Speakers

Monika Gelbmann is an internationally working CG Supervisor and VFX artist with over 10 years of production experience. Her credits include more than 15 feature films, including award winning films Black Panther, Spiderman: Homecoming, Dr. Strange and Thor: Ragnarok. She also worked on numerous renowned commercials and TV shows, including a Super Bowl spot for Coca-Cola. Having both a technical and creative degree, Monika is passionate about building pipelines and artist tools besides production. She has led courses at Filmakademie and SAE Vienna.

@vast_vfx
vast.pictures

• Talk - Made in Vienna: VAST high-end VFX

  Fri - 15:15 - room1

  From a small-sized Austrian company, to working on international high-end VFX productions, how did VAST grow their business as well as their team to match the levels required on projects such as Carnival Row, The Rig, House of the Dragon or the latest Wes Anderson movies?

  Valentin Struklec, owner and founder of VAST, will be discussing the origins of the company and the vision he was able to share with the team surrounding him – supporting the company to keep pushing through a world of VFX-obstacles.

  Accompanied by VFX Supervisors Monika Gelbmann, Franz Brandstatter and Ambros Knapp, they talk showcases a variety of recent projects VAST has worked on, and how they all presented interesting and new challenges, whether from a VFX technical perspective, or a business-related one.

  Bringing new hope in the current VFX industry, VAST believes in its people and their capacity, making international-level productions work and collaborations accessible in Austria.

Franz Brandstätter started his career in Germany, working on 3D computer visualisation, primarily for the automotive industry. In 2011 his path took him to London, where he worked on feature films like “Harry Potter” and “Pirates of the Caribbean 4”. His team was awarded the Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 2012, the same year in which he returned to Germany and worked as a freelance VFX supervisor, compositing supervisor and compositing artist on numerous films and commercials, including “The Avengers” or “Cloud Atlas” or the Super Bowl spots. In 2020 he moved back to Austria but still serving international clients. His latest projects range from complex 3D integrations for the Amazon Prime series “Carnival Row” to heavy compositing tasks for Wes Andersons “Asteroid City”. Since October 2019, Franz has been Professor of Digital Art – Compositing at the Film Academy Vienna.

@vast_vfx
vast.pictures

• Talk - Made in Vienna: VAST high-end VFX

  Fri - 15:15 - room1

  From a small-sized Austrian company, to working on international high-end VFX productions, how did VAST grow their business as well as their team to match the levels required on projects such as Carnival Row, The Rig, House of the Dragon or the latest Wes Anderson movies?

  Valentin Struklec, owner and founder of VAST, will be discussing the origins of the company and the vision he was able to share with the team surrounding him – supporting the company to keep pushing through a world of VFX-obstacles.

  Accompanied by VFX Supervisors Monika Gelbmann, Franz Brandstatter and Ambros Knapp, they talk showcases a variety of recent projects VAST has worked on, and how they all presented interesting and new challenges, whether from a VFX technical perspective, or a business-related one.

  Bringing new hope in the current VFX industry, VAST believes in its people and their capacity, making international-level productions work and collaborations accessible in Austria.

Xi Ding grew up in Shanghai and lives in Vienna. He works as live caricature artist, character designer and illustrator. He has illustrated artworks for the film Klaus. He also teaches digital painting online. In his talk he will show you his analytical approach to digital 2D rendering. This approach is inspired by the methodology of 3D CG rendering and has its strength in certain aspects for digital painting. More importantly, you can gain a deep understanding of how light and shadow works through this approach.

Three Artists, three amazing renderings. In their talk Xi Ding, Erkan Karagoez and Thomas Moor discuss their different approaches to colouring and finishing the same character. They discuss the advantages of different techniques and guide the others though their unique process of rendering. An exchange among experts with a lot a tricks and tips.

Ambros Knapp started his career as a 3D artist in germany in 2005. Since then his path has led him to work on numerous TV commercials, award-winning documentaries, TV Shows and feature films. His scope of work includes 3D generalist, compositing artist, and vfx supervisor, supporting his teams with his technical and artistic experience. Besides his passion for moving pictures he also works for world renowned artists creating sculptures and immersive experiences for international art shows. Since 2018, Ambros also works as a lecturer at the film academy vienna teaching 3d modelling and sculpting.

• Talk - Made in Vienna: VAST high-end VFX

  Fri - 15:15 - room1

  From a small-sized Austrian company, to working on international high-end VFX productions, how did VAST grow their business as well as their team to match the levels required on projects such as Carnival Row, The Rig, House of the Dragon or the latest Wes Anderson movies?

  Valentin Struklec, owner and founder of VAST, will be discussing the origins of the company and the vision he was able to share with the team surrounding him – supporting the company to keep pushing through a world of VFX-obstacles.

