2007 VES Festival

Some excellent news from the VES. This year the VES Festival will be held in Beverly Hills June 8th-10th. If you're in the neighborhood, I urge you to check it out. There will be some really great presentations, and it looks like this year will be a little of a mixup. Read below to see the entire release.

VES is thrilled to present the 2007 VES Festival of Visual Effects at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills on the weekend of June 8-10th. This year our commitment to innovative programming has crossed over to include the VES 50: The Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time.

The VES definition of “Most Influential” is ‘those films that have had a significant, lasting impact on the practice and appreciation of visual effects as an integral, artistic element of cinematic expression and the storytelling process’

In the coming weeks VES members will vote on which 50 films out of a list of hundreds should belong to the VES 50: The Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time. Following that, a distinguished panel of judges (which will include a wide range of filmmakers and members of the media, in addition to visual effects industry professionals) will put the VES 50 in ranked order. Some of the top films will then be presented and discussed at the Festival.

Some of the programs that will be showcased during the Festival include:

THE ART OF PREVISUALIZATION
Going far beyond conceptual artwork and storyboards, animatics are produced by dedicated previz companies and artists (as well as art directors, effects supervisors and the directors themselves), to help filmmakers zero in on their creative vision while providing studios and producers with a concrete guide for budgeting and production. Once seen as a luxury, previsualization has become a mature tool and part of most every visual effects production. Join a panel of previz veterans as they discuss the challenges of the design process, with plenty of eye-opening examples of how "visual drafts" are created.

BRAVE NEW WORLD: THE ETHICS OF VFX MANIPULATION
Visual effects technology has made virtually anything possible: long-dead actors can dance with vacuum cleaners or speak new dialogue; young actors can be inserted into films made before they were born; product placement can be added in post-production, circumventing the artistic stance of the directors; performances can even be altered without the input of the cast. While many of these techniques are being used to make films better and more to their creators' vision, it can be a slippery slope. Join the VES on a raucous and freewheeling journey through this digital frontier, with examples, opinions, and plenty of controversy.

THE ART OF THE MINIATURE: WHAT CAN YOU GET ME IN TWO WEEKS?
Learn how miniature effects are called upon like the proverbial cavalry to come riding in to save a picture with a visual effect. See when miniatures are built and shot on short schedules to give movies that "Wow" factor at the last minute. Also, a special surprise "Behind the Magic" featurette!

VES FESTIVAL SPECIAL SHOWCASE: THE FILMS OF MIKE JITTLOV
Mike Jittlov is a visionary experimental animator and creator of numerous short films, as well as the director/star of the 1989 cult feature film, The Wizard of Speed and Time. Known to both VFX professionals and fans alike as a "living special effect", Mike is also the inventor of illusions that have astounded expert magicians, a skilled practitioner of origami, and a prime example of truly handcrafted animation and "personal" visual effects. Mike will be a Special Guest of Honor at the Festival's opening-night celebration, and newly-restored versions of some of Mike's short films will be screened before various sessions throughout the Festival, bringing his artistry to a new generation of fans.