CG Garage
321 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 54 ratingsThis podcast is part of the Chaos Group Labs. In this podcast, we talk to our friends, find out what they are doing, talk about what we are doing, and generally look at all things that interest us including CGI, VFX, Design, Rendering, Raytracing, an d any other CG Nerdy stuff.
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Episodes
Episode 470 - Hugo Guerra - Director, VFX Supervisor, YouTuber, & Podcaster
April 22, 2024 17:19 - 1 hour - 57.6 MBHugo Guerra is the dictionary definition of multitasking. Having taken his eye for compositing into directing short films and commercials, and supervising VFX, Hugo fills his spare time with producing content for his successful YouTube channel and recording the VFX Notes podcast with Ian Failes. If that’s not enough, he’s also produced a cookbook with his wife. Hugo talks about his early career in Portugal and how he took his love for movies into short films, and then compositing and direc...
Episode 469 - Doug Trumbull, Joe Kosinski & Tim Miller Revisited
April 08, 2024 19:21 - 59 minutes - 54.9 MBAs Chris is tied up with a really cool Chaos project, we’re revisiting some of the older episodes of the CG Garage podcast. And we’re starting big with true luminaries of Hollywood revealing how they got their projects off the ground. First up is Doug Trumbull, the 2001: A Space Odyssey VFX genius who went on to direct Silent Running and continually innovated Hollywood motion picture technology. Recorded shortly before his death in 2022, Doug talks about getting Brainstorm made and gives a...
Episode 468 - Alex Yolov & Gosho Genchev — Product Managers, V-Ray for Maya & Houdini
April 02, 2024 13:25 - 58 minutes - 53.3 MBWith V-Ray 6 for Maya and Houdini, update 2, Chaos adds an important feature to its powerful renderer: MaterialX support. With this addition, artists and studios can seamlessly use materials across different DCCs and get identical results, removing many of the pain points of increasingly complicated modern 3D pipelines. In this podcast, V-Ray for Maya Product Manager Alex Yolov and V-Ray for Houdini Product Manager Gosho Genchev reveal how they’ve worked with studios to implement MaterialX...
Episode 467 - Julian Levi - VFX Producer, “The Creator”
March 25, 2024 15:03 - 1 hour - 65.6 MBOver his 30-year career, Julian Levi has produced VFX for Hollywood movies, beginning with Braveheart, moving into O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Day After Tomorrow (with Chris), Speed Racer, X-Men: First Class, Prometheus, and many more. Most recently, he helped director Gareth Edwards bring the world of The Creator to life, earning four VES awards and a VFX Oscar nomination in the process. Julian talks about how The Creator marks a return to the guerilla-style sci-fi Gareth pioneered wi...
Episode 466 - Tom Grimes - Product Manager, Chaos Corona
March 20, 2024 04:23 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBArchviz artists love Chaos Corona. This renderer has become a go-to for visualizing everything from compact kitchens to sky-scraping towers, giving users stunning results straight out of the box. But what’s on the horizon for this popular renderer? In this podcast, Product Manager Tom Grimes discusses what makes Chaos Corona a popular choice for the architecture industry and how its philosophy differs from other renderers such as V-Ray. He also talks about the software’s future and plans t...
Episode 465 - Tram Le-Jones - Vice President Solutions - Creative, Backlight
March 11, 2024 17:36 - 1 hour - 55.6 MBTram Le-Jones has an eye for detail, a people-centric personality, and a passion for computer science — making her perfect for VFX production roles. After getting a job on The Matrix Revolutions via craigslist (no, really), she became a sought-after coordinator and then moved into producing VFX for movies including Spider-Man 3, Tower Heist, and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, as well as commercials, moving from west to east coast and back again along the way. Having served on the front...
Episode 464 - Casey Pyke - Visualization Supervisor, Halon Entertainment
March 04, 2024 23:27 - 1 hour - 61.3 MBVFX visualization might just be the closest you can get to being a film director without stepping behind the camera. This technology has become a key part of the VFX process, with previz storyboarding growing into pitchviz (to get movies greenlit), techviz (to figure out logistics), and postviz (to create temporary VFX). It’s an area Casey Pyke has become an expert in via his role at Halon Entertainment, which has helped visualize movies including The Batman, Pinnochio, Argylle, and John Wic...
