VIEW Conference 2021 Attracts Record 210,000 Visitors During Week-Long Celebration of Animation, VFX and Computer Graphics
Skwigly
VIEW Conference 2021, Italy’s premiere animation, VFX and computer graphics conference, took place from October 17 to 22, 2021, and was the most successful yet in the event’s 22-year history.
For the first time ever, VIEW Conference staged a hybrid event, with many speakers attending in person at the state-of-the-art OGR venue in Torino, Italy, and even more participating virtually. In total, 297 speakers delivered 160 talks, panels, workshops, masterclasses and keynote speeches.
Through the course of the week, some 210,000 visitors attended VIEW Conference 2021 online – a record number for the annual gathering. Some 300 people attended the venue itself, where four rooms were in operation for in-person presentations and workshops. Four live feeds streamed these and other sessions all day and into the night, making the entire VIEW Conference 2021 program available to a global audience.
Conference highlights included keynote speeches by film directors Tom McGrath (Madagascar, The Boss Baby: Family Business), Jorge R. Gutierrez (The Book of Life, Maya and the Three) and Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells, Wolfwalkers, also director and co-founder of Cartoon Saloon), plus a special Q&A with Sir Roger Deakins, Oscar®-Winning cinematographer and recipient of the VIEW Visionary Award 2021.
VIEW Conference was also thrilled to present a wide range of sessions featuring the creative teams behind the latest features and short films. These included panels on Disney’s upcoming animated feature Encanto, led by director Byron Howard, Sony Pictures Animation’s The Mitchells vs. The Machines with director Mike Rianda, Pixar’s Luca with director Enrico Casarosa, and Sony Pictures Animation’s Vivo with director Kirk DeMicco. Director Patrick Imbert discussed his upcoming animated feature The Summit of the Gods, while Aardman co-founder Peter Lord joined directors Daniel Ojari and Mikey Please for a panel on the creation of the studio’s seasonal short film Robin Robin.
Continuing its mission to support representation and diversity, VIEW Conference 2021 welcomed more women speakers than ever before, including Marge Dean and Jinko Gotoh, president and vice-president of the support and advocacy group Women in Animation.
As part of its commitment to education and training, VIEW Conference was proud to present a huge range of workshops designed to expand knowledge and advance skills in VFX and animation software. An exclusive SideFX Houdini HIVE suite of presentations included the official launch reveal of Houdini 19. Speakers from Epic Games presented on a range of topics including the company’s realtime 3D creation tool Unreal Engine.
“Delivering a hybrid event of this magnitude was unbelievably challenging,” says Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “I am delighted to say that everything ran like clockwork, and I am incredibly proud of everyone who helped make this year’s event such a record-breaking success. I am truly honored that so many masters of their craft gave up their time to speak at VIEW Conference this year. Between them they have inspired nearly a quarter of a million people around the globe, including large audiences in emerging economies such as Mexico, India and Brazil.
“My determination to make VIEW Conference 2021 free to attend was borne of a conviction that we all need to support each other, and help each other heal after the suffering we have all endured through the pandemic. I like to think of the conference as a plate piled high with delicious food, which anyone can sample and enjoy. It is a way for some of our greatest creative talents to share their wisdom and experience, and for students to meet their heroes. At VIEW Conference, everyone gets to feel the magic.”
Testimonials
Since closing the conference, the organizers have been inundated with messages of support from those who attended. “I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection we have received from all our friends who spoke at this year’s VIEW Conference,” says Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “I am thrilled to share their testimonials with the world.”
“This was our first experience with VIEW Conference and we enjoyed it very much,” says Academy Award-winning cinematographer® Sir Roger Deakins. “We loved the chance to sit with our friend and collaborator, Dean DeBlois, and talk about vision. And we thought the questions from the audience were great. Thanks to the VIEW Conference for holding such a stimulating program and allowing us to be a part of it.”
“The VIEW Conference is the most beautiful expression of the enthusiasm and passion we all share for animation,” says Tom McGrath, director of Madagascar and The Boss Baby: Family Business. “After 20 months of isolation, it was a healing experience to meet people in person that I admire from different studios and positions and become forever bonded by our shared experience.”
“As an insane lover of the astounding magical gathering that the VIEW Conference has become over the years,” says Jorge R. Gutierrez, director of The Book of Life and Maya and the Three, “it was my great honor to be the keynote speaker for the 2021 edition. I leave with not only a full heart but a revived spirit after everything I witnessed at this year’s astounding and profound event. The amount of talent gathered is nothing short of miraculous. May we all be so lucky as to be a part of VIEW 2022!”
“VIEW Conference is such an inspiring and special event,” says Tomm Moore, director of Wolfwalkers, also director and co-founder of Cartoon Saloon. “This year’s hybrid event reminded me how important it is to hear from other creators and share our passion. It elevates the art form when we come together like this.”
“The VIEW Conference is AMAZING,” says Mike Rianda, director of The Mitchells vs. The Machines. “It’s both a place for industry artists to meet and exchange ideas – but more importantly for students and animation fans around the world to get skills, knowledge, and inspiration! It’s both indispensable and a ton of fun!”
On-Demand Tickets Available Soon
With four strands running simultaneously through the week of the conference, many attendees will now be eager to catch up with all the sessions they missed. For this purpose, additional on-demand tickets are available to purchase, giving online access to session recordings for timescales ranging from one week to three months. The full program of on-demand recordings will be launched on the VIEW Conference website soon.
For more information visit the official VIEW Conference website: https://www.viewconference.it/