”
Recreating Fleet Street proved to be a challenging task as it’s an iconic street in London that people are very familiar with. The VFX team relied heavily on the production design bible put together by Production Designer Laura Ellis Cricks.
Fleet Street proved to be a challenging task as it’s an iconic street in London that people are very familiar with. “There are so many great photo references of it as well,” Groeneboom details. “It was a matter of bouncing between what Mahalia felt was real, or what she would accept being real, and what Suzie thought of the texturing and lighting of the scene and how she would approach it from a practical point of view. Obviously, she can’t light an entire street, but how as a DP would she approach it from a practical point of view? We had lots of discussions trying to figure out the right angle for the sun, but also blocking out certain elements to create interesting patterns on one side and having the other side a bit more muted. The opening shot of that scene was quite challenging as well, just trying to make it feel like London specifically. It was shot on a little greenscreen.”
There were around 120 visual effects shots in total, with 13 or 14 of those being Fleet Street. “The film is quite slow-paced, especially in terms of number of cuts in the film. Every single little detail and item on Fleet Street was modeled up and painstakingly created. There are some hints of hope in this scene as well. For example, there are few people dotted around in the windows. The bus was a challenge as well because the chassis of the bus was not favorable to any particular lighting. If you see the Routemasters buses in the city and take pictures of them, they are just uniformly red. It’s very hard to see any shading on them. Getting some prospective lighting on them proved to be a little bit difficult, so we had to exaggerate the amount of light and shadow that the material actually has. It’s a combination of plastics and metal, so that was a bit of a faffle.”
Groeneboom studied real photos of flooded areas such as farmland and cities around Europe based on current references.
Continues Groeneboom, “[Lighting was also an issue on] quite a few shots where there is flooding on some of the signs, but it’s all CG. We rebuilt a lot of environments and tried to make it all as integrated as possible. For instance, the subtly of some of the elements, like dead animals floating. Maybe you don’t pick it up when you watch the film for the first time, but there are quite a few of these images where they are driving and there is stuff in the background. I quite like that because a lot of films I’ve worked on previously have been blockbusters and the effects are front and center, but here they are subdued in the background. One of my favorite shots is of a traffic jam. There is a giant boom mic on the windshield of the car, which was a bit of pain to remove. We just extended the whole background with a bit of the M25 in the background, and there are fires and fire trucks and lots of things happening, but you probably don’t see it. In terms of rain enhancements, it was just putting more in. On the day, you can only get rain so far close to certain things before you have to do some augmentation with visual effects because of rain. Working with real effects elements is always a bit unwieldy. We also worked on the little baby bumps as well, which are partially prosthetics and partially visual effects.”
Groeneboom and his team also worked on the little baby bumps, which are partially prosthetics and partially visual effects.
Groeneboom and his team had ample support from every department in pre-production and on set. The riggers and the gaffers were especially helpful in pulling up greenscreens if needed and accommodating for the lighting and tracking markers whenever Groeneboom and his team were able to be on set for supervision. “We were there for the most important days, but they would take our potential work into consideration by just phoning us up and asking if we need tracking markers here, for example,” he adds. “So, in terms of on the shoot, we were quite welcome and an integral part of solving some of these shots. In terms of the post-production side, it was me and my company [Rebel Unit in Bergen, Norway] doing it. SunnyMarch were producing the whole film, and they were our client for the job. We are a small team of 10-11 people. I think we had six people on this at the most. The idea of my company is most of the people working there have worked in larger facilities before, so we are trying to move away from the idea of thinking large pipelines and overcomplicating, or over-engineering things, which we are trying to do as much as we can in off-the-shelf software and just being a bit more nimble about the approach. I’m quite happy with a small team of six people doing the work. There were two of us, including myself, doing the modeling for the Fleet Street elements.”
“We rebuilt a lot of environments and tried to make it as integrated as possible. For instance, the subtly of some of the elements, like dead animals floating. Maybe you don’t pick it up when you watch the film for the first time, but there are quite a few of these images where they are driving and there is stuff in the background. I quite like that because a lot of films I’ve worked on previously have been blockbusters and the effects are front and center, but here they are subdued in the background.”
—Theodor Groeneboom, Visual Effects Supervisor
There were around 120 visual effects shots in total, with more than a dozen of those being Fleet Street.
Groeneboom concludes,“Given the fact we are a small team and what we were able to achieve, I’m quite proud of the work we did. I really enjoyed working with Mahalia. It’s her first film, and I think she’s approached it in such an interesting and inspiring manner. I’m very interested in seeing what she does next. It was also great working with Suzie, as she’s lovely to work with, and working with the production team was one of my favorite parts. Reading good reviews, and the fact that the film has an important backdrop about the state of the world is interesting. From a visual effects point of view, you tend to go with more lackluster ideas of what apocalyptic visions happen to be. I thought this felt more real and important. Also, watching Jodie perform was really cool. She’s absolutely phenomenal.”
A parallelogram was implemented for when Tarak seeks to tame a Bennu, which is a hybrid of a crow, raven and tiger.
As Akira Kurosawa was a major influence on George Lucas’ The Hidden Fortress in particular, Zack Synder was inspired by Seven Samurai for what was initially meant to be a Star Wars pitch that has since been retooled for Netflix as a multiplatform original IP. A feature film was shot that has been divided into two parts with the first being Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire followed by Rebel Moon: Part Two – The Scargiver. Participating in what Synder has termed a “giant atmospheric space adventure” is Visual Effects Supervisor Marcus Taormina who previously collaborated with the filmmaker known for speed ramping, hyper-real, painterly compositions and lens flares on another Netflix production, Army of the Dead. “What has been nice about working on both movies simultaneously, both shooting them and doing post-production, is that we’re looking at both movies at the same time,” Taormina states. “A lot of what is set up in Part One we use in Part Two.”
Planetary skies were peppered in when needed to give scenes the proper tone.
Nemesis lethally wields two swords which are a combination of molten metal, a streaking light effect and a heat signature.
A flashback of when Kora was a soldier for the Imperium.
Overall, 1,380 visual effects shots were created by Framestore, Luma Pictures, Mammal Studios, Rodeo FX, Scanline VFX and Wētā FX for Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire, which revolves around an adopted daughter of a despot standing up against him by assembling a gang of notorious renegades to protect a planet that she now calls home. What makes the production somewhat unusual is that Synder doubles as his own cinematographer. “It’s nice to have a director/DP because I only have to go to one side of the set versus splitting time,” Taormina notes. “Days of Heaven was a huge inspiration for this movie, which means organic filming, daylight dependent, lots of lens flares, and we also had a custom one-of-a-kind anamorphic package that Zack created for the film, which in itself was a huge challenge. What was nice was that I could go to him about things that I needed. ‘I love the lens flares, but I need you to do a clean pass as I have to erase that flare and put it back over the work later on.’ He was understanding to that and granted me those opportunities on set.”
A hard job for Framestore was incorporating energy tracers into 300 shots for the Gondival gunfight.
While playing JC-1435 (aka Jimmy) on set, Dustin Ceithamer listened to the voice of Anthony Hopkins to make sure that their two performances were in sync with each other.
Skies set the tone for scenes, and Snyder sent a whole library of them to Taormina. “It would always be, ‘I like this and that reference,’” Taormina explains. “I would pull them together and go, ‘What do you like about this one?’ I would smash them all together. We had a lot of discussions about the gas giant Mara at the beginning of the movie, which is not a sky, but it’s [related] enough that it’s an important part. Zack found a colored look that he liked that was a dirtier orange. Obviously, he had to put the lightbox up there, which was headache in itself because the flare contaminated the lens a lot. There was a lot of compositing needed to put those shots together, but it adds to the believability because when you get this dirty orange wash over Kora [Sofia Boutella] it feels cohesive.” Over 38 worlds had to be conceptualized with the main ones being Veldt, Neu Wodi, Daggus, Castor, Sharaa, Gondival and Motherworld. “It starts with our production designers, Stephen Swain and Sefan Dechant; they sent a lot of reference packages our way. Obviously, if there were practical pieces, we would try to infuse those back into our digital worlds. But trying to make them unique yet familiar was a challenge. Atmospherics, the mood and lighting, all of those things were important and played a role. When going to Sharaan we meet King Levitica. It’s moody because it feels like we’re not supposed to be there as the viewers,” Taormina remarks.
To make Neu Wodi more threatening, rocky spires caused by a collision with asteroid were added to the arid terrain.
While Jena Malone is strapped to a rig to limit her movements, stunt performers dressed in green shift the legs of Harmada.
“It starts with our production designers, Stephen Swain and Sefan Dechant; they sent a lot of reference packages our way. Obviously, if there were practical pieces, we would try to infuse those back into our digital worlds. But trying to make them unique yet familiar was a challenge. Atmospherics, the mood and lighting, all of those things were important and played a role.”
—Marcus Taormina, Visual Effects Supervisor
Clean plates were shot at times with the distinct lens flares caused by the custom-made anamorphic lenses added later in post.
For arid Neu Wodi, the ranch was a real location; however, when the creature known as a Bennu takes flight, the entire environment becomes digital. “We talk about how we wanted to get a lot more claustrophobic,” Taormina states. “When we fly through the spires, it feels like they’re closing in on us, and then the Bennu [nicknamed Beatrice] smashes Tarak [Staz Nair] off onto the cliff. We have to make sure that when Tarak jumps that he jumps down into a huge ravine, which feels threatening. We let it open back up towards the end where there’s this majestic scale and beauty to it. Designing that was fun.” The Bennu harkens back to Pegasus. “It’s neither a raven or crow but both at the same time, and a gryphon, too.” Stunt performer Albert Valladares was placed in the middle of a parallelogram with his colleagues holding on to ropes that were attached to his backpack to simulate what it would be like trying to restrain a rearing Bennu. “Every take I was like, ‘Zack, hang on. I’ve got to give a note.’ I’m giving notes to special effects and creature stunt performers while Zack is giving notes to Staz Nair. On occasion I would say, ‘Staz, just imagine that at this moment that you’re going to get ripped apart, and now you have a subtle moment where you get to interact with him. Live in that moment. And also let Albert do some of the performances and lead you, in a sense,” Taormina says. Nair was subsequently captured sitting on a gimbal setup in a parking lot for the aerial sequence. “I said to Zack, ‘I know that we have these anamorphic lenses, which are great. However, let’s do one camera anamorphic and shoot the other three spherically. It will be super sharp, but don’t worry, we’ll add our optics later on to it to make it feel anamorphic.’ We basically reanimated and recomposed all of those shots and scaled them down so that it feels like he’s flying through.”
Stunt performers provide the resistance on set of a person being captured by ecto-shackle, otherwise known as the ‘Beetlejuice Chair.’
“We talk about how we wanted to get a lot more claustrophobic. When we fly through the spires, it feels like they’re closing in on us, and then the Bennu [nicknamed Beatrice] smashes Tarak [Staz Nair] off onto the cliff. We have to make sure that when Tarak jumps that he jumps down into a huge ravine, which feels threatening. We let it open back up towards the end where there’s this majestic scale and beauty to it.”
—Marcus Taormina, Visual Effects Supervisor
The CG went up to the rib cage of Jena Malone to believably integrate her into the body of a spider to create the Daggus-dwelling creature known as Harmada.
Influencing the aesthetic of the cobalt-mining planet Daggus was Blade Runner. “I wanted it to feel dark, dingy and moist,” Taormina states. “A lot of narrative and production design determined that environment as we had a lot of built pieces to the set.” Dwelling in the basement level is a native spider/humanoid hybrid called Harmada (Jena Malone) which abducts a child and in doing so comes into conflict with Nemesis (Bae Donna). “The stuntvis or previs was a combination of digital shots and stunts in motion capture suits. Because that space was so small, stunts had to be careful about the movements. Jena Malone is on this huge swivel rig, which is best described as a cart that she is strapped to because we didn’t want her body moving too much, as we needed to see her just below the navel or bust to make it cohesive. We had three to five stunt performers swiveling the rig while having it going up and down to the performances. They also have noodles that are interacting with Donna. It was a harmonious integration of everything together because we didn’t want to replace Jena as her performance was too great.” Nemesis wields two swords that avoid being replicas of lightsabers. “When I had that initial conversation with Zack. all we knew is that we were going to have acrylic rods with LEDs in them that had a warmer amber color. I had this light painting of streaking sparklers. I was like, ‘That’s cool. I think we can do that almost like a synthetic shutter or delayed shutter on the swords, add a heat signature and smoke and then add what we call ‘sword popcorn’ as well. It’s those sparks that came off of it.”
Tony Amendola gets transformed into King Levitica.
“Every take I was like, ‘Zack, hang on. I’ve got to give a note.’ I’m giving notes to special effects and creature stunt performers while Zack is giving notes to Staz Nair. On occasion I would say, ‘Staz, just imagine that at this moment that you’re going to get ripped apart, and now you have a subtle moment where you get to interact with him. Live in that moment. And also let Albert do some of the performances and lead you, in a sense.”
—Marcus Taormina, Visual Effects Supervisor
The three massive explosions that occur during battle on Gondival were entirely CG.
Anthony Hopkins voices a robot called JC-1435, also referred to as ‘Jimmy,’ that decides to participate in the rebellion against the oppressive Imperium led by Kora. “I asked Zack if we could video record and do a ADR scratch session with Anthony Hopkins,” Taormina reveals. “If you don’t have your performer listening to the way that Anthony delivers the lines then there may be a mismatch, and when you put them all together in the end, your brain is going ‘something is wrong or odd here.’ The inflections and body movements are not right. We made the Jimmy suit for Dustin Ceithamer that had chest plates in the front and back, shoulder pads, a face plate and some hands, but the hands had to be replaced digitally. When we got into post, Dustin’s performance and Zack’s direction were so great and minimal that it was less robotic and more human. I actually mandated that when we could, which is about 90% of the shots, to keep the practical chest and face plates, which is a lot more difficult to do because it was so beautiful in the way Zack captured them in the available light.”
Augmenting natural elements like mountain ranges and waterfalls helped to make the Southern California location for Veldt unrecognizable.
“When I had that initial conversation [about the swords of Nemesis and avoiding the lightsabers of Star Wars] with Zack. all we knew is that we were going to have acrylic rods with LEDs in them that had a warmer amber color. I had this light painting of streaking sparklers. I was like, ‘That’s cool. I think that we can do that almost like a synthetic shutter or delayed shutter on the swords, add a heat signature and smoke and then add what we call ‘sword popcorn’ as well. It’s those sparks that came off of it.”
—Marcus Taormina, Visual Effects Supervisor
The Bennu gimbal was shot in parking lot while the aerial environment was fully digital.
Another interesting approach was for the restraining devices that have a mechanical base resemble a crab. Explains Taormina, “Those are called ecto-shackles in the script, but we named them ‘Beetlejuice Chairs.’ We have stunt performers grabbing the cast when they get thrown back, and then we swap out and put the practical prop in there. Like for Gondival or in Providence when the gentleman gets captured, we do the stunt followed by the digital version of it and then swap it out, and we had special effects create this RC-controlled base of the ecto-shackle. We put him on that with only the spine and added all of the digital pieces of it walking. Again, with your brain you’re trying to do the trickery of ‘what’s real and not.’ That’s a great example of stunts, props and special effects doing a fantastic job. We get the plates and go, ‘Let’s make this look cool.’”
Michael Fassbender portrays an assassin simply known as The Killer in the latest feature film collaboration between David Fincher and Netflix.
Producer and long-time David Fincher collaborator Peter Mavromates extend their partnership in the The Killer where an assassin seeks revenge after a botched assignment. The Netflix feature consists of 900 digitally-augmented shots that range from shortening the tail of a dog to CG airplanes, tasked to a vendor list that includes Ollin VFX, Artemple-Hollywood, Savage VFX and Wylie Co. as well as an in-house team. “Visual Effects Compositor Christopher Doulgeris and I will go into the color bay with [Colorist] Eric Weidt and talk about some issue that we had,” Mavromates explains. “Even sometimes if it’s an outside vendor, we’ll focus to help problem-solve. It’s this wonderful and fluid atmosphere, and it works for David Fincher because he’s always got ideas flowing. He doesn’t want to be on a clock at a facility where you’ve got from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and then it’s overtime. There’s none of that. David will walk the halls and stop in on people to check on stuff.”
Each setting was given a different color palette with the most vibrant being the Dominican Republic.
The Parisian apartment window shots were captured onstage in New Orleans and inserted into a digital recreation of the actual building by Artemple-Hollywood.
“The dog gives a vicious performance but had a tail that is probably about 12 or 14 inches long, which drove David crazy because when it wagged, he looked too cute! David calls me in and says, ‘We’ve got to get this tail down to two inches.’ … Ollin VFX in Mexico doctored the tail. When you look at the movie and see that tail, there is another 10 inches or so that you’re not seeing anymore!”
—Peter Mavromates, Producer
A vintage glass effect had to be created by Artemple-Hollywood for the Parisian apartment footage shot in New Orleans.
Savage was responsible for the gunshot enhancements.
An unusual visual effects situation arose when a guard dog pursues The Killer, played by Michael Fassbender, after its owner has been murdered. “The dog gives a vicious performance but had a tail that is probably about 12 or 14 inches long, which drove David crazy because when it wagged, he looked too cute!” Mavromates laughs. “David calls me in and says, ‘We’ve got to get this tail down to two inches.’ This is a night scene, so in terms of the type of work that you have to do on manipulating an image, it was tough footage. We had 37 shots, and for that we worked with Ollin VFX in Mexico, and they doctored the tail. When you look at the movie and see that tail, there is another 10 inches or so that you’re not seeing anymore!” What has become more common is the reframing of shots in the DI. “That is something David discovered while we were still shooting on film for Panic Room,” Mavromates remarks. “Once you had all of that film scanned and you’re in the DI suite, there is an opportunity to improve on the headroom. You couldn’t move it right or left that much because of the way it was shot on the negative, but you have a lot of north and south. We did about 100 shots then, and that number has continued to go up where it’s more than 50% of the shots in recent movies where the framing is adjusted.”
The stage shoot combined with an exterior matte painting.
The attention to detail was so fine that the shadow of the red cross inside of the scope moves along with the rifle.
[The reframing of shots in DI] is something David discovered while we were still shooting on film for Panic Room. Once you had all of that film scanned and you’re in the DI suite, there is an opportunity to improve on the headroom. You couldn’t move it right or left that much because of the way it was shot on the negative, but you have a lot of north and south. We did about 100 shots then, and that number has continued to go up where it’s more than 50% of the shots in recent movies where the framing is adjusted.”
—Peter Mavromates, Producer
Because of the desire to control the reflections and fractions of the helmet visor, Wylie Co. created a digital double of both Michael Fassbender and his scooter.
A landscaping matte painting was executed by Ollin VFX.
Considering that the entire first reel of the movie has the protagonist surveying the building across the street in Paris, one would have thought that Rear Window would have been an influence. “It’s astonishing how little we talked about that movie,” Mavromates notes. “The movie that David referenced and has nothing to do with the look of it is Le Samourai in terms of the tone and what the character is.” The daytime building in Paris actually exists and has been featured in Emily in Paris. “The initial shooting was in Paris and was in that square,” Mayromates explains. “We had eight cameras rolling so that David could capture the images of the people walking in the square and the façade of the building in the daytime. You could capture them simultaneously with different lens lengths so that the action matches perfectly because it’s literally the same take. Later, in New Orleans, they shot the individual window settings all laid out on a stage for the night scenes. Based on the daytime footage of that building and some nighttime plates, Artemple built an element where they put those windows in that were shot in New Orleans, then added tinted glass on the foreground.”
Bloodstains were added later in post-production.
CG traffic was created by Ollin VFX for the scenes in the Dominican Republic.
“Special effects put a wick in the bottle [of the Molotov cocktail that Fassbender throws] that had these LED lights, which were golden, and Ollin VFX went in and put the flame over that. What was astonishing is Fassbender threw the bottle that far and it landed a little bit to the left of the door. I couldn’t do that, for sure!”
—Peter Mavromates, Producer
All of the planes were fully CG.
A lot of work went into recoloring and creating taxi logos and numbers by Ollin VFX.
A digital double was created for the scooter escape of The Killer through the streets of Paris after the botched assignment. “The scooter and Michael Fassbender are all CG,” Mavromates reveals. “They did shoot Michael Fassbender on a scooter. That was in our early edits. Then Wylie Co. came in and slowly replaced everything. The background is a photographic plate behind the digital character and scooter in the foreground. If you were doing that all from scratch, that’s a big ask. At least when you have those plates, a lot of lighting decisions are made inherently.”
LED lights were placed in a bottle that was thrown by Michael Fassbender and later turned into a Molotov cocktail by Ollin VFX.
“There might be a few Fitbits that are actually photographic. I doubt it, because we created an interface in post for it. The interface that you see is not one that is exactly right for a commercial product as with the little music player that he has. Somebody asked me, ‘What is that MP3 player? Is that the Microsoft one? What is that?’ I answered, ‘No, that is the Fincher pod.’”
—Peter Mavromates, Producer
An unexpected visual effect was having to shorten the tail by 10 inches to avoid undermining the vicious performance of the dog.
