Allan McKay | Podcast | VFX Supervisor: Recent Episodes
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In this episode, Allan McKay sits down with Andy Boyd, a seasoned VFX Supervisor, and co-owner of Jamm VFX. Andy shares his extensive journey in the visual effects industry, from his early days breaking into major studios like Framestore and Method Studios to founding his own successful VFX company.
The conversation delves into the challenges and triumphs of managing a VFX team, navigating cultural differences between the UK and US VFX industries, and overcoming technical hurdles in high-profile projects like "Brothers" and "Werewolf by Night." Andy also discusses the future of VFX, including the impact of AI and remote work, and offers invaluable insights for aspiring VFX artists and entrepreneurs looking to make their mark in the industry.
Topics Covered Andy Boyd’s early career in South Africa and transition into VFX * Working at Framestore and Method Studios * Founding Jamm Visual Effects and managing a boutique studio * Behind the scenes of Werewolf by Night and creating Man-Thing * Crafting photoreal creatures, including Samuel the orangutan in Brothers* * Transitioning to tools like V-Ray for superior fur rendering * The evolving role of AI in VFX and storytelling * Striking a balance between creative freedom and technical challenges
Key Quotes"VFX is the perfect blend of creativity and problem-solving—each challenge pushes you to innovate in unexpected ways."
The most exciting projects are the ones where you begin with no clear solution—those moments ignite innovation."
You can feel the energy of a passionate team in the final product—great work reflects great collaboration."
5 Key Takeaways1. Evolving Through ChallengesAndy’s career exemplifies the importance of adapting to new roles and technologies, whether transitioning from retouching to 3D or embracing V-Ray to achieve lifelike fur.
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The Power of Boutique StudiosJamm thrives on the advantages of a smaller team, delivering high-quality work with a collaborative and personalized approach that stands out in a crowded industry.
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Crafting Creatures with HeartFrom Werewolf by Night to Brothers, Andy highlights the joy and challenge of bringing creatures to life, focusing on subtlety and realism to tell compelling stories.
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The Importance of Studio CultureJamm’s success stems from its commitment to people-first management, ensuring employees are supported and projects are properly resourced.
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AI and the Future of VFXAndy reflects on how AI tools are opening new creative possibilities, streamlining workflows while keeping artistry at the forefront.
Overview
In this episode, Allan McKay engages in an in-depth conversation with Rob Hifle, CEO & Creative Director, and Paul Silcox, VFX Director at Lux Aeterna. They delve into the evolution of visual effects in the digital media landscape, discussing their journey from early tools like Flash and Macromedia Director to the sophisticated capabilities of modern software like Houdini. The discussion highlights the rapid growth of Lux Aeterna, the challenges of maintaining creative integrity while scaling, and their notable projects including Eight Days to the Moon and Back, Our Universe, and Secrets of the Neanderthals. Additionally, they explore the ethical considerations and regulatory frameworks surrounding the use of AI in visual effects, emphasizing their commitment to authenticity and creative excellence.
Topics Covered
- Evolution of digital media creation tools from Flash to Houdini
- Founding and growth of Lux Aeterna
- Key projects: Eight Days to the Moon and Back, Our Universe, Secrets of the Neanderthals
- Balancing creativity and technical expertise in a growing VFX studio
- Specialization in cosmological and scientific visual effects
- Collaboration with scientists and integration of real-world data in VFX
- Ethical considerations and policies on AI and generative technologies in VFX
- Future projects and the importance of storytelling in visual effects
Quotes
1. “We offer a huge sort of creative solution as well as a really efficient and ergonomic pipeline.”
- Reworded Version: “Our strength lies in delivering creative solutions coupled with an efficient and user-friendly pipeline, allowing us to produce high-end visual effects with a lean team.”
- “The toothpaste is out of the tube, right? You know, it's there.”
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Reworded Version: “AI advancements are inevitable and already here, shaping the future of our industry in ways we’re just beginning to understand.”
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“Creativity leads technology. We start with creative ideas and then figure out the technology to bring them to life.”
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Reworded Version: “Our creative vision drives the technological innovations we develop, ensuring that our tools serve the art we aim to create.”
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“It's a really, really exciting journey to push the boundaries with our creative technology department and come up with different solutions.”
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Reworded Version: “Exploring new frontiers with our creative technology team is exhilarating, as we continuously develop innovative solutions that redefine what's possible in visual effects.”
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“Maintaining this level of fun and creativity is essential, even as we grow.”
- Reworded Version: “As we expand, preserving our vibrant and creative culture remains a top priority, ensuring that our passion for VFX continues to thrive.”
Resources
- Lux Aeterna Website: https://luxaeterna.com/
- Rob Hifle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robhifle/
- Paul Silcox on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulsilcox/
- Eight Days to the Moon and Back
- Our Universe
- Secrets of the Neanderthals
5 Key Takeaways from the Episode with Rob Hifle and Paul Silcox
1. Evolution of VFX Tools and Techniques
Rob and Paul discuss the transition from early digital media tools like Flash and Macromedia Director to advanced software like Houdini, highlighting how these advancements have revolutionized their workflow and creative capabilities in the VFX industry.
2. Building a Boutique VFX Studio
The guests share insights into the founding and rapid growth of Lux Aeterna, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a small, passionate team to deliver high-end visual effects while competing with larger studios.