  Accompanied by VFX Supervisors Monika Gelbmann, Franz Brandstatter and Ambros Knapp, they talk showcases a variety of recent projects VAST has worked on, and how they all presented interesting and new challenges, whether from a VFX technical perspective, or a business-related one.

  Bringing new hope in the current VFX industry, VAST believes in its people and their capacity, making international-level productions work and collaborations accessible in Austria.

Since 2001, Heri Irawan began his career in the field of advertising in Austria. Eventually he also developed his skill and has been working in the field of movies and games as a concept artist and Matte Painting.

Heri Irawan received numerous awards from various austrian and international competitions.

https://www.artstation.com/irawan

• Life Drawing - Session 2

  Sun - 16:15 - room3

• Life Drawing - Session 1

  Sun - 15:15 - room3

Daniele “Danko” Angelozzi is a freelancer 3d sculptor working mainly in the collectible industry, sculpting digitally statues, miniatures and toys for the last 9 years. he lives in italy working remotely from his studio house, and he collaborated with many italian and international companies, like infinite statue, cosmic group, sideshow. he really loves his job and to sculpt any type of subjects, realistic likenesses, comic characters, fantasy scenes.
He is also a zbrush certified instructor since 2012 and he teached as guest instructor in many european schools, both in online and onsite classes, doing regularly workshops and holding a personal online class about sculpting collectibles

@drdanko
artstation/danko

• Talk - Zbrush for sculpting collectibles (powered by MAXON)

  Fri - 11:15 - room1

  Zbrush for sculpting collectibles.
  In this presentation/workshop the speaker is gonna showcase some of the most used methodologies to create collectibles
  The presenter, with almost a decade of experience in the industry, will bring some specific case studies and try to deconstruct the logic and the problem solving attitude behind every different case, talking in detail on how to use and mix many software advanced features to achieve the desired effects.
  The first part will be focused on how to create an efficient blockout and approach the sculpt of a posed character without getting lost, then will be showcased some examples of tasks, like sculpting scales and feathers, projection and xtractor features to catch and replicate details, the huge versatility of history states and how they can interact with some brushes, the use of internal and third party plugins to create high frequency details, seamless patterns, and more.

  This talk is brought to you by MAXON

Lina Schubert and Florentin Berger are NO WORRIES JUST SHAPES – a 3D & Motion Design Studio based in Vienna.
Together with their clients they explore visual realities and hypernatural materialities at the intersection of Art & Design and retell the stories of objects.
As Designers they combine our experiences in design, music, anthropology, theatre and advertising to create future-oriented content for cultural institutions, products and brands.

@noworriesjustshapes
nwjs.studio

• Talk - (Almost) Everything Everywhere All at Once

  Sat - 10:00 - room1

  – The creative potential of a squiggly line career path

  Before working as 3D Designers, the two of us accumulated studies and careers in a lot of different fields: from graphic design, creative writing and ethnography to set design, copywriting, sound design and illustration.

  In our talk, we’ll give an insight into our creative journey so far – which at times felt like an aligned collection of derailings but has proven to be a logical consequence of our curiosity and love for exploration and research.

  We’ll also cover our design process as a duo and do a quick deep dive into our daily tools.

Florentin Berger and Lina Schubert are NO WORRIES JUST SHAPES – a 3D & Motion Design Studio based in Vienna.
Together with their clients they explore visual realities and hypernatural materialities at the intersection of Art & Design and retell the stories of objects.
As Designers they combine our experiences in design, music, anthropology, theatre and advertising to create future-oriented content for cultural institutions, products and brands.

@noworriesjustshapes
nwjs.studio

• Talk - (Almost) Everything Everywhere All at Once

  Sat - 10:00 - room1

  – The creative potential of a squiggly line career path

  Before working as 3D Designers, the two of us accumulated studies and careers in a lot of different fields: from graphic design, creative writing and ethnography to set design, copywriting, sound design and illustration.

  In our talk, we’ll give an insight into our creative journey so far – which at times felt like an aligned collection of derailings but has proven to be a logical consequence of our curiosity and love for exploration and research.

  We’ll also cover our design process as a duo and do a quick deep dive into our daily tools.

David Arno Schwaiger is a VFX environment artist who worked at the Generalist Department at Industrial Light & Magic and at Blur Studio (famously known for being the incubators of Love, Death and Robots on Netflix). His passion is storytelling. He firmly believes a powerful narrative can change our lives for the better.
For the past 20 years he has worked as a director, writer, editor, concept and VFX artist. From directing commercials and documentaries to editing TV series and feature films all the way to creating environments for Star Wars, he approaches the art of filmmaking holistically.