Even the Fitbit that Fassbender wears got a facelift. “There might be a few Fitbits that are actually photographic,” Mavromates observes. “I doubt it, because we created an interface in post for it. The interface that you see is not one that is exactly right for a commercial product as with the little music player that he has. Somebody asked me, ‘What is that MP3 player? Is that the Microsoft one? What is that?’ I answered, ‘No, that is the Fincher pod.’” The Molotov cocktail that Fassbender throws was also digitally augmented. “Special effects put a wick in the bottle that had these LED lights, which were golden, and Ollin VFX went in and put the flame over that. What was astonishing is Fassbender threw the bottle that far and it landed a little bit to the left of the door. I couldn’t do that, for sure!”
An effort was made to heighten the fear by bringing Godzilla closer to the characters.
Not since Neill Blomkamp released District 9 in 2009 has an international production received receive Academy Award and VES Award nominations for its visual effects work. But Takashi Yamazaki has repeated the feat by stomping through the box office beyond Japan along with an iconic kaiju that has been cinematic staple since 1954. Godzilla Minus One revolves around a World War II kamikaze pilot suffering from survivor’s guilt having a re-encounter with the title character, which has gone through further mutation because of American nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll.
It was always important to convey the proper scale, which meant at times only showing parts of Godzilla in the frame.
“In the current digital era, we tried to use technology that could only be used digitally. We have a lot of close-up shots of Godzilla to instill fear in the audience because it’s quite rare in Godzilla films for Godzilla to appear in the same scenes as people. We made it possible because of the high level of detail we included in the CG.”
Visual and special effects have dramatically evolved like the creatures in the Godzilla franchise. “In the current digital era, we tried to use technology that could only be used digitally,” notes Yamazaki, who was previously responsible for the live-action adaption of Parasyte. “We have a lot of close-up shots of Godzilla to instill fear in the audience because it’s quite rare in Godzilla films for Godzilla to appear in the same scenes as people. We made it possible because of the high level of detail we included in the CG. On the story side, 1954 Godzilla does a great job balancing the human drama with the Godzilla scenes; therefore, we were mindful in trying to have strong story and character development, and to make sure that it’s woven together with what Godzilla is doing on screen.”
The art department created a period-appropriate street surface, sidewalks and storefronts in a parking lot.
Along with being the director, Yamazaki was the Visual Effects Supervisor on the project. “Let me add screenwriter to that as well! Being all three had its benefits, although having said that, when I went to shoot on location, I wanted to ask the writer why he wrote in that specific scene because it was so difficult to shoot! When we went into post, I wanted to ask the director why did he shot the scene in that particular way because it made the visual effects that much more challenging! But of course, I only have myself to blame for all of it!” The different roles had an influence on each other. “Normally, when I write a screenplay, I have to pay some consideration to the visual effects team. Can they achieve this scene? However, in this instance I decided to trust my future self for the sake of efficiency. In post-production, because the director was the one and same as the visual effects supervisor, it allowed for more trial and error in the same amount of time. We were able to avoid any miscommunication or difference in creative direction when it came time for approvals.”
Atmospherics were a big part in creating the proper mood for shots.
Godzilla was treated as both a god and monster, which had to be reflected in the movements and physique.
“[I]n this instance I decided to trust my future self for the sake of efficiency. In post-production, because the director was the one and same as the visual effects supervisor, it allowed for more trial and error in the same amount of time. We were able to avoid any miscommunication or difference in creative direction when it came time for approvals.”
“We watched various Godzilla movies again and learned what makes everyone think, ‘This is Godzilla,’” Yamazaki explains. “We analyzed a great deal of photos and videos for historical background. The assistant director’s team collected a variety of background materials, and I remember being terrified that we could no longer use existing materials. Once we had a clear picture of what was going on at the time, we couldn’t just fudge it.” Storyboards drove the design process. “I drew everything that involved visual effects. It was a huge amount of work. The assistant director [Kôhei Adachi] and Kiyoko Shibuya [Visual Effects Supervisor at Shirogumi, which was the sole vendor] were very impatient with me! Basically, there was no such thing as concept art. Based on the storyboards, I set up the scenes and created previsualization with some staff members using simple CGI. From that point on, I sat next to the CG artists and gave them direct instructions if they were not going in the direction I was aiming for. If something is closely related to the shooting, I made it before the shooting starts. However, if it was necessary to include it in the editing, after the shooting is over [for example, a full CG shot], I made postvis in the same way to set the rhythm of the editing.”
A lot of time and effort were spent developing the walk of Godzilla.
The dorsal fin was made more acute and the legs thicker to emphasize the ferocious nature of Godzilla.
The camera circling around Godzilla while its holding and crushing the heavy cruiser Takao was an extremely complex undertaking. On land, trains got the same treatment, though no water was involved.
The overall silhouette of the creature is based on the previous Godzilla suits. “The dorsal fin is more acute and the legs are thicker to give a more ferocious impression,” Yamazaki remarks. “We tried to heighten the fear by making Godzilla closer to the characters, so we included many fine details to allow the camera to get closer to the characters.” No motion capture was utilized in the animation of Godzilla. “However, to help define Godzilla’s look, the animator and I spent a lot of time testing Godzilla’s walk. In Shin Godzilla, Godzilla’s posture feels very straight and uptight. In Hollywood, Legendary’s Godzilla feels more aggressive, like an animal ready to pounce. But we wanted something different from both of those. In Japan, Godzilla represents both God and Monster, so we wanted its movement to feel almost divine or God-like. We adjusted the height of its waist, how it moves and its posture many times before arriving at its current design,” Yamazaki states.
“Basically, there was no such thing as concept art. Based on the storyboards, I set up the scenes and created previsualization with some staff members using simple CGI. From that point on, I sat next to the CG artists and gave them direct instructions if they were not going in the direction I was aiming for.”
Breaking the down the destruction that Godzilla causes in the Tokyo shopping district of Ginza.
As for the world-building, it was important to transport audiences back to 1947. “We collected a large number of photos and videos from that time and were conscious of recreating the atmosphere of that period,” Yamazaki explains. “We could not use any existing open sets, and we did not have the budget to construct new buildings, so we created a composite of a digital building on a simple road set. It was difficult to make the two fit together.” The visual effects shot count is misleading. “Although there were 610 cuts, screentime amounted to two thirds of the entire film. Production time was roughly eight months after the shoot was over and in full swing. Although several people were involved in modeling and scene design before the shoot.”
“In Japan, Godzilla represents both God and Monster, so we wanted its movement to feel almost divine or God-like. We adjusted the height of its waist, how it moves and its posture many times before arriving at its current design.”
The first ocean battle was the most complex scene to execute. “We wanted to shoot this on location at sea because I felt it gave the picture this cool documentary style,” Yamazaki reveals. “What I didn’t expect is that everyone got seasick, and the weather was quite unstable, which made filming difficult. Once we took the footage back to the office, the natural waves that we captured were both beautiful and complex, which made it difficult making a giant creature swim through it creating its own waves. With that said, filming on one location and overcoming this challenge unified the team, and that natural imagery we were able to capture made the shot more powerful and convincing. Would I write an ocean scene into my next screenplay? That’s debatable!”
Compositing explosion and environmental elements together to create the final shot.
Simulating the ocean was hard because of the amount of data and work to make it appear believable. “A young staff member showed us a simulation of the ocean that he had made as a hobby using his home-made computer,” Yamazaki recalls. “It was so good that we rewrote part of the scenario and increased the number of ocean scenes considerably. However, in the latter half of the work, I regretted why I did that. We didn’t have a server with plenty of data to store it, so we had to make do by deleting cuts as they became available. I was astonished when I was told that the total amount of data exceeded one peta!” A personal favorite is Godzilla emitting a heat ray and destroying the entire Ginza area. Yamazaki comments, “Including the gimmick of the dorsal fin and the depiction of the area after it is destroyed, I believe I was able to create a heat ray that is more powerful and more horrific than ever before; that is a proper metaphor for the atomic bombing.”
Images courtesy of Apple+ and Legendary Entertainment.
Cinematographer Jess Hall decided to go with anamorphic lenses because they compress perspective thereby bringing the creatures even closer to the viewer.
The AppleTV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters provides the backstory for the mysterious organization formed upon the discovery of kaiju through a family drama where two half-siblings learn of each other’s existence and their father’s connection to Monarch. The MonsterVerse production created by Chris Black and Matt Fraction on behalf of Legendary Entertainment, Toho Company and Warner Bros. Entertainment consists of 10 episodes that required Visual Effects Supervisor Sean Konrad to craft over 3,000 shots with the help of Rising Sun Pictures, Rodeo FX, Framestore, FuseFX, Outpost VFX, Crafty Apes, Wētā FX, MPC, Storm Studios, Vitality VFX, BOT VFX, Mr. Wolf, Scarab Digital, The Third Floor, Proof, MPC Visualization and an in-house team.
MPC, Rodeo FX, Rising Sun Pictures and Wētā FX worked on Godzilla, which appears in two different forms over the course of the series.
The Frost Vark is a cross between a giant star-nosed mole and pangolin, and has the ability to suck the heat out of objects.
Integrated into the narrative are previous MonsterVerse installments that appeared on the big screen. “What’s interesting about the show is the scene in the beginning of Episode 101 has this Kong: Skull Island [2017] classic adventure movie tone that is a bit off-the-wall crazy and every second has a new amplification of stakes through the action,” Konrad notes. “Then you get back to Kate Randa’s [Anna Sawai] perspective later on in the episode, and you’re going to Godzilla [2014] and you’re having that serious tone of this is a city being destroyed. You need to communicate those ideas visually in a way to people that is meaningful and serious. Then you have the final creature scene in the episode, which is a bunch of new monsters coming out of the ground and attacking our protagonist. Each one of them has a different tone.” Do not expect shots from the kaiju point of view. “A lot of the series is constructed around a subjective point of view of our characters experiencing the action from their perspective and reinforcing that with the visual effects design. A lot of times we knew the kind of creature we wanted and the terrain was immaterial to what the creature was doing, but it did influence how and where we shot it,” Konrad says.
The Endoswarm nest is lighted by the hole in the ceiling of the reactor.
Adding to the mystery of the Ion Dragon is it being an aquatic creature with wings living in the middle of a jungle.
The Frost Vark is one of the new additions to the MonsterVerse.
Taking advantage of the physical location rather than rely heavily on bluescreen was the mandate. “We went to a bunch of locations in Hawaii for Episode, 101 and one of them was Lānaʻi Lookout [on O’ahu],” Konrad recalls. “It is this beautiful volcanic rock cone that points out into the ocean. If you’re running away from a monster that’s a great place to be heading towards. We looked at the terrain and the action we wanted to plan. There is a big bamboo forest in the corner of this landscape, and we let that take you through Bill Randa [John Goodman] being chased by the Mother Longlegs spider from Kong: Skull Island to a single point on that landmass, and this giant crab, which is made from the same volcanic rock, comes out of the ground. It was difficult because we prevised the scene based on some storyboards before scouting it, which is always a dangerous thing. We didn’t have a crab designed, so we grabbed The Third Floor graphic crab out of their archive and animated that for the previs. Simultaneously, I was doing the concept for the crab itself. All of that happened within a five-week period where we concepted, re-prevised and re-storyboarded the whole thing. It’s so much better than trying to shoot that into a bluescreen. It’s a hard process and definitely time-consuming. People did some brilliant work to get that done. We wanted the characters to feel in the action.”
The lighting was naturalistic for the contemporary scenes in Tokyo.
The Mother Longlegs makes a reappearance in what feels like a cut scene from Kong: Skull Island.
The design of the Mantleclaw was inspired by the volcanic environment where the scene takes place.
“There is a big bamboo forest in the corner of this [volcanic Hawaiian] landscape, and we let that take you through Bill Randa [John Goodman] being chased by the Mother Longlegs spider from Kong: Skull Island to a single point on that landmass, and this giant crab, which is made from the same volcanic rock, comes out of the ground. It was difficult because we prevised the scene based on some storyboards before scouting it, which is always a dangerous thing. We didn’t have a crab designed, so we grabbed The Third Floor graphic crab out of their archive and animated that for the previs.”
—Sean Konrad, Visual Effects Supervisor
A pivotal location is the nuclear reactor that experiences a meltdown, which has become as portal where monsters can enter Earth.
Television production happens at a quicker pace than movies. “When you’ve got one movie, you have over six months to do an hour and a half episode as supposed to 30 days to shoot a movie,” sates Special Effects Supervisor Paul Benjamin. “The setups have to be doable to make it into TV land. We had a bit of prep time for the first two episodes. It helps if the directors are on beforehand to know if you have some bigger builds. However, it’s always hard to get the directors before the episode starts.” Some visual research was done regarding the MonsterVerse. “I took a quick view of what they’ve been up to and been doing. When you watch the movies, sometimes it’s hard to figure out how they did everything, or how you block it out and film it. You get a general sense of what you’re up against or what they’re going to be looking for. But as far as pulling builds from watching the movies, it’s quite difficult,” Benjamin adds. Atmospherics were not a significant part of the visual language. “We did a couple of episodes of heavy smoke when they went to the Lost Lands to give a different look to the environment. We definitely did some snow but didn’t do a lot of exterior snow dressing, except for the base camp.” The weather was not always agreeable. “We did a snow dress and had a heavy rain that night, but luckily it held up and we didn’t plug any drains. We had somebody there watching just in case all of our paper snow came down and plugged one of the drains,” Benjamin remarks.
Originally, the Endoswarm was suppose to resemble a millipede, but the decision was made to make it appear more alien.
“We did one shaky gimbal set and that was for the hallway scene in the USSR when the ship was shaking. The monster comes in there and starts bashing around. We built that whole big deck on a floor and made it flip back and forth and tilted it up to whatever angle we wanted. We had big shaker motors on it and rocked it back and forth this way and tilted it that way. We shook that one pretty good.”
—Paul Benjamin, Special Effects Supervisor
Keiko getting attacked by the Endoswarm is made more horrific by them piling onto each other to cause her to fall.
Airbag decks were favored over hydraulic gimbals, such as when the school bus is tipping over the severely damaged Golden Gate Bridge. “We did one shaky gimbal set and that was for the hallway scene in the USSR when the ship was shaking,” Benjamin explains. “The monster comes in there and starts bashing around. We built that whole big deck on a floor and made it flip back and forth and tilted it up to whatever angle we wanted. We had big shaker motors on it and rocked it back and forth this way and tilted it that way. We shook that one pretty good.” It was not all about shaking things. “For the last few episodes we did a vortex, so we had a lot of big wind machines and ratcheting things and pulling things into the vortex. I want to see that portion of it. For the vortex in Alaska, we were shaking the trucks and equipment. But when the creature was chasing them, we didn’t do any explosions for that. The only thing that we did was blast air cannons to have some snow flying around. We did some pyro for the seismic charges that were set off at the power plant. Then we had Kurt Russell running through the lightning field. We had a bunch of mortars going off around them at that point, too.” After being in special effects for 23 years, Benjamin learned a particular lesson. “A lot of times, I find that the smaller gags are trickier than the bigger ones, like the dripping goo coming down from the ship. Something like that can be a lot of work, and testing to the desired look that everyone wants for that is sometimes more work than flipping a car over.” The practical elements are critical in making the stunts and visual effects believable. “We’re trying to do anything to help give the set some life so that the actors can get into it a bit more. You don’t have to fully act when you have the set moving around.”
A Fletcher Class Destroyer is found inland.
“A lot of times, I find that the smaller gags are trickier than the bigger ones, like the dripping goo coming down from the ship. Something like that can be a lot of work, and testing to the desired look that everyone wants for that is sometimes more work than flipping a car over.”
—Paul Benjamin, Special Effects Supervisor
One of the challenging special effects to get right was the goo that belongs to the Ion Dragon.
Collaboration is pivotal to the success of any project. “Ultimately, my attitude is that visual effects are a big part of the show,” states Jess Hall, Cinematographer, Episodes 101 and 102. “The CG has to be integrated into the photography, so I take it as my responsibility that those things have to work together. That means being collaborative and also organized about how you light; for example, on greenscreen matching lighting and doing the work in advance in terms previs and storyboards. But, ultimately, I treat it as a collaboration for which I bare a lot of responsibility for the end result. It’s not like I’m going to shoot someone on a greenscreen, hand it over to visual effects and let them do their thing; that’s not going to produce a good result.” A different color palette was adopted for the series. “We scaled back a little bit on the gaudier and pulp elements of some of the movies. We tried to bring it more into the dramatic cinematic space. Even if you look at our version of Skull Island. my reference for that was more Apocalypse Now. It was the golden warm light but naturalistic approach. Then we go to Tokyo and you have these cool tones, but the lighting was always naturalistic. The composition was reasonably consistent. The lenses I would shoot the faces on were a similar composition. You’re building this thread of visual language that is bulletproof in a way. You can apply these period looks or more action-sequence elements in there, but it doesn’t feel out of place. That was the challenge of the show, and a lot of thinking around design for me was about bringing them together enough, but having them different enough because you also had to understand these timelines. It was important that Skull Island did look different from the 1950s content, otherwise I don’t think you understand where you were.”
The wings of the Ion Dragon had to increased to get a flying cycle that looked believable.
“We scaled back a little bit on the gaudier and pulp elements of some of the movies. We tried to bring it more into the dramatic cinematic space. Even if you look at our version of Skull Island. my reference for that was more Apocalypse Now. It was the golden warm light but naturalistic approach. Then we go to Tokyo and you have these cool tones. but the lighting was always naturalistic.”
—Jess Hall, Cinematographer
A prevailing challenge for visual effects was conveying the proper size and scale of the creatures.
Hall partnered with filmmaker Matt Shakman on Episodes 101 and 102. “Matt is a dramatist and a real actor’s director,” Hall describes. “Having to try to pretend that things are moving around you, and you’re on a bluescreen and saying, ‘Okay, the crowd is coming from the right.’ Or, ‘Now turn to look at the crowd 300 feet away.’ ‘Follow the tennis ball.’ We’ve all seen how that can be quite tough for actors and performers. Matt is always looking to put the actors in the position where they’re comfortable and can give the best performance, but also feel the scene. We went to practical photography. There were a lot of visual effects but a lot of photography on location, and a lot of in-camera stunt action and real effects work that went on in all of these scenes that added to the sense of realism, which is what we wanted.” Atmospherics like smoke were never utilized without intention. “You have to be careful about how much you put in because quickly you lose the contrast of the shot. It’s something that you rely on special effects to operate. Ultimately, I’m the one who has to say, ‘Turn the smoke on or off.’ The whole show had this low-level haze. I was going for a softer, more dramatic look with a bit of texture in there and in the shadows.” The legacy of what has come before loomed large over the production. Hall observes. “You’ve got this huge IP and franchise and so many different elements to it. How do you take that, respect that and do that justice, but also do something that is distinct and appropriate for the show that you’re making and is your own work. Threading that needle was hard.”
France’s heritage of abandoned buildings provided vacant hospitals, schools and churches for zombies to be found. (Photos: Emmanuel Guimier. Courtesy of AMC)
Following the events of the final season of The Walking Dead, Daryl Dixon washes ashore in France and must undertake a perilous journey in order to find a way home in the series The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon. Jao M’Changama served as Overall Visual Effects Supervisor on the show, with Sébastien Voisin and Justine Paynat-Sautivet working as VFX producers. “Excuse My French is the French supervision company that hired me for the show. The show’s French line producers, Raphael Benoliel and Augustin de Belloy, found the Excuse My French team, and AMC hired them. It was unreal for me at the beginning. having the Walking Dead come to Paris and getting the chance to be the Visual Effects Supervisor – and getting to destroy Paris. I was finishing a day on a cute CGI commercial spot with friends, and we were aiming to go to a bar when I got the call. That was surprising because we weren’t expecting this big of a show to come over to France, and being selected to work on it was like a dream come true,” M’Changama says.
When it came to the initial conversations about the look of the show, M’Changama and his team set up a Zoom call with creator and showrunner David Zabel and the AMC team. “They were asking not how I see the show but questioning me about my strengths and what I like and how I feel about zombies,” M’Changama adds. “I explained that I come from advertising. I’ve been supervising advertisements for 10 years for both big and small campaigns. They were very pleased to know that I worked in various worlds and with different types of narratives, including the Ubisoft live campaigns, exploring sci fi- gladiators and war action styles. It meant that I can easily change worlds, which is one of my strengths. It was really cool to be only focused on the Walking Dead world and to transfer the 15 years of Walking Dead that I’ve been watching to France and know that I have a huge part to play in that role. I wanted to create trust with AMC, and I know it’s the first time they’ve worked in France, so that was mainly the first exchange. Then, the week after there were some tech recces in the south of France. David [Zabel] was there as well as the director, Dan Percival, and Executive Producer Greg Nicotero, father of the Dead. It was great to switch between the U.S. TV show and being part of it [in France] in the best way we could.”
France doesn’t have the same variety of weapons as the U.S., and they tend to be historically older, so the VFX team designed weapons that weren’t too old school for The Walking Dead universe. (Photo: Emmanuel Guimier. Courtesy of AMC)
In terms of visual references, M’Changama looked at France’s urbex (urban exploration) culture to define the apocalypse in France. “There are still a lot of abandoned buildings left here in France, which we can’t destroy because they’re national treasures,” he notes. “The government won’t clean them, so they just stay there until something happens to them. One of my goals was to chase a lot of those urban exploration references. There are tons of Youtubers and photographers that goes everywhere, so I look for those dead hospitals, dead schools and dead churches. It gave us visual satisfaction because a lot of those places haven’t been touched and are still there waiting to be seen. We have this huge heritage In France. That was one of my first directions.”