Episode 463 - Richard Crudo, ASC - Cinematographer & Director
February 26, 2024 20:04 - 1 hour - 59.4 MBRichard Crudo began his career in New York City, learning from some of the best in the business, including László Kovács and Gordon Willis, and helping shoot movies such as Ghostbusters 2, Raising Arizona, and Broadway Danny Rose. He then served as cinematographer on movies including American Pie, Out Cold, and Brooklyn Rules, as well as television series such as FX Network’s Justified, The CW’s Jane the Virgin, and CBS’s SWAT. In this podcast, Richard discusses the transition of motion p...
Episode 462 - Paolo Berto Durante - CEO, J CUBE
February 20, 2024 18:20 - 1 hour - 68.7 MBCould Paolo Berto Durante really be Chris, but from another dimension? These outspoken CG enthusiasts have a lot in common: an extensive knowledge of 3D software and render engines stretching back decades, a history in VFX and teaching CG, and strong opinions on the current state of the industry. Paolo talks about his roles in the research and development of 3D software, starting from Alias|wavefront, to mental images. to Jupiter Jazz, up to his current role at J Cube, their team has devel...
Episode 461 - Robert Moggach - Creative Activist, Dashing
February 13, 2024 17:03 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBRobert Moggach has experienced the full arc of the VFX artist career, from being treated like a rockstar in the early days of CG to working on personal, small-scale indie projects today. Along the way, he’s racked up credits on movies including Harry Potter, I, Robot, and Stealth, created ads for the world’s biggest brands, bagged a VES award for the Halo ODST trailer, and helped make music videos for the likes of Moby, Muse, Garbage, and Tori Amos. Rob and Chris discuss the dynamics of cl...
Episode 460 - Vikkal Parikh - Creative Director & Founder, Ataboy Studio
February 05, 2024 15:52 - 58 minutes - 53.8 MBIn this podcast, Vikkal breaks down his career so far, from his beginnings in architecture and on MTV series Room Raiders, to founding Ataboy Studios and making use of the latest VFX and motion graphics technology to create eye-catching ads in a variety of formats. Vikkal and Chris also discuss their common ground in architecture and talk about how Apple could potentially revive VR and the metaverse with its Vision Pro VR headset.
Episode 459 - Ben Hansford - Director & USC Professor
January 22, 2024 19:25 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBBen Hansford has his finger on the pulse of filmmaking — the prognosis is excellent. Beginning his career in VFX, Ben moved into directing short films and commercials for the likes of Old Spice, Starfield0, Call of Duty, Nike, and many more. He also teaches AI at the University of Southern California (USC), giving him unfettered access to the minds of a new generation of filmmakers. Ben shares his thoughts on how converging pipelines and creative innovations like AI will create a new kind ...
Episode 458 - Kat Dawes - NOWism
January 16, 2024 16:19 - 54 minutes - 50.2 MBHere’s the perfect start to 2024: Kat Dawes and NOWism’s particular blend of positivity for creative people. From busking in her native Brisbane to traveling through Africa, Kat has combined her love of performance art and spirituality to create NOWism, a playful philosophy that embraces the present moment and focuses on becoming the hero of your own story. In this podcast, Kat tells Chris how artists struggling in a modern, ever-changing world can overcome anxieties related to AI and fina...
Episode 457 - Jonas Ussing - No CGI is really just invisible CGI
January 08, 2024 16:26 - 1 hour - 62.5 MB2024 gets off to an explosive start with this week’s guest: CG supervisor Jonas Ussing, who is on a quest to give visibility to the VFX artists and studios who create invisible effects. He’s doing this via his YouTube channel, The Movie Rabbit Hole, where his impeccably researched and presented arguments have racked up over a million views. Jonas and Chris talk about how studios are making it seem like films such as Oppenheimer, Top Gun: Maverick, and Mission: Impossible 7 favored practica...
