By NAOMI GOLDMAN

VES Board Chair Kim Davidson and Executive Director Nancy Ward co-hosted an interactive audience discussion at FMX with Jonas Ussing, VFX Supervisor at Space Office VFX on “No CGI is Really Just Invisible CGI.”

In April, the VES continued its long partnership with FMX by participating in the 28th edition of FMX [Film & Media Exchange] in Stuttgart, Germany, one of the premier international conferences dedicated to animation, effects, interactive and immersive media.

VES Board Chair Kim Davidson and Executive Director Nancy Ward co-hosted an interactive audience discussion with Jonas Ussing, VFX Supervisor at Space Office VFX on “‘No CGI’ is Really Just Invisible CGI” – named for Ussing’s popular video exposé series that highlights the industry practice of minimizing the pivotal contributions of visual effects artistry. With the intention of giving VFX pros the recognition and credit they deserve, the discussion delved into the root causes of today’s CGI backlash and steps that the VFX industry can take to elevate visibility and respect for the craft and its practitioners.

The second VES panel featured The VES Handbook of Virtual Production, the acclaimed guide to virtual production techniques and best practices, in a discussion on “The State of VFX Virtual Production.” Using the comprehensive reference book as a base, a panel of virtual production experts brought to life several chapters with real-life production examples. Thank you to Christina Caspers-Roemer, General Manager/Managing Director, TRIXTER GmbH; Nils Pauwels, Director of Virtual Production, Ready Set Studios; Markus Trautmann, Managing Director, Sehsucht; and Tobias Stärk, Creative Technologist on VFX/XR/Virtual Production for this dynamic forum.

VES Hosts Global Webcast on the Potential Impact of AI

Machine Learning has been used for years to enable new capabilities, make VFX artists’ lives easier and achieve better visuals. Now that Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is quickly becoming more powerful, what will the future hold for visual effects practitioners?

The Visual Effects Society’s Technology Committee delved into the implications of GenAI in the VFX industry in the dynamic webcast, “How Generative AI Might Affect Visual Effects Now and In the Future.”

A group of forward-thinking professionals convened for a discussion on how to navigate the landscape of Machine Learning and AI solutions, how the industry is likely to change in the coming years and how to adapt and grow in your career. This interactive forum was the first in a planned series of conversations addressing this rapidly evolving field and framing the discourse that tries to project its impact.

Now that Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is quickly becoming more powerful, what will the future hold for visual effects practitioners?

Thank you to our esteemed panel of experts for sharing your insights: VES 1st Vice Chair and VFX, Post & Technology Recruiter Susan O’Neal; author and Distinguished Research Scientist in DL/ML & CG at Wētā FX Dr. Andrew Glassner; VES Technology Committee member and CTO at Cinesite Group Michele Sciolette; shareholder & Co-Chair of Buchalter’s Entertainment Industry Group and Adjunct Professor at Southwestern Law School Stephen Strauss; and forum moderator, VES Technology Committee member and Media & Entertainment Executive, CTO & Industry Advisor Barbara Ford Grant.