FMX 2025 & Industry State

Have you been wondering lately how the industry is doing?

That was at the forefront of my mind when I attended this year's FMX 2025 event in Stuttgart, Germany. If you're not familiar with it, the FMX is a four-day visual effects, animation and games event full of talks, workshops, recruitment opportunities and networking.

It was at the FMX that I first heard about the Animationsinstut in Germany and the opportunity to study Technical Directing there - which I did. There a MPC recruiter advised me to create a LinkedIn account and connect with everyone. This year, I gave my own talk about Visual Effects Job Application.

The room was packed with students eager to learn how to apply for a job in visual effects from me. We'll release the event recording for a limited time in the near future - see future newsletters. In the meantime, receive your personal job application coaching here.

Other interesting talks at the FMX 2025:

• Acting for Animators with Ed Hooks (see podcast episode)

• Watch your language with Florian Gellinger (see podcast episode)

• Technical Directing and Setextension Workshop

• Generative AI in the Copyright Arena

Noticeable about this years FMX was the lack of artists. 

On any given year the FMX sells out but not this year. While we saw a lot of students, fewer professionals came to visit, which seems to reflect the current difficult future prospects and costs.

In recent months, a few major players have shut down, and many small studios are either scraping by or changing direction. The aftermath of the writers' strike and the decline in high-budget streaming shows has reached the post-production stage of film production. However, the mood was positive, with plenty of discussions about the state of the industry and AI.

Another favorite part of events for me is networking. 

It's great to meet old friends and colleagues I've worked with over the last 10 years, as well as new people with whom I'd like to collaborate. As we all know, most connections don't lead anywhere, but it's a numbers game - you only need one or two successful interactions to ensure a successful year.

It's also a fantastic opportunity to meet online connections and talk to the people behind the software we use. Had the opportunity to talk to Kim Davidson (CEO, SideFX). It's always nice to meet the Foundry folks, with whom we've collaborated multiple times, and to find someone who actually works for Autodesk - always a nice surprise. 😉

Coming back from the FMX always energises me. It makes you ready for another year of successes and failures - as those two things are unavoidable. The important part is to fail fast and move forward. I'd recommend joining the next FMX in May 2026, watching a few interesting talks, and using the opportunity to network and build your connections.

Like to invite me for a workshop at your studio or university? Check out our workshops.

Best, Alex

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