TORINO, ITALY – VIEW Conference has always been committed to supporting aspiring artists with its wide range of sessions built around training and self-improvement. This year is no exception, with VIEW 2020 delivering a full program of workshops, masterclasses and panels designed to inspire and educate everyone seeking to further their career in digital media.
High on the list of this year’s topics is the art of narrative. Mark Osborne, animated feature director at Netflix, delivers his Storytelling Masterclass, while storyboard and previz artists Austin Hill, Anastasia Gurova, Molly Babington, Stevie Stedman and Leroy T. P. Dias join forces for a 90-minute masterclass Storytelling for Virtual Production, moderated by Escape Studios tutor Iliana Franklin. In addition, director/animator Marino Guarnieri poses the question: How is a Cartoon Born?
Other masterclasses are aimed at improving particular skills, including Introduction to Houdini FX Fundamentals with senior VFX trainer Helge Maus, and Mastering Low And High Poly Hard Surface Modeling in ZBrush with Jonathan McFall of Escape Studios. Entering the world of online games, Respawn Entertainment’s Todd Sue address the challenges of overhauling the graphics on the multiplayer “battle royale” game Apex Legends in his masterclass A to B: Apex Legends Live Service Look-Dev Expedition.
Narrative techniques feature prominently in over 20 in-depth workshops ranging in length from 60 minutes to 6 hours. Kyle Balda, director of Minions: The Rise of Gru, tackles Story, Character and Emotion, while Kris Pearn, director at Sony Pictures Animation, share his experience of Drawing for Story. Other workshops, led by such distinguished professionals as supervising animator Glen McIntosh, Eloi Champagne of the National Film Board of Canada, and directors Francesco Filippi and Cinzia Angelini, include The Narrative Power of Film, Right Ideas: How to Find Them, Pitching Your Best, and a Step-By-Step Guide on Using VR for Story Development and Pre-Production.
Tony Bancroft, director of Animal Crackers, teaches the art of Animating Comedy Characters, Ted Ty of L’Atelier Animation gives a workshop on Acting for Animation, and Aardman Animation director Simone Giampolo offers insights into Directing Animation. Alex Williams of Escape Studios and paper sculpture designer Megan Brain get specific with their respective workshops on Animating a Spider in Motion and Animating with Paper Puppets.
In a trio of highly creative sessions, concept artist Sebastian Hue guides participants in the creation of 2D Environment Design Concepts, Unity Technologies’ Habib Zargarpour gives a workshop Virtual Cinematography using Unity & Expozure Virtual Film Tools, and creative consultant Rafi Nizam discusses Concept to Animation: 3D Pipeline & High Precision Creativity in VR. Meanwhile, a group of highly experienced artists and tutors share their knowledge on a wide variety of skills, such as Sculpting In VR, Texturing with Substance Painter, Digital Assets in Houdini and Succeeding with an “Alternative” Pipeline of Open-Source Products.
Aspiring artists will benefit from targeted sessions such as Recruiting and Studying in a COVID World, which brings together Alwyn Hunt, co-founder of The Rookies, a community for non-professional digital artists, Lara Hopkins, talent consultant at ILM, Krista Jordan, head of animation at the Australian Film Television and Radio School, texture and look-dev artist Christina Ryan, and Simon Scales, founder and director of CDW Studios. On Tuesday 20 October, Academy Award-nominated director Mark Osborne, currently at Netflix, will be on hand to offer online portfolio reviews.
“I am thrilled to have this amazing group of professionals leading our program of educational workshops and masterclasses,” says Dr. Gutierrez. “Every one of them has such a wealth of knowledge and experience, and they are all driven by a desire to share those riches with everyone who attends VIEW Conference 2020.”