Visual Effects Supervisor Jao M’Changama looked at France’s urbex (urban exploration) culture to locate and define the apocalypse in France. (Photo: Emmanuel Guimier. Courtesy of AMC)
“There are still a lot of abandoned buildings left here in France, which we can’t destroy because they’re national treasures. The government won’t clean them, and so they just stay there until something happens to them. One of my goals was to chase those urban exploration references. … so I look for those dead hospitals, dead schools and dead churches. It gave us visual satisfaction because a lot of those places haven’t been touched and are still there waiting to be seen.”
M’Changama paid close attention to weaponry as it’s such a large part of the Walking Dead universe. “France doesn’t have the same variety of weapons as the U.S., so this was an important part of our research,” he details. “For the visual effects, we shot specific plates because we have a heritage with older weapons on France. We wanted to design something that wasn’t too old school and fit into the Walking Dead universe. It was the same thing for Norman’s [Norman Reedus portrays Daryl Dixon] mace. He’d already used a mace in Season 10. In France it’s smaller, so we needed to put the green tape on the mace and ask Norman to do it a bit slower to make it seem heavier. We couldn’t slow down the movement with VFX. We needed to adapt a bit.”
The boat scene was initially located only at sea, but the script was changed just before shooting to make part of the scene happen in a harbor – which changed the way the show was filmed. (Photos: Stephanie Branchu. Courtesy of AMC Networks)
M’Changama worked closely with Series Production Designer Clovis Weil. “We went to the same school and hadn’t seen each other for about 15 years. At the first meeting about the set decoration, we remembered when we were in school and how we built a frame and a picture, which was something learned at school,” M’Changama explains. “It was great to work with Clovis as a friend and very talented individual. His team was working on the show around three months before I arrived, so they’d already been thinking about the show. It was a real collaboration between the set design and the VFX department.”
Norman Reedus (Daryl Dixon) used a mace in Season 10 of The Walking Dead, but in France the mace was smaller. Green tape was placed on the mace so VFX could enlarge it in post to match. Reedus also had to wield the mace slower to make it seem heavier. (Photo: Emmanuel Guimier)
“David has a great knowledge of France culture, but when it came to destroying it, he put a lot of trust in set decoration and VFX and instructed these departments on how to do that best. It was a very smart move,” M’Changama adds. “Expectations were high. We wanted to get out of the Emily in Paris perfect world and show how we, the French, see the apocalypse. It was all about telling little stories in the background that helped us build the world around the main characters.”
“[Creator/showrunner David Zabel] has a great knowledge of France culture, but when it came to destroying it, he put a lot of trust in set decoration and VFX. … We wanted to get out of the Emily in Paris perfect world and show how we, the French, see the apocalypse. It was all about telling little stories in the background that helped us build the world around the main characters.”
There were 740 VFX shots in total, and over 400 artists worked on the show. “We managed the workload with confidence,” M’Changama says. “It wasn’t an issue, but we knew that we weren’t the usual Walking Dead team. We had to show everyone that we could bring something new to the show. Sébastien, like me, has a solid background in advertising. On the other end, Justine had one in feature films. We are used to holding a huge workflow and doing a lot of work in a small amount of time. We knew that working in that way was achievable because we had the team needed to do the job. What is specific to our way of working is that we prioritize everything. Every single frame is important and every shot is important. ‘Scope’ and ‘details’ were the words from David with all the teams. We just wanted to build a consistent and imaginative show. We want the first episode to be as good as the last episode and all the fights done with the same love and care.”
Creator/showrunner David Zabel, Executive Producer Greg Nicotero, director Dan Percival and Overall Visual Effects Supervisor Jao M’Changama scouted potential shooting locations in France, including Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay in Brittany. (Photo: Emmanuel Guimier)
M’Changama worked with five top Paris studios: BUF, MPC, Mathematic Light and Mac Guff. “Paris is a fairly small city, so we knew each other and each other’s work. I worked at MPC for 10 years before, so I knew that MPC had solid strength in environmental work and digital matte painting. So, for the deconstruction of the city, we just wanted them to work on it very closely. We exchanged lots of concept art. BUF just made Eiffel, so we knew that they had all the assets of the iron lady. We knew it would be fun for the team to destroy what they’d built. We also knew that Mathematic had a solid comp and craft vision that is very elaborate, and they are fast at adapting a lot of simulation techniques and lighting. We felt that they were the best guys to work on the zombies. The French zombies needed a lot of love and ingenuity. Greg Nicotero brought some incredible concepts of new species appearing in the Walking Dead universe. I think the VFX team succeeded in bringing a gorgeous update to zombies: Pulsating veins, burning blood, and more details not to be spoiled here. One of the supervisors with Light is also a flame artist – like me, and we knew they could craft technical shots, including 2D and CGI, very quickly. This process allows us to quickly share the steps with David Zabel and the AMC team. Mac Guff is a studio known for their generalists who can adapt to reconstructing towns to matte painting. They handled several shots successfully. So, by knowing our studios’ strengths, we managed the shot dispatch with accuracy, and this also helped us to build trust with David and AMC.”
Mathematic Light handled work on the zombies. The VFX team wanted to get away from the “Emily in Paris perfect world” image of France and show a contemporary French view the apocalypse. (Photo: Emmanuel Guimier)
“The French zombies needed a lot of love and ingenuity. [Executive Producer] Greg Nicotero brought some incredible concepts of new species appearing in the walking dead universe. I think the VFX team succeeded in bringing a gorgeous update to zombies: Pulsating veins, burning blood and more…”
When it came to filming the streets of Paris, the Eiffel Tower was, of course, the main event, but for M’Changama and his team, every street was important. “The most challenging locations for us involved the locations with bluescreens because we faced last-minute changes on the script,” M’Changama remarks. “For the bluescreens scenes, there was the rooftop camp, the cargo ship and the Eiffel Tower. The screenplay wasn’t completely finished as we were going to shoot. The good ideas from the showrunner and the director came in very late in the process, and as they were amazing ideas, we needed to adapt our initial plans. For example, the location of the boat was initially only in the sea and finally a part of it happens in a harbor, What could we do regarding the visual effects in the harbor? It changed the way we would film. It was challenging because we changed our vision to the good ideas that sometimes came 10 minutes before shooting. The on-set VFX team provided a large panel of solutions, not only on bluescreen but all along the road trip we made in France. Then, when we were in the VFX post-production process, we were honestly excited and impatient to share our vision with David and all the team.”
Zombie blood and how the zombies are killed – specifically, the exploding head in the arena towards the end of the series – was one of the most creative aspects of the show for M’Changama and his VFX team. (Photo: Emmanuel Guimier)
One of the biggest challenges for M’Changama was matching their work with the rest of the Walking Dead universe. “We had a vision of how the zombies work, but we are not doing another show about zombies, we are bringing the Walking Dead to France. We can bring something new to it, but we need it to match what already exists and we need it to be accurate. The zombie blood and how we will kill the zombies has been one of the most creative aspects for us. Specifically, the exploding head in the arena towards the end of the series. Greg Nicotero brought in several SFX components to make the pumping zombie skin and other makeup FX magic. But one of the biggest challenges was shooting in a national treasure area where we were not allowed to put blood on the walls and the ground. The lights were changing, and it was becoming dark, and the blood was very specific. We needed to make those little details match. That one single shot was very fun to do, and we did a great job. It wasn’t too digital or too gory, but it was 100% CGI.”
“The zombie blood and how we will kill the zombies has been one of the most creative aspects for us. Specifically, the exploding head in the arena towards the end of the series. Greg Nicotero brought in several SFX components to make the pumping zombie skin and other makeup FX magic. But one of the biggest challenges was shooting in a national treasure area where we were not allowed to put blood on the walls and the ground. … It wasn’t too digital or too gory, but it was 100% CGI.”
Clémence Poséy as Isabelle in Paris. BUF made the Eiffel Tower and all associated assets – and enjoyed destroying what they built. (Photo: Emmanuel Guimier)
M’Changama and his team also faced issues with anachronism. For one of the flashback sequences, Notre Dame’s spire, which was destroyed in the recent fire, had to be recreated. For M’Changama, working on these fine details was an important part of the process “I’m happy that Hollywood trusted France’s VFX ecosystem. I think we did a great job, and I’m proud of what we’ve achieved. We’re eager for the next challenge!”
Many different iterations were attempted for the reveal of the Heroes of the Horn before settling upon what appeared in the show.
Essential for any successful digital augmentation is having a member of the visual effects team present during the live-action shooting to ensure that are the required elements, whether it be plate photography or LiDAR scans of sets, are acquired and provided to vendors, thereby establishing a solid foundation for the work to be done in post-production. In the case of the second season of The Wheel of Time, the on-set visual effects supervision was equally divided between Roni Rodrigues and Mike Stillwell.
It was always important to have practical plate photography to build from when creating CG environments.
“When living away, you start immersing yourself in the project 24/7,” explains Roni Rodrigues, On-Set VFX Supervisor. “I did block one which was Episodes 201 and 202 and then straightaway did block two which was Episodes 203 and 204. Then Mike Stillwell did blocks three and four. When shooting block one, you will do some scenes from Episodes 201 and 202 together because we’re revisiting a lot of those locations. For block one, we had Thomas Napper as the director and for block two Sanaa Hamri as the director, so the team changed as well, including the DP and 1st AD.”
No matter the type of element, an effort was made to incorporate the weaving associated with channeling.
“We did previs and then postvis [of Heroes of the Horn] with the stunt team trying to work out how these heroes would appear and be involved in a battle. We wanted to shoot in a visceral handheld -in-amongst-it way, but it didn’t lend itself to shooting one plate with them and shooting it again without. We thought going back to the smoke gave them that ethereal quality without looking like Casper the Friendly Ghost.”
—Mike Stillwell, On-Set VFX Supervisor
Location shooting took place in the Czech Republic, Italy and Morocco.
Overseeing the fantasy series is creator and showrunner Rafe Judkins. “Rafe’s position was important to give consistency on the visual identity of the show,” Rodrigues notes. “Even though the directors changed, we always kept everything in the same universe. That’s one of the reasons why it was so important for us to spend quite a lot of time in pre-production, because we managed to plan ahead for many of the details in every single scene. It was easy for us to transfer that information from the first block to the second block and achieve the desired results.” A lot of time was spent developing relationships with other departments, “from the collaboration with the DP discussing on-set light interaction to the production designer and how we want to build sets so there is a seamless line between what is practical and a CG extension,” Rodrigues adds.
A major new environment in Season 2 is the city of Falme.
“The relationships that Roni had started in the first four episodes made it so much easier for me because I was able to come in and build upon on what was already there,” remarks Mike Stillwell, On-Set VFX Supervisor. “The stunt guys would be showing me their stuntvis before they’ve shown other people and asking, ‘What do you think? Is this going to work?’ Jan Petrina, the Stunt Supervisor, would do incredible stuntvis with fantastic After Effects work in it. It paved the way for what we wanted to do. It was a constant dialogue. He never promised something that we couldn’t deliver and vice versa. We had each other’s backs wherever possible.”
Waygates are important means of travel – and tricky to pull off, especially when horses are involved.
The smoke reveal of the Heroes of the Horn was not the original idea. Stillwell observes, “We did previs and then postvis with the stunt team trying to work out how these heroes would appear and be involved in a battle. We wanted to shoot in a visceral handheld -in-amongst-it way, but it didn’t lend itself to shooting one plate with them and shooting it again without. We thought going back to the smoke gave them that ethereal quality without looking like Casper the Friendly Ghost.”
Witness cameras capture every single body gesture and finger movement to get the proper channeling interaction.
“It was nice to work with Andy Scrase [Visual Effects Supervisor] as he was on the same page about the details, and the more information that we actually give to the post-production team, the more they can do,” Rodrigues states. “The cyberscan booth was there [in the studio] 24/7 for us. Hats off to the visual effects production team, production manager and production coordinators because we wanted not just everyone being scanned, every time our lead actors changed their clothes, we wanted that variation as well.” A variety of exterior locations were found in the Czech Republic. “The whole city of Cairhein was built, and was so vast and rich in details that it was incredibly helpful,” Rodrigues notes. “Also, we went to Italy and Morocco. There is a scene where the guys are riding horses, and those epic mountains in the background are real. Obviously, we as visual effects did enhancements that make it better. However, having a good location and production designer are not just good for the showrunner but for the actors as well, as it’s easier for them to perform and to get into the character.”
Practical and digital smoke were combined to create the dramatic reveal of the Whitecloaks calvary just before it attacks Falme.
“[In addition to the Czech Republic] … we went to Italy and Morocco. There is a scene where the guys are riding horses, and those epic mountains in the background are real. Obviously, we as visual effects did enhancements that make it better. However, having a good location and production designer are not just good for the showrunner but for the actors as well, as it’s easier for them to perform and to get into the character.”
—Roni Rodrigues, On-Set VFX Supervisor.
Killing Turak (Daniel Francis) was not as easy for the production team as it was for Rand al’Thor (Josha Stradowski). “When Rand is approaching the tower and Turak [Daniel Francis] has his heron-marked blade and does some fancy moves, we had so many meetings where I was presenting different ideas on, ‘How do we kill Turak?’” Stillwell recalls. “Rand has unbelievable power and is pissed. How would he do this? We were talking about turning someone to stone and then shattering them. Or having Rand fill them with lava and they explode from within. Or Rand whipping through these blades of air and doing the classic thing where they look fine and then slowly slide apart because of being sliced in half. What Rand ends up doing is so nonchalant, but it shows the power that he has. We spoke to Josha about it. Josha even plays it like he didn’t expect it to be that easy.”
Hardened air can be effective in producing weapons and shields.
Lessons were learned, in particular, when it came to characters channeling the One Power, which involves manipulating intricate illuminated weaves of water, fire, earth, air and spirit. “They used interactive light on Season 1, and when we received the plates, the lighting was baked into the plate, and it was too much,” Rodrigues explains. “We ended up painting out interactive light from all of those scenes. We wanted the showrunner to have a full scope of flexibility to decide in post-production which direction he wants to go. What we did was to do a performance take without interactive light and then we did it again, but with interactive light. The idea was once they decided on the take to use, we would get the plate with the interactive light and paint light in. In this way, we had the flexibility to paint the light as many times as we wanted in any position we wanted.”
The fire dragon required careful attention to detail to stand out properly in the daylight.
“It was a case of myself, Rafe, directors and writers throwing ideas out. No idea is a bad idea. ‘What if every time we see him it’s a different person, but they all have his face?’ And then we would discuss how possible is that? How good is it going to look? We wanted people to be as confused as Matt was. We looked at a lot of different concept art from different shows, and we watched a lot of different films, like those of Gasper Noé. We were trying to get reference from not-obvious things.”
—Mike Stillwell, On-Set VFX Supervisor
Prosthetic makeup was digitally enhanced for the Trollocs.
Hallucinations allowed for surreal imagery. “For the psychedelic visions Matt Cauthon [Barney Harris] has after drinking the tea, we did a lot of work on how things would work with the mirrors, how it would look when his hands and veins are becoming distorted and enlarged,” Stillwell states. “There were lots of discussions about how to make that trip look terrifying, and the switching out of him and his mother. It was a case of myself, Rafe, directors and writers throwing ideas out. No idea is a bad idea. ‘What if every time we see him it’s a different person, but they all have his face?’ And then we would discuss how possible is that? How good is it going to look? We wanted people to be as confused as Matt was. We looked at a lot of different concept art from different shows, and we watched a lot of different films, like those of Gasper Noé. We were trying to get reference from not-obvious things.” A character gets turned into stone and dissipates into the air. “The art department did a couple of busts for us to use as reference. I remember having so many show-and-tells about dust and discussions about how fine a grain we wanted for the ashes. We shot a load of reference of all of this stuff blowing away and being shattered and thrown around. But the main thing was to make sure to get clean plates because we had to have a tight body track with witness cameras to create a good CG model.”
Rather than be a straight white light, the Waygates reflected the environment about to be entered.
“[For a character that gets turned into stone and breaks up] the art department did a couple of busts for us to use as reference. I remember having so many show-and-tells about dust and discussions about how fine a grain we wanted for the ashes. We shot a load of reference of all of this stuff blowing away and being shattered and thrown around. But the main thing was to make sure to get clean plates because we had to have a tight body track with witness cameras to create a good CG model.”
—Mike Stillwell, On-Set VFX Supervisor
A dramatic moment occurs when Moiraine does fire channeling on a beach that goes through the water like torpedoes to destroy the Seanchan fleet.
One of the cool visual effects are the shields created by channeling air. “The ideas for that were still broad when we were actually shooting,” Stillwell reveals. “It was a case of talking to the actors and giving them something to work with, because so often they’re having to do all of this channeling and having to imagine what it is and how it’s affecting them. When Marcus Rutherford [Perrin Aybara] is protecting them from Ishamael [Fares Fares] at the end when we were rehearsing it, I asked if it was okay for me to go and show something. I was slamming my body onto his shield and saying, ‘This is the weight of what’s hitting you. You’re not just deflecting bullets like Captain America. These are massive large forces, not little pinpricks.’ I was just trying to give him something to work with so he can imagine it, because if the actor’s performance works, the visual effects work so much better.”
The VES Bay Area welcomes GDC attendees to San Francisco
The Visual Effects Society is proud to co-sponsor the Real-Time VFX mixer at GDC this year!
We’ll be hanging out Monday evening of the conference week at the resplendent Yerba Buena Bar in San Francisco – ready to greet VES members, and to welcome new faces from the visual effects, game development, and digital media industries.
The VES Bay Area will have an informational booth on-site. Come talk to us, share a drink and bites, and help spread the word about our organization and the work we do.
WHERE: YERBA BUENA BAR
141 2ND STREET (at Minna Street)
SAN FRANCISCO
VES members receive 25% off tickets to the GTC AI Conference & Workshops in San Jose, California and Virtually
VES members must login to register with the discount below Monday, March 18 to Thursday, March 21
San Jose Convention Center & Virtual
150 West San Carlos Street, San Jose, CA
Connect with a dream team of industry luminaries, developers, researchers, and business strategists helping shape what’s next in AI and accelerated computing.
Sign up to hear the highly anticipated keynote by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang as well as talks by VES members NVIDIA VP of Developer Relations and GM of Media & Entertainment Richard Kerris and Pixar CTO Steve May and many more. There will be over 900 sessions, 200+ exhibits, 20+ technical workshops, and tons of unique networking events, GTC delivers something for every technical level and interest area. Whether you join in-person or virtually, you’re in for an incredible experience at the conference for the era of AI.
The biggest awards show of the entertainment year, the Oscars, is here again!
For the majority of us who can’t be there in person to share the moment with Jimmy Kimmel in Hollywood, let’s share the moment on a Zoom room as we watch the Academy Awards ceremony from the comfort of our homes, a friend’s home, or other gathering place
Dust off your Tux and Gown, then join up on the link and hang out – with or without your camera or mic, you can just participate in the chat. Spread the word to other VES members.
WHEN:
Sunday, March 10th, 2024
4PM – 7PM Pacific Daylight Time
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ DUNE: PART TWO
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
RSVPs are closed
Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 1:00PM The Premier Theater at Industrial Light & Magic 1 Letterman Dr, San Francisco, CA 94129 (self-paid parking is available in the underground lot at LDAC.)
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
The 22nd Annual VES Awards season is underway, and it’s going to be more exciting than ever! Nomination Event to be held worldwide on Saturday, January 13, 2024.
This year we will have virtual and in-person Nomination Events. Current VES members can apply to judge on ANY in-person event that you can travel to or or ANY virtual panel in ANY time zone. This is the must-attend event of the awards season. You will see exclusive behind-the-scenes clips of the most striking visual imagery of 2023, and you’ll enjoy the single best networking opportunity of the year! Don’t miss your chance to meet the best and brightest in the VFX field, catch up with old friends, and learn about new VFX techniques. Plus, you’ll have the satisfaction of helping to decide the best work to be presented to our colleagues in the industry and the press, as well as fans across the globe.
The Nomination Event is an all-day event and judges will receive details about specific times closer to the event. Please apply to a specific in-person location, or a particular time zone of a virtual panel (view the Region Map for the time zone that best fits your schedule). Please submit your Judge Application early to make this year’s VES Awards Nomination Event successful.
-The 22nd Annual VES Awards Committee
JUDGE APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED please contact cassidy@vesglobal.org with any questions
Come on down to Pond Farm Brewing Company and help us celebrate World VFX Day! Looking forward to see you there! Please RSVP and bring a friend or colleague that you think might be interested in going our organization, First beer and pretzel on us!
Sun Oct 29, 2023 11:00 am PDT | Screening
Sun Oct 29, 2023 7:00 pm PDT | Screening
Screening – KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (Bay Area)
San Francisco
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Apple’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
Sunday, Oct 29, 2023 at 11:00AM
The Premier Theater at Industrial Light & Magic
1 Letterman Dr, San Francisco, CA 94129
(self-paid parking is available in the underground lot at LDAC.)
Sunday, Oct 29, 2023 at 7:00PM
The Premier Theater at Industrial Light & Magic
1 Letterman Dr, San Francisco, CA 94129
(self-paid parking is available in the underground lot at LDAC.)
