Mon, 3 February 2025
In the special 500th episode of the CG Garage podcast, Steve Preeg, one of the first-ever guests of the show, returns to reflect on a decade of change in the visual effects industry. An Academy Award-winning VFX supervisor known for his groundbreaking work on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and TRON: Legacy, Steve shares how both the industry and his own career have evolved since his last appearance. He delves into advancements in digital humans, motion capture, and AI tools, providing insights into the shifting landscape of technology-driven storytelling and where it’s headed next. The conversation highlights Steve’s contributions to iconic films and the new challenges he faces as he explores innovations in real-time rendering and virtual production. As he reflects on the growth of the podcast and his long-standing friendship with Chris, Steve offers unique advice for aspiring artists navigating the rapidly changing VFX world. This milestone episode celebrates the evolution of both CG Garage and the art of visual effects, showcasing how collaboration and innovation have shaped the industry over the last 10 years. |
Tue, 21 January 2025
Jake Maymudes, visual effects supervisor and CEO of Wylie Co., shares his experiences working on major projects like Dune: Part One, Dune: Part Two, and Alien: Romulus. Jake discusses the creative and technical challenges involved in creating the stunning visuals for these films, from complex simulations to photoreal environments. He also reflects on his journey through the visual effects industry, including early work at ILM and his collaborations with industry titans like Paul Lambert and Eric Barba, who he credits as key influences in his career. The conversation dives into the shifting landscape of visual effects, with Jake exploring the growing role of AI in workflows and its implications for artistry and production. He highlights Wylie Co.'s ability to adapt and thrive by handling diverse projects, from high-profile films to episodic content like The Last of Us. Packed with behind-the-scenes insights, Jake's reflections provide a fascinating glimpse into the evolving art and business of visual effects, emphasizing the importance of collaboration, adaptability, and creative problem-solving. |
Mon, 13 January 2025
Todd Perry, a veteran visual effects supervisor with decades of experience in the industry, shares his journey from his early fascination with Star Wars to becoming a key figure in VFX. Todd discusses how he transitioned from experimenting with stop-motion and early computer graphics to landing his first major jobs at Imageworks and Weta, working on projects like The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. He reflects on pivotal moments in his career, including his work as a CG supervisor on blockbuster films like Age of Ultron, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther. Todd also reveals how he embraced the challenges of remote work early, setting the stage for a future in distributed filmmaking. The conversation dives into the evolution of VFX workflows, the integration of AI, and the balance between practical effects and digital artistry. Todd highlights his role in innovative projects like I’m a Virgo and his involvement in the Oscar-shortlisted live-action short film he recently produced and supervised. Packed with industry insights and advice for aspiring artists, this episode showcases Todd’s adaptability, passion for storytelling, and deep understanding of the tools shaping the future of filmmaking. |
Tue, 8 October 2024
Line producers Debbie Kennard and Ron Eli Cohen discuss their work on the short film Ray Tracing FTW and offer an insider’s perspective on the art of film production. Debbie shares her story, from her beginnings as John Carpenter’s PA on The Thing to becoming a trusted line producer in Hollywood, while Ron talks about transitioning from acting to producing, with credits like The Dark Knight Rises. Together, they break down the vital role of a line producer and provide insight into the world of budgeting, crew management, and creative problem-solving in the film industry. The episode also dives into the technology behind Ray Tracing FTW, exploring how the team utilized virtual production techniques, including LED walls and complex set construction, to craft a visually striking film on a tight budget. Debbie and Ron emphasize the significance of meticulous prep work, strong crew collaboration, and maintaining a balance between creativity and practicality. Through their experiences, listeners gain a better understanding of how a line producer navigates the challenges of modern filmmaking while keeping the vision of the story front and center.
Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast_492_DebbieKennard_RonEliCohen.mp3
Category:VFX -- posted at: 10:33am PST |
Mon, 23 September 2024
Matthias Christen, the main 3D artist from The Scope on Ray Tracing FTW, shares his fascinating journey from traditional analog painting to becoming an expert in 3D and virtual production. Starting with a passion for drawing, Matthias entered the advertising industry, where he honed his skills in Photoshop and Illustrator before transitioning into 3D work. He talks about his growth at The Scope, where he’s been involved in creating cutting-edge car commercials and collaborating with top-tier photographers and filmmakers. Matthias also highlights the challenges and creative satisfaction of working on photorealistic environments that elevate product imagery.
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Mon, 16 September 2024
In this episode, Chris sits down with AJ Wedding, founder of Orbital Studios, to discuss how the Chaos Innovation Lab used his studio to film Ray Tracing FTW using Project Arena. AJ shares how his early fascination with virtual production, inspired by his work on The Mandalorian, led him to launch Orbital Studios during the pandemic. He explains the challenges of building a virtual production studio from scratch, perfecting LED panel technology, and saving productions like Snowfall significant time and money. AJ also explores the advancements in virtual production, discussing AI tools and their impact on giving filmmakers real-time creative control. He highlights the importance of educating producers and DPs on how to maximize this technology’s potential. AJ’s insights show how virtual production is transforming the film industry, making it more accessible to filmmakers of all levels. |
Mon, 9 September 2024
It’s been seven years since Ed Ulbrich last appeared on the CG Garage podcast — and a lot has changed. The man who digitally aged Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and resurrected late rapper 2Pac as an on-stage hologram is now chief content officer and president of production at metaphysic.ai, which is using AI tools to create photorealistic digital humans in real time for movies such as Robert Zemeckis’ Here. Ed breaks down what Metaphysic.ai does, and how it can be used by directors to see live digital doubles while slashing production times and costs. In turn, Ed envisions AI tools turning Hollywood on its head and enabling filmmakers to be more creative on lower budgets. He also highlights some of the challenges of enticing new audiences into theaters and shares what he’s working on next.
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Mon, 26 August 2024
Ian Dawson’s dream of a Jarvis-style computing interface seems to be coming true. This multi-talented CG veteran began his career in graphic design, before moving into producing and creating flying logos throughout the 90s. He then moved into advertising, and title sequences and VFX sequences for movies including the Iron Man trilogy, Star Wars: Rogue One, and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, picking up work in AR and VR along the way. Ian talks through his career and the technology that has helped define it, from the obscenely expensive days of Quantel’s PaintBox and Harry systems, to today’s cheap and accessible VFX software and systems. He gives an interesting update on the state of AR and VR systems, which are undergoing a mini-resurgence thanks to Apple’s Vision Pro and Microsoft’s AI integration in its AR systems. Ian also shares advice about the industry, including the pros and cons of profit sharing. |
Mon, 8 July 2024
Chad Wanstreet and Chris Nichols have experienced similar career trajectories — but this is the first time they’ve sat down together. Like Chris, Chad transitioned from architecture to VFX, and his experience spans working at notable firms including Blur Studio and FuseFX. Along the way, Chad has contributed to projects that pushed the boundaries of visual effects, such as The Sympathizer, SWAT, The Tick, and the short-lived but brilliant Kill the Orange-Faced Bear. Chad discusses the challenges and innovations brought by technological advancements, such as virtual production and real-time ray tracing, and highlights the importance of understanding these tools. Additionally, Chad shares personal anecdotes about the highs and lows of his career, including the struggles during the economic downturn of 2008 and the unexpected opportunities that led him to his current role. |
Mon, 17 June 2024
Over a 40-year career, Joel Hynek has helped bring some incredible VFX to life, beginning with optical effects for Xanadu, then making the Predator a terrifying opponent for Arnie, and moving onto a range of movies, including xXx, Judge Dredd, Stealth, plus blockbusters from India and China. He picked up a sci-tech Oscar for the design and development of an optical printer, and a VFX Oscar for his quietly revolutionary work on What Dreams May Come. Joel shares incredible stories from the world of VFX, including how he developed the Predator’s invisibility cloak and night vision, the scrapes and near-misses he got into while filming Stealth, and reveals some interesting trivia about The Matrix and The Bourne Identity. He also talks about working with industry luminaries including Doug Trumbull, Rob Cohen, Doug Liman, and reveals his impressive lineage. |
Mon, 20 May 2024
While most five-year-olds were playing with Legos and Barbies, Junaid Baig was taking his first steps with 3D Max. From this early start, Junaid developed an incredibly in-depth understanding of 3D, lighting, and rendering from working on VFX for movies, including Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Avengers: Endgame, and Venom. Today, Junaid is head of applied technology at DNEG, where he’s helping pioneer virtual production on films and series including Masters of the Air. Junaid combines his knowledge and passion for technology with deep respect for artists, and he reveals how virtual production — and Chaos’ Project Arena — are changing the way crew and cast can work together to create new worlds for audiences to enjoy. |
Tue, 7 May 2024
Phil Galler is a true virtual production guru. From the nuts and bolts of LED screens to the 3D software that provides the imagery to the business decisions and financial trends that help fund this new wave of VFX filmmaking, Phil understands it all. In this podcast, Phil talks about his history in virtual production, beginning with the innovative projections used to make Oblivion’s sets come to life and continually evolving the tech via Tomorrowland, House of Cards, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Mandalorian, and Bullet Train. Never one to sit still, Phil is leveraging his knowledge of real-time solutions and content to help define the next generation of storytellers. Phil’s holistic understanding of digital entertainment makes this podcast a must-listen. |
Mon, 29 April 2024
Chris MacLean’s incredible career in VFX has transported him from documentaries on Cretaceous dinosaurs to the far-flung future for Foundation, Apple TV+’s bold adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s genre-defining sci-fi novels. Along the way, Chris has created and supervised VFX for movies and TV series, including Crimson Peak, Godless, American Gods, Resident Evil, and many more. Having worked his way up from artist to second-unit director, Chris has a unique perspective on filmmaking and how the crew comes together. Chris also talks about making Foundation, including how they found the series’ extraterrestrial locations here on Earth, avoided blue screens, and even digitally simulated the vintage lenses used on the physical shoot. Chris also shares his informed perspectives on new technology, including Gaussian Splatting, in-camera VFX, and AI. |
Mon, 22 April 2024
Hugo 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 directing. He also tells you why you need to go on-set, talks about the benefits of teaching, gives his thoughts on AI and “invisible” CGI, and reveals the inner workings of YouTube.