Episode 456 - Faruk Heplevent - Founder and CEO, The Scope
December 18, 2023 17:27 - 56 minutes - 51.5 MBFaruk Heplevent has spent his career perfecting the art of car photography. His experience in traditional photography transferred smoothly into CGI, and he set up his company, The Scope, to create breathtaking renders for the world’s biggest car companies. Now, he’s released Scope City, a groundbreaking tool that empowers car manufacturers and CG artists to create and customize the perfect urban backdrops for digital vehicles. Faruk discusses his career and how the industry has changed fro...
Episode 455 - Kim Davidson - President and CEO, SideFX
December 11, 2023 20:06 - 56 minutes - 51.5 MBSideFX President and CEO Kim Davidson has been a luminary of the computer graphics industry since the 1980s. In this podcast, Kim delves into his history, recounting his early days with the PRISMS procedural graphics application and the subsequent development of Houdini, SideFX’s popular and Oscar-winning 3D animation software, which has delivered astounding visuals for everything from Jingle All the Way to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Kim also shares his own journey in the indus...
Episode 454 - Joe Letteri - Senior Visual Effects Supervisor, Wētā FX
December 04, 2023 22:10 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MBMeet the legend behind some of the movie industry’s most iconic creatures: Joe Letteri. From Jurassic Park’s dinosaurs to Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, Avatar’s Na’vi, and the Planet of the Apes’ simian stars, Joe has constantly pushed VFX boundaries and technology to deliver utterly believable CG characters. In this info-packed Q&A, Joe talks about everything from how he created his very first VFX shot for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country to the cutting-edge technology that help...
Episode 453 - Peter Sohn - Director, “Elemental”
November 27, 2023 15:49 - 51 minutes - 46.9 MBThe universal language of cinema has proved a constant in Pixar director Peter Sohn’s life, and with Elemental, he used it to tell a story close to his heart. Born in New York City to Korean parents, Peter’s mother fell in love with the visual storytelling of Disney movies. He then carved out a career in animation, starting with The Iron Giant and moving to Pixar for moves including Finding Nemo and Up, and making his directorial debut with The Good Dinosaur. In this podcast, recorded at t...
Episode 452 - Joaquim Dos Santos - Director, “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse”
November 20, 2023 16:36 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse left some big spider-boots to fill — but director Joaquim Dos Santos was clearly the man to fill them. With Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the director expanded the Spider-Verse in new and unexpected directions while, crucially, staying true to the first film’s tender and nuanced approach to character and story. Joaquim reveals how his early obsessions with VHS and comic books led to his first break in storyboarding with Starship Troopers: Roughnecks...
Episode 451 - Benjamin Renner - Director, “Migration”
November 13, 2023 15:56 - 55 minutes - 50.9 MBAs Illumination Studios' duck tale Migration prepares to take flight on the big screen, Chris had a conversation with its director, Benjamin Renner, at the VIEW Conference in Italy. Benjamin turned his passion for drawing into a career in animation via Macromedia Director and rose to prominence as co-director of the Academy Award-nominated animated movie Ernest & Celestine. In this podcast, Benjamin offers a candid and insightful look into the process of crafting a 3D animated film in Holl...
Episode 450 - Michał Misiński - Film Director, Juice
November 06, 2023 16:29 - 1 hour - 56 MBMichał Misiński’s name may be familiar to regular listeners — this CG artist turned director helped previous podcast guest Ash Thorp create his Ghost in the Shell homage “Project 2501.” Michał is also a partner at Polish visual effects VFX studio Juice, directing videos for Porsche, Honda, Skoda, Dolby, and more. Recently, Michał brought his talent and passion together for a music video that ties in with sci-fi RPG Cyberpunk 2077’s Phantom Liberty expansion. Michał tells Chris about the pr...
Episode 449 - Kyle Balda - Co-Director, “Minions: The Rise of Gru” & “Despicable Me 3”
October 30, 2023 16:31 - 45 minutes - 41.5 MBOver the past 30 years, Kyle Balda has risen from humble animator to co-director of beloved kids’ movies Minions: The Rise of Gru and Despicable Me 3. Beginning in animation for films including Mars Attacks, The Mask, and Toy Story 2, Kyle met director Pierre Coffin in Europe and helped create the animated series Pat & Stan, which would build the foundations for the Minions’ lovable antics. In this illuminating podcast, Kyle shares the essential lessons he learned as an animator and his pa...
