SciFi Miami

Virtual Productions for Science Fiction w/ Praveen Yalamanchi

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Stream began March 13, 2021 2:00 AM UTC
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Brian Pohl, Technical Program Manager


Brian, designs and deploys Unreal Engine and virtual production curriculum for the media and entertainment enterprise market vertical within Epic Games. Directs the educational efforts of a collection of instructors who supply live and pre-recorded courses to animation and visual effects studios. Provides live and online delivery of educational content to the general public and industry clients while also acting as the Academic Dean of the Unreal Engine Fellowship Program.



 Alvaro Garcia Martinez, Directing virtual worlds using videogame engines


Years ago virtually building a full universe like Avatar, Alien or Dune was a pharaonic task, only reachable by big productions and pricey budgets. However, technology is now democratizing how you can tell your stories, create your procedural massive universes, and directing them using virtual characters and environments in real-time using videogame engines. Mayhem Mirror is a small studio prototyping big universes like "The Seed of Juna", and I will show you behind-the-scenes how anyone can translate their ideas into visuals in a matter of days.


Álvaro is an independent filmmaker and VFX artist. He grew up in Madrid and developed a passion for animation and filmmaking from an early age. He officially kicked off his career in 2010 as a 3D generalist. In 2014, Álvaro directed and produced a short animated film SUMER, which swept a number of selections and awards within the festival circuit,


including an official selection at the Academy-qualifying Cleveland Film Festival. As a VFX artist, Álvaro has worked with a number of top facilities, including MPC and ILM, where he developed visual effects for a number of box office successes, such as The Jungle Book, Ready Player One, Avengers, and Pacific Rim.


More recently, Álvaro has been leading real-time solutions for Dneg and sharing his knowledge and passion for innovative technologies in filmmaking through his youtube channel RealTime Mayhem. In 2020 with the release of The Seed of Juna pilot, Álvaro founded Mayhem Mirror Studios to continue with the idea of creating original content using new technologies.


Tim Stutts is a multifaceted design leader drawn to challenges touching on interaction, user experience, prototyping, sensory feedback, systems design, data visualization, and spatial computing. I am an ethical technologist who values data-driven user research, privacy, and inclusive design. I am currently Director of Product Design at Faceware Technologies and have previously worked designing applications for Magic Leap, IBM Watson, Oblong Industries, and other companies. Outside of work, I am a family person, storied traveler, and occasional electronic musician, living just north of Miami. Living here is a return to my roots in a way since I originally studied Music Composition at the University of Miami. 


Hazel Griffiths is an artist and visual storyteller creating work in a variety of media including oil, encaustic wax, watercolors, and now, virtual/ augmented reality. I approach the task of creating with curiosity and continuously strive to find new ways to apply and use my mediums or to learn entirely new ones. My intent is to create exhibition pieces that are a fusion of traditional techniques and new media to create a unique viewing experience. There is an incredible opportunity in AR and VR for artists to show their work instantly to people around the world without any reduction in the experience.


Juan Rivera is an immersive technology instructor at the Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center of the Orange County Library System in Orlando, Florida. Here, we serve the community by providing introductory and “amateur” enthusiasts an opportunity for hands-on exploration, experimentation, and experience on today’s emerging media technologies. I’m in charge of creating and hosting educational programs and events that support the immersive technology resources available at the center. www.ocls.info/melrose


Rob Baker is a singer-songwriter drummer collaborator gone creative filmmaker. After working in production building shows for roughly 15 years, I eventually got inspired to get my own studio together. Outside of working on music, I generally gravitate towards the more unique and creative film concepts, usually incorporating virtual sets into my video projects.


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