VIEW Conference 2021 Reveals Stellar Speaker Lineup

VIEW Conference 2021, the 22nd edition of Italy’s premiere conference on animation, VFX, gaming, and immersive experiences, has unveiled its first group of confirmed speakers for the upcoming event taking place October 17-22 in Torino, Italy. Industry professionals, students and enthusiasts are invited to attend on-site at Torino’s OGR venue. In addition, online access will open the event to a global audience.

Here’s the initial confirmed lineup:

• Tom McGrath (keynote): Academy Award nominee, and director of DreamWorks Animation’s hit animated feature film The Boss Baby: Family Business. McGrath is a graduate of the Cal Arts Character Animation program, and co-writer and director of the Madagascar movie franchise along with Eric Darnell. Director of Megamind (2010) and The Boss Baby (2017), his films have generated $2.8 billion at the worldwide box office.
• Tomm Moore: Co-founder of Cartoon Saloon and director of Wolfwalkers.
• Kris Pearn: Director of The Willoughbys and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.
• Brad Lewis, producer of films including How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and The Lego Batman Movie
• Kim White and Deanna Marsigliese: Director of photography and character art director, respectively, of Luca, this summer’s feelgood animated feature from Disney and Pixar.

This year’s VFX speakers include:

• Sean Walker: Weta Digital’s VFX supervisor on Marvel Studios’ and Disney’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
• Luke Millar: Weta Digital’s VFX supervisor who will talk about Disney’s Jungle Cruise.
• Scott Squires: VFX supervisor whose career spans films from Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Blade Runner to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
• Volker Engel and Douglas Smith: VFX supervisors and Oscar-winners for Independence Day
• Phil Tippett: Legendary animator and visual effects supervisor, whose credits include the Star Wars original trilogy, Jurassic Park and Starship Troopers, as well as his hallucinatory passion project Mad God.

Animation in visual effects include:

• Rob Coleman: Animation director whose work includes the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Peter Rabbit, as well as animated features Happy Feet Two and The LEGO Movie.
• Hal Hickel: An ILM and Star Wars veteran whose recent work on The Mandalorian earned the VFX team a Primetime Emmy award.
• Heiko Burkardsmaier and Juri Stanossek: Mackevision’s VFX producer and VFX supervisor, respectively, whose work encompasses productions such as The Nevers, Star Trek: Discovery and Game of Thrones.

Production designer:

• Oliver Scholl: Credits include Edge of Tomorrow, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Venom
• Patrick Tatopoulos: Credits include Zack Snyder’s Justice League and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and creature concept designer on such classic films as Independence Day and Pitch Black.

In addition, VIEW Conference 2021 will welcome a wide range of experts from the games industry, including Oscar-winning animation pioneer Glenn Entis, LMxLAB vice president of immersive content innovation Vicki Dobbs, and Nordeus lead game artist Nikola Damjanov. Pixar representatives include chief technology officer Steve May and RenderMan specialist Dylan Sisson. Also attending are Montreal’s NFB Animation Studio technical director Eloi Champagne and author and behavioral design expert Tim Versnel.

“The list of speakers attending VIEW Conference 2021 is truly out of this world,” commented Conference director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “What’s more, it is growing all the time. Believe me when I say this first announcement is only the beginning. We have so many other talented people lining up to share their experiences, to offer profound insights into their creativity and technical prowess, and to inspire students and professionals alike. Inspiration is what VIEW Conference is all about, and I cannot wait to reveal our full program of exciting events for 2021.”

Purchase tickets for VIEW Conference 2021 at the official website.

Source: View Conference 2021

AWN Staff Editor