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
Wednesday, October 11, 2023 at 12:00PM (PDT) & 3:00PM (EDT)
Mark your Calendars! The Visual Effects Society and TELUS Health (formerly Lifeworks) will present an overview of the services offered as part of the FREE VES Member Assistance Program. Don’t miss this chance to find out about the mental health, fitness, legal, financial, online resources, and more that are part of this amazing program. Don’t miss learning about all of these phenomenal benefits specifically for VES members throughout Canada and the United States!
You and your plus one are invited to attend the final event to be held on Sunday, Oct. 1st from 4-8 pm at 3210 Kerner Main Stage and Courtyard. The VES BBQ has expanded to include folks who worked at the Joint as 32Ten is shuttering operations and owners are remodeling both buildings to be ‘more leasable’…so this is a Goodbye to Kerner and all the work done there by ILM. Please rsvp and name your guest or plus one. This is a free event with free parking. A chance to say goodbye to this hallowed ground.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of 20th Century Studios’ THE CREATOR followed by a Live Interactive Q&A with the Filmmakers
Panelists will include Director Gareth Edwards, Visual Effects Supervisor Jay Cooper and On-Set Visual Effects Supervisor Andrew Roberts, moderated by VES Board Treasurer Jeffrey A. Okun, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESCREATOR, in your tweet.)Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
Click here to RSVP
Saturday, September 30, 2023 at 11:00AM The Premier Theater at Industrial Light & Magic 1 Letterman Dr, San Francisco, CA 94129 (self-paid parking is available in the underground lot at LDAC.)
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
COME AND JOIN US
SEPTEMBER 6TH 6:00 – 8:00 PM
ORIGINAL PATTERN BREWING CO.
292 4TH ST OAKLAND, CA
LET’S MINGLE AND CHAT ABOUT:
ALL THINGS VFX, AND THE FUTURE OF AI
FIRST 20 MEMBERS GET A FREE DRINK TICKET!
Many VES members participate in Siggraph at various levels – join us for an online event that gathers a roundtable of Siggraph attendees, to recap for VES members who were unable to attend this year in Los Angeles. It’s a chance to get a glimpse of what the conference had to offer, hear about trending tech topics, and discover how the 50th anniversary was commemorated.
The format will be a 1-hour Zoom session with presenters sharing their observations, in a roundtable setting for conversations and multiple perspectives.
Thursday, August 31st 2023
7PM to 8PM (PDT)
Join us on Zoom here : https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85896938750
If you have topics you would like to see addressed, please send an email in advance to the evening’s moderator:
Jeff A. Johnson, Secretary, Bay Area Board of Managers
pegasusgiraffe@gmail or bayareasecretary@vesglobal.org
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and
VES Members and Up to Four (4) Guests are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
This screening is overbooked and RSVPs are closed
Sunday, July 2, 2023 at 11:00AM 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Pixar Animation Studios’ ELEMENTAL followed by a live interactive Q&A with the Filmmakers
Panelists will include Director Peter Sohn, Producer Denise Ream, Visual Effects Supervisor Sanjay Bakshi and Production Designer Don Shank, moderated by VES member and ASIFA Hollywood President Frank Gladstone. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.) Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESELEMENTAL, in your tweet.)
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
Click here to RSVP Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 11:00AM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 10:00AM, no earlier) Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios 1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Up to Four (4) Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Marvel Studios’ and Walt Disney Pictures’ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL. 3 followed by a live interactive Q&A with the Filmmakers
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisor Stephane Ceretti and Sony Pictures Imageworks Visual Effects Supervisor Theo Bialek, moderated by Van Ling, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.) Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESGUARDIANS3, in your tweet.)
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
Click here to RSVP
Sunday, May 7, 2023 at 11:00AM Delancey Street Screening Room
600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
Join us for an online event which offers highlights from this year’s Game Developers Conference.
“GDC 2023 Recap Roundtable” will bring together a panel of GDC attendees and expert game developers, with VES members who were unable to attend this year. It’s a chance for members to get a glimpse of what the conference had to offer this year, learn about tech topics that were trending, and get a keener perspective on the game development sector.
The format will be a 1-hour Zoom webinar with presenters offering observations on a range of topics, followed by a roundtable for other perspectives on each topic.
Monday, April 24, 2023 from 6:30PM to 7:30PM (PDT)
If you have topics you want to see addressed, please send an email in advance to the evening’s moderator Jeff A. Johnson.
Cancelled! – VES Members and Up to Four (4) Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
This screening has been cancelled due to technical issues at the venue
Saturday, April 8, 2023 at 5:00PM 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Up to Four (4) Guests are Invited to a Screening of Lionsgate’s JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP)
Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 5:00PM Delancey Street Screening Room
600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
The VES Bay Area will be hosting members and GDC attendees at the iconic and timeless San Francisco bar, the House of Shields, during GDC 2023! Monday, March 20, at 6pm.
We invite members to come and mingle with game developers, to elucidate for them the benefits of membership, and to encourage them to sign up as new members.
It’s also a grand opportunity to get a close-up look into the games industry, for members who have been hoping for just such a chance.
VES Members and Up to Four (4) Guests are Invited to a Screening of Marvel Studios’ and Walt Disney Pictures’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP)
Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 5:00PM 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and One (1) Guest are Invited to an Opening Weekend Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos 3D HFR Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and 20th Century Studios’ AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER followed by a live interactive Q&A with the Filmmakers
Dolby Labs Security requires that all VES members and guests must show photo ID that matches their names on the RSVP list, and no food or drinks are allowed in Dolby’s largest laboratory. Masks or face coverings are recommended, but not required.
Panelists will include VES Lifetime Achievement Award-winning Director-Writer-Producer-Editor James Cameron, Oscar winning Producer Jon Landau, Executive Producer, VES Award-winning Visual Effects Supervisor at Wētā FX Richard Baneham, VES Georges Méliès Award-winning Senior Visual Effects Supervisor at Wētā FX JoeLetteri, VES, Wētā Visual Effects Producer Lena Scanlan, VES Award-winning Head of FX at Wētā FX JohnathanNixon and VES Award-winning Animation Supervisor at Wētā FX Eric Reynolds, moderated by VES Chair Lisa Cooke. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
RSVPs are Closed for this event
Saturday, December 17, 2022 at 11:00AM (Please arrive early to allow time for check-in)
Dolby Laboratories Cinema
1275 Market St., San Francisco, CA 94103 (Please enter cinema through doors left of the main entrance)
(There is no parking available in the building, and car service address is 35 9th Street)
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESAVATAR2, in your tweet.)
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
Visual Effects Society Bay Area members and a guest are invited to celebrate the festive season with the return of our annual Holiday Event! Come share the spirit with your fellow members, friends, and peers.
WHEN
Friday, DECEMBER 9th, 2021
6:00pm – 10:00pm
WHERE
Autodesk Gallery
Landmark Building, 2nd Floor
1 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Hors d’oeuvres and light dining, as well as beer and wine will be offered. We will also have live -music throughout the evening.
RSVP BELOW
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
VES Members and Up to four (4) Guests are Invited to a 25th Anniversary Screening of Sony Pictures’ STARSHIP TROOPERS followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. Panelists will include VES Georges Méliès Award-, Oscar and Special Achievement Academy Award-, BAFTA and Emmy winning Creature Visual Effects Supervisor Phil Tippett, VES, Technical Achievement Academy Award-winning Design Visual Effects Supervisor Craig Hayes, award-winning Visual Effects Supervisor from Banned from the Ranch Entertainment Van Ling, VES, and VES Award nominated Character Animator from Tippett Studios Tom Gibbons, moderated by VES Board Chair Lisa Cooke.
Masks are recommended, but not required. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Tuesday, November 29, 2022 at 7:00PM (RSVPs close on Tuesday, November 29 at 10:00AM) The Premier Theater at Industrial Light & Magic 1 Letterman Dr, San Francisco, CA 94129 (self-paid parking is available in the underground lot at LDAC.)
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Up to Four (4) Guests are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
RSVPs are closed
Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 6:00PM Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
Visual Effects Society Bay Area members and their guests are invited to celebrate the last of the summer with the our much beloved tradition of the VES Bay Area Summer BBQ.
We are once again taking over McNears Beach in San Rafael. Come enjoy the sun and sea side breezes with your friends, peers, and fellows section members at this outdoor event.
Saturday 9.10.2022, 12:30 pm to 4:00 pmPDT https://www.parks.marincounty.org/parkspreserves/parks/mcnears-beach
As always, there will be :
Food
Beer & Wine
Lawn Games
Live Music
Photo Ops with our friends from the 501st GGG
Ample Parking (paid for)
Please register below (you must be logged in).
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus. By signing up for this on-site, in-person event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), we willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this event infers implied consent of myself and my party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Up to Four (4) Guests are Invited to a Screening of United Artists Releasing’s THREE THOUSAND YEARS OF LONGING
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP)
Sunday, September 4, 2022 at 5:00PM Delancey Street Screening Room
600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Up to Four (4) Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Sony Pictures’ BULLET TRAIN
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP)
Saturday, August 6, 2022 at 4:00PM Delancey Street Screening Room
600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Up to Four (4) Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Universal Pictures’ NOPE
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP)
Saturday, July 23, 2022 at 4:00PM Delancey Street Screening Room
600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
Steve ‘Spaz’ Williams is a pioneer in computer animation, and an iconoclast. His digital dinosaurs of JURASSIC PARK transformed Hollywood in 1993… but an appetite for anarchy and reckless disregard for authority may have cost him the recognition he deserved.
Scott Leberecht began his filmmaking career at Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic. As a visual effects Art Director, his credits include FLUBBER, SPAWN, and SLEEPY HOLLOW. Attending the American Film Institute, he directed the award-winning films UNDERDOG, NATURAL SELECTION, and MIDNIGHT SON.
Scott’s short documentary LIFE AFTER PI detailed the vibrant history and untimely collapse of RHYTHM & HUES studios, just weeks after winning the 2012 Best Visual Effects Oscar for LIFE OF PI.
EVENT BEGINS AT 2PM PDT |
45 min TALK + Q&A with Director and Special Guests to immediately follow.
VES Members and Up to Four (4) Guests are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP)
Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 4:00PM Delancey Street Screening Room
600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Advance Screening of Netflix’s THE SEA BEAST followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. Panelists will include Writer / Producer / Director Chris Williams and VFX Supervisor R. Stirling Duguid.
Click here to RSVP (be sure to choose which screening you wish to attend.) Thursday, July 7, 2022 at 7:00PM CGV San Francisco 14
1000 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94109
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
stay tuned- we want it to happen, but we need to line up an available venue
Please contact : bayareachair@vesglobal.org with any questions
Steve ‘Spaz’ Williams is a pioneer in computer animation, and an iconoclast. His digital dinosaurs of JURASSIC PARK transformed Hollywood in 1993… but an appetite for anarchy and reckless disregard for authority may have cost him the recognition he deserved.
Scott Leberecht began his filmmaking career at Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light & Magic. As a visual effects Art Director, his credits include FLUBBER, SPAWN, and SLEEPY HOLLOW. Attending the American Film Institute, he directed the award-winning films UNDERDOG, NATURAL SELECTION, and MIDNIGHT SON.
Scott’s short documentary LIFE AFTER PI detailed the vibrant history and untimely collapse of RHYTHM & HUES studios, just weeks after winning the 2012 Best Visual Effects Oscar for LIFE OF PI.
VES Members and Up to Three (3) Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS
Masks or face coverings are encouraged, but not mandatory. Please observe social distancing whenever possible.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP)
Sunday, May 8, 2022 at 5:00PM Delancey Street Screening Room
600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
OSCARS REMOTE WATCH PARTY
The 94th Academy Awards Ceremony – Sunday at 5pm PDT – ABC TV
The Oscars are here! The biggest awards show of the entertainment year. For the majority of us who can’t be there in person – let’s share the moment virtually on a Zoom chat room while we watch the show from the comfort of our home, a friend’s home, or other gathering place.
You can also join the ‘betting pool’ with your picks. The top winner will get a prize of $200, the runner up will get $100! (Generously supported by Advanced Systems Group, LLC)
WHEN:
Sunday, March 27th
5PM – 8:30PM (we’ll start the room at 4:45 for Red Carpet commentary)
ABC TV
ONLINE WITH ZOOM
RSVP for a link to the Zoom chat and to be sent the ballot. If you’re not available to attend, but want to fill out a ballot, please indicate that in your message.
Ballots are due by Saturday, March 26th, by 10pm PDT. We will all be on mute, but come participate in the text chat, and have your cameras on if you’re comfortable to be seen & answer the question : “Who are you wearing?” 😀
TO RSVP:
email to bayareasecretary@vesglobal.org
Please include VES member number.
Visual Effects Society Bay Area Members and their guests are invited to ring in the season with the return of our Annual Holiday Event! Come share drinks, food, and the spirit of the season with your fellow members, friends, and peers.
WHEN
DECEMBER 18, 2021
6:00pm – 9:00pm
WHERE
Le Colonial
20 Cosmos Place
San Francisco, CA 94109
Parking: To Be Determined Check back for details.
RSVP BELOW
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
COMPLIANCE
This event is being held in accordance with CDC, State, and San Francisco Department of Health Guidelines. We ask that all attendees provide proof of completed vaccination and wear a mask indoors when not eating or drinking.
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Acceptable proof of full vaccination includes original, copy, or electronic photo of the CDC vaccination card (or similar documentation issued by another foreign governmental jurisdiction); documentation from a healthcare provider; personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by the State of California, personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by another State, local, or foreign governmental jurisdiction; or personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by an approved private company.
You can retrieve your digital verification of vaccination by visiting the State of California’s website under the Digital Vaccine Record section and furnishing the requested information at https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable for any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees, and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Columia Pictures’
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE
Wednesday, December 15, 2021 at 8:00PM
Delancey Street Screening Room
600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107
RSVP BELOW (VES member must login to sign up)
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
Covid 19 – Compliance
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
This event is being held in accordance with the city of San Francisco Department of Public Health Order C19-07y which currently requires all attendees over the age of 12 to verify that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to entering the screening room where a mask must be worn at all times by all patrons.
Acceptable proof of full vaccination includes original, copy, or electronic photo of the CDC vaccination card (or similar documentation issued by another foreign governmental jurisdiction); documentation from a healthcare provider; personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by the State of California, personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by another State, local, or foreign governmental jurisdiction; or personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by an approved private company.
You can retrieve your digital verification of vaccination by visiting State of California’s website under the Digital Vaccine Record section and furnishing the requested information at https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Up to Three (3) Guests are Invited to a Pre-Release Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’
THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS
Monday, December 13, 2021 at 7:00PM Delancey Street Screening Room
600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107
RSVP BELOW (VES members must login to RSVP)
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
** Please help protect the mysteries inside of the Matrix and do not reveal plot points or twists in your social posts. Do not post any teases in advance. Social: Thursday, December 16 @ 6:30PM (PST), 9:30PM (EST) – Review: Tuesday, December 21 @ 8:00AM (PST), 11:00AM (EST)
Covid 19 – Compliance
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
This event is being held in accordance with the city of San Francisco Department of Public Health Order C19-07y which currently requires all attendees over the age of 12 to verify that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to entering the screening room where a mask must be worn at all times by all patrons.
Acceptable proof of full vaccination includes original, copy, or electronic photo of the CDC vaccination card (or similar documentation issued by another foreign governmental jurisdiction); documentation from a healthcare provider; personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by the State of California, personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by another State, local, or foreign governmental jurisdiction; or personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by an approved private company.
You can retrieve your digital verification of vaccination by visiting State of California’s website under the Digital Vaccine Record section and furnishing the requested information at https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
The Bay Area region has long been one of the most diverse in the nation. The topics of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion remain embedded within many of our daily lives even as throughout the pandemic we have seen these issues come to the forefront of the public’s attention and concern.
But what does it mean?
The VES Bay Area DEI Book Club hopes to explore and help answer that question by sharing literature which will spark engaging, insightful and necessary conversations surrounding social justice and the fundamentals of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in a space where it is safe to learn.
The goal of the VES DEI Book Club is to create a forum where members of the VES Bay Area can discuss the book and relate their experiences, perspectives and insights in a respectful and inquisitive manner via facilitated discussion.
We know how busy everyone is, so the initial plan is to supply the book selection to members who RSVP in the medium of their choice, while keeping the chapters to be discussed concise. We expect the first meeting of the DEI Book Club to cover a mere 2 – 3 chapters.
Register today to receive the book and join the discussion.
The first meeting of the VES Bay Area DEI book club is at 7:00pm on November 10, 2021 online.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of
Marvel Studios’ and Walt Disney Pictures’
ETERNALS
WHEN
Sunday, November 7, 2021 at 6:30PM WHERE
Delancey Street Screening Room
600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107
RSVP BELOW
***VES Members: Please enter your first and last name in the “Attendee 1″ fields***
Covid 19 – Compliance
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
This event is being held in accordance with the city of San Francisco Department of Public Health Order C19-07y which currently requires all attendees over the age of 12 to verify that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to entering the screening room where a mask must be worn at all times by all patrons.
Acceptable proof of full vaccination includes original, copy, or electronic photo of the CDC vaccination card (or similar documentation issued by another foreign governmental jurisdiction); documentation from a healthcare provider; personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by the State of California, personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by another State, local, or foreign governmental jurisdiction; or personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by an approved private company.
You can retrieve your digital verification of vaccination by visiting State of California’s website under the Digital Vaccine Record section and furnishing the requested information at https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of
Marvel Studios’ and Walt Disney Pictures’
SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS.
WHEN
Friday, September 10, 2021 at 8:00PM WHERE
Delancey Street Screening Room
600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107
RSVP BELOW
***VES Members: Please register your name as “Attendee 1″***
Covid 19 – Compliance
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
This event is being held in accordance with the city of San Francisco Department of Public Health Order C19-07y which currently requires all attendees over the age of 12 to verify that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to entering the screening room where a mask must be worn at all times by all patrons.
Acceptable proof of full vaccination includes original, copy, or electronic photo of the CDC vaccination card (or similar documentation issued by another foreign governmental jurisdiction); documentation from a healthcare provider; personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by the State of California, personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by another State, local, or foreign governmental jurisdiction; or personal digital COVID-19 vaccine record issued by an approved private company.
You can retrieve your digital verification of vaccination by visiting State of California’s website under the Digital Vaccine Record section and furnishing the requested information at https://myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Visual Effects Society Bay Area Members and their Guests are invited to celebrate the summer with the return of our community’s long standing tradition, the VES Bay Area Summer BBQ.
We are returning to McNears Beach located in San Rafael. Come enjoy the sun and sea side breezes with your friends, peers and fellows section members at this outdoor event.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Marvel Studios’ and Walt Disney Pictures’ BLACK WIDOW. San Francisco Department of Public Health rules require that anyone who is not fully vaccinated must wear masks or face coverings at all times while in the building.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP)
Saturday, July 10, 2021 at 8:00PM Delancey Street Screening Room
600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we ask that you or your guests do not attend VES events if you are experiencing any symptoms or if you have been exposed to the virus.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
By signing up for this on-site, in-person screening/event sponsored by VES (Visual Effects Society), you willingly accept any potential inherent risks associated with COVID-19. VES cannot be held liable from any consequences that may transpire from said risk. Therefore, signing up for this screening/event infers implied consent of yourself and your party and hereby indemnifies and holds harmless VES, its directors, its employees and any other affiliated persons from any adverse medical or financial impact that may result from our participation.
The Visual Effects Society Bay Area Section invites you to
SHIFTING GEARS: NEXT LEVEL STORYTELLING
A discussion and networking event.
Building on the enthusiasm of the last two FAANG events, we are excited to broaden our perceptions of VFX career paths, and bring these discussions to the next level.
We have gathered an experienced panel of visual effects professionals who have pursued atypical VFX occupations. Join us in the educational conversation and learn how your VFX skills can easily be applied across various industries.
Followed directly by a Q&A session.
DATE: Tuesday, June 22, 2021
PANEL: 7:00pm – 8:00pm PDT
MODERATORS:
Maggie Oh (Google)
Corey Rosen (Tippett Studio)
PANELISTS:
Miles Perkins (Epic)
Colum Slevin (Facebook Reality Labs)
Diana Williams (Kinetic Energy Entertainment)
Alonso Martinez (Google AI)
Miss talking shop with your peers?
We have set up online areas EXCLUSIVELY for VES members to network both before and after the panel discussions. This is a chance to see your peers, talk shop and just see how everyone is doing.
Take all of the challenges with mounting an indie production of an epic sci-fi film, throw in all of last year and combine it with pioneering Virtual Production and you have an incredible story of ingenuity, innovation and the true spirit of independent film making for the 21st century.
The Visual Effects Society Bay Area is proud to invite its members to attend an online panel discussion with the creators of Gods of Mars, an independent production by Roninfilms, an Epic Games MegaGrant recipient and one of the first indie projects to employ Virtual Production last year. Gods of Mars is still in production so the information is very much of the moment!
WHEN: June 17, 2021 at 6pm
WHERE: Online via Zoom
RSVP: Login to register below
PANELISTS
Peter Hyoguchi/Director/Producer
Hyoguchi started his career at fifteen years-old when he won a George Lucas youth film festival for his short sci-fi called, The Future’s Future. At eighteen, he directed his first feature film, an adaptation of the play No Exit, and has been making films ever since. In 2000, Peter wrote and directed First, Last and Deposit which won Best Feature at both New York and San Francisco Independent Film Festivals. The picture was distributed on many platforms, including Netflix and IFC.
