Virtual Production artwork

Virtual Production

24 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago -

Meet the filmmakers behind The Mandalorian, The Avengers, The Lion King, The Jungle Book, and more. Host Noah Kadner wrote The Virtual Production Field Guide for Epic Games and is a contributor to American Cinematographer magazine. Topics include remote collaboration, visualization, real-time game engines, in-camera compositing, and LED wall cinematography. Hear how movies and TV shows used virtual production techniques from directors, cinematographers, visual effects supervisors, production designers, and others. The Virtual Production Podcast is a co-production of The Virtual Company and AbelCine. Discover how the industry is pivoting.

Film Interviews TV & Film Arts Visual Arts virtual production visual effects cinematography filmmaking led wall animation special effects
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Episodes

Disguise

January 04, 2024 09:00 - 21 minutes - 30 MB

Disguise is a creative platform powering major live entertainment from Taylor Swift to U2 and beyond. LED volume stages also leverage Disguise for virtual production. Addy Ghani, Fernando Kufer, and Tom Rockhill from Disguise join us in this special expanded episode of the Virtual Production podcast. Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Kenneth Nakada • Amazon

July 06, 2023 07:00 - 25 minutes - 35.1 MB

Kenneth Nakada is the Head of Virtual Production Operations at Amazon Studios. He was instrumental in Amazon’s efforts to build an LED volume in Hollywood, which became one of the largest in North America when it opened in 2022. Before Amazon, Nakada worked as a visual effects supervisor and artist on movies like Avatar, The Matrix Revolutions, Terminator 3, and X-Men. But a far earlier special effects film got him interested in filmmaking as a career.  Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Pinar Seyhan Demirdag • Generative AI

May 18, 2023 07:00 - 24 minutes - 33.2 MB

Pinar Seyhan Demirdag is an AI director, multidisciplinary artist, and opinion leader originally from Turkey. In 2020, she founded Seyhan Lee with renowned advertising executive Gary Koepke. Demirdag is on the cutting edge of generative AI and exploring how it can enhance virtual production workflows. Her current project is Cuebric, a generative AI tool for creating virtual production environments instantly.   Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Paul Debevec • Netflix

March 30, 2023 07:00 - 26 minutes - 36.9 MB

Paul Debevec is the Director of Research for Creative Algorithms and Technology at Netflix. A pioneer in new techniques such as photogrammetry and image-based lighting, Debevec's work formed the basis of breakthrough visual effects for movies like The Matrix, Spider-Man, and Avatar. Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Emma Needell

February 23, 2023 08:00 - 22 minutes - 30.4 MB

Emma Needell is an independent writer/director. Her screenwriting skills caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey, who came on to produce her script, The Water Man when Needell was 24 years old. She also completed a short film, Life Rendered, using Unreal Engine and motion capture virtual production techniques which played at the Tribeca Film festival. Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

1899 • Nikolaus Summerer & Udo Kramer

January 20, 2023 00:00 - 25 minutes - 34.6 MB

The Netflix mystery series 1899 is set on a migrant steamship on the high seas and was shot in a giant LED volume in Germany. Writer/producer Jantje Friese and producer/director Baran bo Odar created the show with collaborators, including director of photography Nikolaus Summerer and production designer Udo Kramer. In this special episode, we speak with both Summerer and Kramer about their experiences.  Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Erik Weaver, ETC

December 07, 2022 08:00 - 25 minutes - 34.5 MB

Erik Weaver is a specialist focused on the intersection of cloud computing and the media and entertainment industry. He's currently the director of the Entertainment Technology Center's Adaptive Production project and special projects in Los Angeles. That means he gets to test out new technologies and report to the major movie studios on his findings. Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Brett Leonard

August 31, 2022 15:00 - 25 minutes - 34.9 MB

Brett Leonard is an American film director, producer, and music video director specializing in science fiction and horror. He also hosts a podcast called What the F is the Metaverse. One of Leonard's first films, The Lawnmower Man, is considered the first significant movie to feature virtual reality as a cautionary tale long before our present fascination with all things virtual production.  Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Alex Proyas

July 20, 2022 07:00 - 24 minutes - 34.2 MB

Alex Proyas is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He's best known for directing films like The Crow, Dark City, I Robot, Knowing, and Gods of Egypt. A longtime master of visual effects wizardry, Proyas is currently in pre-production on a horror movie to be shot in an LED volume. The Virtual Production podcast is brought to you by Puget Systems and Blackmagic Design. Please visit Abel Cine and The Virtual Company for all your virtual production needs.   Follow Noah Ka...

Clayton Jacobson • Dreamscreen Australia

June 22, 2022 07:00 - 21 minutes - 29.5 MB

Clayton Jacobson is an award-winning producer/director/writer whose experience spans commercials, documentaries, online content, music videos, and feature films. His debut comedy feature Kenny was a highly acclaimed box office hit, winning the 2006 IF Awards for Best Feature Film and Best Script, and the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Original Screenplay. Jacobson is the founder and CEO of Dreamscreen Australia, Melbourne's largest LED volume.  Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Casey Schatz • The Third Floor

May 11, 2022 07:00 - 24 minutes - 33.7 MB

Casey Schatz is a veteran of virtual production techniques for motion pictures and television. His credits include Avatar, Game of Thrones, Avengers: Age of Ultron,  The Martian, and more. As Head of Virtual Production at The Third Floor, Schatz promotes the design and use of on-set simulcam.  Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Tim Moore • Diamond View Studios

March 03, 2022 08:00 - 25 minutes - 34.4 MB

Tim Moore is a three-time Emmy award-winning director and founder of Diamond View Studios, a creative video agency headquartered in Florida. In 2021, Moore co-founded Vū Technologies, a Virtual Studio Network with LED volumes that can work in tandem over the internet. He is also the author of "Sold On Purpose," a comprehensive guide to purpose-driven marketing, and the founder of the Tampa Foundation, a non-profit focused on inspiring communities through positive public messaging. Follow No...

