2007 VES FESTIVAL OF VISUAL EFFECTS

2007 VES FESTIVAL OF VISUAL EFFECTS
June 7-10, 2007
Writers Guild Theater, 135 South Doheny Dr., Beverly Hills, CA

The VES Festival of Visual Effects STARTS THIS WEEK! Have you ordered your tickets yet?
To order tickets click here or call the VES office at 818-981-7861.

ONLINE TICKET SALES END THURSDAY JUNE 7, AT 4PM (OTHERWISE, IT'S CASH AT THE DOOR)

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 7-10th. Among the incredible panels and screenings, the highlight of the weekend is sure to be the unveiling of the VES 50: The Most Influential Visual Effects Films of All Time. View the VES 50 teaser trailer here!

Our extraordinary panel for the VES 50 includes Academy Award winners Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston, Doug Trumbull and John Dykstra (schedule permitting), and our moderator will be Academy Award winner John Knoll. This incredible group of experts will examine the top 50 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.” You won’t want to miss this! For a list of the entire VES 50, click here

The Festival is open to the Public. VES members are eligible to buy a discounted full Festival pass for $150 (full price is $200).

A Full Festival pass ($200.00) will give you entry into all aspect of the Festival including the opening night party, all the panels, expert discussions, film screenings and the presentation of the VES 50. (VES members are eligible to buy a discounted full Festival pass for $150.)

To order tickets click here or call the VES office at 818-981-7861. Master Card, Visa and American Express accepted.

Press inquires: contact Jason Grimley at Spelling Communications: jgrimley@spellcom.com or (310) 477-9500

(Program and schedule subject to change)



Thursday, June 7

7:30-10:00: OPENING NIGHT FESTIVAL PARTY



Friday, June 8 2:30-4:00: ACTIVISION PRESENTS: Rendering Cinematic Game Experiences in Real Time

Games and films are increasingly sharing the same techniques. Learn how Activision creates cinematic game play, believable characters and realistic game environments in real time for such games as Spider-Man 3, Call of Duty 3 and Tony Hawk’s Project 8.



5:00-6:30: VFX FOR SPECIAL VENUES

Visual effects for special venues, from IMAX 3D to theme-park rides, are an art almost unto to themselves. This panel of pioneering special venue experts will give you the low down on what keeps them, and their work, at on the cutting edge of visual effects production. With Jim Bowie, Rob Engle , Dave Smith, Doug Trumbull and moderator Jeff Kleiser.




7:30-10:00: SURF’S UP Screening (Sony Pictures Imageworks) with Q&A





Saturday, June 9 10:00-11:30: SPIDER-MAN 3: THE MOVIE

The third installment of the Academy Award-winning Spider-Man franchise brought with it some of the series’ biggest challenges yet – and not just for the film’s super hero! Topping the dynamic action of previous installments was only the beginning for a vfx team faced with villains formed from alien goo and ever-shifting sand. Hear how they pulled it off from the people who made it happen!



1:00-2:30: 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! With: Matthew Gratzner, Aaron Haye, Scott Schneider and moderator Ian Hunter.



3:30-5:00: PRE-VIZ: ALL THE INS AND OUTS

Going far beyond conceptual artwork and storyboards, animatics are produced by dedicated pre-viz 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, pre-visualization has become a mature tool and part of most every visual effects production. Join a panel of pre-viz veterans as they discuss the challenges of the design process, with plenty of eye-opening examples of how "visual drafts" are created. With: Mat Beck, Ron Frankel, Colin Green, Matthew Ward and moderator Tad Leckman.



6:00-7:30: VFX MANIPULATION: WITH GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY

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. With: Raymond McIntyre, Jr., John Knoll, Patrick Davenport, Ron Brinkmann and moderator Van Ling.




8:30-10:00: VFX GUILTY PLEASURES NEW PANEL with JOE DANTE!!!

Join Joe Dante (Gremlins, Small Soldiers) on a fun-filled tour through the grindhouse world of guilty cult movie pleasures and the VFX that made them possible. See some of the stuff that you laughed at years ago and said to yourself, “Gee they’re really gonna show that?” Revisit some old cinematic memories and sit in ultimate judgment with the hindsight of age and experience. Above all, act superior!




Sunday, June 10 10:00-11:30: SHREK THROUGH THE AGES

Join us for an entertaining look back at the fascinating journey of making all three Shrek movies and the creative and technical challenges met along the way. With: Guillaume Aretos (Production Designer), Lucia Modesto (Character TD Supervisor), Tim Cheung (Head of Character Animation), and Philippe Gluckman (Visual Effects Supervisor).




1:00-2:30: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: A VFX VOYAGE

Set sail for an epic exploration of the cutting edge technology and dashing storytelling that made Pirates of the Caribbean one of the most successful movie franchises of all time.



3:30-5:30: THE VES 50: THE MOST INFLUENTIAL VISUAL EFFECTS FILMS OF ALL TIME

Our extraordinary panel for the VES 50 includes Academy Award-winners Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston, Doug Trumbull and John Dykstra (schedule permitting), and our moderator will be Academy Award-winner John Knoll. This incredible group of experts will examine the top 50 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.” You won’t want to miss this!



6:30-8:30: VES 50 SCREENING: 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY with DOUG TRUMBULL In-Person!!!
A special screening of Stanley Kubrick's masterpeice 2001 with a special in-person presentation by Doug Trumbull, an industry pioneer and one of four photographic effects supervisors on the film who made it such a spectacular and influential milestone in the history of visual effects production.

(Program and schedule subject to change)

TICKET INFORMATION

$200 - Master Festival Pass (Includes all panels, screenings and the Opening Night party)
$150 - Master Festival Pass for VES members
$20 - Individual Panel Tickets
$30 - Ticket to the Festival Opening Night Party
$100 - Student Master Pass (with valid student ID)
$15 - Student Ticket to Individual Panels (with valid student ID)

To order tickets click here or call the VES office at 818-981-7861. Master Card, Visa and American Express accepted.

Press inquires: contact Jason Grimley at Spelling Communications: jgrimley@spellcom.com or (310) 477-9500