@d___a___sch
artstation/davidarnoschwaiger
davidas.at

• Talk - Choices

  Sat - 11:15 - room1

  How do you go from editing a no-budget music video for a less talented Austrian local country music band to reading your name in the credits roll of a STAR WARS show? Well, it all comes down to making certain personal and artistic choices.
  David talks about developing your own good taste, about the haptics of digital images, about hearing a picture, about sweet and utterly talented nerds, about the challenges of being a non-technical artist in a technology driven industry and not being afraid to uncompromisingly following a childhood dream. … Also the „correct“ shape of clouds might be a topic.
  How high are the stakes, what are the odds and, „Are there any good or bad choices after all?”

Lisley Viraphong is a Unity developer and artist from Germany. She joined Causa Creations in 2021 after studying interactive media at the University of Applied Sciences in Augsburg.

For the past few years, she has accomplished several projects for the company. Currently, she is working on a VR experience that documents a Belgian coal mine accident from 1956.

causacreations.net
@causa.creations

• Talk - Making an interactive graphic novel

  Fri - 10:00 - room1

  The team at Causa Creations is proud to present “Songs of Travel” – an interactive experience that explores themes of migration as well as the generational effects of living outside one’s home country.

  Designed for mobile devices, the sprawling motion comic depicts the real-life stories of 5 individuals through the intermixing of recorded interviews, illustrated comic art, and interactive features. The project is currently in development and is planned for release in 2024.

  Brian and Lisley will be sharing their insights into the making of the interactive app by spotlighting the visual development and sequential storytelling, revealing their process from storyboard to final implementation.

  The ongoing project is made in conjunction with classical music festivals throughout northern Europe. Funded by Creative Europe. the project also features the music of artists from throughout the continent and seeks educate students in the themes of migration and social inclusion.

Dunja Bernatzky is CEO and Co-Founder of arx anima, a pan-european animation production company, with studios in Vienna, Madrid and Frankfurt. arx anima is producing animation movies, series , Vfx and commercials, such as “Talking Tom & Friends” (TV series), The Elfkins – Baking a Difference” (Feature), Rabe Socke (traditional 2D Feature) or “Rabbit Academy”, which was the most successful Austrian Feature Film 2022. arx anima is currently in production with 2 feature films and in development of multiple more. Dunja is heading also arx anima’s IP Unit, which is developing next Features and Series for the international market.

@arxanima
arxanima.com

• Talk - Leading a pan-european animation studio

  Fri - 14:00 - room1

  The talk tells the compelling narrative of Arx Anima, exploring its evolution and journey within the animation industry.

  Additionally, it spotlights the pivotal role of female leadership in animation, shedding light on the impact, challenges, and triumphs of women within this creative sphere.

  The talk delves into the company’s approach to IP (Intellectual Property) development, detailing strategies, successes, and the overall significance of this aspect in shaping the studio’s identity and growth within the animation landscape.

• Talk - Magic happens outside your comfort zone!

  Fri - 14:00 - room1

  The talk delves into the compelling narrative of arx anima, exploring its evolution and journey within the animation industry. Additionally, it spotlights the role of a producer in animation, shedding light on the impact, challenges, and triumphs within this creative sphere. The conversation delves into the company’s approach to IP (Intellectual Property) development, detailing the overall process, the creative hurdles and the overall significance of this aspect in shaping the studio’s identity and growth within the animation landscape.

Anne Raffin is a background artist and director who has distinguished herself in animated films for adults and adolescents. Her demanding work and her ability to seize various graphic universes have led her to compose the sets of films and series with an international scope, from the airy ambiences of “The Swallows of Kabul” to the dark climate of “Crisis Jung”, through the realism of the Japanese heritage of “Lastman”.
Her versatility and ingenuity led her to collaborate on projects that further enriched her repertoire, such as “Arcane”, the animated series adapted from the League of Legends universe for Riot Games, “Mars Express”, Jérémie Perin’s first feature film, or “Love Death and Robots”, David Fincher’s Netflix series, and the pilot of the series committed to the visibility of trans identities, “Pour Exister”.

She directed her first music video “XX LAB, A Scream Into The Future” for the electronic music artist François X in 2021. She then joined the roster of Passion Pictures Paris and lately worked on a second music video “Children of Chaos” for Kas:st to be released on the 15th of November.

@anneraffin_
@passionpicturesparis
@passionanimation

• Talk - Breaking Boundaries: A personal Journey into Animation

  Sat - 14:00 - room1

  In Anne Raffin’s talk, she takes us on a journey through her 15-year animation career. From background layout on children’s tv shows to realistics projects such as Arcane and Mars Express, then art direction and film direction.

  She reflects on her early experiences, mentorships and collaborations emphasizing the value of meaningful encounters and hard work in her animation career. Anne also discusses her unique perspective as a queer woman in animation and the role of background artists in the industry, quietly keeping the whole picture together.