Episode 448 - Ryan Woodward - Storyboard Artist & Animator
October 23, 2023 15:46 - 1 hour - 64.3 MBRyan Woodward began his career in traditional animation for movies, including cult classics The Iron Giant and Space Jam, before becoming a storyboard artist on Spider-Man 2, Iron Man 2, and Avengers Assemble, and creating the stirring short, “Thought of You.” Today, he’s pursuing many avenues for his creative powers. In this podcast, recorded at THU in Japan, he talks about how he’s found happiness after some perilous life moments. He also dives deep into story, and how his understanding ...
Episode 447 - Murai Sadayuki - Screenwriter, “Perfect Blue,” “Steamboy,” and “Millennium Actress”
October 16, 2023 05:36 - 53 minutes - 60.7 MBMurai Sadayuki is the writer behind some of the most astonishing and groundbreaking anime films of all time, including the Hitchcockian Perfect Blue, Otomo’s Akira follow-up Steamboy, and the reality-blurring Millennium Actress. But he’s not done yet: he continues to write for TV series, including Knights of Sidonia, Godzilla, and Sabikui Bisco. Conducted at THU via a translator, this podcast sees Chris discover the world of Japanese animated movie-making and storytelling. Murai explains t...
Episode 446 - Cláudia Cristovão - Head of Google Brand Studio & Social Lab APAC
October 10, 2023 15:52 - 50 minutes - 46.5 MBWhat can today’s artists and storytellers learn from an ancient Japanese method? In this podcast, Chris is joined by Google brand expert Cláudia Cristovão, who practices Kintsugi, the art of taking old ceramics and repairing them with gold-infused sap that grows stronger with time. Building on her presentation at the THU festival in Kaga, Japan, Cláudia explains how Kintsugi’s restorative, meditative process can apply to art and even people themselves. Claudia brings a refreshing perspecti...
Episode 445 - Amy Aniobi - Writer, Director & Producer
October 02, 2023 16:53 - 55 minutes - 70.3 MBAmy Aniobi is a whirlwind of inspiration, smart advice, and creative energy. As a young girl, she was inspired by Frasier and Boy Meets World to become a writer. After graduating from Stanford University, she entered the industry and worked her way up to becoming head writer, executive producer, and director of HBO’s Insecure. In addition, she co-hosts The Antidote podcast and has movie projects coming up with Fox and Universal. Recorded at THU in Japan, Amy talks about getting ahead in th...
Episode 444 - Kevin Reste - Creative Operations Specialist, Artist, & Producer
September 25, 2023 17:03 - 1 hour - 67.4 MBKevin Reste is a font of knowledge for companies looking to improve their creative initiatives and campaigns. Beginning his career with mocap for the Rock Band video games, Kevin’s natural people skills and technical confidence have helped him secure work for companies including NBC Sports, Sony Music Entertainment, and WWE, as well as giant financial and pharmaceutical corporations. Chris catches up with fellow THU attendee Kevin, talks about his career so far, and offers some tips on get...
Episode 443 - Jonathan Rothbart - VFX Supervisor, John Wick: Chapter 4
September 11, 2023 15:18 - 1 hour - 96.6 MBJonathan Rothbart’s illustrious career in VFX includes credits on everything from Men In Black to Superman Returns and The Predator. He was a founding member of John Knoll’s Rebel Mac Unit at ILM, he established The Orphanage, where he delivered the HUD shots for Iron Man, and then became a sought-after VFX supervisor for movies including Deadpool and John Wick: Chapter 4. In this in-depth podcast, Jonathan tells Chris some of the amazing stories from his big-screen adventures, including ...
Episode 442 - James MacLachlan - VFX Supervisor, “Ted Lasso”
September 05, 2023 14:59 - 1 hour - 59 MBTed Lasso became a surprise hit for Apple TV+, blending comedy and drama in just the right way — and it contained a surprising amount of invisible VFX, from set extensions to turning local soccer pitches into international stadiums, complete with cheering crowds. In this podcast, Chris meets James MacLachlan, the VFX supervisor behind the show. James talks about how his love for bringing stories to life has powered his career and whisked him from New Zealand to London. He gives some inspir...
