Saturday · 28 March 2026 @ 10:00 AM

Presented by Industrial Light & Magic

Step behind the curtain of this year’s most immersive cinematic worlds with the supervisors responsible for the industry's most acclaimed visual effects. This panel brings together Texture Supervisor Jami Gigot (TRON: Ares), FX Supervisor Matthew Hanger (Frankenstein), and VES Award-Winning CG Supervisor Gianluca Pizzaia (Avatar: Fire and Ash). By deconstructing the digital materials of the Grid to the volatile ice-breaking of gothic horror and the industrial expansion of Pandora, our panel explores how microscopic detail and large-scale simulations translate ambitious directorial visions into award-worthy cinematic spectacles.

Roundhouse · Performance Theatre
181 Roundhouse Mews · Vancouver · BC · V6Z 2W3

Saturday · 28 March 2026 @ 11:45 AM

Presented by Rodeo FX

Josée Chapdelaine, Head of Creature FX and Groom, and Marc-Antoine Paquin, Pipeline Developer, offer an inside look at Netflix’ The Sandman Season 2. They explore the artistry and technical challenges behind the procedural workflows their team developed to handle large-scale fur, feather, and grooming work across multiple sequences. From building efficient systems to manage complex strand and feather variations, to developing scalable solutions that maintain performance, Josée and Marc-Antoine will share how Rodeo FX approached the design, technical challenges, and integration of these hero assets.

Roundhouse · Performance Theatre
181 Roundhouse Mews · Vancouver · BC · V6Z 2W3

Saturday · 28 March 2026 @ 1:30 PM

Presented by Image Engine

In Keeper, a folk-horror story filmed in Vancouver, a woman’s reality begins to fracture as a secluded cabin getaway descends into visceral psychological unravelling. Rather than pursuing spectacle, director Osgood Perkins and visual effects supervisor Ed Douglas focused on building tension and emotional weight over shock value.

Join production visual effects supervisor Ed Douglas, Jenn Taylor, visual effects supervisor and Brian Sepanzyk, visual effects producer at Image Engine, for a deeper look at the horrors in Keeper.

From early concept art and real-world references to performance-driven animation and final integration, the panel will explore how collaborative trust helped shape creature effects that amplify psychological impact, proving that the most powerful storytelling often comes from what feels disturbingly real.

Roundhouse · Performance Theatre
181 Roundhouse Mews · Vancouver · BC · V6Z 2W3

Saturday · 28 March 2026 @ 3:15 PM

Presented by Sony Pictures Imageworks

Coming soon.

Roundhouse · Performance Theatre
181 Roundhouse Mews · Vancouver · BC · V6Z 2W3

Saturday · 28 March 2026 @ 5 PM

Presented by beloFX

In this session, beloFX VFX Supervisor Russell Bowen unpacks the Oscar-nominated work used to recreate California’s deadliest wildfire for Paul Greengrass’s The Lost Bus. Centred on a 45-square-kilometre "digital twin" of Northern California built in Unreal Engine, Russell will explore how a real-time first workflow enabled the team to navigate complex virtual scouting and achieve the film’s signature “Ember Cam” handheld aesthetic.

The talk dives into the technical hurdles of scaling real-time systems into Houdini and the resilient pipeline that allowed the team to pivot seamlessly to full CG when real-world 2024 wildfires disrupted production. Attendees will gain a behind-the-scenes look at how early-stage VFX integration achieved a grounded, photorealistic tribute to the Paradise community.

Roundhouse · Performance Theatre
181 Roundhouse Mews · Vancouver · BC · V6Z 2W3