Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/863838
24 Sony Pictures Imageworks: Celebrating 25 Years of Innovation, Imagination, and Creativity Wednesday, 2 August, 5:45 pm – 7:15 pm South Hall K Sony Pictures Imageworks, the Academy Award–winning visual effects and animation studio, has created extraordinary and visually stunning images for more than 100 live-action and animated productions over its 25-year history. The studio is a leader in technology, developing software and tools that have helped solve industry-wide challenges and deliver spectacular visuals to the big screen. Join the Imageworks team as they celebrate their rich history and reflect on the innovation, imagination, and creativity that has inspired audiences worldwide. PANELISTS: • Jerome Chen, Senior VFX Supervisor, Sony Pictures Imageworks • Ken Ralston, Senior VFX Supervisor, Sony Pictures Imageworks • Mark Breakspear, VFX Supervisor, Sony Pictures Imageworks • Michael Ford, VFX Supervisor, Sony Pictures Imageworks • Sue Rowe, VFX Supervisor, Sony Pictures Imageworks Blizzard Entertainment Presents: The Making of the Overwatch Animated Shorts Thursday, 3 August, 10:45 am – 12:15 pm South Hall K In March of last year, Blizzard Entertainment released the first in a series of animated shorts set in the world of its highly anticipated franchise, Overwatch. Over the course of the year, six standalone episodes — comprising over 40 minutes of original content — were released, giving millions of viewers their first look into the background of the game's most iconic heroes. Combined with the simultaneous release of short-form comics, teasers, and even tracks from a character's debut album, the Overwatch shorts are part of a robust cross-media approach to original storytelling and world building. To tell this much story, Blizzard Animation had to radically alter some of its production workflows and much of the technology used to produce the final episodes. Using the groundbreaking GPU-based ray-tracing renderer Redshift, the Overwatch shorts represent an entirely new, cost- effective animation pipeline that allows rich, high-quality content to be created in a fraction of the time traditionally associated with pre-rendered workflows. From story and animatic through 3D animation and delivery of the final content, Blizzard's team will share some of the strategies, tools, and techniques employed to create a world worth fighting for in the Overwatch animated shorts. PANELISTS: • Jeff Chamberlain, VP of Story and Franchise Development, Blizzard Entertainment • Ben Dai, Cinematic Director, Blizzard Entertainment • Kevin VanderJagt, Cinematic Producer, Blizzard Entertainment Production Sessions