Future of animation was one of the main themes of the opening day of the two-day Cinematic Innovation Summit, held in association with DIFF at Atlantis, The Palm. The topic was addressed by the team behind top-grossing original film of 2013, the animated comedy The Croods. Movie producer and the visual effects supervisor, Jane Hartwell […]
Future of animation was one of the main themes of the opening day of the two-day Cinematic Innovation Summit, held in association with DIFF at Atlantis, The Palm. The topic was addressed by the team behind top-grossing original film of 2013, the animated comedy The Croods. Movie producer and the visual effects supervisor, Jane Hartwell and Markus Manninen, led the panel discussion that showcased groundbreaking techniques that promise to change the animation industry and offered a glimpse into whats to come for animation and storytelling.
Hartwell highlighted the production process of The Croods and said: As a team, the biggest challenge we faced was to enhance the viewers experience to the point that they could get the feeling of physically touching the objects this challenge was the main aspiration for the movie.
The day also featured a motion capture demonstration by Knight Vision Studios. The studio thrilled the attendees by showcasing their experience in production and visual effects, including key VFX positions on films such as Iron Man, James Camerons Avatar, The Amazing Spiderman, and 2012.
Renowned for his portrayal of the depraved creature Gollum in Lord of the Rings trilogy and the revolutionary chimpanzee Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Andy Serkis is one of the leading speakers at the two-day summit.
Serkis reiterated the importance of storytelling and creativity in filmmaking: The authoring of the role is very special, its all about the actor, producer, director and the designer coming together and bringing a ‘character’ to life. We will be utilising this in the feature film Animal Farm, based on the namesake novel by George Orwell, where all the characters would be performance captured.
But in the end, the success of film will be based on storytelling. Technology should be used to complement the drama not distract from it because for me its down to the refraction and reflection of the eyes. This is down to the individual actor, he added.
Serkis was presented with an award for his trailblazing work in the art of performance capture by His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum from the UAE Royal Family.
Visionaries and experts who addressed the attending audience on day one, include David Glasser, Chief Operating Officer of The Weinstein Company, Producer of the Bridget Joness Diary Jonathan Cavendish, Actor and thespian Stephen Lang, David Linde, CEO of Lava Bear, Guillaume de Fondaumière, Co-CEO, Quantic Dream and CGI leader Dr. Paul Debevec.
Bringing together up to 200 global leaders from cinema, technology, video games, financing, and other sectors, the summit aims to leave a positive footprint on the local industry and encourage international film makers to embrace the local locations, facilities and talents for their ventures.
Held in association with Dubai International Film Festival, the summit is produced by Centre for New Cinema and Naseba and is the culmination of more than 100 years of filmmaking innovation, and aims to forecast of whats still to come – interactive cinema, computer-generated actors, vast new film financing opportunities, and more.