Joan Bevan Webb – Producer/Virtual Production Producer
Producer, and Virtual Production Producer at Roninfilm. Joan brings extensive experience in business development, VC backing, representation and marketing. Her former clients include such notable figures as James Cameron, Oliver Stone, Doug Trumbull, Tim Burton, Coen Brothers, companies such as: IMAX, Pixar, Sony, DreamWorks, MGM, Disney and feature films: Shrek I, II & III; Toy Story; Lion King; and The Amazing Spider-Man.
David Stump ASC – CV
David Stump ASC has been working in motion pictures and television production as Director of Photography, VFX Director of Photography, VFX Supervisor, and as Stereographer, (live action and 2D to 3D conversion work), earning an Emmy Award, an Academy Award for Scientific and Technical Achievement, an IMAGO Technical Achievement Award and an International Cinematographers Guild Award. His credits include projects like Little Fires Everywhere, The Morning Show, Skyfire, The Happytime Murders, American Gods, The Unwilling, Immortals, Quantum of Solace, Flight Plan, Fantastic Four, X-Men 1 & 2, Into the Blue, Garfield, Batman Forever, Hollow Man, Men of Honor, Deep Blue Sea, Stuart Little, The Sphere, Contact, Batman & Robin, Mars Attacks, Executive Decision, Stargate, and Free Willy, among many others.
He is currently chairman of the both the Camera Committee and the Metadata Committee of the ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council and has lectured and taught classes in Cinematography and Visual Effects at the American Film Institute, UCLA, Art Center College of Design, Woodbury University, Arizona State University, Global Cinematography Institute, IATSE Local 600, TV Globo Rio De Janeiro Brasil, Savannah College of Art and Design, The Beijing Film Academy and most recently the ARRI Academy in Beijing.
Dan Lauer/CGI Supervisor
Dan Lauer began his career as a software development engineer when the desire to be more creative led him to the world of 3D visual effects and animation. His portfolio includes animated music videos, photo-realistic product marketing, museum documentary films and feature films. His film work includes doing all of the visual effects for the award winning short film “Shero”, animation on the short “Devils, Angels and Dating”. Dan’s the CGI Supervisor on the SyFy channel film “Lavalantula”, Roninfilm’s “The New Kind”, “Gods of Mars” and “The Tarot
MODERATOR
David W. Valentin – Executive Producer, Chair of the VES Bay Area Section
David W. Valentin an award-winning producer who has helped to create some of the most iconic and enduring images in motion picture history. He holds credits on some of the highest grossing films of all times. David spent many years at George Lucas’s premiere visual effects facility Industrial Light and Magic where he worked on such films as Lost World: Jurassic Park, Men In Black, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and The Green Mile. He went on to produce the visual effects for acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s wuxia classic Hero.
As the Executive Producer & Founder of Mr. Smith Studios, David W. Valentin works with corporate, small business and 501c3 clients to develop and create the video content which embodies their values and brand with big emotional payoff. As a visual effects expert who has produced work at the forefront of digital innovation for over 20 years, David knows how to leverage leading-edge technology for his clients to help tell their stories with cinematic aesthetics within cost-conscious budgets.
A Bay Area native, David received his degree from the California College of the Arts. He is currently Chair for the Visual Effects Society Bay Area Section and works with youth from under-served communities to find their first jobs. He also mentors students who have recently graduated from Bay Area Film and VFX program to break into the industry.
Join Greenray Media Executive Producer and Founder and VES Board of Directors Chair, Lisa Cooke along with Tippett Studios’ VP of Creative Marketing & Development, VES Bay Area Treasurer and newly published author Corey Rosen and VFX Artist, Commercial, Feature and Episodic Director Marcus Stokes for an in-depth examination of storytelling hosted by VES Bay Area Chair David W. Valentin.
In this discussion of the Power of Story we will be looking at how intrinsic the craft of storytelling is to how we work, communicate, see each other and see ourselves. There is no aspect of our lives that is not entrenched in every aspect of storytelling. Everybody loves a good story. But Why? And what goes into making an audience care? And what happens to them when they do? The VES Bay Area is proud to present this hour long examination of one the most important cornerstones of your industry.
Register today to be part of this fascinating discussion which will be followed immediately afterward by audience Q&A with our panelists. THE POWER OF STORY
6:00 pm, Thursday
March 11, 2021
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY VIA ZOOM https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZB0giyLISPCCfoMqI0G2aQ
DISCUSSION PANELISTS
Lisa Cooke has spent several decades in the entertainment industry as an animation/FX industry producer, story consultant, screenwriter and actor. Firmly believing that effective science communication is vital to our world, she founded Green Ray Media, and for the last ten-plus years, has been producing animation and VFX to create scientific, medical and environmental media for a broad audience.
Lisa has worked for entertainment clients including Lucasfilm, Fox, Nickelodeon Films, ABC, CBS, Paramount and Universal and in the VFX and animation industry for companies including Pixar, Glasgow-based Digital Animations Group and Tippett Studio. As Senior Producer at Reardon Studios, she helped bring MOVA Contour Reality Capture to the film industry.
Lisa has also taught story structure at the SF Academy of Art, JFK University and Ex’pression College, and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild. She served six years on the VES Bay Area Board of Managers Executive Committee and as Chair, before joining the VES Board of Directors, where she serves as Chair of the Archive Committee. In 2019 she held the position of 2nd Vice Chair and served as 1st Vice Chair in 2020. She is honored to Chair the Visual Effects Society in 2021.
Corey Rosen is a writer, actor, visual effects producer, and storytelling teacher based in San Francisco, California. He hosts The Moth StorySlams and GrandSlams, and won their first ever Bay Area StorySlam (2012). He has been featured on The Moth Radio Hour. He is a regular contributor and on-air personality for Alice Radio’s The Sarah and Vinnie Show. Corey is a company performer at BATS Improv, one of the world’s foremost centers for Improvisational Theater. Corey got his start writing for Comedy Central and Jim Henson Productions. As staff writer for Lucasfilm Animation and Tippett Studio, he wrote the screenplays for films and theme park rides and attractions exhibiting around the world. When not writing, Corey works as a visual effects artist and creative director. He has credits on dozens of movies, including several Star Wars films, and Disney’s A Christmas Carol. He has taught in the MFA Animation program at Academy of Art University and for The Writing Pad. He has written and directed television commercials and award-winning short films. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Jenny and two story-inspiring children.
Marcus Stokes began his artistic career in the field of Architectural Design, in which he holds a Master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Drawn to the world of cinema, he soon transitioned into the digital realm as a computer graphics artist at George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic (ILM). While at ILM, Marcus created groundbreaking visual effects for blockbuster films including Star Wars Episode I, Minority Report, and The Mummy. He then moved to Los Angeles and supervised visual effects for The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, I Robot, and Serenity.
Marcus officially began his directorial career when he joined the Director’s Guild of America as a commercial director and created ads for clients including GMC, Nissan, and Walt Disney Pictures. Soon after, Marcus realized his true passion in narrative filmmaking and began creating his own content. His very first film as writer/director, The Catalyst, was acquired by HBO and aired on their networks for two years. Marcus continued to develop his unique blend of storytelling and visual skills by working closely with veteran directors Tim Story and F. Gary Gray. This combination of talents is most evident in his VFX short film, The Signal, executive produced by Tim Story and starring Michael Ealy and Grace Phipps.
Today, Marcus is focused on continuing his narrative filmmaking career. He successfully completed the directing programs at ABC, CBS, Fox, Sony, Warner Brothers, Ryan Murphy Television, and the DGA. He was also recently chosen as one of the Los Angeles Times’ Diverse 100 for his cinematic and visual effects achievements. In September of 2017, he directed the CBS hit show Criminal Minds and quickly followed with episodes of Life in Pieces and Blindspot.
PANEL MODERATOR David W. Valentin an award-winning producer who has helped to create some of the most iconic and enduring images in motion picture history. He holds credits on some of the highest grossing films of all times. David spent many years at George Lucas’s premiere visual effects facility Industrial Light and Magic where he worked on such films as Lost World: Jurassic Park, Men In Black, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and The Green Mile. He went on to produce the visual effects for acclaimed Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s wuxia classic Hero.
As the Executive Producer & Founder of Mr. Smith Studios, David W. Valentin works with corporate, small business and 501c3 clients to develop and create the video content which embodies their values, brand messaging and marketing objectives. As a visual effects expert who has produced work at the forefront of digital innovation for over 20 years, David knows how to leverage leading-edge technology for his clients to help tell their stories with cinematic aesthetics within cost-conscious budgets.
A Bay Area native, David received his degree from the California College of the Arts. He is currently Chair for the Visual Effects Society Bay Area Section and works with youth from under-served communities to find their first jobs. He also mentors students who have recently graduated from Bay Area Film and VFX program to break into the industry.
THE POWER OF STORY
6:00 pm, Thursday
March 11, 2021
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY VIA ZOOM
The Visual Effects Society Bay Area Section is proud to continue our Autumn 2020 season with the online presentation of FAANG 2020 on October 29th beginning at 7pm.
FAANG 2020 builds on the themes and interest of last years FAANG event where we assemble members of the visual effects community who have leveraged their talents to find success in the tech sector. This panel discussion focuses on exploring the opportunities that are open to VFX professionals in tech in addition to actionable tips and insights.
This is a webinar event beginning at 7pm.
MODERATORS:
Camille Eden (Nickelodeon)
Alan Boucek (Tippett Studio)
PANELISTS: Colum Slevin (Facebook)
Wayne Billheimer (Apple)
Polly Ing (Adobe)
Maggie Oh (Google)
Please sign-in to your VES member profile, to register for this event.
VES Bay Area Members are invited to join the discussionas we look at Practical Effects Production in the current work climate while looking at the future of onset production.
OCTOBER 1, 2020 7:00PM
Speaker: Sean House, Model/Fabrication Department Supervisor, Co-Owner at 32TEN Studios
BIO
For over 20 years, Sean has been an active member of the Bay Area Film Community working on well over 50 Feature Films, multiple TV Series and hundreds of commercials. The continued practiced diversity of his work experience has created a well rounded artist and technician in multiple disciplines of the film making craft. He has for the past 8 1/2 years led the Model/Fabrication Department at 32Ten Studios for Practical VFX work on films such as Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker, “Rogue One, a Star Wars story, Jurassic World, Transformers: Age of Extinction and many more.
As a model maker Sean has contributed to films such as Priest“, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Terminator: Salvation, Matrix: Reloaded/Revolution and others. In 2016, Sean traveled for 5 months as the On-Set Dresser for the action unit of The Fast and the Furious 8, 2 1/2 months of which were spent filming in Iceland. He has served as Property Master on projects as diverse as George Lucas’s Red Tails, the TV Series pilot Fairly Legal, and San Andreas staring Dwayne Johnson.
When he is not on set, Sean is an active Bay Area film community leader: In 2001 he founded the Bay Area Film Alliance and in 2004 he co-founded the Oakland Film Center, a film business co-operative which encompassed 32 individual businesses. In 2017 Sean became a member of the VES (Visual Effects Society). He has also been a frequent industry adviser to Mayors in San Francisco and Oakland, and continues to advocate for the Bay Area film community on both the local and state front.
Bay Area, Washington, Vancouver and Los Angeles Sections present:
West Coast Happy Hour Wednesday, August 26th
6:00-7:00pm (PST – Of Course!)
It’s time for all of the VES’ West Coast Members to step up and mingle:
* Have a great recipe to share?
* Recommendation on new shows to binge?
* Who has the cutest cat, doggie or turtle?
Prizes too! Have a chance to WIN a copy of the newly released third edition of the VES Handbook of Visual Effects: Industry Standard VFX Practices and Procedures!
To join THIS party, use Chrome desktop browser (with the Netflix Party extension installed) and click on the party URL above, which will redirect to Netflix’s website. You must click on the “NP” button next to the address bar to automatically join the party. The Chat will start around 7:00 pm with screening to begin @ 7:10 pm.
FINE PRINT: NETFLIX SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE. DON’T HAVE AN ACCOUNT? SIGN UP AT NETFLIX.COM FOR A FREE 30 DAY SUBSCRIPTION. NETFLIX PARTY CHROME EXTENSION REQUIRED TO BE INSTALLED. THIS IS AN UNMODERATED EVENT. PLEASE BE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER.
You are invited to our first-ever, VES Netflix Party where you choose the movie – Click here to vote for the movie!
Then on Wednesday, June 17 at 7:30 PM we will watch the winning movie together and join an online chat with our fellow west coast VES colleagues from the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Washington Sections.
Look for your Netflix Party url email invitation and on this page one hour before showtime where you’ll find out the winning movie when you log in.
Fine Print: Netflix subscription required to participate. Don’t have an account? Sign up at Netflix.com for a FREE 30 day subscription. You will receive an email invite with a private URL one hour prior to the screening. Netflix Party Chrome Extension required to be installed. Instructions will be included with your invitation. This is an unmoderated event. Please be kind to one another.
Baobab Studios, KuKu Studios and Tonko House formed the Bay Area Animation Alliance to strengthen the independent animation community. One of their first public initiatives has been to create an online art charity auction using their creative strength to act upon their beliefs.
Together, the 3 studios have created original art for this online auction and they will be donating the proceeds to the Equal Justice Initiative.
The Visual Effects Society Bay Area is hosting a Zoom Call for our Bay Area Members.
The Bay Area section has always been and remains a tight knit group of artists, craft people and members of production. During these times of self isolation and social distancing, maintaining a sense of community is now more important than ever.
Please join us on this call, to see fellow members and to simply check in with each other.
Topic: VES Bay Area Get Together
Time: Mar 27, 2020 05:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Paramount Pictures’ A QUIET PLACE PART II
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID19, we ask you or your guests who may show any symptoms or who might have been exposed to the virus do not attend VES events.
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) (RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, March 20) Saturday, March 21, 2020 at 2:00PM
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Night Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Pixar Animation Studios’ ONWARD
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) Friday, March 6, 2020 at 7:30PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 6:30PM, no earlier)
The SIGGRAPH 2019 Computer Animation Festival features a selection of innovative animated short films and visual effects reels produced by professionals and students from around the world. These were originally shown as part of the SIGGRAPH 2019 Computer Animation Festival, a leading annual festival for the world’s most groundbreaking, accomplished, and amazing digital film creators.
The content, in its original form, premiered during SIGGRAPH 2019, 28 July–1 August, in Los Angeles. The annual festival is a qualifying event for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Academy Awards.
Since 1999, several works originally presented in the SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival have gone on to be nominated for or receive the Best Animated Short Film Oscar.
This event is free for San Francisco ACM SIGGRAPH Members. There is still time to become a member and attend the show for free.
Get your membership at: http://san-francisco.siggraph.org
If you become a member, please email me at tereza_flaxman@siggraph.org with your membership number.
Now that the 18th Annual VES Awards season is underway, we once again invite VES members to participate in our Nomination Panels. The Nomination Event will be held worldwide on January 4, 2020.
Any active VES member who can travel to one of the cities listed below may participate.
This is your chance to determine who will ultimately walk up to the podium on January 29, 2020, to collect a coveted VES Award. A single vote may make the difference between being nominated… or not… and that vote could be yours!
Past participants know that this is the must-attend event of the awards season. Not only will you view some of the most amazing visual imagery of 2019, you’ll get to see exclusive behind-the-scenes footage while participating in the single best networking opportunity of the year. It’s a chance to see old friends, meet the best and brightest in the visual effects field, and learn new techniques that you can apply to your own craft. All of that, plus the satisfaction of knowing that you have participated in choosing what will ultimately be the Nominations announced to the press for the 18th Annual VES Awards.
Judges who register to participate will receive information about specific times and locations from their local section representatives once their applications are received. If you are ready to make a difference, please submit your Panel Judge Application BELOW. Make sure you check the box indicating which of the Nomination Event locations you are applying for.
The Nomination Event is a full-day event held on Saturday, January 4, 2020 around the globe. Nominees will be announced on Monday, January 6, 2020. We look forward to receiving your Judge Application to make this year’s Nomination Event a success!
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER followed by a live interactive Q&A with the Filmmakers.
Panelists will include Director J.J. Abrams as well as Visual Effects Supervisors Roger Guyett and Patrick Tubach, moderated by VES 1st Vice Chair Jeffrey A. Okun, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) (RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, December 20) Saturday, December 21, 2019 at 11:00AM
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Lucasfilm’s STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER followed by a live interactive Q&A with the Filmmakers
Panelists will include Director J.J. Abrams as well as Visual Effects Supervisors Roger Guyett and Patrick Tubach, moderated by VES 1st Vice Chair Jeffrey A. Okun, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) Saturday, December 21, 2019 at 11:00AM
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Netflix’s THE IRISHMAN followed by a live interactive Q&A with Visual Effects Supervisor Pablo Helman, moderated by VES Fellow Paul Debevec, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information)
(RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, December 6) Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 11:00AM
VES Members and Their Families in the Bay Area are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ FROZEN 2
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information)
(RSVPs close at 10:00AM on Friday, November 22) Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 2:00PM
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s FORD V FERRARI followed by a live interactive Q&A with the Filmmakers
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisor Olivier Dumont, Visual Effects Producer Kathy Siegel and Special Effects Supervisor Mark R. Byers. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to RSVP and see venue information) Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 11:00AM
The Visual Effects Society Bay Area Section is proud to present
FAANG: Opportunities for VFX Veterans at the Bay Area’s Leading Tech Companies.
This is a Panel Discussion and Networking Event with an emphasis on the kinetic exchange of information, lively collaboration and professional networking.
The VES Bay Area Section is assembling a panel of VFX professionals who have successfully transitioned to working with leading tech companies in the Bay Area. As the our industry continues to change and the demand for original content continues to grow, the time honed skill sets of visual effects industry veterans can find a home in Silicon Valley.
This evening is designed to provide practical advice and useful insights to help guide artists & production staff looking to leverage their talents locally .
This is an accelerated event meant to move quickly. So bring your concise questions and your business cards.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Re-Recording Sound Mixers Tom Johnson and Juan Peralta,
Sound Mixer John Pritchett, CAS,
Supervising Sound Editors Shannon Mills and Daniel Laurie
Reception at Sessions
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” is available on Digital July 30 and on Blu-ray™ August 13.
PARKING AND CHECK-IN DETAILS WILL BE PROVIDED UPON RSVP CONFIRMATION
VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ THE LION KINGfollowed by a live interactive Q&A with the Filmmakers
Panelists will include Director Jon Favreau, Visual Effects Supervisor Rob Legato, and Cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, ASC, moderated by Michael Fink, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Saturday, July 27, 2019 at 11:00AM
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESLIONKING, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Peter Oberdorfer is a 25 year veteran in digital entertainment and CGI. Peter has co-founded several well regarded digital post-production firms, including the interactive/UX firm Float Hybrid Entertainment, the Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning visual effects studio Giant Killer Robots, as well as Hollywood’s original previsualization firm, Pixel Liberation Front.
With the founding of Tactic, Peter has joined forces with a team of other seasoned digital artists, combining his past experience as a visual effects artist and supervisor with interactive visualization and storytelling through involvement in interactive projects, interactive experiences and products centered around new digital formats: AR/VR/MR/XR, mobile apps, visual effects, as well as real-time 3d environments and experiences made with game and visualization engines.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Columbia Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
Please RSVP below Sunday, July 14, 2019 at 11:00AM (RSVPs close at 2:00PM on Friday, July 12)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Families in the Bay Area are Invited to 3D Screening of Screening of Disney•Pixar’s TOY STORY 4 followed by a Q&A with the Visual Effects and Animation Team
Panelists will include Technology & Pipeline Supervisor William Reeves, Supervising Technical DirectorBob Moyer, Effects Supervisor Gary Bruins and Effects Lead Alexis Angelidis, moderated by VES Board member David Tanaka. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below
(RSVPs close at 10:00AM on Friday, June 28) Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 2:00PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 1:00PM, no earlier)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
June 12th – doors open 7:00PM (CEST) and there will be beer and pizza!
ZOOM stream starts at 7:30PM (CEST)
Masterclass starts at 8:00PM (CEST)
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The VES invites you to our 3rd MEGABRAIN Masterclass where you can learn and share your knowledge with colleagues in the VFX industry. The idea is not to simply present show reels – but to teach actual techniques that help every artist to improve their skillset. This event will take place on June 12th 7:00PM at multiple locations and will also be streamed via ZOOM.
RSVP for your specific location on the appropriate event pages please:
Efficient facial rigging tools for emotionally believable digital humans
presented by Volker Helzle – Head of Research & Development at Filmakademie
Live from Munich Using Machine-learning to classify a VFXElements Library
presented by Jonas Kluger – Pipeline TD at ARRI
Live from Berlin Camera Technology: Sensors, Noise Properties, and Raw Processing
presented by Charles Poynton, PhD
We are overbooking to compensate for no-shows.
Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis.
An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES-Members and their registered guests only (except for Ludwigsburg and Cologne). No admission without registration – also at the streaming locations!
The event will also be recorded for everyone who can’t make it.
The event will be streamed live from (and to) Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg. For the first time we also provide direct access to the ZOOM stream for ALL VES MEMBERS around the world!