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Mon, 11 March 2024
Tram 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 line of VFX, Tram has taken her expertise into project management software for media and entertainment, starting with Autodesk’s Shotgrid and moving to Backlight’s ftrack. Tram talks through her fascinating career, from lugging huge CRTs around Digital Domain’s office, to working with Spike Jonze on his short film “I’m Here,” to the challenges of integrating cutting-edge virtual production technology into traditional VFX pipelines.
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Mon, 4 December 2023
Meet 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 helped him bag an Oscar for Avatar: The Way of Water, and the new AI, rendering, and depth-compositing tools that could get him another statuette. Joe also discusses where he finds inspiration and reveals his passion for fractal computer graphics and astrophotography. |
Mon, 11 September 2023
Jonathan 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 how adding a small addition to a Star Wars Episode I starfighter got him in big trouble, how he got through one of Hellboy’s trickiest shots, and how After Earth’s production took him on helicopter rides and mountainous hikes. |
Tue, 5 September 2023
Ted 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 inspirational career advice and goes into enthusiastic detail on how the team crafted the detailed world of Ted Lasso. |
Mon, 28 August 2023
Andrew 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 working with directors including Tony Kaye, Terry Gilliam, and David Lynch, speaks about how taking risks — including sneaking into a Welsh party — led to career success, and ultimately reveals how he’s found contentment and happiness.
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Mon, 21 August 2023
Apple 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 with CG, and discuss how Google Earth helped them rebuild and reflood New Orleans. They also give an on-set perspective on how AI is changing the industry.
Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast_440_EricDurst_MattWhelan.mp3
Category:VFX -- posted at: 9:49am PST |
Mon, 24 July 2023
Hanno 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-Hulk: Attorney at Law’s protagonist and added realism to the video game The Quarry. Hanno also discusses how real-time technology is improving the entire production process and gives his thoughts on the future of VFX. |
Mon, 17 July 2023
Terrence 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, and how he was called on to review UFO footage for Ancient Aliens. He also talks about his gaming and archviz experiences, and shares some interesting perspectives on AI in education. |
Mon, 12 June 2023
Here'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 with stories about the early days of visual effects. He also highlights the importance of traveling and immersing yourself in new cultures, goes into detail on how Moon Knight turned Budapest into Cairo, and talks a little about his upcoming projects, The Last Voyage of Demeter and Family Leave. |
Mon, 5 June 2023
If 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. Stan reveals what it takes to be a recruiter in the VFX world, from maintaining up-to-date expertise on new technology to understanding how people will fit in at certain companies. If you’re job hunting or headhunting, it’s worth staying with the podcast to the end, where Stan gives crucial advice on how to market yourself in the VFX industry.
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Tue, 30 May 2023
Jeff 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 world’s first 2k light field short. In this podcast, Jeff reminisces about the early days of CafeFX, revealing how the company demonstrated its abilities via a Rocketeer laserdisc, reveals the pros and cons of being based in Santa Maria, and talks about meeting directors including John Hughes, Robert Rodriguez, and Guillermo del Toro. Jeff also discusses his current work at the Light Field Lab, in which he shares one of the company’s goals to make immersive Star Trek Holodeck-style experiences a reality.
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Mon, 22 May 2023
If 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, Isaac reveals how he overcame some of the technical challenges of creating digital humans that work across the platforms of tomorrow and reveals his ultimate goal for the company.
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Mon, 15 May 2023
For 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 talks about how AI and machine learning have been changing things behind the scenes at Digital Domain and how the technology behind its Digi Doug and Digi Zoe projects is helping create the perfect digital double.
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Mon, 24 April 2023
With 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 prefers to work in camera and on location over bluescreen or virtual production sets. They reveal the feats of stamina and endurance performed by star Keanu Reeves, share how to hit someone with a car or set them on fire without hurting him, and discuss the creative decisions behind the film’s incredible 1,500 invisible VFX shots.
Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast_423_Janelle_and_Jonathon.mp3
Category:VFX -- posted at: 8:02am PST |
Mon, 17 April 2023
Over 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 some of the important lessons he’s learned from being in the industry and gives his thoughts on how machine learning, cloud, and gaming technology will reshape the way movies are made.
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Mon, 3 April 2023
Inspired by scary movies to pursue a career in the film industry, Molly Pabian has worked her way up to head of studio at VFX company Crafty Apes. Along the way, she’s worked on over 100 movies and TV shows, including Avatar, Real Steel, Star Trek: Picard, The Last of Us, 1923, John Wick: Chapter 4, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Molly talks about her roles and responsibilities as she’s risen up the ranks. She also discusses the differences between working at big and small companies on 2D and 3D shots, how the bidding and budgeting processes work, and the effects of the pandemic and AI on the VFX industry. If you’re about to start in VFX, this podcast is an essential primer on its inner workings.
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Mon, 27 March 2023
Almost every major recent and upcoming film and TV series has had THE THIRD FLOOR involved in the visualization stage — and beyond. Recent productions include Avatar: The Way of Water, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and The Mandalorian season 3. This week, Co-founder and CEO of THE THIRD FLOOR, Chris Edwards, reflects on his 20-plus years of experience in the VFX industry. He also discusses how crucial visualization has become in the movie-making process and reveals how his colleagues Casey Schatz and Ryan Champney developed the Eyeline system, which enabled Avatar actors to convincingly interact with one another even if their performances were separated by time and space. This episode is an unprecedented insight into what goes on behind the scenes of movies — and you’ll even learn how THE THIRD FLOOR got its name. |
Mon, 20 March 2023
Philipp Wolf has always had a passion for storytelling. He began his career in journalism, then helped shape stories for the reality TV show Big Brother before moving into visual effects production on movies and TV series, including Game of Thrones, Ghost in the Shell, and The Predator. Today, Philipp works at DNEG in Montreal, where his credits include Dune, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, Altered Carbon, and The Battle at Lake Changjin. As well as discussing his incredible career, Philipp details his role in the RealTime Society and how he’s helping the industry tap into more diverse pools of talent. He also talks about the effects of the pandemic on the industry, and he offers some interesting thoughts on virtual production, AI, and what’s needed to take the metaverse to the next level.
