This year, the Blend: Film & Games conference was held over two days, on Thursday and Friday, October 2 and 3, at the Algebra Bernays University in Zagreb. This edition attracted several major international experts, including Oscar winners and famous names from the gaming scene.
The special partner of the conference was the Kingdom of Belgium, and visitors could follow various interesting panels and presentations, from music in video games and marketing, to the story behind the creation and production of the Oscar-winning animated film Flow. Furthermore, various films by students from the Academy of Dramatic Art and VERN University were screened. According to the latest information, the conference was attended by over 600 participants.
Of course, we couldn’t attend everything, and on the first day of the conference, we started with a panel discussion on the Croatian candidate for the Goya and Oscar awards — the film “Fiume o Morte!” — featuring producers Vanja Jambrović and Tibor Kesser, as well as Slobodanka Mišković, head of the Art Kino Rijeka and the Kvarner Film Commission.
At the panel, we learned how they found the main actors, how they involved the residents of Rijeka in the film’s production, how difficult it is to succeed as an independent film, and what makes it so special. Namely, this is the most-watched Croatian documentary film in the last 30 years, with an impressive 36 thousand viewers it gathered exclusively in independent cinemas across Croatia.
Film, Marketing, and Music
The day concluded with keynote sessions by Martins Upitis and Thierry Van Gyseghem, the lead animator for the hit games Baldur’s Gate 3 and Divinity: Original Sin 2. He spoke about the cross-section of film language and interactive media, discussing the current state of the industry, the relationship of various studios with their employees, and how to succeed in such a widespread and competitive industry. On the other hand, Martins Upitis, an Oscar winner for the animated film Flow, revealed the creative and technical processes behind the film’s creation to the audience, which was followed by a screening of the award-winning work.
The second day of the conference started rich and strong with marketing visionary Fernando Machado. The former Global Chief Marketing Officer at Burger King and Activision Blizzard, and a two-time winner of the Adweek Grand Brand Genius award, held a panel on the role of creativity in shaping global video games and brands. He focused on various marketing campaigns they utilized. For example, he explained how they “leveraged” the game FIFA 20 by forming a partnership with the English football club Stevenage to promote their product, which turned them into a media sensation. Additionally, he touched upon his time at Activision and the people he worked with on various projects.
At the panel on music in video games, three generations of composers: Nikola Nikita Jeremić from Serbia (Aliens: Dark Descent, Warhammer 40k, Destiny 2, Cyberpunk 2077), Matija Malatestinić, and Damjan Mravunac (Croteam, Serious Sam, Talos Principle) shared their experiences in creating top-notch works for video games. With a rather humorous tone and interesting insights, this panel most thoroughly explained what it means to be a sound designer and composer in this industry and how they succeeded in that field.
A Successful Conference That’s Worth the Visit
The final panel was dedicated to the phenomenal success of the Croatian teen series “SRAM” (Shame). Producer Bruno Mustić spoke about the innovative strategies that enabled the series to become the most-watched domestic teen content and a digital phenomenon viewed worldwide, which the producers never expected. This panel provided insight into the successful promotion of the series, which reached millions of views in the region and set new standards in digital distribution and audience engagement.
In addition to the various panels, the workshops were extremely useful for a practical insight into the fields of animation, game development, and creative marketing. Over the two days, they were led by Thierry Van Gyseghem, Andrija Zorić, Ivan Šivak, and Fernando Machado. Also, in the Algebra hallway, visitors had the opportunity to try out and play several Croatian-produced games, such as Baltazar, Bura The Way The Wind Blows, and Dark Queen of Samobor.
In conclusion, although the focus was slightly more directed toward films, this year’s conference truly offered many interesting panels and discussions and certainly broke all records compared to last year. If you haven’t visited the Blend: Film & Games conference yet, we definitely recommend it, as there is a lot to learn when you hear about the experiences of others.
