Opening Session
Brunhild Bushoff, sagasnet

Frank Boyd, UK
Pitching as Part of the Development Process

Sibylle Kurz, D
How to Pitch Successfully

Jurgen Wolff, UK/USA
The Right - Brain Writer - How to Use the Power of Your Subconscious Mind
Wouldn't it be great if you could harness the creative power of your dreams and combine it with your knowledge of craft, in order to write exciting, vivid, and unique scripts? In this workshop you'll learn how to do that using NeuroLinguistic Programming, visualisation, and other innovative right-brain techniques. You'll find out how to apply them to creating three-dimensional characters, defeating writer's block, and generating an endless flow of ideas. You'll leave with a new set of tools you can apply to everything you write.

fmx/Realtime Sessions - room Karlsruhe
Mark Stephen Meadows
Interactive Films and Digital Actors
This talk considers the increasingly important role that characters are taking in video games and other forms of interactive narrative. The talk reviews problems that this presents, both in terms of graphic design and psychological profile. Story-based character interaction is outlined, and narrative and interactive design goals are presented. At the end of the talk an AI/AE system that is able to interact with users on an emotional level will be outlined and, time permitting, presented.

Matthias Rauterberg, NL
Emotional Challenges for the Future of Interactive Experience
In this presentation I will introduce the concept of Kansei Mediation. It is a multimedia communication concept that can cope with nonverbal, emotional and Kansei information. I will introduce the distinction between the concepts of Kansei Communication and KanseiMedia. I will then discuss a theory of communication (i.e. Kansei Mediation) as a combination of both. Based on recent results from brain research the proposed concept of Kansei Mediation is developed and discussed. The biased preference towards consciousness in established communication theories is critically reviewed and the relationship to pre- and unconscious brain processes explored. There are two tenets of the Kansei Mediation communication theory: (1) communication based on connected unconsciousness, and (2) Satori as the ultimate form of experience.

4.30 pm
–
6.00pm

networking and fmx visit

fmx/talks - room König-Karl-Halle
Doug Cooper, DreamWorks Animation
What Filmmakers Should Know About Games
Games based on feature films are becoming an integral part of the whole package of a film property. But all too often, the development of the game takes a back-seat to the development of the film, and the quality of the delivered game can suffer from it. This presentation will highlight key considerations that filmmakers and visual effects professionals should know to get the most out of the collaboration with a game developer or publisher. Based on personal experience, and information gathered from mutiple game developers and filmmakers, Cooper will present the most important points to making your collaboration a successful one, including: managing creative collaboration, sharing digital assets, and how to get the most out of the game developer relationship. The impact of next generation game hardware on this collaboration will also be examined.

Greg Roach, USA
An Overview of the Interactive Potential of the DVD Platform
This session will provide an in-depth overview of the creative and technological potential the DVD platform: covering technical specifics, creative uses and practical considerations. We will also examine available authoring packages and the current state of HD DVDs.

Frank Alsema, 4xM, NL
Cross-Media Interactive Content
A review of innovative cross media projects

fmx/technologies - room: Mannheim
Sven Liebich, Art Director, Phenomic Game Development GmbH, D
Film making in a CG real time environment
The trend is clear: Fewer development studios and computer game publishers are willing to finance expensive CG productions in which the players are introduced to a game through cinema and TV spots and then made accessible to an international public by downloading. With international titles, these 3 minute clips already devour several hundred thousand euros. Sven Liebich, talks in his lecture about the exciting combination of filmmaking and game development and describes the career possibilities accompanying this trend. With actual examples he will demonstrate how the industry is already preparing for this large step. Machinima for Businesses - what began as a subculture is now becoming an independent profession and offers film school graduates the possibility of starting in the Games-Business.

fmx/talks room : Mannheim
Stéphane Natkin, Directeur Enjmin Games School Angoulême, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers
From Games to Digital Entertainment in the 21st Century
A huge development last century was communication networks: telephone, radio, television. The results of this development are significant. For the individual, the use of communication tools has changed completely. For the world, the omnipresence of broadcast media and more generally of mass media, leads to a cross influence between culture and the predominance of the US way of life. At the end of the century, the growth of the Internet Network suggests a new communication revolution relying on interactive media. In this talk, I will show several examples for this evolution and analyze its impact on media and video games. Over the next ten years, this will have a significant impact on the video games world by changing its content, technology and economy.

fmx/talks room : Mannheim
Cecile le Prado, ENJMIN, Department of Sound and Music Design
Sound and Images: Music for Games
In this presentation we will consider the relationship between sound and images in several fields such as art installation, cinema, video games and interactive media. Through several examples we will consider both the nature of the relation between images and sounds, the design and composition process as well as the technical constraints.

Louise Burrluck, BBC, UK
Spooks Interactive Mission
Taking an established drama and delivering a new interactive experience for an audience with high expectations. Fitting with the quality and value of the show and retaining it's integrity while putting the viewer in the driving seat.

