Lyndon J. Barrois, Sr. is an acclaimed artist, animation director and filmmaker, whose film credits include The Matrix Trilogy, Happy Feet, Sucker Punch and The Thing, where he directed pivotal character animation sequences. He currently wins accolades for his unique gum wrapper sculptures and stop-motion animations of historic figures and events, whose portrait and Sportrait films are produced entirely on iPhones. An advocate for underrepresented voices in the entertainment industry, he serves on the Academy Museum’s Inclusion Advisory Committee, fostering programs and supporting exhibitions, as well as the AMPAS VFX Executive Branch.
My gum wrapper sculptures were directly influenced by my upbringing in New Orleans, where making Mardi Gras floats out of repurposed materials is part of the culture. My mom was a fanatical gum chewer and her discarded Wrigley Chewing Gum wrappers – paper on one side, foil on the other – spawned my artistic path of shaping them into humanistic sculptures. At age 10, these figures had just one job: to drive my Hot Wheels cars! As I progressed to sculpting athletes and icons, it was my desire to animate them and bring to life great moments in sports and history that led me to CalArts and a long career in animation.
When The Academy Museum was preparing to open in Los Angeles, we knew we had an opportunity and a responsibility to ensure that diverse artists and filmmakers were represented on every floor, with no one left out. It was and is imperative that this space is true to film-
makers of color and women, and not “whitewashed.” Since the advent of film, people of color have always done the work, but too often the narratives write us out. The Museum is one forum to right those wrongs..and The Academy’s Aperture 2025 diversity standards for Best Picture nominees is another move to ensure that artists from all backgrounds are not overlooked and rightfully recognized.
Art is a huge umbrella. So many people want to be artists or are qualified to be teachers who don’t get the opportunity. When it comes to nurturing and hiring talent, you have to cast a wide net beyond the people you know and people who look like you, or it limits the possibilities for such a big part of the population who deserve their shot in merit – and have so much to offer by sharing their unique vision and life experience. The work must continue and intensify to let people from all communities know that opportunities exist and to help them pursue our viable, exciting profession and succeed.
Since the advent of film, people of color have always done the work, but too often the narratives write us out.
Al and evolving technology are exciting and intimidating all at once – but we’ve been here before. Advances in tech is just the changing nature of the art form and the key is always adaptation. Way back we thought photography would kill painting, motion pictures would kill live theater, CG would kill 2D animation, mo-cap would kill character animation – and none of that happened. Advances push us to work harder, learn new things, and better our craft. The best strategy is to embrace change – because it will keep coming – and co-exist in this richer, dynamic universe.
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Extra detail was added to Monkey D. Luffy to avoid him looking like plastic rather than rubber.
While Monkey D. Luffy aims to become the king of the pirates, the manga infused with his contagious optimism and enthusiasm reigns supreme as the all-time best seller with 516.6 million copies sold since Eiichiro Oda created One Piece in 1997. The story that revolves around a treasure-hunt frenzy caused by the execution of Pirate King Gol D. Roger, which sees participants from around the world engage in questionable antics to ensure victory over the competition. The franchise has obtained longevity in other mediums with the ongoing anime television series consisting of over 1,000 episodes, and now Netflix has released a live-action version created by Steven Maeda and Matt Owens that stars Iñaki Godoy, Mackenyu, Emily Rudd, Jacob Romero Gibson, Taz Skylar, Vincent Regan and Morgan Davies. Placed in charge of making the fantasy elements a cinematic reality for the eight episodes of the first season were Visual Effects Supervisor Victor Scalise and Visual Effects Producer Scott Ramsey who previously collaborated together on Cowboy Bebop.
Colton Osorio as Young Luffy and Peter Gadiot as Shanks have conversation with the Lord of the Coast.
While a guiding principle is that visual effects have to be grounded in order to be believable, there is a cartoony aesthetic to the source material and its animated spinoffs that fans expect to be honored. “It’s truly a fine balance because if you make it too cartoony the fans might love it, but then the general audience might think it’s too much,” Scalise notes. “When we first came on everybody said, ‘We didn’t want him [Monkey D. Luffy] to be like Plastic Man.’ Originally, the punches were going to be stiff, fast and straight, and when we started applying them to shots, they felt lifeless. We started putting little bends and wiggles and an extra weight on the fist to get wrinkles, and it brought the effect to life. It’s tough because when a rubber arm has motion blur there is no detail or texture when it’s punching fast. We went in and put a lot of extra hair on his arm. That was probably one of our biggest challenges, of how do you take an animated character and make them feel real but still honor the manga. It’s funny because the further you push it, the cooler stuff comes out of it too.”
The actual skies were retained for the ocean scenes with ships.
Paired with ARRI ALEXA LF cameras were Hawk MHX Hybrid Anamorphic lenses that produce a signature fisheye effect and extreme facial closeups for the show. “That was a challenge and a half!” laughs Ramsey. “When we got down to Cape Town we found out about the lenses. The biggest challenge was, ‘Do we have enough set to fit into this?’ Because they did morph out the sides quite a bit and our sets were only built out to certain areas, so there was quite a lot of set extensions. It increased the budget quite a bit because you’re always on a lens that is roughly a 25mm if not wider. Also, the warping on the sides was challenging.” The wide angle-lensing created an extra layer of visual effects work. “When you’re trying to roto and track, you don’t have straight lines,” Scalise states. “There’s a natural blur inherent in the lenses that now you’re rotoscoping a blurred edge and tracking sharping objects that go to the edge of the frame and get soft.” Atmospherics were aided by the choice of lenses. “If there is a light anywhere near the edge of frame there is a flare in that shot,” Scalise observes. “Sometimes you don’t see it until you look at the color channels and hidden in the blue channel is a lens flare,” Scalise remarks. “We were able to add a lot of glare halation to get layers, which give a sense of depth and a cheated atmospheric perspective.”
A digital double had to be made of Buggy the Clown (Jeff Ward), as he has the ability to disassemble, have his parts fly around and reassemble himself.
“When we first came on everybody said, ‘We didn’t want [Monkey D. Luffy] to be like Plastic Man.’ Originally, the punches were going to be stiff, fast and straight, and when we started applying them to shots, they felt lifeless. We started putting little bends and wiggles and an extra weight on the fist to get wrinkles, and it brought the effect to life. … That was probably one of our biggest challenges, of how do you take an animated character and make them feel real but still honor the manga. It’s funny because the further you push it, the cooler stuff comes out of it too.”
—Victor Scalise, Visual Effects Supervisor
The extensive water simulations were created by Goodbye Kansas Studios and Rising Sun Pictures.
Glare halation was added to give a sense of depth to the shots.
All eight episodes were cut before sending off the work to the vendors. “That allowed us to get the whole series filled,” Ramsey explains. “Episode 101 through to 108, we know exactly how the story is going to progress and the ups and downs, so by the time we get to Episode 108 it is a great finale, and that had to go through the showrunners, Netflix and Tomorrow Studios.” The visual effects work for 2,334 shots was broken down in accordance to the strengths of Goodbye Kansas Studios, Framestore, Ingenuity Studios, Rising Sun Pictures, Barnstorm VFX, Eyeline Studios, Scanline VFX, Mr. Wolf, Refuge, CoSA VFX, Incessant Rain and NetFX. “The good thing is that we have worked with a lot of our vendors for awhile now,” Scalise remarks. “Even when it comes to a shared shot, they have already talked to each other before, so the handoffs are good. It creates a lot of logistical complications, as well as sometimes the assets aren’t truly one-to-one, so there is extra work on both sides.”
Ships were shot in the parking lot at Cape Town Film Studios, which meant that the water had to be created digitally.
“The problem is when you have the real ships parked in a parking lot. Rising Sun Pictures did an amazing job with the ships. When we put their model next to the real one, I bet that most people will pick the real one as being CG. The Going Merry was a full ship build placed on a tractor trailer so it could drive around slowly. Then we had half of Miss Love Duck constructed, which was repurposed into Garp’s warship. There was also a salvage ship and Maui’s sloop. We had CG versions of all of them.”
—Victor Scalise, Visual Effects Supervisor
The wide-angle lenses greatly increased the amount of digital set extensions in shots.
Much of the action unfolds on the ocean with the pirate ships battling each other while trying to evade the law-enforcing Marines. “The problem is when you have the real ships parked in a parking lot,” Scalise notes. “Rising Sun Pictures did an amazing job with the ships. When we put their model next to the real one, I bet that most people will pick the real one as being CG. The Going Merry was a full ship build placed on a tractor trailer so it could drive around slowly. Then we had half of Miss Love Duck constructed, which was repurposed into Garp’s warship. There was also a salvage ship and Maui’s sloop. We had CG versions of all of them.” The water simulations were expanded upon in certain cases. “We actually shot the Lord of the Coast in the tank without planning on replacing the water except for the shots where the creature was going to interact with it,” Scalise reveals. “Once we got to the sequence, we went, ‘Screw it. Let’s completely replace the water in all of the shots so we can have much more control over continuity.’ When you look at the creature going into the water and how the water is interacting, it looks real.”
The Going Merry was a complete practical ship build that was placed on a tractor trailer so it could move.
Much of the action unfolds on the ocean with the pirate ships battling each other while trying to evade the law-enforcing Marines.
Real skies were captured rather than rely on huge bluescreens and compositing them in later in post-production. “It’s funny – some of the shots of the real skies feel as if they were composited!” Scalise laughs. “To save cost, we kept a lot of the natural skies for when we were on the boats. The amount of bluescreen to cover the boats with these lenses was almost impossible to get the sky. We decided early on not to use a lot of bluescreen and to place it on the horizon.” A classic size and scale problem is avoiding ships looking like miniatures out in the open water. “Size and scale turned out well,” Ramsey reflects. “The only point where it came into play was when we were doing Garp throwing the cannonball back at Luffy. They had parked the practical Going Merry, and it was shot over Garp’s shoulder, but when we got into post the shot didn’t feel like the distance that was wanted. We roto’d Garp out of that scene and replaced it with a 3D Going Merry.”
Camera tricks assisted in creating the impression that Monkey D. Luffy has the ability to stretch his limbs.
Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy battles a group of Marines.
