Rivkin’s keynote address, “Editing Avatar: The Creative Challenges,” will be delivered on Saturday, September 11 in the Rai’s Emerald Room from 10:30-11:30am.
“From start to finish, Avatar was the biggest creative challenge I’ve ever faced — but it opened my eyes to the limitless possibilities of filmmaking,” says Rivkin. “Its groundbreaking techniques continue to revolutionize the industry and the FMC Digital Media Training Workshops gives me a fantastic opportunity to share my experiences with industry peers. I look forward to demonstrating the evolution of Avatar with attendees, and am excited to be part of this world-class international event.” Rivkin.
Rivkin’s feature editing credits include Robin Hood: Men in Tights for director Mel Brooks; four films for director Norman Jewison, including The Hurricane starring Denzel Washington; Swordfish with John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry; and Michael Mann’s Ali, starring Will Smith. Rivkin also worked on the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise from 2003-2007 and earned two Eddie Award nominations and a win. In 2009, he received BAFTA and Oscar nominations alongside James Cameron and John Refoua for his work on Avatar. Rivkin will discuss the 2.5-year challenge he faced while editing Avatar and present various clips that touch on performance capture, virtual cameras, 3D stereo and more.
“We are excited to present post professionals with the new Digital Media Training Workshops,” says Ben Kozuch, co-founder/president/workshop chair, FMC.
“As always, we wanted to provide our attendees with a keynote speaker that had a deep understanding of the industry’s latest innovations. As the 3D trend continues to grow and infiltrate new mediums, we felt it would make sense to find someone familiar with stereoscopic filmmaking. Stephen is the ‘best of the best’… he worked alongside one of the greatest minds in the industry, James Cameron, to edit what has now revolutionized moviemaking. We are thrilled to welcome him to our newest training event.”