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Mon, 6 March 2023
James Blevins has been involved in pretty much every step of the filmmaking process, from driving vehicles to virtual production. Films he’s contributed to include Waterworld, Armageddon, Pleasantville, and, most impressive of all, Space Jam. He’s also worked at some of Hollywood’s biggest studios, including Disney, Netflix, Amazon, and LucasFilm for virtual production on The Mandalorian. In this podcast, James delves into some funny stories from behind the scenes of movies, including Crimson Tide, Armageddon, and Pleasantville. He also gives an interesting perspective on the emergence of AI and talks about MESH, the virtual production consultancy company he set up. He also goes into detail about the Hollywood Professional Association and its Tech Retreat — which is where Chris recorded this podcast. |
Tue, 21 February 2023
Becoming VFX supervisor on HBO’s The Last of Us has fulfilled a lifelong dream for movie and game fan Alex Wang. In this podcast, Alex tells Chris about his journey to this hugely prestigious position via his work on movies including The Day After Tomorrow, Sin City, Tron: Legacy, Deadpool, Fast & Furious 8, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Dominion, and Terminator: Dark Fate. Alex also shares some of the key lessons he’s learned throughout his career, including whether it’s better to work on animation or VFX, how working in-house compares to being employed by a studio, and the benefits of technical versus artistic knowledge. Chris and Alex also discuss the growing prevalence of AI in the VFX industry.
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Mon, 13 February 2023
Much has changed since Mike Seymour last guested on the CG Garage podcast almost six years ago. Not only has the VFX sage and digital humans expert become Dr. Mike, thanks to his doctorate from the University of Sydney, but the entire industry is facing a seismic shift thanks to neural networks and artificial intelligence. Or is it? In this podcast, Chris and Mike consider the idea that the latest changes in VFX, art, and technology could just be the next step in a continuous evolutionary process. Mike also talks about his work on The Champion, a Netflix film that used neural rendering to seamlessly put English words in the mouths of Polish actors, which sparks a related conversation about the relationship between technology and acting. |
Mon, 6 February 2023
Jonathan Egstad knows Nuke like few others. He started working with the compositing software at Digital Domain, where he developed a 3D subsystem and bagged an Academy Award, before moving to the pioneering animation studio Image Movers. Subsequently, he joined Dreamworks Animation (formerly PDI) to help integrate Nuke into its compositing pipeline. In this podcast, Jonathan demonstrates the rare combination of artistic and technical talents that have made him one of the most respected names in the CG industry. He discusses his first jobs at DD on Apollo 13, how the company upgraded Nuke to handle Titanic’s epic shots, and he reminisces with Chris about faking ray tracing for I, Robot. He wraps up with details on his new role at Foundry and what’s in store for Nuke. |
Mon, 30 January 2023
Meats Meier is a unique combination of artist and technical director. Not only does he create incredible biomechanical pieces with ZBrush, but he’s also advanced VFX via projects including Hellboy and The Day After Tomorrow. More recently, Meats has art-directed virtual production for Obi-Wan Kenobi and Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. In this balanced conversation, recorded in person at Meats’ Yucca Valley residence, the artist discusses his background in computer graphics and then delves into some of the questions rapid advances in AI art pose: Is it ethical? Will it steal artists’ jobs? And what does it mean for the future? |
Mon, 23 January 2023
Chris has interviewed many VFX supervisors and directors on the podcast, but it’s rare to meet someone who does both. Not only does Yuval Levy direct (and creative direct) commercials for the likes of BMW, Ford, and Microsoft, but he’s also VFX supervised a wide variety of Hollywood films, including The Adjustment Bureau, Smile, and Tower Heist. Yuval and Chris dive deep into the world of car commercials, discussing the benefits of shooting in the real world versus using CG. You’ll learn what makes Nascar vehicles unusual, the secrets of Emily Blunt’s dancing in The Adjustment Bureau, plus what a U-Crane is (and was). Yuval finishes with a little insight on upcoming movies Beau is Afraid and The Nickel Boys, plus his thoughts on advances in AI. |
Tue, 17 January 2023
Andrew Bardusk is a humble legend of the VFX industry. He started as a dustbuster on movies, then moved to compositing for Medium and Once Upon a Time and effects supervision on Arrow. Today, Andrew serves as visual effects supervisor on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Andrew talks about how streaming services have revolutionized Zoic’s wheelhouse of episodic work and how demands for 4K HDR content have made small-screen effects more cinematic. Andrew also discusses working from home and going on-set, and he breaks down creating an octopus attack for Legends of Tomorrow. |
Mon, 9 January 2023
Digital humans are back on the podcast! This week, Chris is joined by (real humans) Culley Bunker and Richard Kidd, a pair of VFX veterans who have given stars the beauty treatment and worked on dozens of movies. They’re part of the team that formed Prototype, a new company that specializes in creating digital humans, using machine learning to perfect them for cutting-edge projects. Chris, Culley, and Richard discuss the latest in digital humans, including advancements in facial capture, avoiding the uncanny valley, and how digidoubles can be used for everything from entertainment (such as Abba’s Voyage show) to personal assistants. It’s still a hugely exciting and innovative field within VFX, and we can’t wait to see what Prototype comes up with. |
Tue, 3 January 2023
2023 gets off to a flying start with this podcast guest: Evan Jacobs, who has become a critical part of Marvel Studios’ VFX pipeline. Before joining Marvel, Evan created miniature submarines for The Hunt for Red October, herded digital cockroaches in Silent Hill, extended sets for Olympus has Fallen, and converted Alice in Wonderland and Conan the Barbarian to 3D. Evan talks about creating visual effects on low budgets and how he found his niche role at Marvel. He discusses the advantages of working with HDR technology, what makes some films suitable for stereoscopic conversion, whether 3D is still important to global audiences, and taking notes from Sam Raimi on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. |
Mon, 21 November 2022
Crafty Apes’ Sean M. Ritchie and Chris Cook have seen changes in the VFX industry first-hand. The CG Supervisors both began their careers in architectural visualization before moving into VFX for movies and TV including The Walking Dead, Gravity, Once Upon a Time, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2, and Dune. Now, Sean and Chris work at Crafty Apes, the prolific VFX studio that’s delivered effects for Spirited, The Orville, Star Trek: Discovery, and many more. Sean and Chris shed light on what separates Crafty Apes from other effects houses, the effects of the pandemic and streaming on the industry, and how they nurture young talent. They also discuss the pros and cons of new technology such as real-time engines and AI-driven art generators. |
Mon, 7 November 2022
Break out the Martini, the CG Garage Podcast is 400 episodes old! To celebrate its quatercentenary, Chris has attracted a very special guest star: director Scott Leberecht, whose new documentary, Jurassic Punk, explores the impact VFX pioneer Steve Williams had on the movie industry via films including The Abyss, Terminator 2, Jurassic Park, and Spawn. In doing so, Scott sheds light on the turbulent history of VFX, including how studios present themselves and their work, the knock-on effect of Jurassic Park on movies, and how Williams’ creative genius and outspoken personality caused friction with the corporate world. What’s impressive is that even after 400 episodes, Chris is still uncovering fascinating new stories and exciting perspectives on VFX — and there are sure to be plenty more. |
Mon, 31 October 2022
Could Muse’s “You Make Me Feel Like It's Halloween” become the soundtrack for the spooky season? The legendary rock band’s song is packed with references to classic horror tales, and the music video brings the lyrics to life (or should that be death?) with a spooktacular trip into a deeply haunted house. In this podcast the video’s director, Tom Teller discusses the creative process behind the promo, from collaborating with the band and coming up with ideas, to its final execution with V-Ray rendering. Tom also talks about founding his company, Frame 48, finding clients, AI and art, and his exciting upcoming projects with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. |
