SIGGRAPH ’17 Details 11 Production Sessions

The SIGGRAPH 2017 conference & exhibition will take over the Los Angeles Convention Center from July 30 to August 3, offering papers and presentations, engaging speakers (like keynoter Floyd Norman), the Oscar-qualifying Computer Animation Festival — offering a VR program for the first time — and 11 in-depth Production Sessions covering the latest triumphs of animation, VFX, games, VR and beyond. All of the 2017 sessions reflect the conference theme, “At the Heart of Production.”

This year will also introduce a Production Gallery, featuring behind-the-scenes treasures from major studios across the computer graphics entertainment industry. Among the memorabilia will be pitch boards from Disney’s Moana; concept artwork and maquettes from Cars 3, Overwatch, and Final Fantasy XV; and costumes from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Plus, a showcase exhibition from Sony Pictures Imageworks’ archives to celebrate its 25th anniversary, with relics from Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Men in Black, Ghostbusters, Stuart Little, and more.

“Since the Production Sessions program began, it has grown and evolved to become an attendee favorite with universal appeal. I am proud to be part of that tradition and to continue expanding the scope of Production Sessions content as well as initiating the all-new Production Gallery,” said Emily Hsu, Production Sessions Chair. “While we have an amazing lineup that retains strong animation and VFX, we are also featuring a VR panel with Google Spotlight Stories and Oculus Story Studio and presenting a look at Blizzard’s trans-media approach in creating Overwatch. Plus, for the first time, we are bringing a live-action TV series to the SIGGRAPH stage.”

Check out the animation and VFX Production Session highlights below — full descriptions available at http://s2017.siggraph.org/production-sessions.

Stories the Ocean Tells Us: The Making of Moana
Tuesday, 1 August, 10:45 am – 12:15 pm, South Hall K
With Osnat Shurer, Producer; Kyle Odermatt, VFX Supervisor; Hank Driskill, SDL-Technical Supervisor; Dale Mayeda, Effects Animator; Adolph Lusinsky, SDL-Lighter.

Crazy Eight: The Making of a Race Sequence in Disney/Pixar’s Cars 3
Tuesday, 1 August, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, South Hall K
With Sudeep Rangaswamy, Global Technology Supervisor; Bert Berry, Shading Art Director; George Nguyen, Character Shading Lead; David Bianchi, Layout Lead; Stephen Marshall, Effects Lead; Paul Oakley, Master Lighting Artist; Frank Tai, Set Dressing Artist.

Blizzard Entertainment Presents: The Making of the Overwatch Animated Shorts
Thursday, 3 August, 10:45 am – 12:15 pm, South Hall K
With Jeff Chamberlain, Vice President of Story and Franchise Development; Ben Dai, Cinematic Director; Kevin VanderJagt, Cinematic Producer; Ben Deda, Cinematic Pipeline TD; Hunter Grant, Cinematic Animation Supervisor; Bill La Barge, Cinematic Senior Effects Artist; Mike Hardison, Cinematic Lighting Lead.

The Making of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast
Monday, 31 July, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, South Hall K
With Kelly Port, Visual Effects Supervisor, Digital Domain; Darren Hendler, Digital Effects Supervisor, Digital Domain; Adrien Saint Girons, CG Supervisor, Framestore.

ILM Presents: Behind the Magic, the Visual Effects of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Tuesday, 1 August, 3:45 pm – 5:15 pm, South Hall K
With John Knoll, Chief Creative Officer/Senior Visual Effects Supervisor; Vick Schutz, Lighting Technical Director Supervisor; Stephen Ellis, CG Supervisor; Russell Paul, Digital Supervisor; John Levin, Layout Supervisor.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Wednesday, 2 August, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, South Hall K
With Sophie Leclerc, VFX Producer; Martin Hill, VFX Supervisor, Weta Digital; Jose Burgos, CG Supervisor, ILM; Christian Alzmann, Visual Effects Art Director, ILM; Peter Nofz, Associate VFX Supervisor, RodeoFX; and Olivier Martin, Concept Artist, RodeoFX.

The Making of Marvel Studio’s Spider-Man Homecoming
Thursday, 3 August, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, South Hall K
With Victoria Alonso, Executive Vice President – Physical Production, Marvel Studios; Edwin Rivera, Additional VFX Supervisor, Marvel Studios; Matt Dessero, 2nd Unit Supervisor, VFX Supervisor, Method Studios; Lou Pecora, VFX Supervisor, Digital Domain; Theo Bialek, VFX Supervisor, Sony Pictures Imageworks.

The Making of Marvel Studio’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Thursday, 3 August, 3:45 pm – 5:15 pm, South Hall K
With Victoria Alonso, Executive Vice President – Physical Production, Marvel Studios; Damien Carr, VFX Producer, Marvel Studios; Christopher Townsend, VFX Supervisor, Marvel Studios; Guy Williams, VFX Supervisor, Weta Digital; Jonathan Fawkner, VFX Supervisor, Framestore; Nordin Rahhali, VFX Supervisor, Method Studios.

Game of Thrones: Building and Destroying Meereen
Wednesday, 2 August, 3:45 pm – 5:15 pm, South Hall K
With Patrick David, VFX Supervisor and Compositor, Rodeo FX; and Thomas Hullin, Lead FX Artist, Rodeo FX.

Behind the Headset: The Making of Google Spotlight Stories’ Son of Jaguar and Sonaria, and Oculus Story Studios’ Dear Angelica
Wednesday, 2 August, 10:45 am – 12:15 pm, South Hall K
With Son of Jaguar‘s Jorge Gutierrez (Director, ReelFX) and Cassidy Curtis (Technical Art Lead, GSS); Sonaria‘s Scot Stafford (Director, Composer and Sound Supervisor, Pollen Music Group / GSS), Kevin Dart (Director and Production Designer, Chromosphere) and Theresa Latzko (Technical Art Lead, Chromosphere); and Dear Angelica‘s Maxwell Planck (Producer and Technical Founder), Chris Horne (CG Supervisor), Inigo Quilez (VFX Supervisor) and Robert Chen (FX Lead) of Oculus Story Studio.

(The Productions Sessions program will host a meet-and-greet with Jorge Gutierrez on Wednesday, 2 August, from 4:30–5:30 p.m.)

Sony Pictures Imageworks: Celebrating 25 Years of Innovation, Imagination and Creativity
Wednesday, 2 August, 5:45 pm – 7:15 pm, South Hall K
With Jerome Chen, Senior VFX Supervisor; Ken Ralston, Senior VFX Supervisor; Mark Breakspear, VFX Supervisor; Michael Ford, VFX Supervisor; and Sue Rowe, VFX Supervisor.