“Size and scale turned out well. The only point where it came into play was when we were doing Garp throwing the cannonball back at Luffy. They had parked the practical Going Merry, and it was shot over Garp’s shoulder, but when we got into post the shot didn’t feel like the distance that was wanted. We roto’d Garp out of that scene and replaced it with a 3D Going Merry.”
—Scott Ramsey, Visual Effects Producer
Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) discovers the Going Merry while visiting a shipbuilding yard.
Italy influenced the world-building, as Loguetown was based on Sorrento and Shells Town on Positano, Italy. “We had plans going in to modify real-world locations so we weren’t going into full CG builds of environments for some of the bigger ones,” Scalise remarks. “We able to shoot other parts of the Amalfi Coast and turn that into different islands.” A signature massive aquatic creature is Lord of the Coast, created by Goodbye Kansas Studios. “We did it the traditional way in that once we had the look of the concept, we went into modeling and did all of the turntables,” Scalise states. “Overall, we liked the early concept art, which is in the show. The amount of detail into the muscle work and all of the different layers of animation where, if you look at it closely, there are a lot of moving things to the slime on the skin. The biggest thing that we went back and forth on was, originally, a bit of red was put into the fins and pulling that out was our biggest note.”
Admiral Garp utilizes a telepathic species of snail known as a Den Den Mushi to be able to vocally and visually communicate across the world.
A digital double had to be produced for Buggy the Clown, as he can literally cause every part of his body to dissemble, fly around and reassemble. “I love that scene between Buggy and Luffy because almost every shot is a visual effect and their onscreen relationship was great,” Scalise remarks. “It’s a funny, dark, scary scene. One my favorite creatures that we built is the News Coo by Framestore. It was originally built for only three shots; however, when everybody saw it, anytime we could possibly figure out a place to sneak it in, we added it to another half dozen shots.” Ramsey favors the naval battle in Episode 105 between Garp and Luffy. “It was entirely shot at Cape Town Film Studios without water. Every shot is probably a visual effects shot. We brought in Rising Sun Pictures because they can do great ship models and CG water. It’s fast-paced, exciting, and kicks off Episode 105 really well.”
All eight episodes of the first season were cut before sending off the work to the vendors, with 2,334 visual effects shots created in total.
“[The naval battle in Episode 105] was entirely shot at Cape Town Film Studios without water. Every shot is probably a visual effects shot. We brought in Rising Sun Pictures because they can do great ship models and CG water. It’s fast-paced, exciting, and kicks off Episode 105 really well.”
—Victor Scalise, Visual Effects Supervisor
Italy influenced the world-building, as Loguetown was based on Sorrento and Shells Town on Positano.
Scalise concludes, “Everybody’s hope is that this [live adaption of One Piece] opens up the world to people because of the positive message of ‘do what you feel that you’re supposed to do versus what people are telling you what you should do.’ That relates to a lot of people and gives them an optimism, which this world probably needs right now.”
Watch a featurette on the making of One Piece Season 1 and some of the VFX work involved in the live-action adaption of the manga gemstone. Click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EIfmn5Gk9A
Images courtesy of Crafty Apes VFX and Prime Video.
The set for Bing-Bang Burger was actually a miniature, so careful attention had to be paid to make sure that the shadows were cast correctly.
When it comes to tall orders, I’m a Virgo Visual Effects Supervisor Todd Perry asked Crafty Apes VFX to produce a 13-foot high teenage protagonist named Cootie, who gets to experience the world beyond his sheltered existence for the first time in the satirical Prime Video series created by director/writer Boots Riley. “Boots didn’t want to use CG to make Cootie look bigger, so several different approaches were utilized for every shot,” states Aleksandra Sienkiewicz, Visual Effects Supervisor at Crafty Apes. “We had shots with puppets that we had to replace the head or augment the body. Or Cootie was shot in a miniature set with him being closer to the camera so he was appearing bigger. Or he was on a platform.” The methodology had to appear indistinguishable to the viewer. “For me, it was interesting to see because I grew up watching a movie like Elf where they did a lot of that kind of trickery,” remarks Ruth Stewart-Patterson, Production Manager at Crafty Apes. “We were doing our comp work and trying to make things look seamless.”
For the driving shots through the city Crafty Apes VFX had to add motion to hands of the puppet and do a face replacement.
“Boots [series creator/director/writer Boots Riley] didn’t want to use CG to make Cootie look bigger, so several different approaches were utilized for every shot. We had shots with puppets that we had to replace the head or augment the body. Or Cootie was shot in a miniature set with him being closer to the camera so he was appearing bigger. Or he was on a platform.”
I’m a Virgo is a superhero satire created by Boots Riley about a 13-foot tall teenager named Cootie.
Over a period of six months Crafty Apes created 210 shots. ”The thing about working on TV is when you break it down per episode or sequence, it’s easier,” Stewart-Patterson states. “You might have five sequences per episode, and sometimes you get episodes in different orders, but at the end day it’s like a movie where you go one sequence at a time and assign another team to a different sequence so that they work all together – the organization and the types of shots as well. For example, on some shots we’re integrating Cootie and on another one with CG. You have to gather the work together and figure out what pairs with what, and once you figure that out, then you try to keep these teams together as you go per episode or sequence.” Consistency had to be maintained throughout the seven episodes. “We try to keep similar shots with the same artist to make sure everything is cohesive and we’ve shared techniques with all of the artists,” Sienkiewicz remarks. “We would talk to Todd and Boots to make sure that we’re on the same page.”
Elements meant to be significantly larger, like Baby Cootie, were shot closer to the camera.
“For the scene when Cootie is on the car driving through the city, it was shot with a massive puppet on the car. We had to remove the rig, replace the head and add motion to the fingers so he looked realistic. There were a lot of 2D techniques that we used. The face was shot on a greenscreen so we had several different takes with various lighting conditions to choose from. We used cues [in the plates] to track in the face into the puppet and added a little bit of motion into the face.”
The specular quality of the puppet for Cootie was different from natural skin so lighting adjustments had to be made by Crafty Apes VFX.
Every shot was storyboarded to show how the actors would be positioned in front of the camera. “The elements we received from Todd Perry were awesome,” Sienkiewicz states. “The lighting conditions were always matching in the plates, and there were sometimes several plates that had to be merged together.” Since Cootie was closer to the camera and every character were on different planes, close attention had to be paid to shadows. Sienkiewicz explains, “In Episode 101, Cootie was super big in Bing-Bang Burger while the set was miniature. We had to make sure that the shadows of him are interacting with the walls and the other characters, as well as ensuring that the lighting conditions are matching. It was a different way of thinking compared to other shows I’ve worked on before.” Stewart-Patterson joined the project later on. “Our Shotgun mirrored their Shotgun, so it was easy to find what needed to be done, relay and see what’s left to do. It’s a lot easier when you have a road map rather than chaos,” Stewart-Patterson offers. Receiving editorial turnovers can be stressful because sometimes they come in earlier or later than expected, so flexibility is paramount. “We might get a turnover of 50 shots within an episode, so we pick out some key shots,” Stewart-Patterson details. “From there you can focus on those 10 shots and spread them out as you go further along in time. The trust between us and the client was strong, so picking the correct takes and making sure that we’ll get things done on time and scheduled properly was key to completing this project.”
Cootie has an intimate moment with Flora, who has the ability to rapidly flash a multitude of colors in a manner that resembles a hummingbird.
2D rather than 3D effects were the focus. “It was cool to see actual characters and models already in camera [rather than having to construct everything in CG],” Stewart-Patterson notes. “Aleks and Todd had a great relationship, so Aleks already knew where Todd was going to go and probably what his notes were going to be.” Boots Riley has a specific vision when it comes to how he wants to shoot and see the shots. “It was like a fresh breath of air,” Sienkiewicz remarks. “I’ve been in this industry for the past 13 or 14 years, and this was the first time I worked with miniatures, rather than build CG characters we needed to blend or augment their movements, or do face replacements. For the scene when Cootie is on the car driving through the city, it was shot with a massive puppet on the car. We had to remove the rig, replace the head and add motion to the fingers so he looked realistic. There were a lot of 2D techniques that we used. The face was shot on a greenscreen so we had several different takes with various lighting conditions to choose from. We used cues [in the plates] to track in the face into the puppet and added a little bit of motion into the face.” The puppet had more of a specular quality than normal skin. “There was some augmentation in terms of the brightness,” Sienkiewicz adds.
Series creator Boots Riley did not want to use CG to make Cootie look bigger, so several different approaches were utilized for every shot.
“A shot that stands out to me and was one of the most complex ones was Flora’s flashback in Episode 103. There was an oner shot that was 5,000 frames, and we had 13 plates that had to be stitched together because the motion was not seamless. In addition to that, it was at super speed so everything around her is still, so we had to stabilize all of the actors to make sure they don’t move or blink. If you wanted to change one thing, all of the 5,000 frames had to be rendered.”
The miniature house was shot against greenscreen and then composited into the plate photography.
Some sleepless nights were spent thinking about the project. “A shot that stands out to me and was one of the most complex ones was Flora’s flashback in Episode 103,” Sienkiewicz reveals. “There was an oner shot that was 5,000 frames, and we had 13 plates that had to be stitched together because the motion was not seamless. In addition to that, it was at super speed so everything around her is still, so we had to stabilize all of the actors to make sure they don’t move or blink.” Alternations could not be taken lightly. Continues Sienkiewicz, “If you wanted to change one thing all of the 5,000 frames had to be rendered. We divided shots between different artists. You need to find the perfect spot for making a transition where you can hide things, typically motion blur or foreground elements that make it look natural.” Flora has the ability to flash a multitude of different colors. Sienkiewicz explains, “Flora’s effect was cool. All of the Flora elements were shot at different speeds and colors. We also had plates with flashing lights that we needed to select frames that Boots liked. Because Boots liked the postvis that editorial did, we ended up asking editorial to export us AAF files that we could import into Nuke. Rather than go through minutes or hours of footage, we exactly knew which element he liked; that was our baseline for timing and then we could enhance and move forward with other effects. Boots never wanted things to look perfect; he likes an old, ragged look but with a modern twist. There was a lot of creative brainstorming about how we wanted this character to look like. Boots compared it to the Tasmanian Devil.”Another creature comes to mind for Stewart-Patterson. “When you play it fast it looks cool because it appears like a hummingbird changing colors.”
Every shot was storyboarded to show how the actors would be positioned in front of the camera.