Mon, 3 October 2022
Taking part in a CG Garage podcast has been on Oliver Markowski’s bucket list for some time — and with good reason. The self-proclaimed VFX geek has a lot to talk about in this lively and honest conversation with Chris, from his work on movies including Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2, Spectre, and Black Panther, to how new file formats and pipelines are making it easy for vendors to collaborate on visual effects. Oliver reminisces about his early days in computing and VFX, when 3D Studio came on 40 floppy disks and you needed a whole book to learn how to use it. He also discusses the pros and cons of a career in VFX, from SIGGRAPH 2007’s infamous Autodesk party to the importance of taking occasional breaks. Finally, Oliver discusses the incredible neural rendering technology he’s looking forward to. |
Mon, 19 September 2022
An epic career deserves an epic podcast. During Garman Herigstad's 35-year journey in CG, the Houdini wizard has traveled to over 30 countries and worked on everything from real estate commercials in Bangkok to Disney videogames and Hollywood movies. At the same time, he’s taught at prestigious institutions, including Savannah College of Art and Design and Gnomon, and he even completed his most recent degree in his 60s. Garman recounts his humble beginnings in greetings cards, through to economic highs and lows in Asia. He talks about his VFX work, including researching global weather patterns for a time-lapse sequence in The Time Machine, immersing George Clooney in Houdini-generated water for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and working on Black Adam. Garman also shares valuable lessons on managing time and the importance of keeping notes. The episode ends with a particularly touching story of what inspired 52½ Feet, his autobiographical screenplay. |
Mon, 29 August 2022
VFX supervising Stranger Things is the latest in a series of remarkable achievements for Justin Mitchell. After trying his hand at acting and lighting, Justin moved into animation and VFX, scoring credits on Charmed and Final Destination 2. In 2008, Justin joined Scanline VFX, where he’s worked on a succession of incredible projects, including 2012, Super 8, Iron Man 3, Tomb Raider, Cosmos, and The Nevers. Justin talks about how he’s seen the industry shift since he started working in it, with Scanline expanding from 10 to 1,300 people, and the emergence of streaming platforms, virtual production, and artificial intelligence. He also reveals how he’s learned to lead a team and explains how he uses Scanline’s proprietary software to create and revise shots according to directors’ wishes. |
Mon, 15 August 2022
Isaac Irvin’s incredible VFX industry adventures have taken him across countries and over oceans. From enthusiastic beginnings at Texan TV stations, he moved to Scotland to work on TV series and game cinematics, before returning to the States to flit between studios including Digital Domain, Method, Marauder, and Psyop on projects such as Speed Racer, Iron Man 3, Robocop, and more. Today, Isaac has taken his big-screen VFX experience to the fast-paced, tech-heavy world of commercials. He talks about evolving from the limitations of software in the early days of VFX, to Real Steel’s perfect pipeline, up to the seemingly limitless possibilities of real-time rendering. He also talks about a nerve-wracking meeting at DD, and how he joined a particular VFX house at exactly the wrong time. Isaac is open and funny, and it’s clear that he’s lost none of his initial enthusiasm for all things VFX. |
Mon, 1 August 2022
Sean Devereaux has fulfilled his childhood dream of making movies, and he started and sold a software company along the way. After being inspired by a viewing of The Wizard of Oz, Sean got a break at Digital Domain thanks to fellow alumni Jonathan Egstad. After working on movies including How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Vanilla Sky, he returned to Boston to found Zero VFX, which has created shots for American Hustle, The Equalizer, and Patriots Day. Sean also discovered the financial and practical benefits of cloud computing, leading to the development of Zync, which was subsequently bought by Google. Sean reflects on his incredible career with contagious enthusiasm and a knack for storytelling. He recounts some great stories involving directors Peter Berg and Antoine Fuqua, and reveals how his work ethic helped him get hired by Digital Domain. He also reveals some of the important life lessons he’s learned, from how to balance creativity and finances, to how to deal with directors. |
Mon, 25 July 2022
After getting on-set experience for a Canadian TV series, Mathew Giampa picked up compositing roles on White Noise 2, Sucker Punch, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Green Lantern, and more. He then moved up to progressively more challenging VFX supervision work on The Joker (yes, there were visual effects in that movie!), Black Widow, The Suicide Squad, and the Cowboy Bebop TV series. Mathew talks about the joy of invisible VFX, moving between studios and countries to further his career, and some of the incredible projects he’s worked on. He also dispels some of the myths about the importance of color accuracy and security when working on Hollywood productions, and offers a compositor’s perspective on virtual production and real-time. |
Mon, 11 July 2022
Thinking about starting your own VFX company? This week’s podcast guest, Marc Morissette, has done just that. After gaining experience and friendships at Digital Domain on projects including Peter Pan and Ghost Racer, Marc returned to his native Canada to form his own studio, Cluster. The company has taken on a variety of CG work, from a VR version of the Universal Studios globe for The Mummy to product shots and digital de-aging. Marc explains the reasons behind starting Cluster and his vision for the company. He also talks about how the VFX industry changed when multiple vendors started working on the same shows, and the effects of the pandemic on smaller studios. Finally, Marc discusses how real-time technology will transform the future of filmmaking, and its advantages for smaller studios. |
Mon, 27 June 2022
Eddie Smith is a MacGyver of the VFX industry. Over his career, he’s figured out how to unveil the president as the bad guy for G.I. Joe: Retaliation, explode characters into cubes for Tron: Legacy, destroy planets in Ender’s Game, all the way up to some spoiler-ific effects for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Eddie’s weapon of choice for VFX is Houdini, SideFX’s versatile node-based effects software. Eddie breaks down some of his favorite work and reveals how he’s often charged with figuring out the best way to tackle complex scenes. He also talks about how effects software has changed in his 14 years at Digital Domain, and the future for the industrious effects studio. |
Mon, 25 April 2022
This week’s podcast guest, Barbara Ford Grant, is particularly inspirational. Barbara’s pursuit of fine art led her into VFX, where she worked her way through companies including DreamWorks Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Digital Domain, Walt Disney Studios, and immersive art platform Meow Wolf. She carved an enviable career path during this time, from digital artist to chief technology officer. Today, Barbara is president of Prysm Stages, a state-of-the-art virtual production facility, and she’s just become the first female chair of the Sci-Tech Oscar Awards Committee. In this podcast, she details her career and how she’s continually pushed VFX technology and pipelines forward. She also reveals why HBO’s content is so good, what exactly Meow Wolf does, and the changes needed for women to thrive in the VFX industry. |
Mon, 11 April 2022
After being inspired by Star Wars to pursue a career in VFX, Andrew Orloff became a technical director on South Park and worked on Joss Whedon’s (un)holy trinity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly. After founding Zoic Studios, he’s gone on to serve as VFX supervisor and creative director on some of TV’s biggest shows, including Once Upon a Time, The 100, Fringe, and For All Mankind. In this podcast, Andrew talks Chris through the evolution of VFX technology and techniques, from huge Silicone Graphics workstations and renting blade servers to the latest real-time technology for pre-viz and VFX and cloud rendering. You’ll find out how tax incentives work when most of your team works from home, how he collaborates with creatives on big shows — and he answers the burning question of whether working on streaming series is more like TV or film. April is Autism Acceptance Month, and Chaos is highlighting some of the upcoming graduates of Exceptional Minds, an academy and studio for neurodiverse young adults. This week, we have Andrew Rosengard, who will be graduating with an emphasis in VFX. You can check out his work on Creatively.