José Correia, ARTE, F and Laurence Rilly, ARTE, F
ARTE - online and interactive
An overview of ARTE's online strategy.

fmx/essentials room: König-Karl-Halle
Paul Ekman, The Ekman Group,USA
Understanding Facial Expressions
Evidence from a variety of sources strongly suggests that seven emotions have a universal expression. For each of these emotions there are both prototypic expressions and variations signaling intensity, and likely consequential actions. These expressions are created by muscles, most of which originate in bone and are attached to skin, pulling the point of attachment towards the origin. The Facial Action Coding System (FACS) allows for the precise description of which muscles or action units generated any observed expression. There is now a chimpanzee version of FACS. Micro expressions lasting only 1/25 of a second reveal concealed emotions. There a number of characteristics of the expression that distinguishes voluntary from involuntary expressions.

fmx/technologies room; Bertha-Benz-Saal
Georges Dolbier, Executive Architect,Technical Lead, Interactive Entertainment, IBM
Innovations driving the future of Entertainment
The carbon arc light, or limelight, was a technology that revolutionized entertainment and brought tremendous new opportunities. Whereas the limelight opened single new medium, innovations today promise to bring tremendous opportunities in multiple mediums. The rapid convergence of interactive and traditional media is opening up new ways of interacting. New mediums are allowing interactions on scales we have never seen before. New Innovations incubated in entertainment industries are having impact on broader society by changing fundamental ways our governments and business operate. In this session Mr. Dolbier will lead a guided tour through the new entertainment landscape, highlighting, technologies and innovations that are the future of entertainment.

fmx/essentials room: König-Karl-Halle
George Borshukov, CG Supervisor, Electronic Arts
Universal Capture and Realistic Faces: From Movies to Interactive Real-time Applications
Generating realistic animated human faces is the "holy grail" of computer graphics. Universal Capture (UCap) was the performance-based facial animation technique that made possible certain landmark achievements in visual effects and virtual cinematography such as the Burly Brawl fight in The Matrix Reloaded as well as the premiere of the first full frame computer-generated face of a known human actor - Hugo Weaving as Agent Smith in The Superpunch scene of The Matrix Revolutions. Recently real-time results of the technique appeared in the highly regarded Fight Night Round 3 Concept Demo at the Playstation 3 launch event. While delivering unmatched fidelity the approach allows enough flexibility to create unique visual experiences from captured actors'

Frank Alsema, 4xM, NL
Design for Creative Producing, Project Planning and Project Management for Cross Media Projects
A detailed study of the concept and production phase of "The BlackBeard Connection".

fmx/essentials - room: König-Karl-Halle
Movies and Videogames: Convergence or Collision?
Jordan Mechner, Independent screenwriter, filmmaker and game designer
While the game industry devotes increasing resources to videogame adaptations of movies and TV shows, Hollywood is returning the favor by turning games into movies. When two art forms converge, what makes the difference between a harmonious marriage and a train wreck? Screenwriter, filmmaker and game designer Jordan Mechner discusses the challenges of adapting his game Prince of Persia into a feature film.

fmx/talks - room: König-Karl-Halle
Eric Armstrong , Sr Animation Director , Electronic Arts Canada
Creating a Digital Performance – Video Game vs. Film
Creating an engaging performance with an animated character is difficult, to say the least. Every digital medium faces similar challenges – how can we do it better, faster & cheaper? However, when you mix in the technical dependencies of these same mediums, many unique challenges arise. This presentation will attempt to identify the similarities and differences of next-gen video game production and feature film production by comparing and contrasting video clips of each. Issues such as the purpose of animation, the purpose of performance (there can be a difference) and who is ultimately responsible for creating them will be discussed. Only by delving into the Who, What & Why of each medium can we hope benefit from each others experiences.

fmx/talks- room: König-Karl-Halle
Lee Sheldon, Game Designer / Writer, The Adventure Company/DreamCatcher Interactive
The Emotional Divide
Movies and games share many techniques for the creation of an emotional response in their respective audiences. While games can draw on these techniques, the creators of games are developing new ways to excite more from players than a simple adrenaline rush. Games are even better at inciting some emotions, such as fiero, than traditional passive media. This talk will focus on what movies and games have in common when we want to create emotion, and where the two part company. Understanding both mediums is necessary for those of us who cross the emotional divide that appears to stand between them.

fmx/talks- room: König-Karl-Halle
Convergence of Film and Games: People, Pipelines, and Products
Scot Brew, Senior Art Technical Director, LucasArts
This presentation addresses the trends of convergence between games and film as it relates to the roles, content pipelines, technology, techniques, and resulting end products. With a unique perspective from both a film and games background, the presenter will tour the similarities and differences of those two industries and what drives them towards a collision course.