VES Germany is a proud Partner of the FMX Conference in Stuttgart.
VES Members and Their Guests in the Bay Area are Invited to an Opening WeekendScreening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Entertainment’s GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS followed by a Q&A with the Filmmakers
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisor Guillaume Rocheron, MPC Senior Animation Supervisor Spencer Cook, Method Studios Visual Effects SupervisorDaryl Sawchuk and Double Negative Visual Effects Supervisor Brian Connor, moderated by VES Board member Richard Winn Taylor II, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESGODZILLA, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ ALADDIN
Please RSVP below Saturday, June 1, 2019 at 2:00PM (RSVPs close at 2:00PM on Friday, May 31)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
A Very Limited Number of Bay Area VES Members and One Guest Each are Invited to the Premiere Screening of Paramount Pictures’ ROCKETMAN Followed by a Conversation with Star Taron Egerton
Please RSVP below Thursday, May 30, 2019 at 7:30PM (RSVPs close at 9:00AM on Thursday, May 30)
The Castro Theater
429 Castro Street, San Francisco, CA 94114 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to be admitted.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests in the Bay Area are Invited to aScreening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: ENDGAME followed by a Q&A with the Filmmakers
Panelists will include Visual Effects Producer Jen Underdahl, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Russell Earl, Digital Domain Visual Effects Supervisor Kelly Port, and Associate Visual Effects Supervisor Mårten Larsson, moderated by VES Board member Jeff Kleiser. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESENDGAME, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: ENDGAME followed by a Q&A with the Filmmakers
Panelists will include Visual Effects Producer Jen Underdahl, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Russell Earl, Digital Domain Visual Effects Supervisor Kelly Port, and Associate Visual Effects Supervisor Mårten Larsson, moderated by VES Board member Jeff Kleiser. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Saturday, May 4, 2019 at 3:00PM (RSVPs close at 2:00PM on Friday, May 3)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESENDGAME, in your tweet.)
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VR & AR are maturing into legitimate mediums on their own. In our panel discussion we’ll hear from three local artists who live, learn and earn in immersive media. Attendees will hear about advances in storytelling, what is working and what isn’t and unique techniques and problem solving approaches.
Come by to be part of this lively discussion!
WHEN
APRIL 18, 2019
6:30PM – 8:30PM
WHERE
ADOBE SF
601 TOWNSEND STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103
PANELISTS
Kevin Ang
Kevin is an artist who’s storyboarding, animation, print design, motion design, graphic recording and now all things immersive. He has won an Emmy for his broadcast work and is the co-founder of the XR Artists Collective, a global community contributing to a growing art movement.
Kevin Kunze
Kevin Kunze is an award-winning 360 virtual reality filmmaker who’s worked with Colin Kaepernick, Ayesha Curry, and Brent Burns. Kunze’s first feature length documentary Mobilize includes interviews with Steve Wozniak, Gavin Newsom and Lawrence Lessig.
Estella Tse
A VR/AR Creative Director and artist based in Oakland, CA, Estella integrates emerging tech and visual storytelling into a new art form. She strives to inspire new ways to connect, educate, and build empathy.
Michael Russell- MODERATOR
The Panel is moderated by VES Bay Area Board of Managers Member Michael Russell. Mike is an Assistant Professor in the Digital Filmmaking Program atSAE Expression Creative Media College. His career spans 35 years as a professional screenwriter, director, editor, technical director, producer, creative/technical consultant and educator. He has worked in feature films, visual effects, animation, internet, TV, advertising, game industries, and tech giants in Silicon Valley.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ CAPTAIN MARVEL followed by a Q&A with the Filmmakers. Panelists will include Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck as well as Additional Visual Effects Supervisor Janelle Croshaw Ralla, moderated by Bill Taylor, VES, ASC. (Panelists will be announced as they are confirmed.)
Please RSVP below Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 11:00AM (RSVPs close at 2:00PM on Friday, March 8)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESCAPTAINMARVEL, in your tweet.)
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests in the Bay Area are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of DreamWorks Animation’s and Universal Pictures’ HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD followed by a live interactive Q&A with Director Dean DeBlois, Producer Brad Lewis, Visual Effects Supervisor Dave Walvood, Head of Character Animation Simon Otto and Head of Effects Li-Ming ‘Lawrence’ Lee moderated by Director Bill Kroyer. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 11:00AM
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESDRAGON, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend 3D Screening of 20th Century Fox’s ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL
Please RSVP below Sunday, February 17, 2019 at 4:00PM (RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, February 15)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests in the Bay Area are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Sony Pictures Animation’s SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
Please RSVP below Sunday, December 16, 2018 at 2:00PM
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
This entertaining talk discusses whether computers, using Artificial Intelligence (AI), could create art. Aaron will cover the history of automation in art, examining the hype and reality of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for art together with predictions about they will be used. The fundamental question of whether an AI system could be credited with the authorship of artistic work is examined and how humans and AI may collaborate in the future.
BIO
Aaron Hertzmann received a BA in computer science and art & art history from Rice University in 1996, and a PhD in computer science from New York University in 2001. He was a Professor at University of Toronto for 10 years, and has also worked at Pixar Animation Studios, University of Washington, Microsoft Research, Mitsubishi Electric Research Lab, and Interval Research Corporation. He is an ACM Distinguished Scientist and IEEE Senior Member, and holds courtesy faculty appointments at University of Washington and University of Toronto.
His awards include the MIT TR100 (2004), an Ontario Early Researcher Award (2005), a Sloan Foundation Fellowship (2006), a Microsoft New Faculty Fellowship (2006), a UofT CS teaching award (2008), the CACS/AIC Outstanding Young CS Researcher Award (2010), the Steacie Prize for Natural Sciences (2010), and Rice Outstanding Young Engineering Alumnus (2011).
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Netflix’s MOWGLI followed by a Q&A with Director Andy Serkis, Animation Supervisor Max Solomon and Members of the Visual Effects Team T.B.A. moderated by VES Board member Richard Winn Taylor II, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Saturday, December 1, 2018 at 11:00AM (RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Friday, November 30)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESMOWGLI, in your tweet.)
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Netflix’s THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND followed by a Q&A with Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll and Whiskytree Visual Effects Supervisor Jonathan Harb moderated by VES Board member Rose Duignan. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Friday, November 30, 2018 at 8:00PM (RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, November 30)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Families in the Bay Area are Invited to a Pre-Release Screening of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET followed by a Q&A with Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Kersavage, Character Look Development Supervisor Michelle Robinson and Head of Effects Animation Cesar Velazquezmoderated by VES Board member Charlie Iturriaga. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Since this is a pre-release screening, there will be NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES ALLOWED IN THE THEATER. Please leave your phone in your car.
Please RSVP below
(RSVPs close at 10:00AM on Friday, November 16) Saturday, November 17, 2018 at 11:00AM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 10:00AM, no earlier)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESRALPH, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER followed by a Q&A with Writer/Director Ryan Coogler, Visual Effects Supervisor Geoffrey Baumann, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Craig Hammack, Additional Visual Effects Supervisor Jesse James Chisholm and Special Effects Supervisor Dan Sudick moderated by VES Board member David Tanaka. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 12:00PM (RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, October 19)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Pre-Release Screening of Universal Pictures’ FIRST MAN followed by a Presentation and Live Interactive Q&A with Visual Effects Supervisor Paul Lambert, Miniature Effects Supervisor Ian Hunter and Special Effects Supervisor J.D. Schwalm moderated by VES 1st Vice Chair Jeffrey A. Okun, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Saturday, October 6, 2018 at 12:00PM (RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Friday, October 5)
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESFIRSTMAN, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Shifting Lanscapes: Exploring the Tech-tonic Shake-up in Visual Entertainment
Saturday, September 8, 2018
Dolby Laboratories 1275 Market Street San Francisco, CA 94103
Join the Visual Effects Society’s Bay Area section for a full day of roundtable discussions, networking, and keynote visionary presentations at the stunning, state-of-the-art Dolby Laboratories headquarters in downtown San Francisco.
For the third time, the VES Bay Area Board of Directors has invited local and global experts from the fields of Animation, Broadcast & Film, VFX, Video Games and Technology to gather for this Bay Area Summit.
The event will include approximately ten Roundtable Topics to encourage discussion and interaction. These discussions will include accomplished local and international industry contributors — directors, producers, art directors, cinematographers, editors, post production supervisors, visual effects practitioners and executives — dedicated to both their own industry, and to the health of the production community at large.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Night Screening of STX Entertainment’s THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS followed by a live interactive Q&A with Director Brian Henson, Actors and Puppeteers Bill Barretta and Drew Massey with Visual Effects Producer Melissa Brockman, Compositing Supervisor Caleb Knueven and CG Supervisor Efram Potelle moderated by VES Chair Mike Chambers. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
This film is Rated R, and is not intended for children. Click here to watch the trailer.
Please RSVP below Friday, August 24, 2018 at 7:00PM (RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Thursday, August 23)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESHAPPYTIME, in your tweet.)
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screening in the Morrison Planetarium Fulldome Theatre
When
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
6:30PM (doors open)
7PM – 10PM
Where
California Academy of Sciences
55 Music Concourse Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
Followed by:
Filmmaker Making-Of Presentation and Q&A
+
Post Screening Reception
Light Hors d’oeuvres & Drinks
+
Special Screenings of Pixar Shorts
Members are encouraged to bring a colleague to this exclusive industry event to meet the artists behind the film and learn more about the Visual Effects Society and Women in Animation. Limit 1 guest per member and all guests must be 21 years or older.
To attend please RSVP by Monday, August 6, 2018.
Please Note:
The screening begins promptly at 7:00PM.
For audience safety, no late entries will be allowed into the planetarium once the show begins.
You must be 21 years or older to attend this event.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT
Please RSVP below Sunday, August 5, 2018 at 12:00PM (RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Friday, August 3)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ SKYSCRAPER
Please RSVP below Wednesday, July 18, 2018 at 8:00PM (RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Tuesday, July 17)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN AND THE WASP followed by a Live Interactive Q&A with Director Peyton Reed as well as Visual Effects Supervisor Stephane Ceretti moderated by VES Archives Committee Chair Gene Kozicki. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Saturday, July 7, 2018 at 5:00PM (RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Friday, July 6)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESWASP, in your tweet.)
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Families in the Bay Area are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Pixar Animation Studios’ INCREDIBLES 2
Please RSVP below Wednesday, June 20, 2018 at 7:00PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 6:15PM, no earlier)
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Tuesday, June 19)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a Special Fathers’ Day 3D Screening of Universal Pictures’ and Amblin Entertainment’s JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM followed by a Live Interactive Q&A with Director J.A. Bayona, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor David Vickery, ILM Animation Director Jance Rubinchik and ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Alex Wuttke with moderation by VES London Section Secretary Gavin Graham (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Sunday, June 17, 2018 at 11:00AM (RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Friday, June 15)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in London) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESJURASSIC, in your tweet.)
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating,
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Lucasfilm Ltd’s SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY followed by a Q&A with Overall Visual Effects Supervisor Rob Bredow, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Pat Tubach, ILM Roto/Paint Supervisor Beth D’Amato and Hybride Visual Effects Supervisor Joseph Kasparian with moderation by VES Board member David Tanaka. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Sunday, May 27, 2018 at 12:00PM (RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, May 25)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Families in the Bay Area are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s DEADPOOL 2
Please RSVP below Saturday, May 19, 2018 at 7:00PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 6:00PM, no earlier)
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, May 18)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR followed by a Live Interactive Q&A with Visual Effects Producers Jen Underdahl and Lisa Marra, Weta Digital Visual Effects Supervisor Matt Aitken, Industrial Light + Magic Visual Effects Supervisor Russell Earl and Digital Domain Visual Effects Supervisor Kelly Port with moderation by VES Board member Jeff Kleiser. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Sunday, May 6, 2018 at 12:00PM (RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Friday, May 4)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESINFINITYWAR, in your tweet.)
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ A QUIET PLACE followed by a Q&A with the Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Farrar, Associate Visual Effects Supervisor Jeff Sutherland, Animation Supervisor Rick O’Connor and VFX Producer Ryan Wiederkehr moderated by VES Board member and Bay Area Co-Chair Lisa Cooke.
Please RSVP below Monday, April 9, 2018 at 8:00PM (RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Monday, April 9)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a 3D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Amblin Entertainment’s READY PLAYER ONE followed by a live interactive Q&A with Co-Producer and Visual Effects Producer Jennifer Meislohn, ILM Visual Effects Supervisor Grady Cofer, Digital Domain Visual Effects Supervisor Matthew Butler and Digital Domain Previsualization Supervisor Scott Meadows as well as Digital Domain Virtual Production Supervisor Gary Roberts, moderated by VES Board member Charlie Iturriaga. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Saturday, April 7, 2018 at 12:00PM (RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Friday, April 6)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESRPO, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ A WRINKLE IN TIME followed by a Q&A with Visual Effects Supervisor Rich McBride and Previs Supervisor Chris Batty with moderation by VES Board member Lisa Cooke.
Please RSVP below Saturday, March 17, 2018 at 12:00PM (RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Friday, March 16)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER
Please RSVP below Sunday, February 18, 2018 at 3:00PM (RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, February 16)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Families in the Bay Area are Invited to a Screening of Lionsgate Pictures’ and Aardman Animation’s EARLY MAN followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers
Panelists will include Director Nick Park and Animation Directors Will Becher andMerlin Crossingham. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Lucasfilm Ltd.’s STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
Please RSVP below Sunday, December 17, 2017 at 3:00PM (RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Friday, December 15)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Happy Holidays from the Visual Effects Society Bay Area Section. Come join VES Bay Area members and their guests to ring in the season at the annual VES Holiday Party on December 15, 2017!
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Families in the Bay Area are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Pixar Animation Studios’ COCO
Please RSVP below Saturday, December 9, 2017 at 4:00PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 3:00PM, no earlier)
(RSVPs will close at 11:00AM on Friday, December 8)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Paramount Pictures Invites VES Members and a Guest
to a Special Advance Screening of DOWNSIZING
Directed by Alexander Payne
Produced by Mark Johnson, Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor
Click here to RSVP
Tuesday, November 14, 2017 at 7:00PM AMC Kabuki 8
1881 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94115
(Click here for a map.) A Q&A with Producer Mark Johnson immediately follows the screening.
Please bring your VES card and a government issued photo ID.
Should you need to cancel your reservation, please email us at: awards@paramount.com
ABOUT THE FILM DOWNSIZING imagines what might happen if, as a solution to over-population, Norwegian scientists discover how to shrink humans to five inches tall and propose a 200-year global transition from big to small. People soon realize how much further money goes in a miniaturized world, and with the promise of a better life, everyman Paul Safranek (Matt Damon) and wife Audrey (Kristen Wiig) decide to abandon their stressed lives in Omaha in order to get small and move to a new downsized community — a choice that triggers life-changing adventures. Directed by Alexander Payne and written by Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, DOWNSIZING stars Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau and Kristen Wiig.
Downsizing Opens Nationwide December 22
Running time: 135 minutes Click here to watch the trailer
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ THOR: RAGNAROK
Please RSVP below Sunday, November 5, 2017 at 3:00PM (RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, November 3)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ BLADE RUNNER 2049
Please RSVP below (VES members must login to sign up.)
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 at 6:00PM, Doors open at 5:30pm (RSVPs close on Tuesday, October 24 at 11:59PM)
Dolby’s Market Street Cinema
1275 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-4813 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Visual Effects Society Bay Area Members and their Guests are Invited to a Special 20th Anniversary Screening of a 35 mm Film Print of Tristar Pictures’
STARSHIP TROOPERS (1997)
SPECIAL GUEST PHIL TIPPETT
Two Time Academy Award winner Phil Tippett, Visual Effects Supervisor of Starship Troopers, will be bringing props, models and minatures from the production of Starship Troopers.
Before the screening, Tippett will share a brief presentation including behind-the-scenes stories and footage from the production of the movie.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Focus Features’ ATOMIC BLONDE
Please RSVP below Sunday, August 6, 2017 at 12:00PM (RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, August 4)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of STX Entertainment’s VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS, plus a live interactive Q&A with the filmmakers.
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Stokdyk, Visual Effects Producer Sophie Leclerc, Rodeo FX Associate Visual Effects Supervisor Peter Nofz and Weta Digital Visual Effects Supervisor Martin Hill with moderation by VES Board member Bill Taylor, VES, ASC. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Sunday, July 30, 2017 at 12:00PM (RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Saturday, July 29)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESVALERIAN, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of 20th Century Fox’s WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, plus a live interactive Q&A with the filmmakers.
Panelists will include Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri and Director Matt Reeves with moderation by VES Board member Jeff Kleiser. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below by Friday, July 14 at 10:00AM Screeening is Saturday, July 15, 2017 at 12:00PM
Dolby’s Market Street Cinema
1275 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-4813 Click here for a map.
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESWARFORTHEPLANET, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests in the Bay Area are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening Of Columbia Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
Please RSVP below Saturday, July 8, 2017 at 5:00PM
(RSVPs will close at 3:00PM on Saturday, July 8) 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Families in the Bay Area are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Universal Pictures’ and Illumination Entertainment’s DESPICABLE ME 3
Please RSVP below Saturday, July 1, 2017 at 3:00PM
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, June 30) 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Paramount Pictures’ TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT
Please RSVP below
Monday, June 26, 2017 at 7:00PM (RSVPs close on Friday, June 26 at 12:00PM)
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Families in the Bay Area are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Pixar Animation Studios’ CARS 3
Please RSVP below Wednesday, June 21, 2017 at 7:00PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 6:00PM, no earlier)
(RSVPs will close at 11:00AM on Wednesday, June 21)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ WONDER WOMAN
Please RSVP below
(RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, June 9) Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 11:00AM
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney. Pictures’ PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES
Please RSVP below
(RSVPs close at 11:00PM on Saturday, June 3) Sunday, June 4, 2017 at 11:00AM
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests in the Bay Area are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of 20th Century Fox’s ALIEN: COVENANT
Please RSVP below Saturday, May 20, 2017 at 6:30PM
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, Mary 19) 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY BAY AREA SUMMIT 2017
Film & Beyond | The Next Twenty Years
As the Visual Effects Society celebrates and honors its Twentieth Anniversary, The Bay Area Chapter is taking the opportunity to reflect on where we’ve been, where we are and where we are going in the NEXT TWENTY YEARS!
From it’s roots in hand made, traditional visual effects craftmanship, through expansion into digital tools and technologies, feature-length animation, cinematic video game content… the Bay Area’s digital arts community continues, year after year, to be a leader in the modes through which VFX can affect the world.
Blockbuster Movies. Science. Education. Theme Parks. Virtual and Augmented Reality. We want to engage in a joyous reflection on our history, and to dream where we can go next.
As such, the VES Bay Area Board of Directors invites local and global experts from the fields of Animation, Broadcast & Film, VFX, Video Games and Technology to gather for this 2nd Annual Bay Area Summit.
The event will include approximately ten Roundtable Topics to encourage discussion and interaction. These discussions will include accomplished local and international industry contributors — directors, producers, art directors, cinematographers, editors, post production supervisors, visual effects practitioners and executives — dedicated to both their own industry, and to the health of the production community at large.
Come join this amazing event with us and be a part of the conversation as we look to the past, the present and the Next Twenty Years.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, VOL. 2
Please RSVP below
Saturday, May 6, 2017 at 1:00PM (RSVPs close on Friday, May 5 at 12:00PM)
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of Universal Pictures’ THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS
Please RSVP below
Saturday, April 15, 2017 at 4:00PM (RSVPs close on Friday, April 14 at 12:00PM)
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend 3D Screening of Paramount Pictures’ GHOST IN THE SHELL
Please RSVP below
Sunday, April 2, 2017 at 5:00PM (RSVPs close on Friday, March 31 at 12:00PM)
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Families in the Bay Area are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Please RSVP below Sunday, March 26, 2017 at 3:00PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 2:00PM, no earlier)
(RSVPs will close at 11:00AM on Friday, March 24)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 2D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ KONG: SKULL ISLAND
Please RSVP below
(RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, March 17) Sunday, March 19, 2017 at 4:00PM
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to an Opening Weekend Screening of 20th Century Fox’s LOGAN
Please RSVP below
Sunday, March 5, 2017 at 3:00PM (RSVPs close on Sunday, March 5 at 1:00PM)
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
THE VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY VISION COMMITTEE IN COLLABORATION WITH NASA AND THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES PRESENT
SCIENCE & SCI FI: FORGING THE FUTURE
PLEASE JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL PANEL PRESENTATION AND INFORMATIVE DISCUSSION WITH KEY SCIENTISTS AND ARTISTS ON “BOTH SIDES OF THE EQUATION” (AND FOR WHAT POSSIBLY LIES AHEAD!)
PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE:
DAN CURRY
VFX PRODUCER/SUPERVISOR “STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION” THROUGH “STAR TREK ENTERPRISE”
JIM GREEN
NASA PLANETARY SCIENCE DIV. DIRECTOR & TECHNICAL ADVISER ON “THE MARTIAN”
DAVID ISRAEL
NASA EXPLORATION & SPACE COMMUNICATIONS PROJECTS DIVSION ARCHITECT
GREG WILLIAMS
NASA HUMAN EXPLORATION AND OPERATIONS MISSION DIRECTORATE
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a 2D Opening Weekend Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Lucasfilm Ltd.’s ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY plus a Q&A.