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Mon, 21 March 2022
Jill Smolin has seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Early computer graphics techniques on Amiga computers. CG breakthroughs at Digital Domain. Mind-blowing stereoscopy techniques in filmmaking and the advent of ultra-high-definition streamed content. All these memories will be discussed in this podcast. Jill also talks about her background in theater and how a Canadian CG character drew her into the world of VFX, where she worked and taught Gnomon, Cinesite, Digital Domain. Jill also became important behind-the-scenes as a volunteer at SIGGRAPH, bringing in top Hollywood talent to discuss how they advanced VFX. It’s a touching podcast in which Jill demonstrates an in-depth technical knowledge coupled with a genuine fondness for the many people with whom she’s worked. |
Mon, 7 March 2022
Stine Sørensen and Jonas Ussing have got your VFX needs covered. With a background in animation, Stine is able to create and rig characters, while Jonas can handle the 3D pipeline. They’ve worked on everything from award-winning games to Hollywood movies to frenetic videogame trailers. But, they also happen to be a husband-and-wife team with two children. In this podcast, Stine and Jonas — aka Space Office VFX — talk about how The Little Mermaid and The Empire Strikes Back inspired their careers and the differences between movies made in their native Denmark and the USA. They also delve into how a fast internet connection and Chaos Cloud have made it possible for them to work with freelancers from a rural location in Denmark. |
Tue, 22 February 2022
![]() Aliens and The Terminator inspired Mariana Acuña Acosta to get into movie-making — and now, she’s on the cutting edge of new production methods. After working on movies including The Day After Tomorrow, Planet Terror, and Green Lantern, Mariana joined Foundry’s Media and Production department. She then founded JoltVR to create virtual reality experiences, and Glassbox Technologies, which specializes in the unique toolset used for virtual production. Mariana talks Chris through the past, present, and future of filmmaking, from rubbing shoulders with stunt people on-set through to the enticing promise of creating movies within the metaverse. She dives into the Glassbox’s Dragonfly virtual camera, which enables directors to explore sets and shoot films in virtual environments. She also offers her thoughts on how gaming companies are changing the movie-making process. |
Mon, 24 January 2022
Peter Baustaedter’s Hollywood career is an adventure worthy of a movie. After cracking the demoscene in Austria, he took a chance and wrote to Digital Domain — only for them to offer him a job. From here, he worked on a string of movies with groundbreaking VFX: Apollo 13, Dante’s Peak, The Fifth Element, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Sin City, King Kong, and Avatar. In this extraordinary episode, Peter explains the minor role Arnold Schwarzenegger played in his career, discusses the dangerous world of practical effects in the mid-90s, and reveals why the power kept tripping at Square Pictures’ Hawaiian production facility. Peter also talks about stepping up to become a visual effects art director and shares tidbits on using Unreal Engine to produce a major upcoming TV series from Amazon Studios. |
Mon, 3 January 2022
In this episode, we get a deep dive into the efficiencies of Goodbye Kansas’ pipeline, and how they grew their team from 4 to 12 TDs. Dan and Erik discuss how they started using V-Ray for Houdini, Solaris, and Hydra. They explain how USD is not just a new file format, but a complete change in the way people think about pipelines. We get into a lot of technical details about the advantages of USD, including how it can carry a lot of different data including lighting and shading. We also discuss how today, pipelines are more interested in using and supporting open-source initiatives compared to how they used to have to write their own proprietary solutions. It is a very technical discussion, but also a great way to kick off 2022 as we consider the future of the VFX pipeline. |
Mon, 13 December 2021
This week, Chris meets Nathan Millsap, a humble but hugely enthusiastic CG generalist. Nathan’s career began as a “render monkey” for Chris at Sway, and since then he’s gone on to work at 19 effects studios on movies including 2012, Avatar, and Transformers: Age of Extinction. Today, Nathan is working on TV series for prestigious LA studio, GhostVFX. In this podcast, Nathan talks through his life and career so far, from how Toy Story inspired him to pursue VFX, to his early days at Sway, moving to Singapore to fix shots on Transformers: Age of Extinction, and then returning to LA to raise his family. He gives his thoughts on why TV is taking over from theaters, talks about his favorite projects, and shares tales of working with directors including Roland Emmerich and Joe Kosinski. |
Mon, 6 December 2021
Jelmer Boskma is livin’ the VFX dream. Originally hailing from the Netherlands, he moved to Vancouver to go to film school and became interested in character modeling. Jelmer then picked up work as a modeler on movies including Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and District 9. With Tron: Legacy, he became a matte painter, then moved up to art direction on Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and VFX supervision on Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Eternals. Jelmer tells Chris about his career highlights, from early encouragement from practical effects wizard Rick Baker to working alongside directors including Robert Rodriguez and Tim Burton. He also talks about how love blossomed in the VFX industry, discusses the pros and cons of working remotely, and shares some of the important life lessons he’s learned. |
Mon, 8 November 2021
Kofi Opoku-Ansah and Daniel Mark Miller have both found interesting routes to becoming successful VFX artists. Kofi was inspired by Final Fantasy to pursue a career in gaming, but working at The Mill ignited his passion for VFX. Daniel, meanwhile, toyed with becoming an editor before getting into compositing via the advertising industry. Together, Kofi and Daniel host The VFX Artists Podcast, which uses their wide range of industry contacts to record engaging, funny, and advice-packed podcasts. In this conversation with Chris, they give lots of valuable ideas about starting in VFX and how the industry works. Kofi also reveals how his three-year-old inspired him to set up the podcast, while Daniel details “Broken Toy,” his Black Mirror-esque short film. |
Mon, 25 October 2021
Steve Griffith’s impressive IMDb page includes The Matrix sequels, Captain America: The First Avenger, Ant-Man, the Watchmen TV series, Jungle Cruise, and many more blockbusters. Over the course of 20 years, he’s gone from intern to VP of Production at Legend, taking in stints at major VFX studios including Rodeo FX, MPC, Luma Pictures, Atomic Fiction, and Digital Domain. In this podcast, Chris and Steve reminisce about some of the projects they worked on together, including I, Robot and Stealth, before tackling the current state of the visual effects industry. They track the evolution of virtual production from Gravity and Oblivion to Murder on the Orient Express and The Mandalorian and discuss how real-time and AI are changing the way studios |
Mon, 18 October 2021
Jack Evans’ illustrious VFX career has taken him to some of the biggest studios in LA and Vancouver, including Digital Domain, ILM, Disney, and Image Engine Design. His impressive roster of credits includes lighting on Speed Racer, TRON: Legacy, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Fast & Furious 8, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Mandalorian, and Aquaman. In this entertaining podcast, Jack talks about his career so far, from his early days of creating TV graphics with Photoshop and 3ds Max to learning Nuke, V-Ray, and Gaffer. He also discusses working from home in the pandemic, goes into depth on shots for TRON: Legacy and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and gives insight into different cultures at visual effects houses. |
Mon, 11 October 2021
V-Ray won an Emmy! And joining Chris this week is Craig Weiss, a committee member on the board for the Engineering Emmy Awards. Craig explains how Chaos’ rendering engine has changed the way TV VFX are made and why the board chose it to win this prestigious award. Craig also delves into his role as CBS VFX’s executive creative director, from his humble beginnings in stop-motion animation to the high-resolution, cinema-quality CG home audiences have come to expect. It’s a fascinating journey into the past, present, and future of the technology that helps bring stories to life. |
Mon, 20 September 2021
