2024 Workshop Series

Ausencia Films and Macabro FICH, through their training project Macabro LAB, announce their partnership to launch a series of workshops and courses focused on new technologies applied to audiovisual production, such as digital animation and artificial intelligence, starting in March 2024. The courses and workshops will be offered both online and in person.

For the first courses, speakers include producer and animator Ángel Caballero, and animator and artist Tavo Gómez. The courses are designed to give filmmakers, creatives, and artists the tools to carry out their audiovisual projects. They are aimed at the general public and anyone who wants to become part of the industry. Participants will work with generally free-to-use tools such as Blender, DaVinci, Krita, Story Architect, Kit Scenarist, Stable Diffusion, ChatGPT, etc.

We're kicking off this collaboration with the following workshops:

Character Design Workshop. Character design, sculpting, and rendering for beginners. PLUS: Free Blender software. 6 sessions over 3 weekends, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Syllabus: 1. Proportion in design. 2. Blender basics. 3. Basics of 3D drawing and sculpting. 4. Building a base with proportions in Blender. 5. Joining elements. Boolean tool. 6. Detail sculpting. 7. Color and materials for rendering in EEVEE. 8. Final render. Taught by Ángel Caballero: He began in theater as an actor before moving into visual arts, set design, and film direction. He studied film, theater and film production, screenwriting, animation, editing, acting, and actor direction with teachers such as Toni Cotts, Luis Mandoki, Raúl Farell, Enoc Leaño, Silverio Palacios, Gerardo Servín, and others. He is currently in post-production on a feature-length documentary about violence and social cannibalism. He has won several awards and official selections at film festivals with the following short films: producer of “El inquilino,” a horror comedy currently on the festival circuit and winner of first place at the Festival Internacional de Cine de la Toba. Director of “Kijano. El color de mis edades,” a documentary about the life and work of painter Carlos Maciel, selected at various international festivals. Producer and director of “Despierta mi bien, despierta,” an absurdist comedy about the human condition, currently on the festival circuit with a few laurels already from official selection. He wrote scripts for an animated miniseries for children in migration situations, produced for UNICEF in 2022. He previously worked on animation and post-production of animated shorts for Larousse and is co-director of the fiction feature film “Ausencias,” currently in post-production. He has worked for advertising agencies, television, and theater in various areas such as production, floor coordination, creative direction, art, sculpture, photography, storyboarding, etc. Founder of Colectivo Ausencia, where films and plays on various themes are produced, along with the management of courses and workshops.

Artificial Intelligence Workshop. Midjourney Step by Step. The latest in artificial intelligence tools. Total duration: Four hours in two two-hour sessions.

Syllabus: 1. Getting started 2. Basic commands 3. Parameters 4. Quality 5. Available hours 6. Versions 7. Stylize 8. Prompt structure

Taught by Tavo Gómez (Imaginary Friends) Animator and visual artist with more than 15 years of experience in the advertising industry. Enthusiast of art and new technologies.

About Macabro FICH Macabro is the first and most experienced genre film festival in the country and one of the most important in Latin America. For twenty-two years, we have distinguished ourselves by presenting a cinematic offering specializing in contemporary horror cinema and the rediscovery of classics, building and growing audiences, generating buzz, and offering a compelling range of activities alongside our screenings to reinvigorate the cultural life of our diverse audiences. The festival has evolved into a cultural platform dedicated to the exhibition, distribution, training, and production of horror cinema and related genres.

About Ausencia Films Dedicated to audiovisual production, theater, and artistic work, as well as the management and coordination of workshops on film and theater production in various areas such as screenwriting, financing, post-production, etc.

For more information about the workshops, dates, and registration, write to cursosytalleres.macabro@gmail.com