“The shots in Bing-Bang Burger was a real Cootie shot close to the camera, but the set was a miniature. He was touching his head, so there was lots of trickery to make it look realistic. The biggest challenge was to make sure that the puppet and the real elements were cohesive and working together. There was lots of comp trickery involved!”
Boots Riley wanted to have an old, ragged look, but with a modern twist.
Lots of compositing trickery was called upon when doing the face replacements on the puppet for Cootie. “The neck was one of the biggest issues, to make sure that he’s tucked in nicely behind the shirt,” Sienkiewicz states. “And even the chest, because the puppet was bigger that Cootie himself, so we needed to slim him down; there was some complex paintwork involved. There were a lot of rigs involved with the puppet, so there was massive cleanup in some of the shots. The shots in Bing-Bang Burger was a real Cootie shot close to the camera, but the set was a miniature. He was touching his head, so there was lots of trickery to make it look realistic. The biggest challenge was to make sure that the puppet and the real elements were cohesive and working together. There was lots of comp trickery involved!” The major task for Stewart-Patterson was being able to adapt to meet needs of the production. “When working closely with creatives, we try to reel them in but also give them as much space you can. It’s being able to assist and properly reflect to the client what creative changes might be or how much time it might take. This team really brought it in well, and the show looks great.”
Aziraphale’s wings were originally created for Season 1, but had to be recreated for Season 2 to allow for more complex motion requirements.
Created by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, and adapted for the screen by Gaiman for Amazon Prime, British fantasy comedy series Good Omens follows the antics and adventures of angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant) after they are exiled from Heaven and Hell and team up to form an unlikely duo on Earth. Milk VFX Supervisor/Co-Founder Jean-Claude Deguara served as VFX Supervisor on Good Omens Season 1 before sliding into the client-side VFX Supervisor seat for Season 2. Matias Derkacz served as Visual Effects Supervisor for Milk on the second season.
“Before the ‘let it be light’ moment, we used one of the environments to create white flashes of energy that revolved around Crowley and Aziraphale. This approach provided the right amount of light, as this part of the sequence required it to be darker. But for the creation of the nebulas, we needed the opposite effect. We used a simplified version of the nebulas on the LED screens, which allowed us to achieve complex light changes. Having access to the LED screens allowed us to archive the correct light interaction on Crowley and Aziraphale, helping us achieve the desired impact.”
“I first got involved with Good Omens on Season 1 when I was Compositing Supervisor,” Derkacz says. “Working with Jean-Claude Deguara as a client-side VFX supervisor was brilliant. Working with him so closely on Season 1, I knew what he was after. I was part of all the discussions about how to creatively push forward the show and was involved with those conversations from the very beginning. Jean-Claude had some great ideas.”
The wings were animated to follow Crowley’s body movements in order to enhance their emotions.
Discussing his initial conversations about the look of the second season, Derkacz explains that he was brought on set for the opening sequence. “I was brought in to help with virtual production for the opening sequence. Before the ‘let it be light’ moment, we used one of the environments to create white flashes of energy that revolved around Crowley and Aziraphale. This approach provided the right amount of light, as this part of the sequence required it to be darker. But for the creation of the nebulas, we needed the opposite effect. We used a simplified version of the nebulas on the LED screens, which allowed us to achieve complex light changes. Having access to the LED screens allowed us to archive the correct light interaction on Crowley and Aziraphale, helping us achieve the desired impact. So, we created material which was not meant to be on camera, but to get the light interaction.”
“It required a lot of conversations back and forth with Douglas [director Douglas Mackinnon] and Neil,” Derkacz continues. “We had a great way of working where we could regularly check in on how things were going. We used real NASA pictures of nebulas as reference. We adapted the color palettes and shapes to make it more appealing to the eye, more interesting and different. That was the way that we approached that sequence. It was 100-plus shots that we had to actually deal with.”
One of the most pressing conversations for Visual Effects Supervisor Matias Derkacz and his team revolved around the look of the Land of Uz in Episode 2.
“[Aziraphale’s and Crowley’s wings] were created for Season 1, but we redid them as they needed more complex behavior. The wings were animated to follow Crowley’s and Aziraphale’s body movements to enhance their emotions. So, there was a bit more animation work involved with this. It was more complex in the way that feathers behaved since we had to have proper feather interactions. That was the biggest sequence for sure in terms of volume and complexity. It was a fun and challenging sequence.”
One of the main assets of the show, which played a role in the Before the Beginning sequence was Aziraphale’s and Crowley’s wings, which had to be recreated for Season 2. “The wings were created for Season 1, but we redid them as they needed more complex behavior,” Derkacz explains. “The wings were animated to follow Crowley’s and Aziraphale’s body movements to enhance their emotions. So, there was a bit more animation work involved with this. It was more complex the way that feathers behaved since we had to have proper feather interactions. That was the biggest sequence for sure in terms of volume and complexity. It was a fun and challenging sequence.”
Derkacz and his team were involved with only one shot on the Soho street, a shot where the camera starts high on a crane and then goes underneath a car.
Production Designer Michael Ralph was responsible for creating the numerous time periods and their look throughout the show. One of the most pressing conversations for Derkacz and his team revolved around the look of the Land of Uz in Episode 2. “That asset needed to be done in a specific way. There were always conversations about making sure what we had created didn’t look like the Grand Canyon or like any other part of the United States,” he says. “We had an early discussion with Jean-Claude to try and get the look set for that sequence, especially when Aziraphale comes out the portal. That environment was one we discussed thoroughly, and we ended up doing everything digitally. It was based on a mix of real photos, but some of the references we had were really similar to the Grand Canyon, so we had to get something similar like that but different enough for people not to comment on it.”
Production Designer Michael Ralph was responsible for creating the numerous time periods throughout the show. The environment for the Land of Uz was completely CG, based on a mix of real photos and references to the Grand Canyon.
Around 100 people from different departments were involved with the production of the second season. “We had a big team,” Derkacz adds. “We had to be quite smart in the way that we scheduled the work because it’s a TV series and there is loads of work. Scenes like the opening sequence and the first six minutes of the second season were really important. It hasn’t really been done before, is really abstract and took a lot of time to achieve. The way that we managed the workload was working on the amount of volume that we had and in the order of episodes that we were discussing at the time. Some assets might require weeks of work.”
The actors were shot standing on greenscreen and then seamlessly added to a fully CG cemetery.
“The only shot we were involved with on the Soho street was for a shot where the camera starts quite high and then goes underneath the car. That is a really cool shot. It’s a blend between two plates because you have the main plate of the crane, and when you go underneath the car it’s full CGI, and then you go around the car and you have a mix between a CG car and a real car, and then Crawley gets out of the car. All of that has to be done as a single camera move. That’s sort of Douglas’s [director Douglas Mackinnon] signature as he loves doing these transitions, and I think they were great and really helped the flow of the episode,”
When it came to creating the set extensions, the Soho street had been completed for Season 1 and was already an established asset. “The only shot we were involved with on the Soho street was for a shot where the camera starts quite high and then goes underneath the car. That is a really cool shot. It’s a blend between two plates because you have the main plate of the crane, and when you go underneath the car it’s full CGI, and then you go around the car and you have a mix between a CG car and a real car, and then Crawley gets out of the car. All of that has to be done as a single camera move. That’s sort of Douglas’s signature as he loves doing these transitions, and I think they were great and really helped the flow of the episode,” Derkacz details.
Fire was shot as an element and done in 2D, and integrated on the set due to safety protocols.
Derkacz and his team also worked on a significant shot for one of the wartime environments. “We did work on one crane shot where we go into London and there are some zombies and fires on the street. That was quite straightforward set extension, which we blended with the smoke that we had on set. We added fire that was shot as an element, and that was all done in 2D and integrated on the set because they couldn’t have that fire next to the people as it wasn’t safe; that was added in post. We also created an environment that was used in virtual production. We built numerous destroyed buildings and added CGI fire, which were used on set as an LED screen when Crowley is driving through,” Derkacz notes.
David Tennant as Crowley and Shelley Conn as Beelzebub experience a front-seat encounter of the devilish kind, courtesy of visual effects.
“The work that we did on the tongue of the demon was really fun. It’s a quick shot, but for that shot we had to create all the CG for the tongue and all of the saliva. It’s lots of work involved for only one shot, but the good thing about that is that you build the asset, you get the shot, and you have a part of the sequence that has been approved and you can move on. … I would say that the most challenging to create wasn’t a character, it was Aziraphale’s wings. All these minimal changes in color had to be translated to white wings, which was a really difficult and complex aspect, but the end result looked great.”
Zombies with long-range, tentacle-like CG tongues can be found on the street in London. Milk delivered more than 500 shots for the second season of the show.
Derek Jakobi as Metatron, Jon Hamm as Gabriel and Liz Carr as Saraqael in a flashback scene from Heaven of Gabriel (Jon Hamm) before he’s demoted from Heaven and loses his memories. (Image courtesy of Amazon Prime)
There was lots of work put into the creature work and into key characters as well. “I really enjoyed all of the creature work that we did, especially the geckos,” Derkacz says. “The work that we did on the tongue of the demon was really fun. It’s a quick shot, but for that shot we had to create all the CG for the tongue and all of the saliva. It’s lots of work involved for only one shot, but the good thing about that is that you build the asset, you get the shot, and you have a part of the sequence that has been approved and you can move on. So, it’s pretty much based on deliveries and as well on the volume of work for the full team. I think I enjoyed the process most, working with a wonderful team from the beginning until the end. I would say that the most challenging to create wasn’t a character, it was Aziraphale’s wings. All these minimal changes in color had to be translated to white wings, which was a really difficult and complex aspect, but the end result looked great.”
Angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tennant). According to Milk VFX Visual Effects Supervisor Matias Derkacz, the biggest challenge wasn’t to create a character, it was the wings. (Image courtesy of Amazon Prime)
Milk delivered more than 500 shots for Season 2. “What is great about Good Omens in terms of visual effects work is that it isn’t like a typical VFX TV series. Good Omens is really complex in the sense that you build an asset which is only used once. We are going back in time and we build all of this for the shot and then that’s it; we never come back to it. It’s really fun to work on a show like that because you do such much,” Derkacz concludes.
Images courtesy of Fin Design + Effects and Netflix.