Real-time CG is quickly taking over the film industry — but learning about its virtual cameras, lenses, and sets can be tricky. Tackling this is “Becoming a CG Pro,” an online virtual production course aimed at filmmakers and CG artists hosted by Edward Dawson-Taylor and Jacqueline Cooper, a pair of VFX industry pros with credits on Jurassic World, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King. In this podcast, Edd and (returning guest) Jackie talk to Chris about what he learned through taking the course, and how virtual filmmaking brings back on-set collaboration and puts CG tools in the hands of traditional filmmakers. They also discuss the history of filmmaking, from Eadweard Muybridge to The Matrix, and the applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the real world. |
Tue, 7 September 2021
Ruairidh “Roo” MacNeill’s love for 3D modeling began with sandcastles in Lightwave—and now, he’s working in London on blockbusters including Thor: Ragnarok, Alita: Battle Angel, and Wonder Woman 1984. In this podcast, Roo brings fresh insight into the trends reshaping the way VFX are produced, with procedural tools such as Houdini removing the industry’s reliance on hard-surface modelers. Roo gives some candid tips about working in VFX, including his thoughts on getting a VFX-related degree, the importance of attending dailies, and why he’s on a race to the bottom of Rotten Tomatoes scores. He also dives into why he loves Modo—and talks about taking a rabbit across European borders. |
Mon, 23 August 2021
Liz Montes bumped into someone at an LA party—and landed a job at Digital Domain. Here, she worked alongside Chris on movies including Real Steel and Oblivion. Then she moved to visualization specialist The Third Floor, where she worked as a production manager and producer on blockbusters including Edge of Tomorrow, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Avengers: Endgame. In this podcast, Liz talks about how The Third Floor’s expertise in previs has made it a perfect fit for the emerging world of virtual production. She delves into how The Mandalorian’s immersive set, Volume, helped the cast and crew create incredible worlds in real-time. She also discusses The Third Floor’s work on Loki, how gaming graduates are taking over VFX, and how working from home has changed the industry. |
Mon, 16 August 2021
Chris Harvey’s brief encounters in biology and theater set him up perfectly for a thriving career in VFX. After taking an animation course, he went on to work on movies such as Chappie, TRON: Legacy, and Zero Dark Thirty. Then, he helped Neill Blomkamp launch independent production company Oats Studios and now he works as a freelance VFX supervisor. In this podcast, Chris talks about striking a balance between working hard and raising a family. He shares the lessons he learned from working at the ahead-of-its-time Oats Studios, covers how easy it is to tighten pipelines and make filmmaking more efficient—and reveals why Neill Blomkamp’s new production house is called Stability. You’ll also find out about Chris’ upcoming sci-fi film projects, including Neill Blomkamp’s Demonic, and 65, from the team behind A Quiet Place. |
Tue, 6 July 2021
After making stop-motion videos as a kid and studying furniture design, Ross Denner found his way into VFX via stints at Bermuda Shorts and The Mill. He then moved from London to Los Angeles to work for MPC and now lives in New York, where he helped set up boutique studio ArtJail. Ross talks about how SideFX’s versatile Houdini software is usurping Maya in traditional pipelines and empowering smaller VFX houses. He also gives invaluable advice on getting hired by VFX studios and what to do when you start, and he and Chris talk about working with dyslexia. |
Tue, 1 June 2021
Originally hailing from Russia, Dmitry Vinnik's love for CG computer game cutscenes inspired him to learn 3D Studio and study at Vancouver Film School. He’s gone on to work on VFX projects big and small, including Battlestar Galactica, Tron: Legacy, Final Destination 5, and Game of Thrones. Throughout his career, Dmitry has embraced technology and encouraged studios to use V-Ray—with spectacular results. This podcast serves as a deep dive into the past, present, and future of rendering technology, covering everything from 286s in the mid-90s to the versatile, superpowered hardware that powers today's CGI. |
Mon, 12 April 2021
This week’s podcast tells the fascinating story of Doug Wilkinson, who worked with Chris on Tron: Legacy and is now head of CG at global creative company Buck. Inspired by Jurassic Park, Doug helped create cutscenes for video games before moving from Boston to LA to join effects companies including Digital Domain, Sway and Buck. Doug recounts his numerous adventures in visual effects, including creating a David Fincher-directed Heineken ad starring Brad Pitt, working with Joe Kosinski on car commercials, and his latest work, including Apple’s “Share Your Gifts” spot. Doug also shares his thoughts on the CG industry's future, talks about how Buck balances creative freedom with technical innovation and reveals surprising connections to Chris’ friends and co-workers. |
Tue, 6 April 2021
Over the past 15 years, Matan Abel has worked on lots of cutting-edge VFX projects, including the game Call of Duty, numerous car commercials and movies such as 2012, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Last Airbender, Red Tails and Fast & Furious 5. Now, Matan’s getting into real-time via John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum’s virtual pre-production and The Mandalorian’s virtual sets. In this podcast, Matan tells former boss Chris how his laid-back approach and honesty have helped his career trajectory. He talks about how he loves lighting tail lights despite knowing nothing about cars; overcoming cultural, linguistic and time barriers when he worked in China; and the practical and financial reasons behind the rise of real-time in movies. |
Mon, 22 March 2021
Joining Chris for this week’s podcast are old pals and seasoned professionals Leighton Greer and Paul Ghezzo. Having met Chris at VFX studio Sway, Leighton and Paul have worked for Rhythm and Hues, Zoic and Scanline. Today, they’ve been reunited at Technicolor, which produces visual effects alongside traditional post-production fixes for shows including Star Trek: Picard, Westworld, Snowfall and Bridgerton. Leighton, Paul and Chris reminisce about work they’ve done in the past, including Scion ads for demanding directors and the physics of power sliding minivans. More importantly, the trio shares the important lessons they’ve learned from one another. Leighton and Paul also discuss some of their upcoming projects, including Firefly Lane, Reservation Dogs and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as well as Technicolor’s acquisition by the increasingly large Streamland Media. |
Tue, 16 February 2021
Christian Debney’s incredible career began awesomely and has only become more awesome: his first job was building lightsaber props for Star Wars: Episodes I and II. After learning 3D for his own short films, he created VFX for Farscape, directed music videos, made animations for the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony, set up a VFX firm and second-unit-directed little-known but much-loved Australian comedy Swinging Safari. Phew! Now, Christian is putting his 20-plus years of experience in the movie industry to good use as VFX supervisor on sci-fi thriller Ascendant and as director of three films (one in VR) and a documentary. In this podcast, Christian talks about his career so far and shares tips and anecdotes about how he’s learned to create great work within budgetary and time constraints. |
Mon, 1 February 2021
Over the past 30 years, Habib Zargarpour has helped create some of the most innovative and iconic VFX shots in cinema and pioneered virtual production. Beginning with The Mask’s eye-popping protagonist, Habib went on to instigate Twister and The Perfect Storm’s freak weather conditions, race pods for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and use game-engine technology to build The Jungle Book and Blade Runner 2049’s captivating worlds. Today, Habib works as head of film development at Digital Monarch Media, a division of Unity Technologies. He deep-dives into how he helped director Denis Villeneuve and DoP Roger Deakins explore LA 2049’s wastelands, and details the physics of pod racers. For VFX fans, this podcast is a treat from start to finish. |
Mon, 2 November 2020
Returning podcast guest Lou Pecora was inspired by the Haunted Mansion ride, Star Wars, Sinbad and his love of taking things apart to pursue a career in VFX. His first work was creating morphs for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and he’s gone on to work on big-budget movies and TV shows at Digital Domain and now Zoic. In this epic discussion, Lou breaks down some of the challenges that he’s faced recently, from transforming a straitjacket into a man for Legion to a nightmare-inducing shot for Lucy in the Sky and COVID-19 shutting down production on Fargo. He also talks about how his career is progressing, how he’s stayed upbeat and kept himself busy during the lockdown, and he delves into the pros and cons of real-time production methods. |
