The Annecy International Animation Festival & MIFA film market are rapidly approaching, and the details of its incredibly valuable artistic and professional programming are starting to gel. René Broca and Christian Jacquemart have once again planned a cycle of professional conferences on production organization and creation that are among the can’t-miss sessions this year.
(Another can’t-miss: The June/July 216 issue of Animation Magazine which will be at the event!)
Annecy 2016 Conferences:
Production Operations (Chambre de Metiers Salle Mont-Blanc)
Choosing a 2D Pipeline Tuesday June 14, 9:30 am-12:30 pm
Software, skills, organisation: What 2D pipelines are available in today’s market and what are the best options?
Speakers: Pascal Aupry (Mercury Filmworks, Canada), Peter Dodd (Lupus Films, UK), Bastien Dubois (director, France) and Camille Serceau (Je suis bien content, France). Moderator: Marie-Pierre Journet (KLD Productions, France).
Emerging Tools Friday June 17, 9:30 am-12:30 pm
Innovation is strategic in a sector that is confronted with the need to optimise productivity and enhance skills. Learn about what videogame and VFX tools are contributing to animation.
Speakers: Jérôme Bacquet (Texels, France); Mathieu Muller and Silvia Rasheva (Unity Technologies, USA); Géraldine Ricart and David Toyou (Bleank, France). Moderator: Baptiste Heynemann (CNC, France)
Feature Films: Four Case Studies Wednesday June 15, 2:30 pm-5:30 pm
Speakers: Marie-Claude Beauchamp (Carpe Diem Film & TV, Canada) for Snowtime; Ivan Cappiello, Marino Guarnieri, Alessandro Rak and Dario Sansone (Mad Entertainment, Italy) for Cinderella the Cat; Sarita Christensen (Copenhagen Bombay Productions, Denmark) for Next Door Spy; Robin Lyons (Calon, UK) for Morten on the Ship of Fools. Moderator: Patrick Caradec (Freelance Journalist, France).
From Feature Film to TV Series (and Vice Versa) Wednesday June 15, 9:30 am-12:30 pm
While adapting a TV series into a feature film has become an all too common exercise, the opposite approach is less frequently seen
Speakers: Didier Brunner, Julien Chheng, Jean-Christophe Roger and Thibaut Ruby (Folivari, France); Stéphane Margail and Jean-François Tosti (TAT Productions, France). Moderator: Alice Delalande (CNC, France).
Creation (Chambre de Metiers Salle Mont-Blanc)
Anatomy of a Studio Pt. 1: TeamTO Thursday June 16, 2:30 pm-3:30 pm
Speaker: Guillaume Hellouin (TeamTO, France). Moderator: René Broca (Consultant, France).
Anatomy of a Studio Pt. 2: Framestore Thursday June 16, 3:45 pm-5:30 pm
Speaker: Kevin Spruce (Framestore, UK). Moderator: Baptiste Heynemann (CNC, France).
The Challenges of Virtual Reality Tuesday June 14, 2:30 pm-6:15 pm
Virtual reality is getting a lot of attention, but the technology faces challenges in technical implementation, storytelling and distribution.
Speakers: Michel Bams and Catherine Cuenca (Happy IP, France); Jason Bartholomew and Tim Ruffle (Aaardman Animations, UK); Eric Darnell (Baobab Studios, USA); Mark Davies and Felix Massie (Nexus Productions, UK); Michel Nicolas (Folimage, France) and François Bertrand (Camera Lucida, France). Moderator: Thierry Barbier (AmaK, France).
VFX Thursday June 16, 9:30 am-12:30 pm
A look at the VFX work of The Jungle Book and Warcraft, as well as an opportunity to exchange skillsets and promote mutual enrichment between VFX and animation.
Speakers: Peta Bayley and Gabriele Zucchelli (MPC, UK) for the VFX in The Jungle Book; Hal Hickel (ILM, USA) for the VFX in Warcraft; Robyn Luckham (Double Negative, UK) for the VFX in In the Heart of the Sea. Moderator: Simon Vanesse (Isart Digital, France).
Business (L’Imperial Palace Verdi A&B)
Digital Platforms in Broadcasting: Revolutionary or Evolutionary? Wednesday June 15 11:30 am-1:00 pm
VOD, SVOD, AVOD: With so many new modes of content consumption, broadcasters are going to have to keep up with the times.
Speakers: Jon Benoy (Wild Brain, U.K.), Avril Blondelot (Eurodata TV / Mediametrie, FEtrance), Julien Borde (France Televisions), Hélène Etzi (Walt Disney Co., U.K.). Moderator: Natalie Altmann (Media Valley, France).
Distributing Short Film Programs for Young Audiences Wednesday June 15, 9:30 am-11:00 am
Animated short programs are very popular in French theatres. So, how do you make and distribute this sort of program and which other elements should be added?
Speakers: Arnaud Demuynck (Les Films du Nord, France), Petra Rockenfeller (FTB, Germany), Nicolas Schmerkin (Autour de Minuit, France), Rose-Marie Strand (Folkets Bio AB, Sweden). Moderator: Laurent Crouzeix (Sauve Qui Peut le Court Metrage, France).
How Can Independent European Animated Features Fare at the Box Office? Thursday June 16, 9:30 am-11:00 am
In this challenging economy, producers and distributors also navigate a great diversity of titles, communication strategies and audience preferences.
Speaker: Henri Magalon (Maybe Movies, France). Moderator: Laurent Cotillon (Le Film Francais, France).