Kim Libreri

January 12, 2022 08:00 - 23 minutes - 32.9 MB

Kim Libreri began his film career as a software developer for the London-based Computer Film Company. He's known for his work on Super 8, Space Jam, Mission Impossible, and The Matrix trilogy. He also worked at Industrial Light and Magic for several years. Libreri currently serves as Chief Technology Officer for Epic Games.  Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Connie Kennedy • Epic Games

September 22, 2021 07:00 - 25 minutes - 35.6 MB

Connie Kennedy began her career as a Location Manager and Unit Production Manager on various feature films in Canada. She was also an Executive Producer for Profile Studios with a focus on performance capture both for features and videogames. Her credits include Van Helsing, Halo 5, Avengers: Endgame, and The Mandalorian. Kennedy currently heads the L.A. Studio for Epic Games as well as helping with the Unreal Engine Fellowship. Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Rob Bredow • ILM

July 21, 2021 15:00 - 24 minutes - 33.8 MB

Rob Bredow is the Chief Creative Officer of Industrial Light & Magic, the visual effects company founded by George Lucas. Bredow is responsible for the company’s overall creative strategy, technology roadmap, PR, and Marketing. His credits include Independence Day, Godzilla, Stuart Little, Cast Away, Surf’s Up, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and others. Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Darren Hendler • Digital Domain

June 02, 2021 07:00 - 22 minutes - 30.9 MB

Darren Hendler oversees Digital Domain’s Digital Human Group as director. Darren’s team leads the industry in advancements in motion capture, machine learning, and real-time platforms. His credits include Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War, overseeing the creation of Thanos. Other feature films include Beauty and the Beast, FF7, Maleficent, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Golden Compass.  Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Dr. Rosanne Limoncelli and Sang-Jin Bae, NYU

April 07, 2021 07:00 - 21 minutes - 29.6 MB

Dr. Rosanne Limoncelli is the Director of Production for Film and New Media at the Kanbar Institute, Tisch School of the Arts, New York University. Sang-Jin Bae is a senior producer and supervising technical director specializing in commercial and long-form animation from development to delivery in addition to being a professor and academic director at NYU. In this special episode, learn how NYU is exploring and integrating virtual production into their highly revered curriculum.     Follow...

Wes Ball

February 18, 2021 13:00 - 21 minutes - 30.1 MB

Wes Ball is a film director, visual effects artist, and graphic artist. He created a 7-minute short film called A Work in Progress which won a Bronze Medal from the Student Academy Awards in 2003. Ball is also known for directing The Maze Runner trilogy and is currently developing a new Planet of the Apes film. Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Christina Lee Storm

January 14, 2021 11:00 - 18 minutes - 25.5 MB

Producer Christina Lee Storm founded Asher XR, a provider of strategic development, planning, creation, and implementation for virtual production, mixed reality, AR, and VR content. As Vice President at DreamWorks Animation, she led the Advanced Creative Technology group, driving the studio’s motion capture and real-time technology initiatives and business strategy, and advocating for the future of content creation. Storm’s credits include The Artist, Life of Pi, Life After Pi, How to Train ...

Sam Nicholson, ASC

December 18, 2020 01:00 - 20 minutes - 28.4 MB

Sam Nicholson, ASC is a veteran visual effects supervisor and cinematographer. He founded Stargate Studios, a visual effects company always on the cutting edge of virtual production techniques. His credits include Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Max Headroom, 24, and Run.  Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Matt Workman

November 25, 2020 22:00 - 19 minutes - 26.7 MB

Our guest is Matt Workman. Matt Workman is a cinematographer who has filmed music videos for artists like Justin Bieber, 50 Cent, and Diddy and commercials for brands like Facebook, Google, BMW, and L’Oreal.  Matt’s current focus is combining traditional cinematography techniques with real-time graphics and virtual production. You can find him streaming on YouTube about his experiments with Unreal Engine and his own virtual production cinematography app, Cine Tracer. Follow Noah Kadner on L...

Miles Perkins

November 05, 2020 05:00 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MB

Our guest is Miles Perkins from Epic Games. Miles is a member of the Unreal enterprise business development team, responsible for helping bring cutting edge, real-time workflows into the film and television industry.  Miles is also a 23-year veteran of Lucasfilm and ILM, where he worked on a wide range of projects including the Star Wars prequels, the Jurassic Park series, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Iron Man 1 & 2 and is credited on films such as Super 8, Rango, Star Trek, Transfor...

Robert Legato, ASC

October 15, 2020 13:00 - 15 minutes - 12.5 MB

Our guest is virtual production pioneer: Robert Legato, ASC, an award-winning cinematographer, and visual effects supervisor. His credits include Star Trek, Apollo 13, Titanic, Avatar, and The Lion King. Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Sneak Preview

August 01, 2020 01:00 - 1 minute - 962 KB

This is a sneak preview of Virtual Production, a new podcast all about the technology and business behind the innovative filmmaking world of virtual production. In this podcast, you’ll hear from the filmmakers behind Avatar, The Mandalorian, The Avengers, The Lion King, The Jungle Book, and more. Our guests include producers, directors, cinematographers, visual effects supervisors, production designers, and many others. The Virtual Production Podcast is a co-production of The Virtual Compan...