THE PRODUCTION SHOW BRINGS NO.1 NAMES TO THE UK

THIS year's Film Effects Festival at The Production Show can confirm an outstanding line up of animation specialists, digital effects artists and technical directors who plan to openly discuss innovative techniques and technology and provide a real insight into the film effects industry.
The sessions are sponsored by Sohonet, the leading high speed internet and global extranet service provider to ad agencies, film studios and new media specialists. Commenting on their affiliation with the seminar.
Gareth Wredden, Managing Director of Sohonet, said: "The opportunity to sponsor the film effects festival has come at a perfect time for Sohonet allowing us to communicate significant developments directly to our key audience. Due to a recent increase in funding, following Sohonet's acquisition by neoscorp, we are able to bring forward our expansion plans, thus adding value to those studios connected through sohonet via London, LA and media centres in Western Europe."
The Festival's opening session ‘Up Close and Personal’ – the inside track on the lives of animation and VFX supervisors is an in-depth interview with two of the industry's 'star' supervisors in the fields of animation, and optical and digital effects. Kent Houston from the Peerless Camera Company will talk about a lifetime in visual effects from the early days of optical effects on the Monty Python movies. Kent is one of the industry's most respected VFX supervisors and has built up an enviable list of film credits including 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas', 'The Man in the Iron Mask', 'Loch Ness' and 'Twelve Monkeys'.
Double Negative's Head of 3D, Paul Franklin, will talk specifically on how his team of 3D animators created the digital cityscapes of Stalingrad that feature in ‘Enemy at the Gates’. Digital Film's head of production Michael Elson will discuss some of the techniques in development at the facility including effects work on a forthcoming US blockbuster.
The session will concentrate on the most groundbreaking and innovative techniques – some still undergoing tests – used by CG artists today. It will be a guaranteed eye-opener for TV and film producers as well as peers in the film effects industry.
To wrap up the Festival there will be an exclusive preview screening in Soho of Jean-Jacques Annaud's forthcoming movie 'Enemy at the Gates' starring Joseph Fiennes, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz and Ed Harris. (CD)