Those attending the first-ever CAFÉ will have a chance to meet world-renowned visual effects and animation talents who will get together to share their knowledge and experience gained working on many of the largest film and television productions of recent years. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, which won the Oscar for best visual effects this year, will be featured, with a conference about the creation of its visual universe. Disney will also give an exclusive conference on the cultural collaboration that led to the creation of Encanto, the Oscar winner for best animated film of 2022. Created by the Quebec Film and Television Council (QFTC) and produced by Kaliko Productions, CAFÉ will take place on June 7 and 8 at the Montreal Science Centre. This event is made possible by the financial support of the Government of Quebec and the Ville de Montréal.
Quebec: a visual effects and animation hub
Along with London and Los Angeles, Quebec is one of the world’s three major visual effects hubs and has earned global recognition for its outstanding expertise and talent. With more than 200 projects every year, some forty studios based here work on the biggest films and series in the world. In 2021, according to data compiled by the QFTC, the industry accounted for over 6,000 jobs and 950 million dollars in local economic benefits. Over the past 10 years, the industry has grown exponentially, with annual growth on the order of 33%.
From Star Wars to Spider Man: visual effects in the spotlight
Quebec studios will be in the spotlight during these two days. One of them, Hybride, known for working on the visual effects of the latest films and series of the Star Wars saga, will present a conference about the creation of the different droids, robots and creatures of the universe. Rodeo FX will show you how practical effects artists create invisible effects (blood, smoke, fire, etc.) that get incorporated into scenes of your favourite productions. And the UK studio Framestore will reveal the secrets of the Mirror Dimension scene in the film Spider-Man: No Way Home, a box-office smash that was nominated in the Best Visual Effects category at the Oscars.
Animation, at the crossroads of art and technology
Among the content dedicated to animation, Squeeze Animation Studios, a leading company in the sector based in Quebec, will give a conference about its project Cracké – Family Scramble, distributed worldwide, and will focus more specifically on the creation of an animation brand that stands out through its style, quality and effectiveness, while dealing with the production constraints of a TV series. Cinesite and Reel FX, two of the world’s largest animation studios, will give conferences dealing respectively with the making of Riverdance (recipient of a Grammy, top 10 on Netflix), and the process of incorporating the new technology VCAM and Unreal Engine into an animation production pipeline.
Other conferences of note will be added to this exciting lineup that can be discovered on site at the event.
Many discussion spaces for professionals as well as the next generation
A full afternoon will be devoted to content related to research and development. In collaboration with the CDRIN and SYNTHÈSE Pôle Image Québec, a pitch stage will be set up to allow university researchers, companies and service providers to present their innovative projects. Simultaneously, students in the field will be able to get advice from professionals on their demo during an activity presented by the School of Digital Arts, Animation and Design of the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (NAD-UQAC). Lastly, a networking event presented by SYNTHÈSE between the education sector and the industry will also be part of the program and will allow all participants to continue the discussions generated during these numerous activities. The event will conclude on June 8 with an end-of-day professional cocktail presented by Autodesk.
To purchase your tickets online and to see the detailed program, visit: cafe-vfx.com
CAFÉbenefits from the support of its Gold partners, Services Québec and the Ville de Montréal, its Silver partners, Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), DNEG, Hybride, Mikros, MELS, MPC, Rodeo FX and Synthèse Pôle Image Québec, its Bronze partners, CDRIN, Framestore, Investissement Québec International, Raynault Visual Effects, Reel FX Creative Studios, Side VFX and Tonic DNA, its Exhibitor partners,Caribara, Cinesite, Folks VFX, Rayon FX and Scanline VFX, and its Media partner, 80 Level.