A major environment build for Fin Design + Effects was constructing Vienna with moving traffic.
Thought to be dead mercenary, Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) returns in the Netflix sequel Extraction 2 where the action shifts from Bangladesh to Austria under the direction of Sam Hargrave. Further complications arise when attempting to rescue a crime lord’s family from a Georgian prison. Contributing to the mayhem is Visual Effects Supervisor Björn Mayer and an army of vendors. One of the contributors was Fin Design + Effects, which over a period of six months produced 150 shots that consisted of a 360-degree panoramic view of Vienna and the climatic glass-awning fight scene.
“The thing that prepared me the most was watching the first one, and you get a sense that it’s going to be a gritty action movie [like] John Wick, but much more in your face,” states Will Towle, Visual Effects Supervisor at Fin Design + Effects. “There are different types of visual effects movies. You have Guardians of the Galaxy, which are your bombastic huge-effects shows. Then you’ve got your more down-to-earth invisible effects stuff like Extraction 2, which fits well in my compositing background. The challenge for this kind of movie is that you have to get the audience to buy into it and see the peril that the characters are in. Compositing is all about those finishing touches and adding believability. I’m also a believer that wherever possible we should use live-action effects. You can’t get more real than real. Quite often you can use them in combination with CG to bring the CG up to the next level.”
Despite building a large set piece for the awning fight sequence, major set extensions were required to replace the bluescreen.
Clear and concise instructions were articulated by Mayer. “Björn knows what he wants, and they had actually built quite a big set of the awning, but we ended up replacing all of it because you have reflections in the pieces of glass such as crew members and bluescreen,” Towle remarks. “It gave us a good starting point and base to ground our CG. Early on, Björn and I talked about other references. Pictures were shared of what this sequence might look like. We started with broad strokes and we slowly zoomed into the tiny details like anisotropic filtering, dirt maps on the glass, and kept adding layers of detail to the CG build until it looked photoreal.” Rotomation of the characters was a critical part of the process. “Because we were replacing the glass in every shot and glass is highly reflective, that required us to do accurate digital doubles of four or five characters, and those had to be rotomated into every single shot,” Towle explains. “This is not work we’ve done too extensively before, so new pipeline tools had to be written to help with that, and new animation tools as well.”
Everything had a basis in plate photography, which helped to provide a ground truth for the CG.
Guiding the shot design process were storyboards and previs. “We can start placing our cameras and see what pieces of the build might need to be up-res’d because there is a level of detail scale where the further from camera it is, the fewer details we put in to save render time and disk space,” Towle explains. “Björn and his team had flown a helicopter over Vienna and taken thousands of photos from all different positions, which was fantastic for getting a sense of the environment and what the sun looks like at the time of day that the sequence is taking place. Vienna’s midday sun is bright with not much atmosphere. We also did a lot of research on Google Maps. We flew cameras over the area on Google Earth and did some photogrammetry to build a proxy city early on to figure out camera angles and what buildings we would see from what camera height.”
“The challenge for this kind of movie is that you have to get the audience to buy into it and see the peril that the characters are in. Compositing is all about those finishing touches and adding believability. I’m also a believer that wherever possible we should use live-action effects. You can’t get more real than real. Quite often you can use them in combination with CG to bring the CG up to the next level.”
—Will Towle, Visual Effects Supervisor, Fin Design + Effects
Half of the 150 shots were entirely digital. “I would love to keep as much plate as I can, but, unfortunately, for a lot of these shots we did have to replace them with CG,” Towle states. “The challenge there was making it look as much like the reference as possible. It helped us in a way to go full CG. In almost every shot the characters are still plate, and for this show, to assist us keep the sequence on track in terms of color and lighting, we created a neutral grading pipeline for Fin Design + Effects; this is the first time we’ve done that. What that entailed was neutral grading every single shot in the sequence, and that allowed us to create our Vienna city in a neutral graded environment as well. It enabled us to light, render and drop a shot in that is looking good already and you’re nudging the last five percent in compositing. But we still had live-action elements, and with those come rebuilding edges, roto and bluescreen removal.”
The hardest part of the glass-awning fight sequence was replacing the reflections and refractions of the crew and bluescreen.
Constructing the DC Towers and surrounding Vienna were the biggest photoreal environments for Finn Design + Effects. “How are we going to build the city and add moving traffic to it?” Towle observes. “We had to have moving reflections on every surface and nearby buildings as well. That was something we were definitely anticipating. Also, the way that light travels through glass and compositing glass has some fundamental difficulties. Glass is all reflections and refractions; that’s classically quite difficult to comp because if you have a CG render of a pane of glass and you’re seeing through it, you don’t have a depth channel for the stuff you’re seeing through it. You have a depth channel of the piece of glass. We had to come up with a way to defocus all of this stuff properly. To effectively achieve that in compositing we came up with a method to stripe out the reflections and refractions from the pieces of glass, defocus them separately using a different depth channel and recombine them all. That was all done in comp.”
Deep compositing was critical in being able to manipulate and produce the correct reflections and refractions in the glass.
“[T]hey had actually built quite a big set of the awning, but we ended up replacing all of it because you have reflections in the pieces of glass such as crew members and bluescreen. It gave us a good starting point and base to ground our CG. Early on, Björn [Visual Effects Supervisor Björn Mayer] and I talked about other references. Pictures were shared of what this sequence might look like. We started with broad strokes and we slowly zoomed into the tiny details like anisotropic filtering, dirt maps on the glass, and kept adding layers of detail to the CG build until it looked photoreal.”
—Will Towle, Visual Effects Supervisor, Fin Design + Effects
Rotomation was utilized extensively for the characters and their digital doubles.
“For the hero shots that were close to the glass,” Towle continues, “we rendered it in two different layers and comped it back together in deep compositing so we didn’t have to render with holdouts. We could push and pull layers every so slightly using deep compositing. Then, just as we expected, the build of the city was extremely challenging. We started with a photographic base that was our ground truth, then put it on a sphere to see how it looks. You begin to notice things that are not in the correct perspective, like warped buildings. You can go, ‘That building needs to be reprojected onto geometry, while this one has to be full CG.’ We used it as a guide for how detailed our environment had to be. The furthest-away stuff was on a sphere. As you got a bit closer, it was put on cards, even closer on geometry, and the closest full CG. That allowed us to keep our render times down and still get a believable photoreal result.”
A last-minute alternation was to give the concluding Valhalla scene more of an epic ethereal quality.
After being the sole visual effects vendor on 10th century British saga The Last Kingdom, BlueBolt gets to apply five seasons worth of expertise to the Netflix feature film The Last Kingdom: Seven Kings Must Die. The story revolves around Uhtred of Bebbanburg attempting to unite England after the death of King Edward. “This is not a documentary,” observes Richard Frazer, VFX Supervisor at BlueBolt. “We have to start from a point of authenticity and then take some creative license because we’re still making a piece of entertainment.” The methodology did not change going from a series to feature format. “Apart from the Valhalla stuff, there wasn’t anything crazy dissimilar to what we’ve done before. We looked at it as if we were making one and a half or two episodes of the show.” Post-production lasted for seven to eight months. “The shot count of 375 doesn’t sound like much but they were extremely complex,” Frazer explains. “The main difference is that it’s one big linear focus [rather than doing pre-production, shooting and post-production of different episodes at the same time]. There wasn’t any overlap with anything else that was going on.”
Sky replacements were part of the visual effects work, such as turning scenes from day to night.
Outside of the usual numerous blood shots, the main focus was the battle at the end. “You cut to this wide battle shot [there were four or five of them], and for the three seconds that it’s onscreen there are all of these nuances of the advancement in the configuration of the two sides that have to be communicated,” Frazer states. “The Valhalla sequence was something that came in quite late and wasn’t planned for. It was filmed as scripted with Uhtred in the hall at Beddanburg. He hears this commotion, goes over, and it’s like a mirror of the hall that he has just left. It was shot that way and never meant to be visual effects. The film was locked and sent off for reviews to one of the executives who wanted it to be this much bigger thing at the end. We were nervous because it was going to take quite a significant bunch of money to get it done, and it’s such an important moment. Uhtred is on the cusp between life and death. It couldn’t be cheesy. If you die in battle, you either go to Valhalla, which is an eternal banquet with all of your fallen comrades for the rest of time, or to Fólkvangr. where you can be out in the countryside, if getting drunk for eternity isn’t your thing!”
CG water was avoided for the series but required for the feature version.
Classical paintings of Valhalla were too grand and over the top in their scale, which ran counter to the tone of show. “We did reference a shot where we go to the Isle of Man and there is a Viking longhouse, which was based on a real one that was discovered,” Frazer remarks. “For the Hall of Valhalla, we went to the production designer who had designed the Hall of Bebbanburg and said, ‘It has to feel otherworldly but grounded in a reality that Uhtred understands because of the implication that it might be a hallucination that he is having.” A blinding bright light appears in the doorway of the hall. “It was based on the Hall of Beddanburg, which was practically built and expanded into this infinite space. At the end were these giant doors that opened out onto the meadows of Fólkvangr. Originally, you were supposed to see through the doorway to the meadows beyond. We played with the exposure and levels of haze and reached this level where it was blown out and light streaking through. The executives liked that as a look because it implied something ethereal beyond, but still felt quite grounded,” Frazer says.
“The Valhalla sequence was something that came in quite late and wasn’t planned for. It was filmed as scripted with Uhtred in the hall at Beddanburg. He hears this commotion, goes over, and it’s like a mirror of the hall that he has just left. It was shot that way and never meant to be visual effects. The film was locked and sent off for reviews to one of the executives who wanted it to be this much bigger thing at the end. We were nervous because it was going to take quite a significant bunch of money to get it done, and it’s such an important moment. Uhtred is on the cusp between life and death. It couldn’t be cheesy.”
—Richard Frazer, VFX Supervisor, BlueBolt
Motion capture – with a shield and baseball bat in hand – was essential in producing the necessary number of soldiers for battle sequences.