Episode 441 - Andrew MacDonald - VFX Creative Director/Supervisor/Flame Artist
August 28, 2023 12:05 - 1 hour - 61.6 MBAndrew MacDonald’s adventurous career packs as many twists and turns as a Hollywood movie. Coming from humble origins in the north of England, Andrew moved to London’s Soho district to begin his career in optical effects, before getting into VFX and being lured to Hollywood to work for big VFX companies, including Digital Domain and Method. In this rollercoaster of a podcast, Andrew talks about the ups and downs of his life and the ebbs and flows of the VFX industry. He shares stories of w...
Episode 440 - Eric Durst & Matt Whelan - VFX Supervisors, “Five Days at Memorial”
August 21, 2023 16:49 - 54 minutes - 49.9 MBApple TV+ miniseries Five Days at Memorial shines a light on a disturbing true story of a New Orleans hospital flooded during Hurricane Katrina. In this podcast, the show’s VFX supervisors — returning guest Eric Durst and newbie Matt Whelan — reveal how they recreated New Orleans circa 2005 and added invisible effects that would earn the show an Emmy nomination. Eric and Matt talk about how they worked with the show’s practical team to build versatile sets that would seamlessly integrate w...
Episode 439 - Halsey Burgund - Artist & Technologist
August 14, 2023 15:19 - 1 hour - 64.6 MBWhat if the 1969 moon landing catastrophically failed? That’s the question artist Halsey Burgund poses with his “Moon Disaster” project, which makes use of AI technology to envision then-president Richard Nixon delivering an alternative speech to be used in the case of emergency. In doing so, Halsey draws attention to the fact that such a speech existed and was never broadcast, as well as the ways in which modern technology can fool viewers. Halsey sheds light on the video and audio techno...
Episode 438 - Vladimir Koylazov - Co-Founder & Head of Innovation, Chaos
August 07, 2023 15:56 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MBRecorded at a high-tech facility in Chaos’ plush new offices in Sofia, Bulgaria, this week’s episode checks in with Vladimir “Vlado” Koylazov, Chaos’ co-founder. Chris discovers more about Vlado’s new role as head of innovation, and how the company is embracing recent technological developments to make it easy and efficient for customers to stage and render scenes. Vlado also shares his thoughts on how artificial intelligence is changing the way software works, as well as how it’s helping ...
Episode 437 - Simeon Balabanov - Product Manager, Chaos Vantage
July 31, 2023 17:51 - 1 hour - 71.6 MBMuch has changed since Chaos launched Project Lavina in 2020. Remote working has become the norm, real-time workflows have become increasingly prevalent, and GPU power has accelerated. In response, Lavina has evolved into Chaos Vantage, a real-time ray-traced rendering engine tailored to the needs of today’s VFX and arch viz artists. Simeon Balabanov, Chaos Vantage’s product manager, talks through what makes the engine different from other real-time rendering solutions and dives into curre...
Episode 436 - Hanno Basse - CTO, Digital Domain
July 24, 2023 16:06 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBHanno Basse has been a guiding hand behind the scenes of the modern entertainment experience. At 20th Century Fox, he pushed HDR into the movie experience at home and in theaters, and he helped the entertainment industry adopt cloud computing via his role at Microsoft Azure. Today, Hanno is bringing his expertise to Digital Domain, where he serves as CTO. In this podcast, Hanno reveals how advances in machine learning have taken DD’s famous digital humans from the Avengers’ Thanos to She-H...
Episode 435 - Terrence Masson - Chair, SVA MFA Computer Arts
July 17, 2023 15:43 - 1 hour - 76.3 MBTerrence Masson’s students are probably the luckiest on the planet. The computer arts lecturer draws on 30 years of experience in the industry, from working on innovative movies including True Lies and Interview with the Vampire, helping create South Park’s progenitor in CG, and retooling the original Star Wars trilogy for its 1997 reissue. In this podcast, Terrence talks through some highlights of his career, including how he flew the Millennium Falcon and killed Boba Fett for Star Wars, ...
