ABSTRACT:
The rapid advancement of technology has steadily transformed the landscape of moving picture creation. Previously the domain of major studios with decades of experience and enormous resources, that landscape has recently changed. Freely available, high-quality Open Source production tools, and small teams can now create award-winning content. The accessibility, compatibility, and scalability of modern digital tools now empower anyone with vision and dedication to test their skill in the world of filmmaking at the highest level.
In the spotlight is the Academy Award-winning Flow (2024), a breakout animated feature by Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis that exemplifies this new frontier. Created by a small, predominantly freelance team — many of whom were working on a feature for the first time — Flow was produced on a modest €3.5 million budget, yet has captured global attention, not just for its visual elegance, but for its bold production philosophy.
In addition, Martins Upitis and Konstantins Visnevskis will share their journey with this unusually streamlined approach to filmmaking, reflecting on how Open Source tools and independent workflows allowed them to stay flexible, efficient, and true to their goal production. Martins will share his critical contributions to the water effects in Flow, and Konstantins will elaborate on some of the approaches they took to animation and rigging for the project.
BIO:
Martins Upitis is Co-Founder and Creative Director of Physical Addons, where he and his team design Blender addons. Passionate about shading, physical lighting, and space, Upitis is an Academic Arts graduate and has worked as a Technical Artist in games and VR. He teaches a course in physical lighting and materials using Blender, in art schools and universities in Latvia, while also juggling being a father of two.
Konstantins Visnevskis has for 20 years been a freelance 3D artist in the world of TV commercials; he then suddenly found himself at home in a motion picture production. He has an MA in Visual Communication from the Art Academy of Latvia, where he is also currently lecturing. Visnevskis rejects as a false dichotomy the polarization of technical, functional and rational against inspiration, aesthetics and creativity in professional art.