SESSIONS
View our 2024 session titles below. More sessions and full agenda timings to be announced!
> Session titles and descriptions
Artist Demo
Speaker(s): RaidesArt and LeffiesArt
Description:
Please note, the Artist Demo will be held by RaidesArt only.
Artist Demo
Speaker(s): Hazel Mead
Description:
Artist Demo
Speaker(s): Pernille Ørum
Description:
Artist Demo
Speaker(s): Mike Griggs, creativebloke
Description:
A Transmedia approach to producing IP
Speaker(s): HaZ Dulull
Description:
HaZ takes us on a deep dive into HaZimation's process of developing, pitching and producing IP whilst blurring the lines between Film and Video games
Blood, Bullets and Skulls, the biography of a Wargame illustrator
Speaker(s): Thomas Elliott, Arch Villain Games
Description:
Thomas Elliott, warhammer artist, shares his artistic story and gives a peek behind the curtain at what its like producing art for Games Workshop.
But I'm Bad At Backgrounds! - Tips and Tricks for Worldbuilding Environment Concept Art
Speaker(s): Anna Hollinrake, Electric Saint
Description:
Wrench open your environment concept art toolbox with both technical tricks and worldbuilding questions to make your work sing. We'll cover how to create new ideas, structure believable spaces quickly, and populate them in a way that feels logical and lived in.
Converging Artistry: Creative Techniques for Making Transmedia IP and Stories
Speaker(s): Rafi Nizam, Falcon & Storm
Description:
Embark on a creative journey with Rafi, a forward-facing showrunner seamlessly navigating diverse mediums. Creator of the animated series Art Squad, Rafi shares personal workflows bringing character art, ray-traced animated lookdev, spatial animatics, and game prototypes into a harmonious convergence. His approach to world-building blurs the lines between individual creative disciplines for an enhanced visual development process that also amplifies narrative possibilities, unlocking new doors for story ideation. Whether you're an artist, storyteller, or creative technologist, this session inspires boundary-pushing, redefining what's achievable in the transmedia realm.
Crafting Inclusive Teams in the World of Video Games: Nurturing Creativity, Diversity, and Collaboration
Speaker(s): Annie Clare, Lighthouse Games
Description:
Annie's talk will be focused on the pivotal role of HR in shaping video game studios’ teams and culture. She’ll dive into strategies for nurturing creativity, building cohesive teams, and supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), including neurodiversity. Annie will also explore practical approaches to unlocking creative potential, navigating collaboration, and promoting equity within game development teams.
Creating keyframes for films and games
Speaker(s): Nana Dhebuadze
Description:
This talk will be focused on the process of keyframe creation, where Nana will show, using the example of her own project, the stages of creating keyframes from the idea to the final result. We will discuss the main aspects of creating a project, and how to create an interesting, unique atmosphere. This talk will be useful for both beginner artists and those who are already working in the industry and planning to start working with keyframes.
Creature & Cryptid Design: Crafting the Unbelievable
Speaker(s): Brynn Metheney
Description:
Artist Brynn Metheney explores her process for creating believable creatures through anatomy and story-telling. This lecture will cover industry projects and personal endeavors to show how Brynn incorporates science and human experience into thoughtful design.
Embracing collaboration
Speaker(s): RaidesArt and LeffiesArt
Description:
How does collaboration influence an artist’s workflow? In this talk, the twin illustrators RaidesArt and LeffiesArt present and discuss illustrative projects which they worked on as a team. Their talk will focus on their respective workflows and give insights on how collaborating has allowed them to explore their strengths and weaknesses.
Failing Forward: How Failures Shape Artists
Speaker(s): JM Blay, Blay Studio
Description:
Step into the world of JM Blay as he recounts major career setbacks, rejections, and creative obstacles, including high-profile projects that held the promise of launching his career to new heights but ultimately faced cancellations or never came to fruition.
This talk is not merely about the setbacks; it's about the journey of how these significant failures became pivotal moments in Blay’s artistic evolution and personal growth. You'll experience firsthand how embracing failure and using it as a catalyst for change can lead to remarkable transformations.
While centered around the artistic journey, this talk resonates with anyone striving for personal growth, resilience, and empowerment in the face of adversity. By the end of the presentation, you'll have a newfound appreciation for the beauty of failing forward.
It's a puppet - Using digital sculpting tools in the real world
Speaker(s): Glen Southern, SouthernGFX
Description:
Glen's presentation will cover some of the technical challenges experienced during the puppet making process for the Oscar winning Pinocchio by Guillermo Del Toros. As a technical sculptor at Mackinnon and Saunders Glen's role was to handle the digital sculpting challenges that arose from trying to marry the world of clay sculpting, CAD accuracy, digital sculpting with ZBrush, colour 3D printing and of course printing entire armatures in metal. Glen will share some of the projects that led them to be able to confidently tackle a groundbreaking project like Pinocchio and also where they needed to push the boundaries of the technology to get the desired result.