Episode 434 - Michelle Munson - CEO & Co-Founder, Eluvio
July 10, 2023 06:47 - 1 hour - 64.2 MBMichelle Munson’s passion for internet technology took her from streaming video over LAN to founding data transfer company Aspera. Now, she’s launched Eluvio, a Web3-based content distribution system that makes it easier and cheaper for producers to share media while giving consumers fair access to a high-quality product with added extras. Michelle discusses Eluvio’s partnership with Warner Bros, and its first content: Superman and Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring. Michelle al...
Episode 433 - Joshua Lastine Esq. - Founder, Lastine Entertainment Law
July 03, 2023 21:43 - 1 hour - 60.6 MBAfter being inspired by Star Wars to pursue a career in entertainment law, Joshua Lastine helped with clearances on everything from American Idol to The Man in the High Castle to Midway to the Hulkbuster armor in Avengers: Age of Ultron and weapons for TV series Echo 3. Today, Joshua runs Lastine Entertainment Law, which drafts bespoke agreements for everything from YouTube videos to big-budget movies, and he teaches law at Los Angeles Film School. In this podcast, Joshua covers all the ho...
Episode 432 - Marc Simonetti - Art Director, DNEG
June 26, 2023 15:01 - 1 hour - 64.4 MBMarc Simonetti’s dreamy visual style has made him a big name in sci-fi and fantasy art — but what does this mean in the age of AI? In this podcast, Marc tells Chris how it feels to have your name used as an AI art prompt some 400,000 times, and what it’s like to see your name attached to artwork that isn’t yours. But it’s not all bad — Marc delves into the advantages of AI art and how it might put the concept back into concept art, and offers positive advice for budding artists who are abo...
Episode 431 - Linden Vennard - CG Generalist
June 20, 2023 14:42 - 1 hour - 62.6 MBHailing from Detroit, Linden Vennard began his career in visualizing vehicles (of course!). Having established pipelines that turned raw CAD data into sumptuous CG images, Linden became a core part of Speedshape, the VFX studio that specialized in creating visuals for automotive companies. After Speedshape closed, Linden traveled to Asia and Africa before returning to the US to become a freelance CG generalist. Linden talks about his early inspirations to pursue a career in VFX, how he got...
Episode 430 - Sean Faden - VFX Supervisor
June 12, 2023 15:32 - 1 hour - 70.2 MBHere's a masterclass on rising to the top of VFX supervision. Inspired by classic 80s movies, Sean Faden began his career in practical effects for Starship Troopers and The Fifth Element, helped sink Titanic, and became VFX supervisor on movies including A Nightmare on Elm Street and A Good Day to Die Hard. Then he switched to studio-side VFX supervision for Power Rangers and Mulan, the latter of which earned him a VFX Academy Award nomination. Sean reflects on his career and regales Chris...
Episode 429 - Stan Szymanski - President & Founder of StanleyVision
June 05, 2023 17:52 - 1 hour - 69.5 MBIf recruiters are the unsung heroes of the VFX industry, Stan Szymanski is Superman. This huge film fan began in graphic design and post-production but quickly worked up the ladder into recruitment, via movies including Virtuosity, Independence Day, Starship Troopers, and Hollow Man. Today, Stan’s company, Stanleyvision, has become a go-to source for the perfect talent for companies including Crafty Apes, MPC, The Mill, and Method, as well as PlayStation, MSG Sphere Studios, and TurboSquid...
Episode 428 - Jeff Barnes - EVP, Creative Development Light Field Lab
May 30, 2023 16:29 - 1 hour - 61.2 MBJeff Barnes’ career has taken him from two Amigas and a VHS deck to the world’s most cutting-edge digital display screens. After discovering a love for post-production, Jeff co-founded CafeFX in the early-90s and created VFX for over 90 movies including Flubber, Armageddon, Panic Room, Pan’s Labyrinth, Sin City, The Mist, and Alice in Wonderland. Jeff then oversaw DD’s 3D pipeline and consulted in the industry before moving to the innovative lightfield company Lytro, where he produced the wo...
