Keynotes

James Cunningham

Poppy - the making of a actor driven CGI short film

Poppy is a CGI drama set on France's western front in World War One. Two New Zealand soldiers are trapped behind enemy lines and find an orphaned baby under its dead parents. One of the men wants to save it, the other does not. By saving a baby's life, a man saves his own. Poppy is based on true events.

This award winning short film has been doing the international film circuit - Telluride, Melbourne, South by Southwest, and recently won the Jury Prize at Siggraph 2010. Funded by the NZFC, made in the director's spare room, with mocap from Weta Digital, this is a chance to see the film and be walked through the development and creation of this film. James Cunningham, the film's director and lead CGI Artist, is now the 3D Course Leader at Media Design School and runs the Advanced 3D Productions course.

Sean Kauppinen

PR for Independent Studios

Whether you’re launching the next big thing on iPhone, Facebook, the PC, or screens around the world, there are skills that every creative company needs to have internally, namely the ability to promote your studio and media properties. This session will cover how to do PR for your studio and how to support the launch of your own games, animation projects, or films using effective and inexpensive ways to reach your target audience. Topics include:

• Assets needed for a studio press kit and game launch
• Identifying media and building a contact list
• Identifying topics for positioning your studio
• Pitching basics
• In-person and virtual media tours
• Previews and Reviews programs
• Wire services

Paul Stephanouk

Social Gaming: How Do I Get Me Some of That

An overview of the social games space, the nature of the opportunity, and the key factors that drive a successful social game.

David Knott

The Art of Story Telling: from Script to Screen

Watch highlight clips from Penguins of Madagascar, brief review of principles of animation and then hands on workshop on creating your very own animated flip book.

Matthew Johnston

Selfishly Making Games for Everyone

Senior Producer Matthew Lee Johnston will discuss the inner-workings of PopCap’s game studio in Seattle, WA. PopCap’s unique culture and unconventional design philosophies have contributed to the creation of a stable of evergreen “casual” games like Bejeweled, Peggle, Zuma, and Plants Vs. Zombies. MLJ will present the producer’s perspective on how games are made on Planet PopCap.

This producer-centric view will include building consensus through browbeating your peers, how to deal with totally annoying feedback that’s not very helpful, why polish is the most important ingredient, and a peek into the work behind-the-scenes that goes into adapting your games to every platform with a screen and a speaker, regardless of what your business team thinks is prudent.

Andy Williams and Rikki Campbell

Inspiring Creativity and How to Offend People the Right Way

How to scam your way into E3 for free? How to make a game trailer for 50c?

John Piper and Greg Bennett

AUT Poster Session: Teaching Moving Images: Challenges in Digital Design Pedagogy and Curriculum Development in the Tertiary Sector.

The profile of a Digital Design student is changing. More and more employers are requiring understanding and even skill in coding from graduates who previously would have been only visually creative. In New Zealand this coincides with a revamp of the ICT secondary sector.

Jason Manley

Creative Success

In this fifty minute presentation, Jason Manley, President of www.theartdepartment.org and the Founder of www.massiveblack.com and www.conceptart.org/forums will cover methods and theory which better enables students, professionals, and companies in entertainment and the arts to achieve results during the pursuit of their creative learning and professional goals.

Topics to be covered include research, idea development, strategy, preparation, success placement and projection, time management, risk, short and long term planning, pathway modeling, networking and the wheel of success. Learn how to achieve through understanding new processes for breaking down visions and dreams into the materials needed for constructing a better creative future for yourself or your company.

Jeff Braun

Maxis from the Inside

Maxis (creator of SimCity and The Sims) was founded 23 years ago by co—founders Will Wright and Jeff Braun. It started with “a really stupid video game”, a pizza party and a common vision for games that give players godlike powers. Jeff will reflect on the magical and serendipitous path that Maxis traveled from Simcity to The Sims and its impact on the casual gaming market today.

Stacy Longstreet

Outsourcing — how to best utilize art services for hire and how to avoid the pitfalls

Targeted toward individual artists and studios providing art services for hire, this workshop will cover the importance of Outsourcing

• Why organizations Outsource (i.e. why do they need you)
• How can you best help your client
• The difficulties with Outsourcing
• How to get the best results
• Most common issues
• What artists can do
• Understanding cultural differences

At the end of the session there will be time for Q&A, and Artist Portfolio reviews (5 -15 minute critiques/person) can be scheduled at the end of the workshop.

Joseph Olin, Dean Hoff and Chris Waters

The Birth of Auckland's Newest Animation Studio, Oktobor Animation

Q&A session with Joseph Olin interviewing Dean Hoff (Nickelodeon), and Chris Waters (Oktobor Animation) as they recount the mad dash to build a studio and bring Nickelodeon to New Zealand.