Panelists will include Executive Producer and Visual Effects Supervisor John Knoll and Animation Supervisor Hal Hickel with moderation by VES 1st Vice Chair Jeffrey A. Okun, VES. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below
(RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, December 16) Sunday, December 18, 2016 at 12:00PM
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESROGUEONE, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Pre-Release Screening of Columbia Pictures’ PASSENGERS, plus a live interactive Q&A with the filmmakers.
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisor Pete Dionne, Co-Producer Greg Baxter, Film Editor Maryann Brandon and Production Designer Guy Hendrix Dyas with moderation by VES Board member Jeff Kleiser. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Saturday, December 17, 2016 at 12:00PM
Delancey Street Screening Room 600 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94107 Click here for a map.
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESPASSENGERS, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and Their Guests in the Bay Area are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ MOANA
Please RSVP below Saturday, December 10, 2016 at 3:00PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 2:00PM, no earlier)
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Thursday, November 8)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Tuesday Evening, December 6, 2016
6:30pm to 9:30pm
Presentation begins at 7:30pm
Zynga
699 8th Street
San Francisco CA 94103
Join SF Siggraph for their last event of 2016. A screening of Pixar’s charming short “Piper” with guest speaker Brett Levin. Brett works on technical are and software toos for animated films at Pixar. Most recently he supervised technical production for the Piper Short. Prior to that he was co-lead on Pixar’s effort to switch to path-tracing for Finding Dory; led implemmentatin of the scene descrition & compositing system for USD; and led animation, layout, and scenegraph teams for Pixar’s rigging & animation system Presto. His first industry job was working on the Blade Runner PC game at Westwood Studios.
Seating is limited. Please ONLY RSVP if you are certain to attend.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 2D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
Please RSVP below
Monday, November 28, 2016 at 7:30PM
(RSVPs will close on Monday, November 28 at 12:00PM.)
Dolby Laboratories Screening Room
100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES members and friends, are invited to join our informal “sit-down” to discuss the past, present and possible futures of Facial Capture and Animation.
As capture tech continues to evolve at record pace we will examine current methods and possible applications and modern techniques.
Come join industry innovators Scott C. Smith Director of Ops, David Andrews, Animation Supervisor, (both of CAMd/Pulse) and others for this exciting exchange between some of the leaders in facial capture and animation.
VES Members and Their Guests in the Bay Area are Invited to a 3D Screening of Marvel Studios’ and Walt Disney Pictures’ DOCTOR STRANGE followed by a Q&A with ILM’s Visual Effects Supervisor Richard Bluff
Please RSVP below Saturday, November 12, 2016 at 3:00PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 2:00PM, no earlier)
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Thursday, November 10)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and a Guest are Invited to an Opening Night Screening of Paramount Pictures’ ARRIVAL
Please call (800) 905-6918 to RSVP(be sure to specify the date, time and location of the screening you’d like to attend) Friday, November 11, 2016 at 7:00PM
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating. Click here for more studio screenings.
VES Bay Area Section Invites You and Your Guests to a Screening of Columbia Pictures’ INFERNO
Please RSVP below
Saturday, November 5, 2016 at 4:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, November 4, 2016
The Visual Effects Society is inviting all Bay Area Section Members and their Guests to the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco to experience the Stanley Kurbrick Exhibition. Come see one of the most expansive retrospectives of this visionary director’s films via actual props, notes and research used to produce his work. The exhibit is ending this month so this is one of your last chances to see the exhibit before it moves on to another city.
VES Bay Area Section Invites You and Your Guests to a Screening of Sony Pictures’ and MGM’s THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Please RSVP below
Saturday, October 1, 2016 at 4:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, September 30, 2016
VES Bay Area Section Invites You and Your Guests to a Screening of MGM’s THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN from 1960
Please RSVP below
Saturday, October 1, 2016 at 1:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, September 30, 2016
VES Members and Their Guests in the Bay Area are Invited to a Pre-Release Screening of Lionsgate’s and Summit Entertainment’s DEEPWATER HORIZON, plus a live interactive Q&A with the filmmakers.
Panelists will include Director Peter Berg, Special Effects Supervisors Burt Dalton and Matt Kutcher and Lead Post-Vis Artist at ILM Keith Johnson with moderation by VES Board member Dan Schrecker. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Saturday, September 24, 2016 at 12:00PM
Variety Club Preview Room 582 Market St #101, San Francisco, CA 94104 Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in New York) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESDEEPWATERHORIZON, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Synopsis:
On April 20th, 2010, one of the world’s largest man-made disasters occurred on the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. Directed by Peter Berg (LONE SURVIVOR), this story honors the brave men and women whose heroism would save many on board, and change everyone’s lives forever. Click here to watch the trailer
VES Bay Area Members and Their Families are Invited to a Double Feature Screening to Remember the Late Gene Wilder. We will screen WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY at 4:00PM followed by YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN at 6:00PM
Please RSVP below
Saturday, September 3, 2016 at 4:00PM and 6:00PM 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Bay Area Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ SUICIDE SQUAD
Please RSVP below
Saturday, August 20, 2016 at 7:00PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 6:00PM, no earlier)
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, August 19)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Bay Area Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ PETE’S DRAGON
Please RSVP below
Saturday, August 13, 2016 at 7:00PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 6:00PM, no earlier)
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, August 12)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 2D Screening of Universal Pictures’ JASON BOURNE
Please RSVP below
Monday, August 8, 2016 at 7:00PM
(RSVPs will close on Monday, August 8 at 12:00PM.)
Dolby Laboratories Screening Room
100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
You and a guest are invited to join us at the Stag Theater at Skywalker Ranch for an advanced screening of THE LITTLE PRINCE, followed by a Q&A with acclaimed director Mark Osborne. Based on the book of the same name, the film follows Elena, a prodigiously gifted young girl living in a world of grown-ups, being urged by her mother to leave her childhood behind in hopes of enrolling her into the prestigious Werth Academy. But the “life plan” her mother has created for her sounds much less appealing after listening to the stories of the “Little Prince” from the eccentric elderly aviator living next door.
Brought to us by our friends at Netflix, THE LITTLE PRINCE creates a world of childhood that lasts forever, written for both children and adults. It creates the idea that childhood always remains in the hearts of adults and that though we may grow up, we do not have to lose that sense of imagination.
About The Little Prince
Rediscover one of the most beloved stories of all time. From Mark Osborne, Academy Award®-nominated director of KUNG FU PANDA, comes the award-winning adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s iconic masterpiece, THE LITTLE PRINCE. At the heart of it all is The Little Girl (Mackenzie Foy), who’s being prepared by her mother (Rachel McAdams) for the very grown-up world in which they live – only to be interrupted by her eccentric, kind-hearted neighbor, The Aviator (Jeff Bridges). The Aviator introduces her to an extraordinary new world where anything is possible. A world that he himself was initiated into long ago by The Little Prince (Riley Osborne). It’s here that her magical and emotional journey into the universe of The Little Prince begins. And where The Little Girl discovers that it is only with the heart that one can see rightly what is essential is invisible to the eye.
About Mark Osborne
Two time Academy Award nominated director Mark Osborne has been telling stories with animation and live-action for more than twenty-five years. Currently, Osborne has directed and Executive Produced the upcoming first-ever animated feature film adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved classic, The Little Prince. Osborne’s breakout was DreamWorks’ critically acclaimed animated box office hit, KUNG FU PANDA. The film premiered Out of Competition at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival going on to receive an Academy Award®-nomination for Best Animated Feature. Among Osborne’s other credits include the animated stop-motion short film, MORE. Written and directed by Osborne, the film screened at more than 150 film festivals worldwide and received numerous awards and nominations including an Academy Award®-nomination for Best Short Film, a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and an Annie Award-nomination. Osborne studied foundation art at New York’s Pratt Institute before earning his BFA in experimental animation from the California Institute of the Arts. In 1997, Osborne returned to CalArts to teach Advanced Filmmaking Techniques and has since given lectures and taught on the subject of animation worldwide including Tokyo, China, Italy, Norway, Canada and all over the U.S.
Focus Features and Laika Entertainment Invites VES Members and a Guest to a Special Advance Screening of KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS followed by a Q&A with Producers Travis Knight and Arianne Sutner
From animation studio LAIKA comes an action-adventure set in a fantastical Japan. Clever, kindhearted Kubo (Art Parkinson) ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town. But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey (Charlize Theron) and Beetle (Matthew McConaughey), and sets out on a quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen samurai warrior father. With the help of his shamisen – a magical musical instrument – Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King (Ralph Fiennes) and the evil twin Sisters (Rooney Mara), to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family, and fulfill his heroic destiny. The film, produced by Travis Knight and Arianne Sutner, also features the voices of George Takei, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, and Brenda Vaccaro.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 2D Screening of Columbia Pictures’ GHOSTBUSTERS
Please RSVP below
Thursday, July 28, 2016 at 7:00PM
(RSVPs will close on Thursday, July 28 at 12:00PM.)
Dolby Laboratories Screening Room
100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
2016 marks Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary. In celebration of this historic event the Visual Effects Society Vision Committee in collaboration with the California Academy of Sciences and the VES Bay Area Section present INCOMING!
Asterorids and comets have collided with our planet throughout its history, changing the course of life on Earth and shaping the world we know today. Narrated by George Takei, INCOMING! explores the past, present, and future of our Solar System and the landmark discoveries scientists have made sending spacecraft to visit tiny worlds. In this latest planetarium show from the California Academy of Sciences, cutting-edge visualizations bring real-time data from current NASA missions to life while taking audiences on a ride through the dynamic story of our cosmic origins. Discover what these impacts from above can teach us and how scientific advances may allow us to find and track cosmic threats before they reach planet Earth. Q&A to follow with Incoming! Producer (and VES Vision Committee member) Tom Kennedy and Team Members Matt Blackwell, Mike Schmitt & Jeroen Lapre
followed by a special opening weekend screening of Paramount Pictures’ STAR TREK BEYOND
VES Bay Area Members and Their Families are Invited to a 2D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ THE BFG
RSVPs are closed for this screening
Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 7:30PM
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, July 15.) 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 2D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ THE LEGEND OF TARZAN
Please RSVP below
Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at 7:00PM
(RSVPs will close on Wednesday, July 6 at 12:00PM.)
Dolby Laboratories Screening Room
100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 2D Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ THE LEGEND OF TARZAN
Please RSVP below
Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at 7:00PM
(RSVPs will close on Wednesday, July 6 at 12:00PM.)
Dolby Laboratories Screening Room
100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Bay Area Section Invites You and Your Guests to a Screening of Sony Pictures’ THE SHALLOWS
Please RSVP below
Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at 7:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, July 1, 2016.
VES Bay Area Section Invites You and Your Guests to a Screening of Sony Pictures’ THE SHALLOWS
Please RSVP below
Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at 7:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, July 1, 2016.
VES Bay Area Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 2D Screening of 20th Century Fox’s INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE
Please RSVP below
Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 4:30PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, June 24, 2016.
VES Bay Area Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 2D Screening of 20th Century Fox’s INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE
Please RSVP below
Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 4:30PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, June 24, 2016.
VES Bay Area Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s Original Film from 1996 INDEPENDENCE DAY
Please RSVP below
Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 1:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, June 24, 2016.
VES Bay Area Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s Original Film from 1996 INDEPENDENCE DAY
Please RSVP below
Sunday, June 26, 2016 at 1:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, June 24, 2016.
VES Bay Area Members and Their Families are Invited to a Special Fathers’ Day 2D Screening of Disney’s & Pixar’s FINDING DORY
Please RSVP below
Sunday, June 19, 2016 at 5:00PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 4:00PM, no earlier)
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, June 17)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Bay Area Members and Their Families are Invited to a Special Fathers’ Day 2D Screening of Disney’s & Pixar’s FINDING DORY
Please RSVP below
Sunday, June 19, 2016 at 5:00PM (Gates open to the Pixar Campus & In-Studio Parking Lot at 4:00PM, no earlier)
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, June 17)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a 3D Screening of Universal Pictures’ WARCRAFT
Please RSVP below
(RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, June 10) Sunday, June 12, 2016 at 11:00AM
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 2D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Please RSVP below
Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 7:00PM
(RSVPs will close on Thursday, June 9 at 12:00PM.)
Dolby Laboratories Screening Room
100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 2D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Please RSVP below
Thursday, June 9, 2016 at 7:00PM
(RSVPs will close on Thursday, June 9 at 12:00PM.)
Dolby Laboratories Screening Room
100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Bay Area Section Invites You and Your Guests to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’sX-MEN: APOCALYPSE
Please RSVP below
Saturday, May 28, 2016 at 5:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, May 27, 2016
VES Bay Area Section Invites You and Your Guests to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’sX-MEN: APOCALYPSE
Please RSVP below
Saturday, May 28, 2016 at 5:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, May 27, 2016
VES Bay Area Section Invites You and Your Guests to a Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
Please RSVP below
Saturday, May 28, 2016 at 1:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, May 27, 2016.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ THE JUNGLE BOOK
Please RSVP below
Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 7:30PM
Dolby Laboratories Screening Room
100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ THE JUNGLE BOOK
Please RSVP below
Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 7:30PM
Dolby Laboratories Screening Room
100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members and guests are invited to join the VES Bay Area Section Board and the VES Outreach Committee for social fun, networking opportunities at the Game Developers Conference.
Friday, March 18, 2016, 5:00PM-8:00PM
Thirsty Bear
611 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 Click here for a map.
This event is made possible through contributions from David “DJ” Johnson and his affiliation with SideFX, Tim McGovern of the VES Outreach Committee, and VES Bay Area Board members David Tanaka, Kim Lavery, Lisa Cooke and David Valentin.
VES Members and guests are invited to join the VES Bay Area Section Board and the VES Outreach Committee for social fun, networking opportunities at the Game Developers Conference.
Friday, March 18, 2016, 5:00PM-8:00PM
Thirsty Bear
611 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105 Click here for a map.
This event is made possible through contributions from David “DJ” Johnson and his affiliation with SideFX, Tim McGovern of the VES Outreach Committee, and VES Bay Area Board members David Tanaka, Kim Lavery, Lisa Cooke and David Valentin.
VES Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’sDEADPOOL followed by Q&A with Visual Effects Supervisor Jonathan Rothbart hosted by VES Bay Area Board member David Valentin.
Please RSVP below
Sunday, February 21, 2016 at 4:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, February 19, 2016.
VES Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’sDEADPOOL followed by Q&A with Visual Effects Supervisor Jonathan Rothbart hosted by VES Bay Area Board member David Valentin.
Please RSVP below
Sunday, February 21, 2016 at 4:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, February 19, 2016.
VES Bay Area Section Invites You and Your Guests to a Screening of Columbia Pictures’ THE 5TH WAVE
Please RSVP below
Saturday, February 6, 2016 at 4:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, February 5, 2016.
VES Bay Area Section Invites You and Your Guests to a Screening of Columbia Pictures’ THE 5TH WAVE
Please RSVP below
Saturday, February 6, 2016 at 4:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, February 5, 2016.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, plus a Q&A with the visual effects team.
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisors Roger Guyett and Pat Tubach, Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould and Creature Effects Supervisor Neal Scanlan with moderation by VES Chair Mike Chambers. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below
(RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, January 8) Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 12:00PM 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESSTARWARS, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, plus a Q&A with the visual effects team.
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisors Roger Guyett and Pat Tubach, Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould and Creature Effects Supervisor Neal Scanlan with moderation by VES Chair Mike Chambers. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below
(RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, January 8) Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 12:00PM 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESSTARWARS, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a 2D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, plus a Q&A with the visual effects team.
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisors Roger Guyett and Pat Tubach, Special Effects Supervisor Chris Corbould and Creature Effects Supervisor Neal Scanlan with moderation by VES Chair Mike Chambers. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below
(RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, January 8) Sunday, January 10, 2016 at 12:00PM
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESSTARWARS, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and a Guest are Invited to a Special Advance Screening of ANOMALISA Followed by a conversation with Directors Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman.
Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan, David Thewlis
Michael Stone (David Thewlis), husband, father and respected author of How May I Help You Help Them? is a man crippled by the mundanity of his life. On a business trip to Cincinnati, where he’s scheduled to speak at a convention of customer service professionals, Michael checks into the Fregoli Hotel and meets Lisa Hesselman (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a socially awkward sales rep from Akron who may or may not be the love of his life. Directed by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson and written by Charlie Kaufman comes a darkly comedic, stop-motion journey.
Please arrive at least 30 minutes early to allow time for parking and check-in. A valid 2015 VES card and photo ID will be required for admittance. Guests must accompany the VES member at check-in. RSVPs do not guarantee seating.
Release Date: December 30, 2015
Running Time: 90 minutes
Rated: R – FOR STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT, GRAPHIC NUDITY AND LANGUAGE
Bay Area VES Members and a Guest are Invited to a Special Advance Screening of ANOMALISA Followed by a conversation with Directors Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman.
Starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan, David Thewlis
Michael Stone (David Thewlis), husband, father and respected author of How May I Help You Help Them? is a man crippled by the mundanity of his life. On a business trip to Cincinnati, where he’s scheduled to speak at a convention of customer service professionals, Michael checks into the Fregoli Hotel and meets Lisa Hesselman (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a socially awkward sales rep from Akron who may or may not be the love of his life. Directed by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson and written by Charlie Kaufman comes a darkly comedic, stop-motion journey.
Please arrive at least 30 minutes early to allow time for parking and check-in. A valid 2015 VES card and photo ID will be required for admittance. Guests must accompany the VES member at check-in. RSVPs do not guarantee seating.
Release Date: December 30, 2015
Running Time: 90 minutes
Rated: R – FOR STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT, GRAPHIC NUDITY AND LANGUAGE
VES Bay Area Section Invites You and Your Guests to a 3D Screening of TriStar Pictures’ in Association with LStar Capital’s THE WALK, Followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.
Panelists will include Visual Effects SupervisorKevin Baillie and Visual Effects and Stereo Producer Camille Cellucci. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Sunday, November 8, 2015 at 4:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, November 6, 2015.
VES Bay Area Section Invites You and Your Guests to a 3D Screening of TriStar Pictures’ in Association with LStar Capital’s THE WALK, Followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.
Panelists will include Visual Effects SupervisorKevin Baillie and Visual Effects and Stereo Producer Camille Cellucci. (All panelists’ participation based on availability.)
Please RSVP below Sunday, November 8, 2015 at 4:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, November 6, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of MGM’s, Columbia Pictures’ and Eon Productions’ SPECTRE
Please RSVP below Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 5:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, November 6, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of MGM’s, Columbia Pictures’ and Eon Productions’ SPECTRE
Please RSVP below Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 5:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, November 6, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s THE PEANUTS MOVIE
Please RSVP below Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 2:00PM 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, November 6, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of 20th Century Fox’s THE PEANUTS MOVIE
Please RSVP below Saturday, November 7, 2015 at 2:00PM 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, November 6, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ CRIMSON PEAK
Please RSVP below Friday, October 30, 2015 at 7:30PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, October 30, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ CRIMSON PEAK
Please RSVP below Friday, October 30, 2015 at 7:30PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, October 30, 2015.
VES Bay Area Members and a Guest are Invited to a Screening of DreamWorks SKG’s BRIDGE OF SPIES
Click here to RSVP
(You’ll need to choose which screening to sign up for through the DreamWorks SKG awards website.) Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00PM
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Bay Area Members and a Guest are Invited to a Screening of DreamWorks SKG’s BRIDGE OF SPIES
Click here to RSVP
(You’ll need to choose which screening to sign up for through the DreamWorks SKG awards website.) Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00PM
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of 20th Century Fox’s THE MARTIAN
Please RSVP below
Monday, October 19 at 7:30PM
Dolby Laboratories Screening Room
100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of 20th Century Fox’s THE MARTIAN
Please RSVP below
Monday, October 19 at 7:30PM
Dolby Laboratories Screening Room
100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Universal Pictures’ EVEREST
Please RSVP below Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 1:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, September 25, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a 3D Screening of Universal Pictures’ EVEREST
Please RSVP below Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 1:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, September 25, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Please RSVP below Sunday, August 30, 2015 at 1:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, August 28, 2015.
Where:
JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live
Platinum Ballroom D
900 West Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
[map]
The Visual Effects Society and the VES Los Angeles Section invite you to celebrate SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles.
Unwind from all the action of the conference and enjoy a beverage and some nibbles with fellow VES movers and shakers from around the globe! DJ Don Gatito will also be spinning some old skool vinyl for the party. Open to all VES members and a guest.
Where:
JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. Live
Platinum Ballroom D
900 West Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
[map]
The Visual Effects Society and the VES Los Angeles Section invite you to celebrate SIGGRAPH in Los Angeles.
