An art festival for the future
This year’s digital festival from Escape Studios, part of Pearson College London, is set to be its best yet
Day three is headed up by ILM, the studio famed for its work on Star Wars
Launched in 2013, The VFX Festival has become an important event on the calendar of creatives working in digital arts, and this year’s instalment, taking place at London’s O2 on February 23–25, offers a unique range of presentations aimed at videogame, animation and VFX artists. Heading up the festival’s videogame-focused activity is Climax Studios, which will be in attendance to discuss its contribution to Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Chronicles.
In broader terms, The VFX Festival 2016 will focus on the growing convergence among the creative industries, examining how different disciplines are coming together as new technologies emerge, and the resulting challenges and opportunities facing people working across all sectors. As digital artists explore the possibilities that exist in virtual reality and other developing categories, the lines between the worlds of games, animation and visual effects industries continue to blur, and The VFX Festival 2016 is the perfect platform from which to make sense of the new creative landscape.
Outside of the traditional videogame space, this year’s festival assembles some of the biggest and most respected names from the VFX world, with three separate themes across its duration.
Day one, aimed at VFX, games and animation newcomers, features The Mill, hosting sessions dedicated to augmented reality, virtual reality and the Google ATAP Project, while Hamilton & Kidd provides a feature presentation looking at VR and 360-degree technologies.
On day two (VFX, games and animation enthusiasts), MPC will be discussing its work on Ridley Scott’s acclaimed sci-fi movie The Martian, while Rushes will be putting its contributions to 2015 Bond movie Spectre under the microscope.
Finally, day three (VFX, games & animation professionals) is headed up by the legendary Industrial Light & Magic, the CG studio famed for its work on Hollywood productions such as the Star Wars series, and also features a panel entitled ‘Is Our Education System Killing Creativity?’, with contributions from experts including videogame industry luminary Ian Livingstone.
Tickets for VFX 2016 are available to buy now at www.thevfxfestival.com