Returning for the second year, The VFX Festival will once again invite the creatively curious to explore the world of visual effects and experience the movie industry’s best-kept secrets. Bigger and better than before, this year’s festival will see last year’s three day event transformed into a ten day programme of specially curated exclusive screenings, VFX breakdowns, talks and interactive workshops from 4 – 13 November at Vue Cinema, Leicester Square.
Shining a light on the UK’s visual effects industry, the VFX Festival will bring the industry’s greatest talent to the fore, expose its best-kept secrets and reveal its most impressive works. The art of visual effects will be explored through an array of engaging workshops, showreel demos and premieres, set to celebrate the creativity and technical skills that are contributing to the growth of this booming industry.
Unlocking some of this year’s biggest blockbusters, the workshops will delve behind the big screens of World War Z, Kick Ass 2, White House Down and Assassin’s Creed, as well as one of 2013’s biggest sci-fi thrillers still to be revealed. With the support of software giant Autodesk and the expertise of London’s leading VFX studios on-hand, there will be unique opportunities to explore this aspect of the movie industry that is rarely seen or understood.
Festival workshops will combine behind-the-scenes industry masterclasses on the cutting-edge tools used to create jaw-dropping effects. The line-up includes talks from renowned VFX Supervisor Alex Pejic (Inception, Total Recall) who will share his expert perceptions of the feature film White House Down starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx. Lead VFX Supervisor Hugh MacDonald (Skyfall, Hugo) will be breaking down the effects and techniques used in Kick Ass 2 featuring Aaron Taylor-Johnson; as well as Cinesite’s Eamonn Butler (Iron Man 2, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix), who will be offering creative insight into the playful world of animation.
Vue Cinema, Leicester Square, will play host to the exclusive screenings that include an innovative selection of presentations from Cinesite, who will explore the creation of World War Z. MPC (Moving Picture Company) will also be presenting the exclusive story of their mind-blowing effects on Assassin’s Creed. Ticketholders can access a unique VFX breakdown from the artists behind a forthcoming 3D sci-fi blockbuster.
The VFX Festival was established by Escape Studios, the global academy for visual effects, in 2012 to celebrate its 10th anniversary of excellence and to recognise London’s huge contribution to the booming global industry.
Founder of Escape Studios and VFX Festival organiser, Dominic Davenport, explains, “After the success of last year’s festival and seeing the appetite out there amongst young people for insights into VFX, this year we have extended the festival offering and broadened the opportunity for people to engage with the varied components of this industry.
“The VFX Festival combines a crucial mix of large-scale, commercial screenings which shows the best work out there, with hands-on experience which provides the skill foundations for anybody keen to enter a career in VFX. It gives a 360 degree introduction for young British creatives to recognise the vast opportunities and possibilities within this vibrant industry.”
Tickets for the VFX Festival on 4th – 13th November will be available at: www.thevfxfestival.com