Mon, 26 October 2020
This week’s podcast guest, Scott Meadows, is the crown prince of previz. After graduating in architecture from Texas A&M University, Scott found his way into VFX as part of a two-man team working on the previz of Michael Bay’s Bad Boys II in 2002 — and he’s now Head of Visualization and Virtual Production at Digital Domain. In this fascinating interview, Scott shares tales and tips from previz on movies including The Chronicles of Narnia series, Tron: Legacy, Ender’s Game, Black Panther, Ready Player One and the upcoming West Side Story. He talks about how he works with directors such as Steven Spielberg and Joe Kosinski, what post-viz is, and how real-time is revolutionizing the way movies are made — via Xbox controllers and iPhones. |
Mon, 12 October 2020
Recently released on Netflix, The Babysitter: Killer Queen is director McG’s gory follow-up to his equally bloody 2017 comedy-horror, The Babysitter. Assisting with the blood, guts and mayhem this time is Crafty Apes, a rising studio that’s crafted effects for movies and TV series including Stranger Things, Thor: Ragnarok and Birds of Prey. Joining Chris are Crafty Apes’ Executive VFX Producer Matt Akey and VFX Supervisor Aldo Ruggiero. As well as talking about working with McG on The Babysitter: Killer Queen’s invisible and very visible effects, they discuss where Crafty Apes fit into the overall scheme of effects houses, photogrammetry versus LIDAR, why they love working for streaming services and how they’re integrating virtual production into their future plans. |
Mon, 21 September 2020
Asuka Tohda-Kinney was inspired by Titanic to pursue a career in visual effects — and she now works for Digital Domain, the studio that helped bring James Cameron's blockbuster to life. Her first role at the company was on I, Robot, as an intern to Chris himself, and she went on to work on pipelines and lighting for movies, including Stealth, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Ender's Game. Today, Asuka works in Digital Domain's dedicated digital humans department, where she's swapped heads for The Twilight Zone and TIME Magazine's Martin Luther King Jr. VR project, which even graced the magazine's cover. Asuka talks in detail about Japan's working culture, how DD helped her adjust to new languages, motherhood and lockdown — and how her coding prowess and creative skills help her solve problems. |
Tue, 8 September 2020
Throughout his career, Jose Gomez has blended entrepreneurship with creativity. After founding and selling a skateboard clothing firm, he discovered a passion for motion graphics and animation. He then started his own creative production company, Shilo, then joined Reel FX to form ATK PLN, a company specialized in design, animation and live-action. Jose presents some interesting points on the modern motion graphics and commercials industry. He reveals how the prevalence of software has made it easier to create great visuals but harder to stand out and how he sees commercials evolving alongside livestreamed media. There’s also a neat final-act twist as Jose and Chris work out where they’ve met before. |
Mon, 17 August 2020
Aron Hjartarson originally dreamed of being a rockstar — but he became more fascinated with CG and 3D. After founding a studio in his native Iceland he created commercials for Visa and Coca-Cola, but his understanding of software propelled him on a career path that took in Italy, London, New York, Iceland (again) and now Los Angeles, where he works as Executive Creative Director at Framestore. In this upbeat podcast, Aron delves into the history, culture and politics that have made Iceland a literal hotbed of creativity. He also talks about working on Gravity and Contraband, the difference the lockdown has made to where we work, and his positive philosophy for the future. |
Mon, 2 March 2020
Like Chris, Juan Gomez worked at Digital Domain on some of the company’s biggest and most innovative projects: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Maleficent and Tron: Legacy. But Juan has followed a different career path, first into the world of virtual reality at Method and on to Epic Games, where he’s spearheaded game-changing real-time virtual production for movies. This podcast offers a comprehensive overview of the ways Unreal Engine is turning the entire production process on its head and making it faster and easier to create VFX-heavy movies. Juan tells Chris how the company is able to offer tailor-made tools so directors and DoPs can use familiar interfaces and not get overwhelmed with technical aspects of VFX. He also reveals how the tech is pulling VFX artists away from workstations and onto the set, giving them god-like powers in the creative process. Virtual production is about to make the film industry more agile and transform the end result — and this podcast is an amazing head start. CTA: Experience tomorrow’s technology today with a 30-day V-Ray for Unreal trial. |
Mon, 3 February 2020
Originally, Olcun Tan wanted to be a car designer — but seeing Jurassic Park ignited a passion for VFX. Today, he runs Gradient Effects, a global studio that has provided effects for Game of Thrones, Watchmen and Stranger Things. Olcun’s career has been defined by finding his own solutions to problems — whether it’s creating procedural effects in Maya, using forbidden programming languages at animation studios or setting up his own businesses. Olcun also breaks down some of the innovative work he’s done on a variety of projects, such as crumbling statues in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and crashing helicopters in Black Hawk Down, to more recent projects, including digitally de-aging John Goodman for TV series The Righteous Gemstones with his own Shapeshifter software. You’ll find out his role in digitally slimming Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant, as well as tips for starting and locating your own business. |
Mon, 7 October 2019
Despite an original desire to be an architect, Arutyun Artur “Art” Sayan has pursued a career in VFX — and the industry’s all the better for it. Art has contributed incredible work to movies including Oblivion, Tomorrowland, as well as the TV series Supergirl and Love, Death and Robots. In this podcast, Art talks about some of the shots he’s helped create — including a complex 417-frame, all-CG drone sequence for Oblivion (with Chris), a sci-fi cityscape for Tomorrowland and a 10-square-mile urban environment for Supergirl. Art discusses how he organizes his work on these epic shots and how he collaborates with other people. Art is a humble and laid-back guest, and he offers some great tips on how to balance working on complex, stressful projects with looking after yourself. |
Mon, 9 September 2019
This week’s podcast features a true pioneer of modern cinema: Robert Legato. He’s worked with directors such as Martin Scorsese, Neil Jordan and John Favreau as a second unit director and VFX supervisor, but he’s also helped bring traditional techniques and technology into CG filmmaking. Crucially, he did it in a way that directors and cinematographers can understand, and his hard work has been rewarded with Oscar wins for Titanic, Hugo and The Jungle Book. Robert also has a wealth of on-set experience, and he tells Chris about everything from shooting miniatures at his house for Star Trek: The Next Generation to helping renowned cinematographer Caleb Deschanel lens the all-CG world of The Lion King. He reveals the qualities you need to be a good director, how to shoot and edit to evoke styles and emotions — and the difference garlic can make to a film shoot. Rob is a humble, professional character who is happy to talk about his flaws and how overcoming them has benefited the industry. It’s pretty much a complete film school degree delivered in 76-minutes. |
Mon, 19 August 2019
If you listen to fxguide’s VFXShow podcasts you’ll recognize Matt Wallin’s voice — and now, you can hear his story. Recorded at SIGGRAPH, this podcast Matt reveals how Star Wars inspired him to pursue a career in the movies and why his first VFX job involved driving a backhoe. He talks about his work on films including The American President, The Matrix sequels and King Kong, as well as his collaborations with artist Matthew Barney on The Cremaster Cycle and Drawing Restraint 9. Today, Matt teaches his trade as Associate Professor of Communication Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University, and he tells Chris about the vast differences between frantic production schedules and the more sedate pace of academia. |
Mon, 5 August 2019
Last month, Andre Cantarel’s CG model of the White House caught the attention of the CG industry thanks to its meticulous attention to detail. In this podcast, Andre tells Chris how this passion project came to fruition, the secrets he discovered in researching the building and what he plans to do with the construction.
