VIEW Conference will this year welcome the visual effects supervisors responsible for the some of the screen magic in two of DreamWorks Animation’s latest animated features, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and The Bad Guys.
In the studio’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 pounces into theaters on December 21.
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, 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.
“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 the Italian animation, VFX, games and computer graphics conference, takes place from October 16 to 21 in Torino. For the first time since COVID, the majority of this year’s speakers are scheduled to attend live and in person. The hybrid Conference also provides livestream coverage of every presentation, accessible to a global audience (subscribe to the event’s YouTube channel here).
Register now and see the complete program lineup at www.viewconference.it.
About the Speakers
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 Oscar-nominated How to Train Your Dragon and VFX supervisor on Kung Fu Panda 3 and, most recently, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
In addition to production roles, Baer 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.
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, earning a nomination for an Annie Award. Baer was promoted to head of effects on Shrek the Third, for which he was nominated for a Visual Effects Society Award, and carried on this role for 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 VFX supervisor credit on Trolls World Tour and most recently served as VFX 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.
