HP ZED (opens in new tab), a 'pop up shop' for creatives in London's Soho (7pm - 10pm), features two weeks of exclusive events for CG artists, including talks, workshops and contests. But tickets are going fast - so make sure you register today (opens in new tab) and be sure of a seat for the sessions you're most interested in.
In the meantime, here's a sneak peak of what's going down at ZED today and tomorrow...
01. Big vs small studios (opens in new tab), 12-2pm
Thursday 2 October at HP ZED will be the most packed day yet, with four amazing sessions for CG artists.
Things kick off in style at noon withShould you work for a big studio or boutique agency? (opens in new tab) (12-2pm). In this special lunchtime session, Gavin Graham (opens in new tab), Head of 3D for Double Negative (opens in new tab), and Phil Hurrell (opens in new tab)of Coffee & TV (opens in new tab), examine whether a large or small studio is the best place to advance your career.
Is it better to be a big fish in a small pond, where you'll get to take on more responsibility and learn a wider range of skills? Or are you better off specialising early on, at a bigger firm where you'll get to work on more prestigious TV shows and movies?
It's a big decision to make, so make sure you get the expert advice on offer at HP ZED: register now! (opens in new tab)
02. Mattoni 'Back to Nature' (opens in new tab), 4.30-6pm
Mattoni's recent 'Back to Nature' campaign (opens in new tab) sees beauty and the beast go head-to-head as they fight over the last remaining bottle of Mattoni water.
Join Velvet Flame operator Robert Coulin as he walks us through his work on this stunning and technically challenging commercial.
Robert will showcase the role of Flame in the production of this stunning spot: right the way from conform to finishing, via fluid FX work in Maya.
You'll see how Flame 2015 provides an end-to-end toolset that enables the best artists to do the best work in this special session – register here (opens in new tab).
03. Shotgun at Framestore (opens in new tab), 6-6.30pm
Alex Jackson has worked as a developer in Framestore's Production Tools department for the last 8 years. At 6-6.30pm this evening he'll give us an insight into his use of Shotgun as a production management tool across the full gamut of Framestore (opens in new tab)'s Commercial and Film projects.
Jackson will show how Shotgun has helped the teams that worked on Guardians of the Galaxy, Gravity, and Activision’s DJ Hero. You really won't want to miss exclusive insight into the workings of one of the world's top studios: register here (opens in new tab).
04. Flame 2015 Extension 2: more tools, more flexibility (opens in new tab), 6.30-10pm
Finally, from 6:30-10pm, join Flame Autodesk specialists Joe Billington & Stuart Holloway along with Framestore's Ollie Bersey in a discussion about the value that Flame 2015 brings to Framestore.
Joe and Stuart will showcase the new creative tools in Extension 2 of Flame 2015 and show how Flame provides an end-to-end toolset that enables the best artists to do the best work, even at 4K.
Ollie will give us a behind-the-scenes look at his work on a stunning ident for Eastenders and talking about how Flame helped him tackle the creative challenges it threw up. They'll also be showcasing an early integration of the Shotgun tools working within the Flame Family, so join us for this exciting session – register here (opens in new tab).
Tomorrow at HP ZED: Speed sculpting session with Adam Dewhirst, 12-2pm
There's nothing like seeing other CG pros in action for getting ideas and inspiration of your own. And here's an exclusive opportunity to see just come along and see a group of expert modellers push HP Workstations to the limit in a 45-minute Lunch Crunch Speed Sculpting session.
Participants will be given a character theme and will have 45 minutes to make some quick models during lunchtime. They will start with the same mesh but will inevitably create very different results. We can't wait to see what they come up with! Register here. (opens in new tab)
Adapt or Die!, 7-10pm
The Operators (opens in new tab) is one of the industry's recent big success stories, having grown from a small startup to a successful independent creative solutions studio.
Gill Tait (head of production) and Ben Le Tourneau (integrated director) explain how they got to where they are today – winning awards like Cannes Lions Agency of the year and scoring big name clients like John Lewis, Adidas, Toyota and Uniqlo.
In a talk entitled 'A discussion about surviving as an Independent Creative Studio', Gill and Ben will talk through The Operators' story so far and how they have managed to adapt and grow in the constantly changing marketing and advertising landscape:
We're really looking forward to hearing the secrets of their phenomenal success and can't wait to hear what they have to say! Register here (opens in new tab).
HP ZED London 2014 (opens in new tab)
This content has been brought to you in association with HP ZED (opens in new tab), a 'pop up shop' for creatives in London's Soho from 29 September to 10 October 2014.
With talks, tutorials and creativity sessions brought to you by top experts from leading studios like Double Negative, MPC, Milk and The Mill, as well as HP, Intel and Nvidia, it's going to be a must-attend event for anyone working in motion graphics, animation or 3D. Find out more here! (opens in new tab)
