VIEW Conference has announced the participation of the visual effects supervisors responsible for the some of the wizardry behind two of DreamWorks Animation’s latest animated features, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Bad Guys.

In DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming contemporary fairy tale sequel “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” Antonio Banderas returns as the swashbuckling Puss in Boots, who sets out on a quest to discover the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives. The film releases December 21, 2022.

In his presentation The Visual Style of “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” visual effects supervisor Mark Edwards explores the film’s characters, environments and effects, and discusses the ways in which the creative team updated and evolved the style of the world in a new and exciting direction. From concept art to asset creation to final lighting, Edwards invites his audience on a deep dive into the tools and techniques used to create the film’s unique aesthetic.

Starring Sam Rockwell as Wolf, DreamWorks Animation’s animated feature “The Bad Guys” follows the exploits of a gang of animal criminals who, while pretending to turn over a new leaf, discover their leader really does want to be rehabilitated.

In his presentation Mixing 2D and Illustrative Techniques in “The Bad Guys,” visual effects supervisor Matt Baer explains the film’s unique blend of techniques, and the new strategies followed by the creative team to remove many of the details that are often visible in CG imagery. Baer discusses many of the design philosophies and techniques that allowed each department to integrate 2D animation and hand drawn techniques into their 3D workflows.

Purchase tickets for VIEW Conference 2022 at the official website:
https://www.viewconference.it/pages/registration

“I am thrilled to welcome two world-class visual effects supervisors from DreamWorks Animation to VIEW Conference 2022,” says Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “Visual effects brings such an extraordinary magic to animated features, and I know that these sumptuous presentations will be both eye-opening and inspiring.”

VIEW Conference 2022, the 23rd edition of Italy’s premiere animation, VFX, games and computer graphics conference, takes place from October 16 to 21 in the stunning baroque city of Torino, Italy. We are delighted to confirm that the majority of this year’s speakers are scheduled to attend live and in person. The hybrid nature of VIEW Conference 2022 also provides livestream coverage of every presentation, making the entire conference accessible to a global audience.

Mark Edwards
Mark Edwards received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with a minor in Art Studio from the University of California at Davis. He joined PDI/DreamWorks in 1997 working as a lighting TD on their first CG feature release “Antz,” then as an FX artist on the Academy Award-winning “Shrek.” Over his 18-plus-year career at DreamWorks Animation, Edwards has worked on live-action and CG animated features including “Forces of Nature,” “Evolution,” “Over the Hedge,” “Flushed Away” and “Monsters vs Aliens.” Edwards worked as head of lighting on “The Croods,” CG supervisor on the Academy Award-nominated “How to Train Your Dragon,” and visual effects supervisor on on “Kung Fu Panda 3” and, most recently, “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” In addition to production roles, Edwards served for two years as the first global lead for lighting, surfacing and matte painting at the studio, and has won numerous training awards at DreamWorks including two 2012 Technical Achievement Awards for innovation.

The Visual Style of “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”

Explore the characters, environments and FX of the upcoming contemporary fairy tale “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”. This new adventure comes 11 years after the original, and the creative team took the opportunity to update and evolve the style of the world in a new and exciting direction. From concept art to asset creation to final lighting, deep dive into the tools and techniques used to create the film’s unique aesthetic.

Matt Baer
Matt Baer joined PDI/DreamWorks in 1999 to work as a clothing artist on the Academy Award-winning “Shrek.” He continued his career on “Shrek 2” contributing to effects, clothing development, and crowds, and served as an effects lead on “Madagascar,” where his work earned him a nomination for an Annie Award. Baer was promoted to head of effects on “Shrek the Third,” where he received a nomination for a Visual Effects Society award, and continued his role onto the Oscar®-nominated films “How to Train Your Dragon” and “The Croods.” Following his promotion to visual effects supervisor, he helped launch the DreamWorks short film program, leading teams in the adoption of new technology on the short films “Bilby” and “To: Gerard.” He earned his first visual effects supervisor credit on “Trolls World Tour” and most recently served as visual effects supervisor on “The Bad Guys.” Prior to joining PDI/DreamWorks Animation, Baer was an effects animator at Tippett Studio, Santa Barbara Studios and Electronic Arts, and was a software consultant for
Alias/Wavefront in Santa Barbara.

“The Bad Guys”
DreamWorks Animation

Mixing 2D and Illustrative Techniques in “The Bad Guys”

One of the key visual goals in “The Bad Guys” was to pay homage to illustration and 2D animation. To accomplish this, the team needed new strategies to remove many of the details that are often visible in CG imagery. We will discuss many of the design philosophies and techniques that allowed each of our departments to integrate 2D animation and hand drawn techniques into their 3D workflows.

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