Epic warfare is a signature part of series storytelling for The Last Kingdom, with the climax of the feature being based on the Battle of Brunanburh. “There were probably more records or poems written about the aftermath,” Frazer notes. “I don’t know how much the specific military beats within it are accurate to the real historical event. They wanted to have Untred and his forces overwhelmed and outnumbered, but by using tactics he manages to save the day. Uhtred concedes ground in order to expose their flank to a pincer maneuver attack. As much as we were trying to shoot that with drones on the battlefield, in the end it was too difficult to do that as a physical maneuver with the number of people we had. We shot a bunch of empty plates of the battlefield and did it completely CG to show the nuances of that maneuvering, which is counter to what I normally do. You should always start from a place of having real people, but at least what we attempted to shoot with the drone served as reference to rebuild all of that with our CG characters.”
It was a challenge to have the opposing armies crushing against each other enough while not making it visually confusing for the viewer.
“[The Hall of Valhalla] was based on the Hall of Beddanburgh, which was practically built and expanded into this infinite space. At the end were these giant doors that opened out onto the meadows of Fólkvangr. Originally, you were supposed to see through the doorway to the meadows beyond. We played with the exposure and levels of haze and reached this level where it was blown out and light streaking through. The executives liked that as a look because it implied something ethereal beyond, but still felt quite grounded.”
—Richard Frazer, VFX Supervisor, BlueBolt
The Uhtred side consists of Wessex and mercenary soldiers that wear uniforms, while the opposing Allied side is made of Danes and Islanders dressed entirely different from each other. “We had to find a way to create base characters and then randomize those to make them appear as individuals with the various head dressings, accessories and fur,” Frazer explains. “If you’re in a wide battle shot you need to have many variations of the actions that people are doing, otherwise you quickly start seeing repeats. We had motion capture suits in the office with a shield and baseball bat and would churn out whole new actions. We tried to get as many different people in the suits as possible to vary it up.” The battle was shot in a bowl in Hungary. “The Allied side comes down a raised hill, and Uhtred and his side come in between the treelines. We used that because when you’re in amongst all of the fighting, you need to see things above people’s heads to orientate yourself,” Frazer describes.
Approximately 370 visual effects shots were created by BlueBolt, which was the sole vendor for the feature as well as the five seasons of The Last Kingdom.
“As much as we were trying to shoot [the final battle scene] with drones on the battlefield, in the end it was too difficult to do that as a physical maneuver with the number of people we had. We shot a bunch of empty plates of the battlefield and did it completely CG to show the nuances of that maneuvering, which is counter to what I normally do. You should always start from a place of having real people, but at least what we attempted to shoot with the drone served as reference to rebuild all of that with our CG characters.”
—Richard Frazer, VFX Supervisor, BlueBolt
BlueBolt was responsible for the arrival of the armada. “It was the first shot we started and the last one that was delivered!” Frazer reveals. “It went through a lot of variations. The long shot from Season 2 that I composited of Uhtred on a slave ship, which came from inside the boat, across the bow of the deck and then up and wide, and pulls back showing the ship sailing across the sea – the director originally wanted to create something like that. One area that we haven’t touched on the show is CG water. We tend to use stock plates and work from there. That worked well for all of the shots of ships in the previous seasons, but if there is a specific countermove that is wanted, you’re limited with what you can do based on the spot plates that you were able to source. We tried doing the big pullback as it came through the ships and rigging. It wasn’t quite working. We scrapped it midway through and came back to it. That was the most challenging shot [of the movie]. The ocean itself is some stock footage that we sourced, but then the wake and all of the interaction of the boats are entirely CG. That was the tricky part.”
Watch BlueBolt’s VFX breakdown video of large, complex CG battle scenes and army formations as well as other elaborate environments for Seven Kings Must Die. Click here: https://www.blue-bolt.com/ourwork/seven-kings-must-die.
The methodology for each visual effect shot was determined on a case-by-case basis.
Working on the Disney+ fantasy series American Born Chinese holds a special place in the heart of Visual Effects Supervisor Kaitlyn Yang (Raised by Wolves), because the content on the screen and the creative talent in front and behind the camera reflected her ethnic heritage in an authentic and meaningful way. The story reimagines the myth of the Monkey King by giving the trickster god domestic life troubles in the present day and mines the humor in trying to gain self-acceptance beyond the borders of China. There is no shortage of fantasy elements as a battle between the forces of good and evil ensues with two high school students thrust right in the middle of the heavenly conflict.
“In my opinion, visual effects are best served when it’s in a supporting role. They’re invisible or we tap into the magic realism whenever the visual effects need to be front and center because story calls for it.”
—Kaitlyn Yang, Visual Effects Supervisor
American Born Chinese wanted to make sure that everything was grounded with a focus placed upon magic realism.
“Just in the script phase, right off the bat you have a falcon changing into a tiger changing into a fish! How do we do that? That ultimately becomes the perfect handoff of what was shot practically and just seeing enough of something to whet your appetite. It was kind of a morph that was more into the sparkle-lighting effects realm aided by the sound design. The camera is moving so fast that you’re like, ‘Oh, now it’s going to happen.’ There were so many of those all in the row that was so mesmerizing to watch.”
—Kaitlyn Yang, Visual Effects Supervisor
The Monkey King is capable of 72 transformations, with one of them being a falcon.
“I was extremely thrilled when I got the email, and not having so many women visible I felt like I was chosen by the claw in Toy Story!” states Yang, who is the founder and CEO of Alpha Studios. “Having the braintrust [of Asian creators, heads of departments and cast] with lived experiences allowed us to know when to take liberties and pay homage,” Yang states. “You see so many nods to Asian traditions throughout the series. We had a lot of good ideas to pick from, and then figuring out which ones fit the tone and vibe that [showrunners] Kelvin Yu and Destin Daniel Cretton had already envisioned in their head and how to amplify that.”
Stunts were pivotal in pulling off the fantasy action sequences, with wirework being utilized by martial arts icon/Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh.
Having being responsible for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Cretton was experienced in dealing with a visual effects-heavy production while other directors were not as experienced, such as [director] Lucy Liu. “It was never that we are designing specifically for their vision,” Yang remarks. “They were always willing for new ideas and improvements, but key words were passed around here and there. Like any good storytelling, it’s about a feeling that you’re trying to capture. How fast was the waterfall moving and could that contribute to the intense dialogue that the dad and son are having? In my opinion, visual effects are best served when it’s in a supporting role. They’re invisible, or we tap into the magic realism whenever the visual effects need to be front and center because story calls for it.”
Determining the pacing and look of effects such as waterfalls was the desired tone for the scene.
Amongst the creative and technical challenges to produce 1,100 visual effects shots for the eight episodes was the ability of the Monkey King to do as many as 72 transformations, which are dictated by the scenario and where he has to go next. “Just in the script phase, right off the bat you have a falcon changing into a tiger changing into a fish!” Yang notes. “How do we do that? That ultimately becomes the perfect handoff of what was shot practically and just seeing enough of something to whet your appetite. It was kind of a morph that was more into the sparkle-lighting effects realm aided by the sound design. The camera is moving so fast that you’re like, ‘Oh, now it’s going to happen.’ There were so many of those all in the row that was so mesmerizing to watch.”
Among the invisible effects were smartphone screen inserts.
“The first and last episodes were always planned to be visual effects heavy. In Episode 108, we have this intense battle in the sky that we had to somehow make believable. There were so many moving parts, figuring out how to digitally duplicate something that we had practically. I started out as a special effects artist. I will always have a love of getting as much in-camera as possible knowing even if most of it doesn’t appear in the final frame that it’s going to be the coolest reference we’re going to have.”
—Kaitlyn Yang, Visual Effects Supervisor
The glass explosion was achieved practically.
For the opening chase in Episode 101 where a multitude of transformations occur, previs was produced by DigitalFilm Tree that was informed by Stunt Coordinator Peng Zheng. “He and his team shot at their practice ring on iPhones and mobile phones to give us a sense of the camera movement and how one scene stitched with another,” Yang explains. “That helped so many departments to visualize what do we need to do and where the handoff was. I hope that people will love the chase scene as much as we loved putting it together. That sequence, in particular, took the most days, shot count and budget. It was not only a fun sequence but set the tone for the rest of the season. That was one of the first sequences that we shot.” The transformation shots might be described as kung fun magic. “We didn’t do as many as 72 transformations, but perhaps for later seasons! Knock on wood! I grew up with Hong Kong cinema, so I love the types of choreography that you don’t see too much nowadays that have just enough surrealism and magic that ties it together. It’s so fast-moving you can’t look away,” Yang states.
Approximately 1,100 visual effects were created for the eight episodes.
“We took all of the tools in the toolbox and deployed them whenever we saw fit. In Episode 101, we LiDAR-scanned our sets knowing that we had to do extensive set extensions. We worked closely with the art department which had done extensive research and also relied on Gene Luen Yang, the writer of the book with the same name, because he has done extensive research.”
—Kaitlyn Yang, Visual Effects Supervisor
Most of the visual effects were temped by Pixelloid working alongside DigitalFilm Tree, “not necessarily to the degree of the final look that we ultimately settled on, but providing us with a stepping stone to keep improving upon,” Yang notes. “By cut five or six we were able to see some version of the effect already built in. The effects that went through the most iterations were probably for the Heaven episode. That was mainly shot on bluescreen, and we definitely used all of the time on the clock for that one to fine tune the lighting and matte painting. The first and last episodes were always planned to be visual effects heavy. In Episode 108, we have this intense battle in the sky that we had to somehow make believable. There were so many moving parts, figuring out how to digitally duplicate something that we had practically. I started out as a special effects artist. I will always have a love of getting as much in-camera as possible knowing even if most of it doesn’t appear in the final frame that it’s going to be the coolest reference we’re going to have.”
Nothing like having a battle between deities in a high school where teenage angst reigns supreme.
The methodology was devised on a case-by-case basis. “We took all of the tools in the toolbox and deployed them whenever we saw fit,” Yang explains. “In Episode 101, we LiDAR-scanned our sets knowing that we had to do extensive set extensions. We worked closely with the art department which had done extensive research and also relied on Gene Luen Yang, the writer of the book with the same name, because he has done extensive research.” Human Engine ran a portable scanning station on set to assist with the construction of digital doubles. “We had people flying into the sky or walking on water or cliff jumping. Even before wire removal and background replacements, watching the dailies was so cool. We were able to get some CG doubles, but for most of it we had an incredible stunt team that showed their homage to Asian cinema. Hopefully, the audience will be so immersed that everything we put on the screen will be taken as is, because the best compliment for visual effects is not to even know that it was there.”