Leverage Unreal Engine to develop your own Intellectual Properties: "Moon Kontrol"
Speaker(s): David Levy
Description:
At Vertex, esteemed artist David Levy will share insights into creating the Unreal science fiction short film "Moon Kontrol" for Pitch Dev Studios. From inception to final render, Levy guides attendees through the project's development, emphasizing teamwork across diverse software platforms like ZBrush and Unreal Engine. With a nod to collaboration, creativity, and Unreal's potential, Levy invites attendees to explore the art of storytelling and world-building in a captivating presentation.
My approach to character Design
Speaker(s): Pernille Ørum
Description:
Pernille will be sharing about her personal journey, starting from her time in animation school, to becoming a successful character designer and comic book artist. She has had the opportunity to work with some of the biggest companies in the industry. During her presentation, she will showcase some of her work, along with behind-the-scenes development sketches. Pernille will also discuss her creative process and share her experience with social media.
Panel discussion: Stitching Together The World of Poor Things (BAFTA 2024 Winner)
Speaker(s): Ian Failes, befores and afters
Jane Paton, Union VFX
Simon Hughes, Union VFX
Description:
In this in-depth look at the making of Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Poor Things’, the team from London visual effects studio Union VFX will be joined by VFX journalist Ian Failes to break down frankensteined pets, LED wall backgrounds, the use of miniatures and many other fantastical effects in the film. Plus they’ll answer your questions on the techniques and tools used, and about getting into the visual effects industry. The team won a BAFTA for Special Visual Effects at the 2024 Awards.
Panel: Navigating The VFX Industry in Uncertain Times
Speaker(s): Dade Orgeron, Shutterstock
HaZ Dulull
Marty Perkins, Cinesite
Larissa Mori, Liaison PR
Description:
A panel of industry professionals discusses the different ways to make a living from VFX and 3D art in a changing world. Panel has been put together by Liaison PR, and will be moderated by Larissa Mori, Senior Account Manager at Liaison PR
Practical AI tools for a CG generalist
Speaker(s): Mike Griggs, creativebloke
Description:
Mike will take you through some of the new generation of AI tools that are available to artists to radically improve their workflows.
Strategies to grow in the industry.
Speaker(s): Pablo Carpio
Description:
This talk will englobe all of Pablo's personal experiences, as well as advice to get your first job, switch from video games to the film industry or the opposite, look for higher positions or even start your own project/company. It will focus on helping the people who are starting, but will also be useful for those who want to take a new step in their careers or change their path to find new opportunities in an industry that is constantly changing and reinventing itself.
Take Risks, Have Fun, And Be Yourself!: The Creative Keys to Synapse
Speaker(s): Alina Fedaseyenka, nDreams
Description:
The award-winning VR action shooter Synapse has won plaudits for its distinctive monochromatic art style, resembling absolutely nothing else in virtual reality. But how did it get there? In this talk, nDreams’ Associate Art Director Alina Fedaseyenka will explain how her early concept – which she initially feared was “too unconventional” to be accepted – ended up defining the visual language of a chart-topping title. Emphasising the importance of a safe creative environment in which bold ideas are encouraged, she will provide key lessons on how the freedom to fail was instilled throughout Synapse’s art team – and how that freedom can be harnessed to yield groundbreaking results.
The Art of Video Games Marketing, with Keywords Studios
Speaker(s): Liz Corless, Keywords Studios
Joe Kelly, Big Farmer & Trailer Farm
Andy Hammond, Maverick Media
Ibby Karim, ICHI
Andy Poyiadgi, Fire Without Smoke
Dolph Souza, Waste Creative
Description:
Join the creative agencies of Keywords Studios as they dig deep into the immersive world of video games, and discover how art plays a vital role in connecting beloved gaming brands with fans, driving the fastest-growing form of entertainment today.
Waste Creative, Fire Without Smoke, Maverick Media, ICHI Worldwide and TrailerFarm; these studios make it their business to bring the magic of games to life, building out transformative campaigns through visual storytelling - from concept art to launch trailers and beyond.
Watch discussion unfold between the studios dedicated to driving creativity, culture and commercial success in the video games industry.
The importance of the fundamentals and how they can help you define your voice
Speaker(s): Charlie Pickard
Description:
Charlie's talk will be focused around introducing the audience to the concept of the fundamentals and exploring the philosophy underpinning their study. He will draw connections and examine various artists who had their roots firmly in this practice and talk about how this study can enable ourselves to have full control over our work, how these skills are applicable regardless of which direction our practice takes and how crucially they can help us to develop our own aesthetic voice.
Unlocking the Future of Digital Artistry: Emerging Tech, VFX & RenderMan
Speaker(s): Dylan Sisson, Pixar
Description:
Join Dylan Sisson, as he uses R&D examples from Pixar’s Elemental to show how advancements in compute power are turning the impossible into reality. Get an exclusive look into the latest advancements in RenderMan XPU and the frontier of Stylized Rendering, and learn some tips to win the next RenderMan Challenge. You'll discover the transformative role new technologies are poised to play in the world of VFX, from interactive denoising powered by machine learning to live rendering. This is a must-attend presentation for anyone eager to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving fields of digital art and technology.
