I go to a few different VFX and animation industry events each year, but here’s a little secret about Trojan Horse was a Unicorn that I found out on the first day of the first year I went there: It is one of the only events designed to help artists find their place in the world.
What does that mean? Well, I think a lot of artists – young and old – are drawn to the industry (the industry being the areas of design, concept art, CG, visual effects or animation), but it’s one that can be hard to break into, and even stay in. A lot of the artists I met at that first Trojan Horse said they were ready to quit the industry, but after going to THU they found a new wave of inspiration, or a new side of their craft they hadn’t found before.
Perhaps you’re a VFX artist who feels the same way? Well, I would totally recommend considering going to Trojan Horse this year – September 24-29 – as a way of meeting new people, meeting experienced professionals and finding a way to find out more about yourself and your craft. What’s more, this year is – I think – super-heavy on the VFX side in terms of talks, masterclasses and recruiters (yes, a bunch of CG/VFX/animation studios will be there to talk jobs with attendees).
Oh, and this year it’s at a pretty incredible location: Valletta in Malta.
Just a few of the big VFX speakers at Trojan Horse in September are:
- Dylan Cole, production designer on the Avatar sequels
- Virginie Bourdin, concept artist
- Geoffrey Baumann, visual effects supervisor for Black Panther
- Hal Hickel, animation supervisor at ILM
- Kelly Port, visual effects supervisor at Digital Domain
- Matthew E. Butler, visual effects supervisor at Digital Domain
At Trojan Horse you get to hear from these speakers – called Knights – and you get to meet them face to face. Also, they don’t tend to present traditional talks about films and projects they’ve worked, but instead they often discuss their own journey in the industry. You might even find out they’ve also had a challenging time in VFX too, and how they got through it.
That’s what makes Trojan Horse the place for VFX inspiration.
You can find out more at https://trojan-unicorn.com.
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