Interviews that focus on the CG creative in visual effects, architecture and beyond. Christopher Nichols of Chaos sits down with directors, artists, photographers and developers for candid discussions on technology and art, all with a focus on computer graphics. Visit chaosgroup.com/cg-garage for more information and an archive of past shows.

You will quickly figure out that, not only is Lou Pecora a good friend of mine, but that I think he is one of greatest guys around. He has been been at Digital Domain for nearly 17 years. During that time, he went from working as a compositor on Super Nova to his first full credit as a VFX supervisor on X-Men: Days of Future Past, where he got nominated for an Oscar. True to Lou he remains humble and proud of the team behind the work.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast13_LouPecora_01.mp3
Category:CGI -- posted at: 10:03pm PDT

Many of you probably know who Vlado is, but I bet many don't know Peter Mitev as well. Peter is the CEO of Chaos Group and started V-Ray with Vlado in 1997. For a long time, the whole company was just the two of them. Today, while there are offices around the world, he has tried to make sure that the company maintains the intimate feeling from their early days. He has a passion for experiencing different cultures, talking to all the different industries, and seeing what makes them different and what they have in common.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast12_PeterMitev_01.mp3
Category:CGI -- posted at: 8:03pm PDT

When Mike Seymour told me that he would be in town for a bit following the Sci-Tech awards at the Oscars, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to hang out, talk about Digital Humans, and do a podcast. As one of the founders of FX Guide and FX PhD, he is at the center of both news and education in the world of VFX. So it was a pretty rare opportunity to turn the tables on him and have him talk about his own background and aspirations.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast11_MikeSeymour_01.mp3
Category:CGI -- posted at: 8:17pm PDT

After chatting and emailing Important Looking Pirates out of Stockholm for a year, I was super excited to hear that Måns Björklund and Niklas Jacobson were going to be in Los Angeles for the VES awards this year for their work on Crossbones. They talk about their past and what led them to start their company back in Sweeden, what it was like to start their studio there, and what has lead them to where they are now. It was great to see them and I can't wait to follow up with them and see what they continue to do.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast_10_ILP.mp3
Category:CGI -- posted at: 5:09pm PDT

It will be very clear that Graham and I are good friend, and that Jay and I have known each other for a while. Both Graham and Jay are from the Institute of Creative Technology, and have worked on facial scanning technology for a long time under Paul Debevec. They are both members of the Digital Human League and working on the Wikihuman project. It is a great conversation about all things ICT, virtual humans, Wikihuman, and more.

Direct download: CGGarage_podcast_09_Graham_Jay.mp3
Category:CGI -- posted at: 4:45pm PDT

There are several people at Chaos Group that have actual Architecture Degrees. We figured that since three of us happen to be in LA at the same time, lets have a chat about it. Corey Rubadue is the Director of our Baltimore Office, Lon Grohs is our Chief Commercial Officer, and Christopher Nichols is the Creative Director. We chat about our history, we chat about how the art of architectural illustration. We chat about how CG changed things and now has become the norm. We even chat about the future.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast8_01.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:13pm PDT

Darren Butler, a long time Blur artist, started his CG career in Archviz. We discuss his background, how he started, and what inspired and pushed him to where he is now a CG Supervisor at Blur. We talk about some of the more recent projects that he has worked on and how is architecture background had an influence on them.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast7_01.mp3
Category:CGI -- posted at: 11:21am PDT

Kevin Margo and Derron Ross have worked together for years, both at Blur, as well as on independent projects. With Kevin as Director, and Derron as an Animation Director, Actor, and even Stunt choreographer, they have both pushed what is possible when it comes to using technology to tell stories. Kevin is also a member of the Chaos Group Labs in the Digital Film League. We discuss their work together on Grounded, CONSTRUCT, and how they have tried to imagine how technology will grow to make the process of going from vision to product a smoother transition.

Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast6_02.mp3
Category:CGI -- posted at: 9:00am PDT