Episode 427 - Isaac Bratzel - Founder & CEO, AvatarOS
May 22, 2023 15:52 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBIf digital humans are evolving, Isaac Bratzel is the scientist altering their DNA. Beginning his career as a character artist (because it represented the biggest challenge), Isaac helped create Amelia, a conversational AI with a digital human face, and then went on to establish virtual social media phenomenon Lil Miquela. Today, Isaac is bringing his expertise in AI and digital humans together in AvatarOS, the company he founded to create digital humans with personalities. In this podcast,...
Episode 426 - Lala Gavgavian - President and Chief Operating Officer, Digital Domain
May 15, 2023 11:04 - 49 minutes - 45.8 MBFor the past 30 years, Digital Domain has been ahead of the CG curve, delivering everything from True Lies’ CG jet to The Last of Us’ desolate landscapes. But what does the future hold for this innovative VFX studio? This week, Lala Gavgavian, the president and COO of DD, explains how it's charting a course through the waters of new technology. Lala talks about how Digital Domain has branched out beyond blockbuster VFX and is now taking on gaming projects and medical imaging. She also talk...
Episode 425 - Adam Martin - Co-Founder, Macroverse Media, Inc
May 08, 2023 15:22 - 58 minutes - 53.4 MBCould Macroverse change the way creative content is created and consumed? In this podcast, Chris is joined by Adam Martin, an assistant director who has worked on productions including Transformers, Dave, and Barry. After growing frustrated with the Hollywood system, Adam co-founded Macroverse to give writers and artists a platform to share their stories and visions. Adam gives a full overview of Macroverse and what makes it work, explaining how its Tap Story system enriches comic stories ...
Episode 424 - Chris Browne — VFX Supervisor/Writer/Director
May 01, 2023 15:20 - 53 minutes - 49 MBWe want some of Chris Browne’s energy. This multiskilled VFX supervisor, currently working at Sony Pictures Animation, has helped bring animated series to life, including The Fast and Furious Spy Racers, Kung Fu Panda, and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. At the same time, he’s devoted his spare time to his own award-winning short films, beginning with “Gibb” at university, alien sci-fi “Beating the Abductors,” and now “Pleroma,” which examines themes of AI versus humanity. Chris breaks d...
Episode 423 - Janelle Croshaw Ralla & Jonathan Rothbart — VFX supervisors, John Wick: Chapter 4
April 24, 2023 15:02 - 1 hour - 66.9 MBWith John Wick: Chapter 4, the sleeper franchise reaches a violent crescendo, peppering the rogue assassin’s globe-trotting bone-crunching fights with jaw-dropping plot twists. This week, the film’s Production VFX Supervisor Janelle Croshaw Ralla, and Prep and On-Set VFX Supervisor Johnathan Rothbart join Chris for a spoiler-free discussion of the movie. Janelle and Jonathan talk about working with director Chad Stahelski, who takes a meticulous, frame-by-frame approach to filmmaking and p...
Episode 422 - Sean Looper - Chief Technology Officer, Crafty Apes
April 17, 2023 15:42 - 1 hour - 72.7 MBOver the course of his career, Sean Looper has gone from humble beginnings as an architectural draftsman to chief technology officer at VFX studio Crafty Apes. Along the way, the pipelines he’s built have provided seamless effects for movies including Zathura: A Space Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Edge of Tomorrow. In this podcast, Sean talks about his career and reveals a natural inclination toward the technical nuts and bolts that help a VFX pipeline run smoothly. He shares som...
Episode 421 - Ben Procter - Production Designer, The “Avatar” Sequels
April 10, 2023 15:35 - 1 hour - 74.6 MBThis week, Chris takes a trip to Pandora to delve into the design of Avatar: The Way of Water, James Cameron’s latest jaw-dropping cinematic epic. His guide is Ben Procter, the super-talented production designer who specializes in creating vehicles and environments for Avatar antagonists the RDA — to the extent that he thinks of himself as the “bad guy” of the art department. Ben goes into a fascinating deep-dive into the design and construction of the S-76 SeaDragon, the formidable whalin...