October 28, 2024
Class: VFX for Indie Filmmakers & Creatives
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Join The Gotham for our two-part “VFX for Indie Filmmakers & Creatives” class!

Overview

[All Gotham Members can sign up with their 20% discount by enrolling through the Member Dashboard.]

Join The Gotham for our two-part VFX FOR INDIE FILMMAKERS & CREATIVES class where you’ll learn a basic overview of visual effects techniques and strategies with an eye towards independent projects that don’t have the resources of a major studio movie. This class is not only designed for people who might want to do their own VFX but also for filmmakers, creatives, and department heads who simply want to learn how to more effectively collaborate with VFX artists. 

During this class, independent filmmaker Michael Lukk Litwak, writer and director of ‘Molli and Max in the Future’ (SXSW 2023, BFI LONDON 2023) will take you through how to conceive, strategize, prep, shoot, and finish the VFX for your film, no matter your resources.

 

SESSION 1:

  • Greenscreen vs In-Camera VFX
  • Practical Effects vs Digital Effects
  • Lightwrap, Rotoscoping, Animation Curves and Invisible/Cosmetic VFX
  • Research, Look Development, and Testing
  • Working with (or without) a VFX House
  • Writing and Rewriting for VFX Constraints
  • Previs and Planning

 

SESSION 2:

  • Working with (or without) a VFX Supervisor
  • Best On-Set Practices
  • Hiring Freelancers and Setting Rates/Expectations
  • Post-workflow and Organization
  • Temp VFX and Post-Vis
  • Giving notes and working through Revisions
  • AI and the future of VFX
  • Special Guest Speaker: Producer Gewan Brown

Panelists

Gewan Brown
Gewan is a Caribbean-born, Venezuelan-raised producer based in Denver, CO. For 20 years, he has leveraged his degrees in chemistry and VFX to produce content for research institutes and nationally recognized brands, and to build adjacent businesses that service the TV and Film industry. As a founding member of Plenty Good, he has produced award-winning films including the narrative feature film “Chronicles of a Wandering Saint," which received 3 Indie Spirit Awards nominations, including Best First Feature. 

Instructors

Michael Lukk Litwak
MICHAEL LUKK LITWAK is an award-winning filmmaker and ‘New Yorker’ cartoonist that was born and raised in Los Angeles. He likes to tell character-driven stories that embrace the absurd, often through a lens of classic genre-filmmaking.

His first feature was ‘MOLLI AND MAX IN THE FUTURE’, a sci-fi Romantic-Comedy often described as ‘When Harry Met Sally’ meets ‘Futurama.’ ‘MOLLI AND MAX’ had its world premiere at SXSW 2023, played at BFI LONDON, Sitges, and Fantasia, was Certified Fresh (w/ 98%) on Rotten Tomatoes, was a NYT Critic’s Pick, was featured on Late Night w/Seth Meyers and was distributed theatrically on Feb 9th 2024 by Level 33 Entertainment. It stars Zosia Mamet (Girls, The Flight Attendant), Aristotle Athari (SNL, Silicon Valley), Arturo Castro (Broad City), Michael Chernus (Severance), Aparna Nancherla (BoJack Horseman), Okieriete Onaodowan (Broadway’s Hamilton), Paloma Garcia-Lee (Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story), Erin Darke (Good Girls Revolt), Grace Kuhlenschmidt (Search Party), stand-up comedian Matteo Lane and seven-time Tony Award nominee Danny Burstein (Broadway’s Moulin Rouge!). /Film declared it #4 on it’s top 10 Sci-Fi films of 2023 (behind Spiderverse, GOTG3, and Asteroid City), FilmThreat gave it a rare 9/10 and called it “a grand achievement in indie sci-fi filmmaking.”

As a commercial director he’s created colorful, comedic, VFX-driven ADS & BRANDED CONTENT for SUBWAY, BURGER KING, KEYSTONE, MACY’S, VERIZON, YAHOO, APPLEBEE’S, SQUARESPACE, ELITE DAILY, VOX MEDIA, SPOTIFY, SNAPCHAT and many more. You can find all of his work at www.michaellitwak.com

Date, Time & Location

This event takes place over multiple dates.

Monday, October 28, 2024
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM EDT
Virtual Online

Wednesday, October 30, 2024
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM EDT
Virtual Online

RSVP DEADLINE: October 30, 2024 @ 5:00 PM

RSVP Instructions

GOTHAM MEMBERS: Enroll in this class through your Member Dashboard to receive your 20% discount.
Not yet a member? The Gotham community has access to year-round programming, resources, and support, plus exclusive perks and discounts. Learn more about membership.
This class will occur virtually via Zoom. Both sessions will be recorded and shared with registrants after the conclusion of the class.
If you are coming with a guest, they must RSVP independently.

Contact

Questions about the event? Contact [email protected]