Watch mesmerizing transformations of the Monkey King in DNEG’s “VFX Breakdown” for American Born Chinese. Click here: https://vimeo.com/844316668
The hardest shot to get right for ILM was encountered when the bag is removed and reveals the de-aged Indiana Jones for the first time.
Receiving the franchise baton from Steven Spielberg (Jaws), James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari) embarks on the fifth and final adventure with a character who made archeology, fedoras and bullwhips cool, and provided Harrison Ford with his third iconic cinematic persona. Joining in the fun and global mayhem that ensues in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is Oscar-winning VFX Supervisor Andrew Whitehurst (Ex Machina) along with ILM VFX Supervisor Robert Weaver.
An array camera car captured plates for the tuk-tuk chase that occurs on the streets of Morocco, which was handled by Soho VFX.
Much has been made of the opening 25 minutes that resembles lost footage from the making of Raiders of the Lost Ark and features a de-aged Harrison Ford. “We started by looking at archival material and building our CG head and A/B between the two, which was a useful comparison,” states Whitehurst, who was on the project for three years. “Early on we had scanned Harrison Ford, so we had him as he is now, which could also be used for checking proportions. There was never ever a particular shot that we thought, ‘This is the one we’ll use to test.’ We all knew that the bag coming off of the head was going to be the most important shot because it’s the first time you see him, and it was also going to end up in the trailer. That was shot early on, and we got working on it earnestly.”
When de-aging Mads Mikkelsen it was more important that he resembled the character of Jürgen Voller rather than his younger self.
De-aging was accomplished by utilizing ILM FaceSwap. “It’s was a terrifying challenge that I wanted to step into and take on,” Weaver remarks. “Things are always evolving, and we’re good at keeping up and leading development in all areas that are necessary to perfect the techniques. Andrew had a good summary of it by stating it’s an umbrella suite of tools. By adding the machine learning to the mix, it’s contributing yet another tool to the arsenal to accomplish what is needed. We did rely on archival footage from past films, and it helped tremendously in many different ways, but it didn’t replace our previous techniques, which we still need to build a fully CG asset that is believable standing on its own as well. It was necessary to treat each shot individually.”
The World War II prologue features a chase on top of a train with Toby Jones, the only character not de-aged. The chase includes an all-CG shot of Ford running across the train.
FaceSwap is not treated as a magic bullet. “What we have is a selection of tools and the ability to mix between the various outputs of these processes that we can look at and go, ‘We’ll take the eyes from here and some of the skin tone from this,’” Whitehurst notes. “To be able to create like a painter would be in that final likeness, and to maintain that performance. The brilliance of it is having the ability to use a little bit of this and more of that. For another shot it is not working, so you have to use a different combination of approaches.”
The parade sequence, which had Edinbourgh stand in for New York City, was the responsibility of Rising Sun Pictures.
Remarkably, Harrison Ford was still able to fit into the original costume. “The long and short of it is, Harrison is super fit and energetic,” Whitehurst states. “He will act like 40-year-old Harrison for those moments.” Ford has a distinct running style described as a cross between Jack Sparrow and Tom Cruise. “We took a lot of time to study his running in various films, and we had an all-CG shot of him running across the train,” Weaver notes. “Essentially, we had to get those mannerisms into that run while working out the cadence of what is necessary to step over the pipes and jump between cars.”
The prologue was intended to resemble recently-discovered lost footage shot during the making of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
“[De-aging Harrison Ford] was a terrifying challenge that I wanted to step into and take on. … By adding the machine learning to the mix [in ILM’s FaceSwap], it’s contributing yet another tool to the arsenal to accomplish what is needed. We did rely on archival footage from past films, and it helped tremendously in many different ways, but it didn’t replace our previous techniques, which we still need to build a fully CG asset that is believable standing on its own as well. It was necessary to treat each shot individually.”
—Robert Weaver, VFX Supervisor, ILM
The de-aging of Ford was accomplished through machine learning and a variety of techniques known as ILM FaceSwap.
When de-aging Mads Mikkelsen, a different creative choice was made. “Mads as younger man is fuller in the face, which didn’t feel right for the character,” Whitehurst reveals. “When we started looking at how we were going to FaceSwap Mads, we decided not to refer extensively to what Mads actually looked like when he was 30. It was more about figuring out what young Jürgen Voller looked like. That was done with a whole bunch of paint tests. We figured out the look for that, and then were able to roll that through the shots. It’s interesting because young Jürgen Voller kind of looks like young Mads Mikkelsen, but also not – that benefits the character.”
ILM created a fully CG environment for the scenes that take place in Syracuse, Sicily circa 214 B.C..
“It was amazing. We could rotate that plane through multiple axis a great deal, and it was full size. But it could also shake around, so we were inside a lot. The physicality was real. That made it tricky because the camera is shaking in the inside, or the plane shaking against the background that shouldn’t be shaking, but the believability of the motion that you get from the people inside of the plane is worth the pain because it sells it.”
—Andrew Whitehurst, VFX Supervisor
Filmmaker Mangold and frequent cinematographer Phedon Papamichael favor using wide lenses for closeup shots resulting in more of the surrounding environment appearing in the frame. “There are probably more closeups of a 40-year-old Indiana Jones in this movie than there are in all of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” Whitehurst observes. “The important thing was being able to accommodate how they wanted to shoot it. I don’t want anyone to ever feel compromised. If it means pushing in and getting close because narratively and dramatically that is going to have the most impact, we should do that.” Among the action sequences is Indiana Jones trying to outrun a subway train while riding horseback. “For the closeups, the train is CG. We had a beautiful set build at Pinewood of the whole station and a little bit into the tunnel. Then we had a long black tent that extended out so he could ride a horse down [the tunnel], so we were able to shoot the plates. but the train was always going to be CG. The actual tunnel itself is CG as well,” Whitehurst says.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge appears in the aircraft gimbal, which was shot on a bluescreen stage. (Photo: Jonathan Olley)
“We do a lot of dynamic studies and various simulations to see what our perceptions are. A lot times in our work, things that are physically correct are not what we’re looking for, so we need to augment them. But in the case of the airplane and all of the atmospherics, James [Director Mangold] had a clear idea in his mind as to what these atmospheric dynamics should be, and he essentially likened them to a waterfall flowing out into the past. That was our cue to build this massive storm and put the dynamics onto the planes that are believable… It was a fine balance to walk.”
—Robert Weaver, VFX Supervisor, ILM
Ford strikes a classic pose while Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael scouts a set. (Photos: Jonathan Olley)
A signature stunt is Indiana Jones leaping from tuk-tuk to tuk-tuk during the street chase in Tangiers. “That was shot in Morocco,” Whitehurst reveals. “We have a guy in a tuk-tuk who will then jump into the other tuk-tuk. We did a CG takeover of the tuk-tuk that he leapt from and have a CG van colliding into it.” Stunts were a crucial partner. “I’ve worked with Ben Cooke, who was Supervising Stunt Coordinator a couple of times. Dan Bradley is an incredibly experienced second unit director. Once we figured out where we wanted to shoot the tuk-tuk. which was Fez in Morocco, Dan went there. The dialogue needed to happen, so we roughly knew how long the sequence had to be, as well as where we were going in and out of it. But the script didn’t describe specific action beats. Dan walked around Fez and said, ‘We could do this with the tuk-tuks right here.’ On the basis of that, we were able to previs the sequence. We scanned and photographed Fez and the vehicles down the whole route because we knew that there was going to be process back at Pinewood for all of the dialogue between our principals. Because everything was previs, we knew what the angles were going to have to be. We decided to put the edit together as we were shooting the process work so we knew that everything was going to cut together okay. Then it’s a case of paring things down in the edit and refining until we get the completed sequence.”
Frequent collaborators filmmaker James Mangold and Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael enter the world of Indiana Jones together for the first time. From left: Production Designer Adam Stockhausen, Mangold and Papamichael on set. (Photo: Jonathan Olley)
ILM was also responsible for the third act. “There are some fantastic escapades that happen with the airplane going through the eye of the storm and coming into 214 B.C.,” Weaver states. “They did an amazing job on set shooting a partial version of the airplane, and we would add an extended version of that through CG at various times. There were other times where things couldn’t be filmed practically, and it would have to be completely CG, partially airborne and jumping out.” The proper weight of the aircraft had to be conveyed to add to the sense of peril. “We do a lot of dynamic studies and various simulations to see what our perceptions are,” Weaver remarks. “A lot times in our work, things that are physically correct are not what we’re looking for, so we need to augment them. But in the case of the airplane and all of the atmospherics, James had a clear idea in his mind as to what these atmospheric dynamics should be, and he essentially likened them to a waterfall flowing out into the past. That was our cue to build this massive storm and put the dynamics onto the planes that are believable, getting enough wind flex that is believable but doesn’t feel like those wings are going rip off in any minute. It was a fine balance to walk.”
“I always push to get as much as we possibly can in-camera, particularly if it’s something that is interacting with the characters because you get better performance. The physicality is there because it’s real. If you can’t do that, we try to find reference that is as close as we can get to that and then analyze it even for the small things.”
—Andrew Whitehurst, VFX Supervisor
A rig was built for the interior of the plane by the special effects team led by Alistair Williams. “It was amazing,” Whitehurst explains. “We could rotate that plane through multiple axis a great deal, and it was full size. But it could also shake around, so we were inside a lot. The physicality was real. That made it tricky because the camera is shaking in the inside, or the plane shaking against the background that shouldn’t be shaking, but the believability of the motion that you get from the people inside of the plane is worth the pain because it sells it. Then that helps when we cut to the exteriors and have felt this violence, and now we can see that in the wider shots.” Practical elements are essential even when shots become fully CG. “I always push to get as much as we possibly can in-camera, particularly if it’s something that is interacting with the characters because you get better performance. The physicality is there because it’s real. If you can’t do that, we try to find reference that is as close as we can get to that and then analyze it even for the small things. For example, the hanger doors open, we see the bomb for the first time and the engines fire up. One of the things with old airplane V engines is when the propellers start to spin, too much fuel is going into the engine, so it’s not up to speed yet, so you get this big blast of flame that comes out through the exhaust. We did that, and it looks cool as well. It adds that extra flavor and verisimilitude to it that there is a bit more texture,” Whitehurst says.
Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael prepares a driving scene on a bluescreen set. (Photo: Jonathan Olley)
Combining reality and fantasy is a staple of the Indiana Jones franchise, such as having a portal appear in the sky for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. “Indy films are slightly earthy, grubby-real, but then have an element of the supernatural on top,” Whitehurst observes. “We stylistically absolutely had a precedent in the previous films. One of the things that James and I talked about a lot was a Douglas Trumbull cloud tank, where it’s something that feels physical and real but has an interesting aesthetic quality to it as well. Certainly, we were looking at that when designing the inside of the portal as we fly towards 214 B.C. and when we come out of the other side. We designed something that had an interesting physicality to it so it felt like something that nature might produce. We had these arms wrapping around the horizon as if it was coming to Earth trying to grab [it], with this portal in the center of it. There was an oddness to it. But we were also referencing actual cloud formations and odd storm footage a lot to get the movement and the shapes within that form. There was an overall sculptural design aspect to it that we wanted it to narratively feel like, which was threatening, but also getting that naturalism into it that is very Indy.”
Interestingly, Ford still fits into the original costume and has remained extremely fit. (Photo: Jonathan Olley)
A complete CG environment build was the Sicilian city of Syracuse circa 214 B.C.. “It was down to the level of being able to fly through the streets,” Weaver reveals. “Basically, we wanted to take away any limitations that James may have in telling the story. Wherever he wanted to put the camera, it was going to be completely believable and period appropriate.” In total, 2,350 visual effects shots were created by ILM, Rising Sun Pictures, Important Looking Pirates, Soho VFX, Midas VFX, The Yard VFX and Crafty Apes. “The tricky thing with a movie like this is, there were so many locations and numerous times where every single scene is something new,” Whitehurst states. “Somebody asked me, ‘What was it like to make this?’ It was like doing 12 commercials simultaneously, and a lot of them are very different. That’s the hard part. There is a little action beat towards the end when Helena is on a motorbike chasing Voller. I loved it when we did the previs. I thought it was going to be a fun moment. We shot it with Phoebe Waller-Bridge on a soundstage. She was awesome, and we blasted her with water and wind all day long. Phoebe just did it and completely sold it. Also, there is an awesome shot with Phoebe right under the tail of the plane as it’s bouncing down the runway, and you feel it slam down just next to her. I love that whole beat. It feels exciting, present in the action. The performance is great, and the work is beautiful.”
Watch a featurette on “behind the action” of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Click here:
Coming into contact with the Question Boxes enables characters to transform and acquire different superpowers.
Claiming the crown of the top-grossing video-game adaptation of all time is The Super Mario Bros. Movie with a worldwide box office totaling $1.3 billion, which is nearly three times what was earned by second place Warcraft. The overwhelming success was caused by Nintendo partnering with filmmakers Aaron Horvat, Michael Jelenic and Pierre Leduc, screenwriter Matthew Fogel, Illumination Mac Guff and Universal Pictures to produce a story that at times literally pays homage to the source material while also pushing the boundaries of expectations, as demonstrated by the reptilian villain Bowser channeling his inner Ozzy Osbourne and Elton John to sing heartfelt songs dedicated to the unreceptive Princess Peach.
Lumalee is a volumetric character, so classic shading techniques could not be utilized.
In the middle of the zany craziness is Illumination veteran Milò Riccarand, who was the Head of CG on the project and has seen the evolution of effects utilized by the Paris-based animation studio since Despicable Me became a global sensation. “The way we use effects has changed hugely because technology and software has evolved a lot,” Riccarand states. “We have a huge render farm. Directors want something bigger, more realistic and interesting. That’s what I love about it.” When doing simulations in animation, it’s all about achieving the proper balance between plausibility and stylization. “We do a lot of proprietary software and jump at the possibility to do what we need in order to achieve the look that the director wants, whether it be physical or cartoony,” Riccarand says. Sequences were mapped out using storyboards and previs. “We did two passes of previs, one animated and the other with characters. This is because the interaction between the characters, the cast and camera can be tricky, as their relationship with each other needs to be like a dance in order to get a good position.”
By combining detail and stylization, the fur and skin of Donkey Kong appears to be realistic and appealing.
There is no shortage of characters with short legs in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which stems from respecting the original silhouettes and poses of the original character designs. “To be fair, it’s not just the short legs,” Riccarand remarks. “The legs can be short in one and become long in another one. A principle of animation is squash and stretch. That can come across as being elastic, which is hard on CFX because you want to do something that is physically realistic, so you have to find a way to do that.” Mario transforms whenever he makes contact with Question Boxes, which allow him to acquire various powers. “It’s a joint collaboration between effects, compositing and lighting departments. We are doing a lot of work in Nuke in order to have particles flowing on his face or forming a force field. Numerous layers had to be comped and lit,” Riccarand says.
One of the most complex sequences and environments was executing the cosmic car chase that takes place on the Rainbow Road.
A chase sequence takes place on a prism-colored cosmic transitway. “The Rainbow Road was a complex challenge for us,” Riccarand notes. “The camera had to chase all of the characters, which was difficult technically. The road was a volumetric entity with clouds inside. To make everything look lit [was challenging]. It’s a rainbow, so it’s not something solid. Our render department helped us to sort it out and be able to render that.” Supercharged vehicles add to excitement. “Those were a lot of fun!” Riccarand laughs. “This is not a live-action movie, so we can do what we want with the characters. You get crazy moments with the cars. The Koopa General drives this huge car that takes up all of the road.” The cloud elements assisted in conveying the proper size, scale and speed. “Each shot was set-dressed in order to get the best angle for the camera. We added tiny elements in frame that are going by quickly and cause you to say, ‘They’re going fast.’”
A signature environment is the Mushroom Kingdom that Mario and Princess Peach walk through.
Bowser lives on a volcanic world and resides in Lava Lake Keep. “It was not scary to do because our proprietary software helped us to deal with the smoke,” Riccarand states. “But when it comes to scale and a thousand shots to do, we had to be smart to find a good solution that doesn’t cost too much. You can’t have multiple simulations rendering overnight to have them ready for the day after. The lava had to be stylized to work with the characters in the scene. It was a bit more cartoony, but with realistic lighting.” A staple of video games is to have a world filled with giant mushrooms. Explains Riccarand, “People love that! The Mushroom Kingdom was a nice set to do. There was a lot of modeling and procedural environments in order to do the set extensions. It is something iconic from the game, so the viewer knows what they are looking for; so we needed to pay attention in order to not disappoint them.” Scenes in World Bowser take place at night, while the Mushroom Kingdom action unfolds in the daytime. “Night sequences are easier to hide things with mist and darkness, and you can use high contrast lighting. When you’re outside in sunny daylight, it’s more complex to light the characters in a believable and interesting way.”
While following through with his nefarious plans, Bowser also has a habit of singing love songs dedicated to Princess Peach.
“Those [supercharged vehicles] were a lot of fun! This is not a live-action movie, so we can do what we want with the characters. You get crazy moments with the cars. The Koopa General drives this huge car that takes up all of the road. … Each shot was set-dressed in order to get the best angle for the camera. We added tiny elements in frame that are going by quickly and cause you to say, ‘They’re going fast.’”
—Milò Riccarand, Head of CG/FX Supervisor, Illumination Mac Guff
The simulations for lava had to be stylized to ensure that the environments did not clash with the cartoony character designs.
Some scenes are a direct homage to actual gameplay. “That was fun because the idea was to take something that exists in the game, however, then put it into a more cinematic environment,” remarks Riccarand. “It had to respectful but on a bigger scale.” There was constant feedback from Nintendo, with signature elements like Question Boxes being incorporated into the storytelling. “The Question Boxes are opaque with a little light source inside. They are the same design as Nintendo, but had to have some magic in order to have them fit into the movie.” Something not part of the gaming experience was having Bowser sing in a concert inspired settings and lighting. “That was one of the craziest ideas! It’s like a jazz concert, but him singing to his girl. We have some good key lights and lots of reference from jazz concerts. The idea was to put the character in the light and simply have him singing. One of our co-directors, Pierre Leduc, previously was our animation director on a lot of movies, so his experience helped us in getting the proper silhouettes and poses.”
A lot of fun was had in getting to design, create and execute the various vehicles that could not exist in a live-action movie.
“[The volcanic world of Bowser] was not scary to do because our proprietary software helped us to deal with the smoke. But when it comes to scale and a thousand shots to do, we had to be smart to find a good solution that doesn’t cost too much. You can’t have multiple simulations rendering overnight to have them ready for the day after. The lava had to be stylized to work with the characters in the scene. It was a bit more cartoony, but with realistic lighting.”
—Milò Riccarand, Head of CG/FX Supervisor, Illumination Mac Guff
A scene from the commercial that begins the movie.
Simulations such as the water from the bursting pipes in the bathroom are more driven by comedic rather than realistic timing. “In two frames you can go from no water to a huge splash of water,” Riccarand observes. “It’s interesting because that’s when effects works with animation. It’s a joint venture between the two. Before doing the effects, the animator will say, ‘I would love to have a splash here and there.’ Afterwards, in effects, we try to make that happen.” Talking in an infantile voice and expressing pessimistic views is the imprisoned star known as Lumalee. “It’s a volumetric character, so it’s not the classic shading. This type of character is difficult to animate because it’s a star shape. In the beginning you’d think, ‘I will not be able to do some extreme movements.’ But you absolutely can. In the end credits, Lumalee is playing the saxophone.”
Actual gameplay was incorporated into the storytelling and upgraded with a cinematic sensibility.
“The Mushroom Kingdom was a nice set to do. There was a lot of modeling and procedural environments in order to do the set extensions. It is something iconic from the game, so the viewer knows what they are looking for; so we needed to pay attention in order to not disappoint them.”
—Milò Riccarand, Head of CG/FX Supervisor, Illumination Mac Guff
Nintendo was closely involved with the production to ensure that aesthetic of the video game was maintained.
