The Visual Effects Society released the schedule for its 2012 VES Summit, which this year focuses on the intersection between creative content and the business bottom line – with a focus on how social media impacts decision-making on all levels. The 2012 VES Summit will be held October 13th at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Marina del Rey.
Eric Roth, VES Executive Director, commented, “This year has clearly shown how technology and social media continue to have a deep impact on how stories are being told as well as everyone’s overall bottom line. Visual effects now drives Hollywood tent poles, allowing VFX artists to visually show what any director can imagine – thus fueling the worldwide appetite for more and more entertainment products. The VES Summit will highlight some key leaders in the industry, like new Digital Domain CEO Ed Ulbrich and Jim Morris, GM of Pixar, who will put a spotlight on issues facing all of us. We’ll also feature more focused topics, like a presentation from Mary Ann Hughes on global tax incentives, and a roundtable discussing what television VFX bodes for the future of VFX in feature films.”
Panelists include:
· George Whitesides (CEO, Virgin Galactic)
· Sean Carroll (Senior Research Associate in Physics, California Institute of Technology)
· Albert Cheng (EVP & Chief Product Officer, Digital Media, Disney/ABC Television Group)
· Ed Ulbrich (CEO Digital Domain and Mothership)
· Scott Ross (Co-Founder, Former CEO Digital Domain)
· Jim Morris (GM and Executive Vice President of Production, Pixar Animation Studios)
· Mary Ann Hughes (Vice President, Film and Television Production Planning, The Walt Disney Company)
· Sam Nicholson (CEO, VFX Supervisor, Stargate Studios)
· Andrew Orloff (Founder, Creative Director, VFX Supervisor Zoic Studios)
· Mat Beck, ASC (VFX Supervisor, Director, DP, President Entity FX)
Current Schedule (please check here for updates):
7:30am – Registration
8:30-10:00am – Continental Breakfast Roundtable Discussions
10:15am – Welcome
10:30am – Keynote Speaker George Whitesides, CEO and President, Virgin Galactic
11:15am – Featured Speaker Albert Cheng, EVP & Chief Product Officer, Digital Media, Disney/ABC Television Group
12:00pm – A Discussion on The State of the Industry With… Jim Morris, GM and Executive Vice President of Production, Pixar Animation Studios; interviewed by Carolyn Giardina of Variety
12:30pm – Lunch
2:00pm – Keynote Speaker Sean Carroll, Senior Research Associate in Physics, California Institute of Technology
2:30pm – Tax Incentives Around the Globe: The Whys and Wherefores of Domestic and International Incentives with Mary Ann Hughes, Vice President, Film and Television Production Planning, The Walt Disney Company
3:00pm – A Conversation With… Ed Ulbrich – CEO, Digital Domain and Mothership
3:30pm – Break
3:45pm – Is Television VFX the Future of Feature Film VFX? With the constant call for ‘more, better and cheaper,” will the television model for visual effects become THE model industry-wide?
· Mat Beck, ASC – VFX Supervisor, Director, DP, President: Entity FX
· Sam Nicholson, CEO, VFX Supervisor, Stargate Studios
· Andrew Orloff, Founder, Creative Director, VFX Supervisor Zoic Studios
· Steve Pugh, ASC – Executive Producer, Pixomondo
· Moderator: Bill Desowitz, Owner, Immersed in Movies
4:30pm – A Freewheeling Conversation With…. Scott Ross, Co-Founder, Former CEO Digital Domain
5:15pm – Cocktails & Mixer
About the VES
VES is a professional, honorary society dedicated to advancing the arts, sciences and applications of visual effects and to upholding the highest uniform standards and procedures for the visual effects profession. It is the entertainment industry’s only official organization representing the extended community of visual effects practitioners, including supervisors, artists, producers, technology developers, educators and studio executives. VES’s more than 2,500 global members contribute to all areas of entertainment – film, television, commercials, music videos, games and new media. VES strives to enrich and educate its members and the entertainment community at-large through many domestic and international events, screenings and programs. www.visualeffectssociety.com