Ben Wahl are a multimedia artist and lead 3D artist as well as co-founder of Causa Creations. They are project lead for Songs of Travel and worked on award winning VR projects Holy Fire and Dysplace as well as the interactive motion comic “Glasfäden”.

Ben also lectured the XR masterclass at University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten.

causacreations.net
@causa.creations

• Talk - Making an interactive graphic novel

  Fri - 10:00 - room1

  The team at Causa Creations is proud to present “Songs of Travel” – an interactive experience that explores themes of migration as well as the generational effects of living outside one’s home country.

  Designed for mobile devices, the sprawling motion comic depicts the real-life stories of 5 individuals through the intermixing of recorded interviews, illustrated comic art, and interactive features. The project is currently in development and is planned for release in 2024.

  Brian and Lisley will be sharing their insights into the making of the interactive app by spotlighting the visual development and sequential storytelling, revealing their process from storyboard to final implementation.

  The ongoing project is made in conjunction with classical music festivals throughout northern Europe. Funded by Creative Europe. the project also features the music of artists from throughout the continent and seeks educate students in the themes of migration and social inclusion.

Shandor Chury is a multidisciplinary artist and the founder of OVVO Studio — an ensemble of two studios based in Paris and Montréal. With over 17 years of experience, he has focused on creating immersive experiences and content by mixing up a diverse range of techniques, including motion design, generative art, installations, scenography, and interactivity. Today, this hybrid, untethered workflow forms the core of the studio’s DNA, enabling the creation of unique artistic experiences. It also equips the studio to undertake highly challenging client projects, as well as to lend or share its technical expertise with other artists and creators.

Shandor is a regular speaker at industry events and gatherings, where he primarily discusses innovative workflows and the future of technology and art. These events include the Motion Motion Festival, Touchdesigner Summit, Kikk, and MUTEK forum. Additionally, he is an educator who shares his knowledge through classroom teaching and workshop sessions.

• Talk - Hybrid Creative Workflows for the Modern World (powered by MAXON)

  Sat - 15:15 - room1

  What does it mean to be truly creative, untethered by the boundaries of tools and rules? What kind of experiences could you create? What kind of artwork would you like to author? How would you craft a message to pass on to the world without the limits of space and time?

  These are at least some of the questions every artist, art director, or designer asks themselves at the beginning of any creative endeavor, whether artistic or commercial, big or small.

  There’s no easy answer to any of these questions, but chances are a multitude of tools will be used to craft the final piece.

  At OVVO Studio, working with new media, we practice this untethered approach through our hybrid real-time – non-real-time workflow, or in fact, workflows. We’re talking about MacGyvering, tinkering, hotwiring, hijacking, chewing gum plugging (and well… you don’t want to know… anything in between) to arrive at the final destination.

  So, we would like to showcase some of those workflows, focusing on how we use Maxon tools:

  • Video mapping helpers
  • Hybrid installations
  • Animated movie digital extension
  • Previsualizing installations
  • Asset creation for real-time work
  • Prototyping scenography and designs
  • Advanced compositing and look development

  These examples are all real-world use cases of mixing up all the tools we know and love with a new way of thinking about how to combine them while under the pressure of deadlines, budgets, museums, and clients.

  This talk is brought to you by MAXON.

Valentin Struklec gained his know-how in the film world through national and international work experience. He grew his creative developments skills in the high-end VFX area through collaborations with companies such as Industrial Light and Magic and MPC (in London and Vancouver).
He has been able to apply and share these technical and creative foundations since 2013 as Assistant Professor on the Digital Art-Compositing course at the Film Academy Vienna. Since 2017 Valentin has been working as managing director in the Austrian VFX company Vast, covering local and international projects while supporting the development of the Austrian VFX scene where possible.

@vast_vfx
vast.pictures

• Talk - Made in Vienna: VAST high-end VFX

  Fri - 15:15 - room1

  From a small-sized Austrian company, to working on international high-end VFX productions, how did VAST grow their business as well as their team to match the levels required on projects such as Carnival Row, The Rig, House of the Dragon or the latest Wes Anderson movies?

  Valentin Struklec, owner and founder of VAST, will be discussing the origins of the company and the vision he was able to share with the team surrounding him – supporting the company to keep pushing through a world of VFX-obstacles.

  Accompanied by VFX Supervisors Monika Gelbmann, Franz Brandstatter and Ambros Knapp, they talk showcases a variety of recent projects VAST has worked on, and how they all presented interesting and new challenges, whether from a VFX technical perspective, or a business-related one.

  Bringing new hope in the current VFX industry, VAST believes in its people and their capacity, making international-level productions work and collaborations accessible in Austria.