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Mon, 3 June 2019
A lot has changed since Darin Grant last appeared on the CG Garage podcast back in September 2016. The VFX industry has overcome its cloud-computing fears and embraced it wholesale, making it faster and cheaper to create imagery for Hollywood movies. Darin, meanwhile, left Solid Angle to consult for various companies and is now CTO for creative digital studio Animal Logic, the company behind The Lego Movie 2, The Matrix and Happy Feet. In this podcast, Darin offers an overview of the recent history and near future of CG, including why acquisitions of small companies by big ones aren’t necessarily bad, and the pros and cons of software subscription models. He also talks about his ongoing work for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and ACM SIGGRAPH. Few people have such comprehensive knowledge and foresight of the VFX industry as Darin, making this vital listening for everyone from junior VFX artists to head honchos at major studios. |
Mon, 6 May 2019
Game of Thrones’ opening credits sequence has become one of the most iconic in the history of TV. Every week, millions of people around the world have their appetites whetted and spines tingled by the famous theme music and an exploration of an animated 3D map of Westeros, complete with the themes and locations of the forthcoming episode. In this (spoiler-free!) podcast, Art Director and Head of 3D Kirk Shintani offers a complete breakdown how Elastic crafted this incredible intro, from the trial-by-fire process of the first season to the darker, edgier and more detailed version for the final series — and a special edition made from Oreos. Kirk discusses the fascinating technical aspects of shooting an animated digital miniature with virtual cameras, some of its clever design choices, as well as the crucial roles V-Ray and Chaos Group’s support have played in bringing the sequences to life. |
Mon, 8 April 2019
Through his globe-trotting career, softly-spoken Cris Blyth has helped give the world Worms, flashed James Cameron and jumpstarted Kenya’s visual effects industry. In this frequently hilarious podcast, he tells Chris his fascinating story. After spending his childhood programming Commodore computers, and a surprisingly fruitful excursion to the Philippines, Cris worked on then-cutting-edge FMV sequences for games such as Alien Breed: Tower Assault and Worms at developer Team 17. He joined Digital Domain as a VFX artist, turning car engines into dogs for the famous Pennzoil ad, and then moved up to become a fully fledged director of commercials and music videos. He also contributed effects to movies including We Were Soldiers, Adaptation and Daredevil. Cris’s next move was to Africa, to create documentaries on charity work and, in an unconventional sidestep, he’s remained there since. He talks about how Nairobi, Kenya is on the verge of a computing revolution, why the country’s restrictions have created amazing athletes and e-athletes, and the ways in which he’s bringing his Hollywood skills to a new generation of Kenyans. |
Mon, 25 March 2019
As a child, Andy Wilkoff spent his childhood pulling technology apart and reading comic books — and he’s been lucky enough to follow these obsessions into his career. He picked up his first VFX gigs on the TV series Star Trek: Voyager and Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, then worked at Digital Domain on commercials and movies including X-Men; I, Robot; The Day After Tomorrow and Stealth. Now, Andy works as CG Lead and Technical Director at creative visual effects studio A52 in Santa Monica, California. In this epic G&T-fuelled podcast, Andy talks Chris through his professional career in visual effects, and how it’s been affected by the twists and turns of his personal life. Andy is full of sound industry advice, and you’ll find out why he hung from the side of buildings in New York, the reason he was accosted in a Costco parking lot — and how “the smelly room” got its name. He also talks about his passion for 3D printing and the businesses it’s inspired. The film and visual effects industries are often characterized by dramatic clashes of enormous egos, but this podcast reveals a tender and more caring side of the silver screen. |
Mon, 21 January 2019
When Kurt Lawson isn’t assembling effects for some of Hollywood’s biggest movies, he’s in backcountry California creating astonishing long-exposure shots of the natural landscape. In this engaging podcast, he tells Chris how teenage experiments in visual effects and Olympus cameras inspired his successful career and awe-inspiring hobby. Kurt and Chris reminisce about working together at Digital Domain with director Joe Kosinski on a jaw-dropping effects shot for Oblivion, and Kurt talks about his more recent work on 300: Rise of an Empire and The Spy Who Dumped Me. He also discusses the current state of the visual effects industry in Los Angeles and the work which goes into setting up his photography projects. Listen to find out how certain VFX artists are presented with pineapples, why rocks in Death Valley seem to have a life of their own, and some of the tricks compositors use to make the audience believe CG is real. |
Mon, 14 January 2019
From a young age, Joe Farrell knew he was destined for a career in entertainment. After helping interview musical superstars, he ‘tweened for Disney and Warner Brothers animations, moved into commercials at their hedonistic peak, and then traveled to Vancouver and Los Angeles to work as a concept artist, VFX supervisor and compositor on films including Star Trek, The Wolf of Wall Street and Hereafter — the latter of which earned him an Academy Award nomination. Today, Joe runs Tangerine Apps, an innovative studio which brings his experience into the worlds of AR and VR for experiences based on The Jungle Book, Los Angeles’ Olympic bid and an enticing upcoming opera project. Joe is a fascinating podcast guest with some funny, insightful stories about the visual effects of Aeon Flux and I, Robot. He also reveals the more rewarding aspects of VR experiences and the advantages of being a small and agile company in Los Angeles. |
Mon, 10 December 2018
Few people have seen the rise of VFX like Kelly Port and Matt Butler. Over the course of 25 years, they’ve risen from digital artists to VFX supervisors at effects powerhouse Digital Domain. The watershed moment for both was their work on Titanic, and they discuss the million-dollar computers used to generate the 2TB of effects in the film. Of course, software and hardware have moved on a great deal since Jack and Rose's perilous adventure. Kelly talks about the groundbreaking technology and performance capture which made Avengers: Infinity War’s CG supervillain Thanos a reality, and Matt discusses his input on Ender’s Game and Ready Player One. They also muse about what makes Digital Domain a great place to work and their tactics for avoiding conflict and nurturing talent. Kelly and Matt have great chemistry with one another and Chris, and you’ll hear about their experiences of working with actors Dan Stevens and Josh Brolin, and directors Steven Spielberg and Gavin Hood. Plus, there’s a bonus pearl of wisdom from none other than Ron Howard.
Direct download: CGGarage_Podcast202_MatthewButler_KellyPort_DD.mp3
Category:VFX -- posted at: 10:47am PST |
Mon, 5 November 2018
Recorded at THU, this week’s podcast guest is ILM Animation Director Hal Hickel. Inspired by Star Wars and Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion work on King Kong, Hal became an animator on hugely successful California Raisins advertisements of the 1980s. Despite initial reservations, Hal switched clay for computers on Pixar’s breakthrough CG movie Toy Story, then moved to ILM for the Star Wars prequels, A.I. Artificial Intelligence and Rango. Thanks to his wealth of experience in character animation, Hal has become an expert on digital humans. He goes into detail on how ILM created a CG Grand Moff Tarkin for Rogue One and explains why, in this case, there were no ethical issues with digitally recreating the late Peter Cushing. He also talks about the tiny tweaks his team made to make the character look as real as possible and the dangers of getting stuck in the swamp of opinions at the bottom of the uncanny valley. This podcast serves as a concise guide to how digital characters have evolved — and where they’re headed next. |
Mon, 15 October 2018
Geoffrey Baumann’s career has propelled him around the world on some of Hollywood’s biggest movies, including his most recent role as VFX supervisor on Marvel’s record-breaking Black Panther. Having spent time in Europe and America as a child, Geoffrey majored in public relations before becoming a PA at Digital Domain. His linguistic skills landed him a job in on-set survey and digital integration for the movie xXx — and he hasn’t stopped working on movies since. In this podcast, recorded at THU festival, Geoffrey discusses how he’s gone from the bottom to the top of the VFX industry via movies such as The Time Machine, Real Steel, and Iron Man 3. He talks about how he’s seen projects go from film to digital, and from a few hundred effects shots to thousands.
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Mon, 10 September 2018
Our host Chris Nichols is joined by his name twin Chris Nichols from Digital Domain. After reminiscing about working at DD at the same time (and accidently getting each other’s emails and phone calls), they dive into Chris’s role in the look development of Thanos on Avengers: Infinity Wars. The Chris’ discuss the detail and thought that went into Thanos, and how Chris had to imagine so much of his backstory to add character to his face, skin and even the condition of his hands. At the same time, we find out more about Chris’s own backstory growing up in Perth, Australia, being inspired by the concept art of Lord of the Rings, and finally moving to Vancouver to work on one of the biggest movies of 2018. Since both Chris’s have a passion for digital humans, they go into a deep discussion on which movies have been able to tackle the Uncanny Valley, leading to some very interesting conclusions along the way. |
Mon, 20 August 2018
V-Ray for Houdini made a spectacular debut last year — via the music video for Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do. Behind the visual effects of the video — and most of Swift’s promos — is Ingenuity Studios, and its Creative Director Grant Miller. In this podcast, Grant talks with Lon and Chris about how Ingenuity has embraced V-Ray for Houdini, from its early days as a GitHub project to full commercial software. Grant discusses how it’s streamlined workflows and joined the dots of Ingenuity's pipeline, making it faster and easier to create content. Grant also goes into detail on how V-Ray for Houdini fits in with Ingenuity’s agile approach to technology, and how the small but successful company makes use of V-Ray for Nuke and V-Ray for Unreal in many different mediums. You’ll find out how the Ingenuity’s gone from making five cheap music videos a week to five megabudget videos a year, what it’s like to work with Tay and James van der Beek, and the effects it contributed to Oscar-winning movie Get Out. |
Sun, 12 August 2018
Softly-spoken VFX supervisor Bill Spradlin currently works at Zoic Studios on TV shows such as Arrow, Iron Fist, and Legends of Tomorrow, and his previous credits include Oblivion (with Chris), Transformers, and Iron Man 3. In this podcast, he talks about how his childhood fascination with Star Trek helped him choose his career path, as well as his early ventures in computing and MMOs. He highlights the many differences between working in TV and film, how both are seeping into gaming and VR, and what it’s like to work with industry personalities such as Joe Kosinski, Eric Barba, and Jeff Baksinski. It evolves into a deeper discussion of the relevance of working in VFX today, and why the industry is about so much more than getting your name in the credits of a big movie. An essential listen if you’re considering a career in VFX. |