Grooming for the moustaches of the Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong was achieved through proprietary software. “Donkey Kong has numerous layers of fur,” Riccarand explains. “It has to have a lot of detail to feel real, but it doesn’t need to be realistic. There is a closeup shot of the hand of Donkey Kong, and you see one of his fingers at a huge scale. I couldn’t do the skin realistically, as it needs to be pleasant to look at. We did a lot of tests to produce something that looks real and that has good subsurface scattering, but the texture and painting of it is appealing.” Plenty of destruction occurs in the finale battle that unfolds in Brooklyn. “FX Supervisor Simon Pate drove this sequence. You have the superpowers of the characters plus various simulations everywhere, like smoke and dust. You want to do things that are not too scary but good to see and impressive. It can be hard to do a battle like that in the daytime, but the lighting helps a lot.” Advancements were made in the area of compositing. Riccarand notes, “We did a lot of new work on lens aberrations, and the in-house renderer has been greatly improved because with each movie we want to render more and more. Technology gets better, and people ask for more! But that’s what makes this type of job interesting. You’re always trying to find the best and new ways to do things.”
Lead Animator and Key Stop Motion Animator Laurie Sitzia animates the interaction between Anni and Kalina during the tunnel sequence.
If you want to see the global talent practicing the art of storytelling through animation, the recent trend towards anthologies appearing on the streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+ are providing the platform for viewers to do so. After using a series of nine anime shorts to showcase the influence of Japanese cinema on George Lucas and the Star Wars universe, Lucasfilm has expanded the worldview for Star Wars: Visions Volume 2 to include U.K. stop-motion maestros Aardman for I Am Your Mother. The tongue-in-cheek story, directed by Magdalena Osinska, cleverly shifts the dysfunctional volatile father-son dynamic to a nurturing mother-daughter class conflict and transforms a beloved supporting character into a self-promoting salesman.
One of the most difficult physical actions to pull off was getting the puppets to hug each other in a believable manner.
“The theme of family is something I love to explore in my work, and a lot of the characters in ‘I Am Your Mother’ are inspired by people I’m familiar with, so this largely informed the visual aesthetic,” Osinska explains. “I intentionally wanted the main characters to be alien, as that was inspired by my arrival in the U.K. as a Polish national. I was an alien, so our characters are literally aliens! In terms of animation, I was keen for a female animator to develop these mother-daughter relationships. Our lead animator, Laurie Sitzia, developed and tested Anni and Kalina. We had in-depth conversations with Laurie about mother-daughter relationships, about Anni and Kalina’s background, motivations and emotions throughout the film. We talked about the closeness and warmth of their relationship, but also that relatable feeling of being embarrassed by your parents, and being able to show these layers of feelings through the puppet’s performance.”
As for the visual language, it was important to retain a warmth between Anni and Kalina despite the rising tension between them. “Such subtle emotional shifts needed to be evident, and I worked hard to put them into the finer nuanced details of their facial expressions,” states Laurie Sitzia, Lead Animator and Key Stop Motion Animator. “This was especially important in the cockpit sequence where we watch Anni’s frustrations escalate until she reaches boiling point with an outburst that shocks and hurts her mother. She immediately regrets it but can’t take it back. Kalina contains her hurt to protect her daughter, but we still needed to see a glimpse of it.”
Concept design of the spacetug, which serves both as a home and spacecraft for Anni and Kalina.
“I was keen for a female animator to develop these mother-daughter relationships. Our lead animator, Laurie Sitzia, developed and tested Anni and Kalina. We had in-depth conversations with Laurie about mother-daughter relationships, about Anni and Kalina’s background, motivations and emotions throughout the film. We talked about the closeness and warmth of their relationship, but also that relatable feeling of being embarrassed by your parents, and being able to show these layers of feelings through the puppet’s performance.”
—Magdalena Osinska, Director
Director Magdalena Osinska prepares the spacetug for the complex tunnel shot that occurs during the race.
Reflecting how the relationship evolves between Anni and Kalina are the book-ending hugs. “Hitting the perfect pose in a hug in stop-motion is always a challenge and much harder than it looks. Puppets don’t usually fit together very easily. You’d never know it, but Anni’s head is actually cheated forward and is floating on a rig about 10mm forward of Kalina’s face for the last few frames of their final pose. It was the only way to get their tilted heads to look like they were making contact with each other. The rig had to be cheated in mid-shot, quite a fiddly operation,” Sitzia says.
Lead Animator and Key Stop Motion Animator Laurie Sitzia found it important to display subtle emotional shifts to reflect the evolution of the mother-daughter relationship between Kalina and Anni.
There cannot be any Star Wars story without droids, and the faithful malfunctioning companion Z1 displays the characteristics of an accordion-expanding sausage dog. “[Animation Director] Steve Cox developed and 3D printed the prototype for Z1 himself. As a huge Star Wars fan, he was keen to ensure that the final puppet would feel totally in keeping with the other astromechs, and Z1 really does,” Sitzia notes. “He was fun to animate, too, with elements like the ears and legs folding in/out and the slinky body allowing for playful dips and dog-like movement while still retaining a very droid-like quality. Z1 could also stretch out long which worked so well for his fall from the table in the opening sequence and later on when he is swinging from the spacetug. His head tilt also gave him that inquisitive dog-like expression. I remember multiple pipes and tubes being ordered in a search for the perfect part to create his concertina mid-section, as making this from scratch would have been really tricky. It was quite a process to find the right thing, and Steve tells me it ended up being a motorbike shock absorber cover that with a few tweaks worked out perfectly!”
“Hitting the perfect pose in a hug in stop-motion is always a challenge and much harder than it looks. Puppets don’t usually fit together very easily. You’d never know it, but Anni’s head is actually cheated forward and is floating on a rig about 10mm forward of Kalina’s face for the last few frames of their final pose. It was the only way to get their tilted heads to look like they were making contact with each other. The rig had to be cheated in mid-shot, quite a fiddly operation.”
—Laurie Sitzia, Lead Animator and Key Stop Motion Animator
Color keys used to map out the various sequences.
“We used ZBrush for modeling and Maya for modeling and animation,” Osinska remarks, “Nuke for compositing and face tracking, Houdini for rendering. And I’ve been told by Signe Tveitan, our wonderful 3D modeler, that we used Karma and Solaris to calculate how the light interacts with the surface.” Fun was had with the visual effects. “I was keen for the look of the spaceships thrusters to be quite stylized and a mixture between 2D and 3D visual effect, a little bit comic, like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” Osinska says. “[Production Designer] Aurélien Predal created very cool 2D shapes for each ship that also reflected the character of their drivers. It was an interesting challenge to then translate it into 3D, and we actually spent quite a bit of time on it to find that perfect look. The other visual effects were screens and holograms. We played with the visibility, color, lines, static, to make it work for our film and also within the Star Wars universe. Besides that, there were fireworks and lots of other atmospheres that made everything sit nicely together.” The set of city and school building were constructed entirely in 3D. “Usually, the foreground is physical, but the rest would be CG. Lighting the 3D parts played a huge role in bringing together these two techniques; this actually goes both for the sets in general but also the mouths, and our Lighting Lead, Tessa Mapp. did an amazing job on it. A big bow to our CG and VFX Supervisors, Ben Toogood and Bram Ttwheam, who married the stop-motion with CG so beautifully,” Osinska says.
The main character lineup as conceptualized by Félicie Haymoz. From left to right: Z1, Kalina Kalfus, Annisoukaline ‘Anni’ Kalfus, Dorota Van Reeple and Julan Van Reeple.
“[Animation Director] Steve Cox developed and 3D printed the prototype for Z1 himself. As a huge Star Wars fan, he was keen to ensure that the final puppet would feel totally in keeping with the other astromechs, and Z1 really does,” Sitzia notes. “He was fun to animate, too, with elements like the ears and legs folding in/out and the slinky body allowing for playful dips and dog-like movement while still retaining a very droid-like quality.”
—Laurie Sitzia, Lead Animator and Key Stop Motion Animator
One of the visual effects that had to be produced was a hologram of Wedge Antilles in the opening shot.
Appearing on screens throughout the city promoting the family pilot race and his own merchandise is Rebel Alliance X-wing pilot Wedge Antilles, actually voiced by the original live-action actor, Denis Lawson. “Anni and her mum come from a planet very very far away, from an unprivileged place, but Anni is an extremely talented pilot, the first one from her planet to be accepted to the prestigious Hanna City Flight Academy,” Osinska states. “Her mum taught her piloting skills, for example, the Ryloth Roll maneuver, which then helps Anni win the race, but Anni doesn’t value it when we meet her at the beginning of the story. Instead, naturally, she is looking up to well-known heroes like Wedge Antilles. It was an absolute pleasure to work with Denis Lawson, and it didn’t take much convincing at all to play a slightly lighthearted and fun version of his character.” There is no shortage of Easter eggs, such as Jawa causing technological havoc in the opening. “I love the Jawa, too! They actually appear one more time in the film, at the Academy Fair by a stall selling things ‘Touched by Luke Skywalker.’ The Jawa tries to steal Luke’s lightsaber just before we see another hand [Maz Kanata] grabbing it first. We wanted to put fans’ worries to bed by solving the big mystery of how Maz Kanata took possession of Luke’s lightsaber in The Force Awakens!”
Figuring out the key poses for the Anni puppet.
“It is really hard to choose one sequence as I loved each one of them, but if I must I’d choose the tunnel scene after Anni and Kalina crash, both the exterior and interior,” Osinska remarks. “The reason being that it was quite challenging, and there was lots of problem-solving, which is what I love about stop-motion. The tunnel we built was only four meters long, but we needed to make it feel as if it’s going for hundred of meters. DP Tristan Oliver, along with Motion Control Operator Adam Cook and Art Director Andy Brown, figured out a way of detaching the panels that are off-camera and moving them forward in front of the spaceship to achieve the feeling that it’s a very long tunnel with forks and turns. The precision of collaboration between the camera and set department was faultless!”
“I love the Jawa, too! They actually appear one more time in the film, at the Academy Fair by a stall selling things ‘Touched by Luke Skywalker.’ The Jawa tries to steal Luke’s lightsaber just before we see another hand [Maz Kanata] grabbing it first. We wanted to put fans’ worries to bed by solving the big mystery of how Maz Kanata took possession of Luke’s lightsaber in The Force Awakens!”
—Magdalena Osinska, Director
There is no shortage of Easter eggs that can be found in each frame. If you look closely enough, you will see Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber.
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.
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.
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@www.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@www.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.
WHAT MOVIE WON? JOIN US TONIGHT TO FIND OUT!
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.
