ILM, Weta Digital, MPC, Pixar, Animal Logic and Framestore are all going to be there.
It’s not long now until SIGGRAPH Asia Brisbane, which is happening 17-20 November. I strongly recommend you think about heading ‘Down Under’.
The program sessions for the conference are now starting to be announced, and there’s a heap going on, including presentations on the latest big films, plus ones that haven’t even be released yet, such as Pixar’s Onward.
Below, I’ve outlined some of the main talks on offer, plus the sessions by individual software or hardware vendors, which are often incredibly popular (huge lines, great info). In this case, I’ve outlined what Foundry and SideFX are up to in Brisbane.
Talks!
Making of Pixar’s Onward – crew members from the film will give a special preview.
Staging the Endgame – Weta Digital animation supervisor Sidney Kombo-Kintombo
Childish Gambino’s Pharos-Real-Time Dome Projection for Live Concert – Weta Digital VFX supervisor Keith Miller
In Conversation with Animal Logic’s Co-Founder and CEO, Zareh Nalbandian – (and I’m moderating it!)
Star Wars: Over Four Decades of Storytelling with Innovation – ILM by SVP, Executive Creative Director & Head Rob Bredow
How Weta Digital Created Junior for Gemini Man – Weta Digital VFX supervisor Guy Williams
Proactive Large-Scale Pipeline Efficiency Management
– Animal Logic Head of Production Technology Aidan Sarsfield
– Walt Disney Animation Studios Studio CG Supervisor Ernest Petti
– Framestore Head of Systems Development Mark Hills
– Industrial Light & Magic Computer Graphics Technical Supervisor Phil Pham
– Pixar Lightspeed Leadership Renee Tam
The VFX of Disney’s The Lion King – MPC VFX supervisor Elliot Newman
Keynote sessions – of course, don’t miss the keynotes by Donna J. Cox, Jeffrey Shaw and Inigo Quilez.
Software vendor sessions!
These are sometimes the big secret at SIGGRAPH Asia. Why are these so good? The reason is, the speakers are top-notch and the sessions tend to go in-depth on very specific things. You often don’t get to hear or see about the things they talk about and show anywhere else.
First up, Foundry is previewing Katana 3.5, as well discussing their work on USD based interoperability and view tech. One of their guests will be Phil Pham, CG Supervisor at ILM, who will discuss solving creative challenges with Nuke for Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Then there’s SideFX’s Houdini Hive, also a regular feature at SIGGRAPH conferences. Here, reps from Animal Logic, Weta Digital, Alt VFX, Animal Logic Academy and SideFX itself will give tips and tricks sessions, demos and presentations. Check out the full schedule here.
Other vendors offering sessions include Unity, Ubisoft, AWS, Autodesk and Pixar.
What else not to miss!
Excitingly, Real-Time Live! is again part of SIGGRAPH Asia, and that is likely to be one of the most fun things you will participate in. Make sure you also check out the Computer Animation Festival as there are some fascinating films being shown from around the world (some of the above talks are also part of the CAF).
Plus, of course another HUGE part of SIGGRAPH Asia Brisbane are the many technical talks and papers being presented. It’s hard not to be inspired by these.
Finally, Brisbane is a cool place, well, it’s warm in November, but it’s a relaxed and fun city and there’s a lot to do there before and after the conference. Hope you consider coming to Australia for the event!
Here’s where to register.
Declaration: I am a member of the SIGGRAPH Asia Brisbane organizing committee.
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