14/11/2022
Generation
After two successful editions, Next Lab Generation opens the call for projects for the third edition of its workshop. An initiative that connects art and technology in the animation industry and digital content and that once again has the main sponsorship of the Community of Madrid through the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport, in order to discover new talent and promote the most advanced animation production from the technical and narrative point of view.
Until December 12th, 2022 at 23:59h (Mexico time), the call will be open for animation projects that wish to experiment with the use of VR, XR and AR tools along with the use of video game render engines for prototyping and animation production. In addition, fiction productions with a high animation or VFX content will be accepted. The proposals submitted may be headed by an individual or by a team, and projects of any nationality will be accepted. On the other hand, it is necessary that the project already has a minimum visual development. The 20 selected projects will enjoy this workshop free of charge.
Registration is also free and can be done through the event's website. It is necessary to send 2 high quality images and a dossier of the project. Within the dossier it is essential to include a brief history of the workshop participant indicating the position he/she holds in the project and the motivation for the workshop.
A committee formed by industry professionals will evaluate the applications and select a group of 20 projects that will receive advice on how to be produced, applying R+D+i, extensive knowledge of the market and the latest technology.
Taught by various professionals and experts in the sector, the workshop will repeat the structure of the last edition with an online phase from January 9th to February 26th; and a second on-site phase to be held in Madrid from February 27th to March 4th. A selection of 10 projects that have completed all the deliveries of the online workshop, and have been evaluated by the delivery of their pitch and audiovisual piece, will pass to this second phase.
The participants will be able to create a teaser of their project with the use of VR tools and video game rendering engines, which will be presented in a public pitch during the Next Lab Generation 2023 event, to be held in Madrid on March 3rd and 4th, 2023. A jury made up of professionals from the audiovisual sector will choose the three best ones, which will be presented at Annecy MIFA 2023 during the Next Lab Generation conference. In addition, as a new feature this year, each of the winning projects will receive €8,000 gross in development assistance, three months of mentoring, and a travel grant and accreditation for a representative of the project to attend the Annecy Festival 2023.
Next Lab Generation 2023 is mainly sponsored by the Community of Madrid, through the Regional Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport, with funding from the Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisual Arts (ICAA) as part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan promoted by the European Union; the sponsorship of the Ministry of Culture, DeAPlaneta Entertainment and Madrid City Council; and the collaboration of Enisa, Annecy Festival and Weird Market.
Highlights of the last edition here.