Unwind from all the action of the conference and enjoy a beverage and some nibbles with fellow VES movers and shakers from around the globe! DJ Don Gatito will also be spinning some old skool vinyl for the party. Open to all VES members and a guest.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION
Please RSVP below Saturday, August 8, 2015 at 4:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, August 7, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION
Please RSVP below Saturday, August 8, 2015 at 4:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, August 7, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families are Invited to a 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ and Marvel Studios’ ANT-MAN
Please RSVP below
Sunday, July 26, 2015 at 3:00PM
Premier Theater at Industrial Light + Magic
1 Letterman Dr., Building B, Promenade Level, San Francisco, CA 94129 Click here for a map
Due to studio security, all guest names must be entered in order to get onto the lot.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Saturday, July 18 at 3:00PM
(RSVPs will close at 4:00PM on Friday, July 17)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Saturday, July 18 at 3:00PM
(RSVPs will close at 4:00PM on Friday, July 17)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests Are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ TED 2
Please RSVP below Saturday, July 11, 2015 at 4:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 5:00PM on Friday, July 10, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests Are Invited to a Screening of Universal Pictures’ TED 2
Please RSVP below Saturday, July 11, 2015 at 4:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 5:00PM on Friday, July 10, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests Are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ TERMINATOR GENISYS
Please RSVP below Saturday, July 11, 2015 at 1:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 5:00PM on Friday, July 10, 2015.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Guests Are Invited to a Screening of Paramount Pictures’ TERMINATOR GENISYS
Please RSVP below Saturday, July 11, 2015 at 1:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
RSVPs will close at 5:00PM on Friday, July 10, 2015.
VES Bay Area Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of Disney’s and Pixar’s INSIDE OUT
RSVPs fpr this screening are closed
Saturday, June 27 at 12:00PM
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Bay Area Members and Their Families are Invited to a Screening of Disney’s and Pixar’s INSIDE OUT
RSVPs fpr this screening are closed
Saturday, June 27 at 12:00PM
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members are Invited to Purchase Tickets for Story & Technology in Animation with Director Brenda Chapman
Click here to purchase tickets at $15 each
Thursday, May 14, 2015 from 6:30PM to 9:30PM
Doors open at 6:30PM for a mixer with drinks and snacks provided
Pesentation starts at 7:30PM.
Zynga Theater
699 8th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map.
Brenda Chapman will discuss how important technology is to story in contemporary animation. The discussion will include a brief talk about how Brenda approaches story, and how moving into CG animation enriched her way of looking at story. Brenda will share experiences from her story work on THE LION KING at Disney as well as her experiences directing THE PRINCE OF EGYPT at DreamWorks and BRAVE at Pixar.
Brenda Chapman started her career as a story artist at Walt Disney Feature Animation where she worked on
films such THE LITTLE MERMAID, THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER,BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and FANTASIA/2000. Chapman was the story supervisor on THE LION KING, for which she won the Annie Award. Chapman then helped launch DreamWorks Animation Studios, where she directed the 1998 release of THE PRINCE OF EGYPT. She joined Pixar Animation Studios in September 2003 where she created, wrote and directed the Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning BRAVE.
Chapman is currently developing projects for Chapman Lima Productions, Inc., with Kevin Lima.
Chapman resides in the Bay Area with her husband and their daughter.
Bay Area VES Members are Invited to Purchase Tickets for Story & Technology in Animation with Director Brenda Chapman
Click here to purchase tickets at $15 each
Thursday, May 14, 2015 from 6:30PM to 9:30PM
Doors open at 6:30PM for a mixer with drinks and snacks provided
Pesentation starts at 7:30PM.
Zynga Theater
699 8th St, San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map.
Brenda Chapman will discuss how important technology is to story in contemporary animation. The discussion will include a brief talk about how Brenda approaches story, and how moving into CG animation enriched her way of looking at story. Brenda will share experiences from her story work on THE LION KING at Disney as well as her experiences directing THE PRINCE OF EGYPT at DreamWorks and BRAVE at Pixar.
Brenda Chapman started her career as a story artist at Walt Disney Feature Animation where she worked on
films such THE LITTLE MERMAID, THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER,BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and FANTASIA/2000. Chapman was the story supervisor on THE LION KING, for which she won the Annie Award. Chapman then helped launch DreamWorks Animation Studios, where she directed the 1998 release of THE PRINCE OF EGYPT. She joined Pixar Animation Studios in September 2003 where she created, wrote and directed the Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe winning BRAVE.
Chapman is currently developing projects for Chapman Lima Productions, Inc., with Kevin Lima.
Chapman resides in the Bay Area with her husband and their daughter.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families Are Invited to a Screening of A24’s EX MACHINA
Please RSVP below Saturday, May 2, 2015 at 3:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families Are Invited to a Screening of A24’s EX MACHINA
Please RSVP below Saturday, May 2, 2015 at 3:00PM
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Events are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Events are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
California’s Film & Television Tax Credit 2.0 Webinar
California’s Film & TV Tax Credit Program is about to get a lot more competitive as it more than triples in size (from $100 million to $330 million annually) and is expanded to include a range of project types that were previously ineligible.
California Film Commission Executive Director Amy Lemisch and Program Director Nancy Rae Stone will present an introduction to California’s Film & TV Tax Credit Program 2.0. They will be covering eligibility, application procedures and deadlines, key dates, the new competitive ranking system, qualified and non-qualified expenditures, expenditure tagging information and other program procedures. Included in the discussion will be the new increased tax incentive for specified visual effects expenditures in the state. This is your chance to hear direct from the source about the state’s expanded incentive program.
Participants will have the ability to submit written questions for the Q & A portion of the webinar.
California’s Film & Television Tax Credit 2.0 Webinar
California’s Film & TV Tax Credit Program is about to get a lot more competitive as it more than triples in size (from $100 million to $330 million annually) and is expanded to include a range of project types that were previously ineligible.
California Film Commission Executive Director Amy Lemisch and Program Director Nancy Rae Stone will present an introduction to California’s Film & TV Tax Credit Program 2.0. They will be covering eligibility, application procedures and deadlines, key dates, the new competitive ranking system, qualified and non-qualified expenditures, expenditure tagging information and other program procedures. Included in the discussion will be the new increased tax incentive for specified visual effects expenditures in the state. This is your chance to hear direct from the source about the state’s expanded incentive program.
Participants will have the ability to submit written questions for the Q & A portion of the webinar.
Saturday, April 11 at 5:00PM
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, April 10)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Saturday, April 11 at 5:00PM
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, April 10)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Saturday, March 21 at 7:00PM
(RSVPs will close at 5:00PM on Thursday, March 19)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Saturday, March 21 at 7:00PM
(RSVPs will close at 5:00PM on Thursday, March 19)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
The VES Bay Area Section Respectfully Pays Tribute to ILM Stage Manager Pat Fitzsimmons, Actor & Director Leonard Nimoy, and Producer Harve Bennett.
In honor of their numerous and significant contributions to visual effects, the STAR TREK legacy, and the Bay Area industry in particular, all VES members plus guests are invited to a special toast and screening of Paramount Pictures’ STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN.
Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 3:00PM
(RSVPs close at 12:00PM on Friday, March 13)
Pixar Animation Studios Steve Jobs Theater
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608
(Click here for a map)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families Are Invited to a Screening of the Academy Award Nominated Picture for Best Animated Feature SONG OF THE SEA
Please RSVP below Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 2:00PM
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, March 6)
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members and Their Families Are Invited to a Screening of the Academy Award Nominated Picture for Best Animated Feature SONG OF THE SEA
Please RSVP below Sunday, March 8, 2015 at 2:00PM
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, March 6)
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Sunday, December 7, 2014 at 5:00PM
(Reception at 4:00PM, Screening at 5:00PM.)
The Stag Theater – Skywalker Sound
5858 Lucas Valley Rd., Nicasio, CA 94946 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Bay Area Members And Their Families Are Invited To A 3D Pre-Release Screening Of 20th Century Fox’s EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS
Click here to RSVP Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 11:00AM
(RSVPs will close at 5:00PM on Thursday, December 4)
Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Bay Area Members And A Guest Are Invited To A Pre-Release Screening Of A MOST VIOLENT YEAR preceded by a cocktail reception, and followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers
Panelists will include Director J.C. Chandor and Actor Oscar Isaac.
Friday, December 5, 2014 at 7:00PM
(Cocktail Reception at 6:00PM, Screening at 7:00PM.)
The Stag Theater – Skywalker Sound
5858 Lucas Valley Rd., Nicasio, CA 94946 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members And Their Families Are Invited To A 35mm Film Screening Of Paramount Pictures’ INTERSTELLAR
Click here to RSVP
Saturday, November 22, 2014 at 2:30PM
(RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Thursday, November 20)
The Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members And Their Families Are Invited To A 3D Screening Of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ BIG HERO 6
Click here to RSVP
Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 3:00PM
(RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Thursday, November 6)
The Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members And Their Families Are Invited To A 30th Anniversary 4K Screening Of Columbia Pictures’ GHOSTBUSTERS
RSVPs are closed
Saturday, November 1, 2014 at 6:00PM
(RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Thursday, October 30)
The Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
STAR WARS Reunion Party & Art Auction Event To Benefit Robbie Edwards
Please help our dear friend Robbie Edwards overcome a debil-itating stroke that he suffered in October 2013. You’ll also have the opportunity to bid on some fabulous artwork generously donated by renowned Bay Area artists. Click here for the flyer with more information.
Click here to RSVP for the party
September 20, 2014 from 5:00PM to midnight
Historic Main Stage at 32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901
Click here for a map.
Click here to bid on artwork starting September 10, 2014.
Robbie Edwards suffered a debilitating stroke in October. The stroke damage caused paralysis and loss of some sensation on the left side of his body; including his leg, arm, hand, face and mouth. He spent six weeks in the hospital receiving intensive therapy. Robbie continues a rigorous outpatient physical therapy program and receives in-home care from two physical therapists five days a week. Robbie’s COBRA health insurance plan ended just before his trauma; he was not covered by any health care plan for this medical emergency. We see a long and successful road to recovery for Robbie. We know in our hearts and souls that he is up for this task…we are just asking for your help to make this event less catastrophic for Robbie and his family.
Bay Area VES Members And A Guest Are Invited To A Pre-Release 3D Screening Of Focus Features’ And LAIKA’s THE BOXTROLLS followed by a Q&A with Visual Effects Supervisor Steve Emerson to be moderated by CGW’s Barbara Robertson.
Please arrive at least 30 minutes early. Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating. Absolutely no one will be admitted after the film begins.
World Premiering at the Venice International Film Festival – In theaters nationwide September 26, 2014
Voice Cast: Ben Kingsley, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Elle Fanning, Dee Bradley Baker, Steve Blum, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan, and Simon Pegg
Directed by: Anthony Stacchi, Graham Annable
Screenplay by: Irena Brignull, Adam Pava
Based on the novel Here Be Monsters by Alan Snow
Produced By: David Bleiman Ichioka, Travis Knight
A family event movie from the creators of CORALINE and PARANORMAN that introduces audiences to a new breed of family – THE BOXTROLLS, a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised a human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they’ve built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. When the town’s villain, Archibald Snatcher (Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley), comes up with a plot to get rid of the Boxtrolls, Eggs decides to venture above ground, “into the light,” where he meets and teams up with fabulously feisty Winnifred (Elle Fanning). Together, they devise a daring plan to save Eggs’ family.
Please RSVP below
Free for VES members, $15 for non-members
(VES members only may attend live online)
This in person event is for ages 21 and older. Saturday, August 16, 2014 at 12:00PM
Cocktail reception from 12:00PM to 12:30PM
Event from 12:30PM to 2:30PM
Big Picture
2505 First Ave., Seattle, WA 98121 Click here for a map
Panelists will include Lead Visual Effects Artist Matt Vainio, Art Director Horia Dociu and Programmer Matt Durasoff.
The visual effects and development team created a new scriptable particle system engine and tool to accomplish the astounding visual effects that are crucial to gameplay and themselves a major character in the game.
Bay Area VES Members And Their Families Are Invited To A 3D Screening Of Marvel Studios’ And Walt Disney Pictures’ GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
Please RSVP below
Sunday, August 10, 2014 at 3:00PM
(RSVPs close at 5:00PM on Thursday, August 7)
The Steve Jobs Theater at Pixar Animation Studios
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608 Click here for a map.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Summer BBQ and Art Festival!
Bay Area VES Members And Their Families Are Invited To The Annual Bay Area BBQ and this year’s new Art Festival! There will be family fun activities, great food and beverage, live music and wonderful opportunities to connect with new and old friends.
RSVP Below!
ARTWORK
We will also be incorporating a display of artwork from the VES membership as a celebration of the creative and amazing talent in the Bay Area. We invite you to enter your art in our gallery for everyone to appreciate!
To obtain an entry form, and submission guidelines please email: TO:vesbayarea@gmail.com SUBJECT: VESBA Artwork Submission Request
WHEN: Saturday July 19, 2014 at 11AM – 3:30PM (food from 12:30-2:30) WHERE: 32TEN 3210 Kerner Blvd, San Rafael, CA 94901
Bay Area VES Members And Their Families Are Invited To A 2D Screening Of 20th Century Fox’s DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES plus a live interactive Q&A with the filmmakers
Panelists will include Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri, Animation Supervisor Dan Barrett, Motion Capture Supervisor Dejan Momcilovic, CG Supervisor Phillip Leonhardt, and Terry Notary who plays the character of ‘Rocket’.
Please RSVP below Sunday, July 13, 2014 at 2:00PM
(RSVPs will close at 12:00PM on Friday, July 11)
32TEN Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901 Click here for a map
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the Q&A panel (which will take place in New Zealand) immediately following the screening. (be sure to include the hashtag, #VESDAWNOFTHEAPES, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members And A Guest Are Invited To A 3D Screening Of DreamWorks Animation’s & 20th Century Fox’s HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 followed by a Q&A with Director Dean DeBlois, Producer Bonnie Arnold and Sound Designer Randy Thom.
Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 7:00PM
(Reception begins at 6:00PM)
Stag Theater at Skywalker Ranch
5858 Lucas Valley Road, Nicasio, CA 94946-9714
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
VES Members And Their Families Are Invited To A 3D Screening of Walt Disney Pictures’ MALEFICENT
Saturday, June 7, 2014 at 4:15PM
Pixar Animation Studios Steve Jobs Theater
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members And Their Families Are Invited To A 3D Screening Of 20th Century Fox’s X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
Please RSVP below
Friday, May 30, 2014 at 7:30PM
Dolby Laboratories Screening Room
100 Potrero Ave., San Francisco, CA 94103 Click here for a map
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Google Glass Demo For VES Members
Presented by the VES Vision Committee
Tuesday, May 13, 2014 from 7:00PM to 9:00PM PDT
(Self paid parking is in the garage on Folsom between Spear and Embarcadero.
Guests will be escorted to the 5th floor Basecamp space.)
San Francisco Glass Basecamp Google
345 Spear Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
Are you wondering what Google Glass is all about? Come give them a spin at the San Francisco Google Glass Basecamp. The Glass team is hosting the VES for an evening of demonstrations, accompanied by light refreshments. RSVPs are limited, so be sure to sign up soon!
Google Glass is a sleek and lightweight hands-free computer device encased in a titanium eyeglass frame that’s on when you need it and off when you don’t. From on-the-go maps to voice searches, video calls, photo sharing and more,
Google Glass allows users to seamlessly interact with their technology without interrupting the flow of their everyday lives.
Gothic legends are brought to life by gorgeous stop-motion animation in this adult fantasy film from Spain, featuring work from several Bay Area Visual Effects Artists. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Thursday, March 30, 2014 at 2:00PM & 5:00PM
32Ten Studios
3210 Kerner Blvd, San Rafael, CA 94901
This fascinating documentary explores the genesis of one of cinema’s greatest epics that never was: cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky’s (EL TOPO) adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic Dune, whose cast would have included such icons as Salvador Dali, Orson Welles and Mick Jagger.
Thursday, March 20, 2014 at 7:00PM
Embarcadero Center Cinema
1 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111
2013 AMM When: Thu Oct 10, 2013 05:30pm to 10:00pm PDT
The 2013 VES Annual Membership Meeting (AMM) will be held on October 10, 2013 at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Please join your peers in the Society for a reception which will be followed by an informative and entertaining evening of presentations on the latest VES events and issues from around the world, as well as a stirring speech from the 2013 VES Founders’ Award recipient Craig Barron.
Panelists will include Visual Effects Supervisors Eric Saindon & Matt Aitken, Animation Supervisor David Clayton and will be moderated by a VES New Zealand Board-member to be announced.
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Followed by a discussion with Writer John Gatins plus wine and hors d’oeuvres reception
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 at 6:30PM
AMC Metreon
135 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Click here for a map
Join us afterward for a reception with wine and hors d’oeuvres at Jillian’s @ Metreon
As a courtesy to Mr. Gatins, please do not RSVP for this event unless your schedule allows you to stay for the brief Q&A. Your VES card and photo ID will be required for admittance. This invitation is non-transferable. Please arrive early for first come, first served seating.
Plus live interactive Q&A with VFX Supervisor Bill Westenhofer & key members of the VFX Team.
Panelists will include overall Visual Effects Supervisor Bill Westenhofer, MPC Visual Effects Supervisor Guillaume Rocheron, Digital Supervisor Jason Bayever, and Animation Supervisor Erik de Boer, and will be moderated by VES Board-member Tim McGovern.
Sunday, December 2, 2012 at 12:00PM
Pixar Animation Studios Main Theater
1200 Park Avenue, Emeryville, CA 94608
Please tweet your questions after the screening in order to participate in the live interactive Q&A panel (which will take place in Los Angeles) immediately following the North American and London screenings. (be sure to include our Twitter handle, @vesben, in your tweet.)
Screenings are overbooked to compensate for no-shows. Seating is limited and will be available on a first come, first served basis. An RSVP does not guarantee seating.
Bay Area VES Members And A Guest Are Invited
To The Mill Valley Film Festival Screening Of
RISE OF THE GUARDIANS
Plus a conversation with Director Peter Ramsey,
Jeffrey Katzenberg and Bill Damashke.
Bay Area VES Members And A Guest Are Invited
To The Mill Valley Film Festival Screening Of
STAR WARS
Followed by Q&A w/ Harrison Ellenshaw and Craig Barron
Bay Area VES Members And A Guest Are Invited
To A Vanity Fair Screening Series Presentation Of
THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK
Followed By A Q&A With David O. Russell
The 2012 VES Annual Membership Meeting (AMM) will be held on September 27, 2012 at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Please join your peers in the Society for a reception which will be followed by an informative and entertaining evening of presentations on the latest VES events and issues from around the world, as well as a stirring speech from the 2012 VES Founders’ Award recipient Carl Rosendahl.
Bay Area VES Members & Their Families Are
Invited To A 3D Screening Of 20th Century Fox’s
PROMETHEUS
Plus a live interactive Q&A w/ overall VFX Supervisor Richard Stammers and MPC VFX Supervisor Charley Henley Moderated by VES London Events Committee member Jason Halverson.
The VES Bay Area Section in collaboration with Industrial Light + Magic
cordially invite VES Members & one guest (or your immediate family) to attend
A Special Tribute To Ralph McQuarrie
Nominations will be judged in five cities around the globe: Los Angeles, London, Vancouver, San Francisco (Bay Area) and Sydney. Any active VES member who can travel to one of those cities may participate.
This is your chance to affect who will ultimately walk up to the podium at the 9th Annual show, to collect a coveted VES Award. A single vote may make the difference between being nominated… or not… and that vote could be yours.
Past participants know that this is the must-attend event of the awards season. Not only will you see behind the scenes of the most amazing visual imagery of 2010, but you’ll be participating in the single best networking opportunity of the year. It’s a chance to see old friends, meet the best and brightest in the visual effects field, and learn new techniques that you can apply to your own work. All of that, plus the satisfaction of knowing that our best work will be presented to our colleagues in the industry, the press, and visual effects fans across the globe at the 9th
Check-in will begin at 5:45PM, Q&A will follow at approximately 8:45PM
Industrial Light & Magic
Lucas Digital Arts Center, Premiere Theater
1 Letterman Drive, Building B
Promenade Level
San Francisco, CA 94129
Please specify your name, phone number and the names of each of your guests
Each VES member is limited to a maximum of three (3) guests.
Please RSVP early. Seating will be strictly on a first come, forst served basis.
Please specify your full name, cell phone #, names of guests and to which screening you’re RSVPing (i.e., JAWS, or THE SHARK IS STILL WORKING – see below)
Tuesday, November 23rd at 7:00PM
1200 Park Avenue
Emeryville, CA 94608
(Enter from 45th Street between Hollis Street & San Pablo Avenue)
Thursday, September 16 at 7:00PM
Dolby Screening Room
100 Potrero Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94103
Password: fox
Click here to RSVP
PLEASE NOTE: Seating is very limited, so please RSVP as soon as possible.
If you are later unable to attend, please officially cancel your rsvp out of respect for fellow VES members, our PGA host and the limited seating at Dolby Laboratories.
It will be a great time to catch up with folks that you haven’t seen in awhile, as well as meeting some of the new members that have joined the VES Bay Area Section. The first few pitchers will be courtesy of the VES, so don’t miss out!
RSVP to apurva@pixar.com
When: Thursday, September 9 at 6:00PM
Where: Pyramid Alehouse, Brewery & Restaurant
901 Gilman St.
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 528-9880
The Visual Effects Society invites you and one guest
to attend the San Francisco screening of
20th Century Fox
X2
X-MEN UNITED
Date: Monday May 5, 2003
San Francisco
Time: 6:45 PM (new time)
Location: San Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael (415/454-1222 directions)
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