3. Specialization in Scientific and Cosmological Effects
Rob and Paul explain how their niche focus on cosmological phenomena and collaboration with scientists has set Lux Aeterna apart, allowing them to create factually accurate and visually stunning effects for projects like Our Universe and Secrets of the Neanderthals.
4. Ethical Use of AI in Visual Effects
The conversation delves into the ethical considerations and regulatory challenges of using AI and generative technologies in VFX. Rob and Paul outline their company’s policies to ensure authenticity and respect for artists’ work, rejecting tools that compromise ethical standards.
5. The Future of Storytelling in VFX
Rob and Paul highlight the significance of storytelling in their projects, discussing upcoming ventures like the sci-fi short Reno. They emphasize the blend of creative vision and technical prowess required to produce compelling narratives through visual effects.
In this episode, Allan McKay sits down with Faruk Heplevent, founder and CEO of Scope Studio, to delve into the intricate world of automotive visual effects and the evolution of CG in the automotive industry.
They explore Faruk’s journey from his early days as a car photographer in Hamburg to transitioning into computer graphics, ultimately leading to the creation of Scope Studio. The discussion covers the challenges and triumphs of building a specialized studio in a field dominated by established CGI companies, the development of Scope City—a procedural photorealistic city environment—and the strategic decisions behind choosing rendering technologies like V-Ray and Arnold.
Faruk shares his insights on maintaining photorealism in car CG, the importance of client collaboration and feedback, and the delicate balance between creative vision and technical execution. The conversation also touches on the impact of emerging technologies such as NVIDIA’s denoising tools, Chaos’s Vantage Arena, and the potential integration with platforms like Omniverse. Additionally, Faruk discusses the future of virtual production stages and the sustainable practices Scope Studio is adopting in their rendering processes.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in automotive photography, CG artistry, real-time rendering technologies, and the entrepreneurial spirit behind building a niche visual effects studio.
Topics Covered: Faruk Heplevent’s background and the founding of Scope Studio * Transitioning from car photography to computer graphics * The development and features of Scope City, a procedural photorealistic city * Choosing and evolving rendering technologies: Maxwell, V-Ray, Arnold * Maintaining photorealism in automotive CG and handling client feedback * The impact of emerging technologies: NVIDIA Denoiser, Chaos Vantage Arena, Omniverse * Challenges and strategies in building a specialized VFX studio * The future of virtual production stages and sustainable rendering practices * Balancing creative vision with technical execution in CG projects*
Quotes:* “If we can get it in camera, it's always a better picture. What you see is what you get.” * “Scope City is essentially a giant procedural photoreal city that we've built for every situation.” * “Creativity leads technology. We start with creative ideas and then figure out the technology to bring them to life.”
Resources:* Scope Studio Website * Scope Studio on LinkedIn * Chaos Vantage Arena * NVIDIA Denoiser * Omniverse
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In this episode, Allan McKay sits down with Jason Smith, Senior Visual Effects Supervisor for Rings of Power and longtime ILM veteran, to delve into his fascinating career journey and creative process in the world of visual effects.
Jason shares his story, from early passions for creature design and practical effects to an unplanned but impactful transition to CG and computer graphics. They explore the unique blend of technical and artistic skills required in VFX, including Jason’s early work developing rigging software at ILM, and how these technical foundations have shaped his approach to supervising complex, high-stakes projects like The Revenant and Rings of Power.
The conversation dives into the importance of storytelling, communication, and collaboration, as well as the evolving challenges in VFX, such as adapting to new technology and achieving the director’s vision on both large and small budgets. Jason offers valuable insights for aspiring VFX artists and supervisors, sharing how flexibility, perseverance, and creative problem-solving have been critical throughout his career.
This is an essential listen for anyone passionate about VFX, storytelling, and the intersection of art and technology in blockbuster productions.
Topics Covered Jason Smith’s background and career path in visual effects * The importance of storytelling in visual effects * Developing rigging software and technical skills in VFX * The role of communication and collaboration with directors and teams * Managing creative and budgetary constraints on large and small projects * Techniques for achieving forced perspective and scale effects in Rings of Power* * Challenges and rewards of working on high-budget productions and indie projects * Advice for young artists entering the VFX industry * Reflections on the VFX community’s adaptability during COVID
Highlights “You’re telling stories, not just producing pixels. That’s where the magic happens.” * “The path isn’t linear; the universe has a way of using every skill you pick up.” * “Working within limitations is where some of the most innovative ideas come from.” * “When I came to ILM, I wanted to work on creatures, and here I am still working with creatures decades later on Rings of Power*.” * “The relationships you build with directors and teams – that’s what makes you a trusted collaborator in this industry.”
Resources* The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power * Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) * Weta Digital * The Revenant * The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring * Legacy Effects
In this episode, Allan McKay sits down with Gavan Gravesen and Matteo Giuberti, the co-founders of RADiCAL, to explore the groundbreaking advancements in AI-powered motion capture and the future of accessible 3D animation technology.
They discuss Gavan and Matteo’s journey from their diverse backgrounds—Gavan from law and AI, and Matteo from biomechanics and motion capture—into building RADiCAL, an innovative platform that uses a single camera and AI to capture human body motion. They dive into the development of RADiCAL’s tools, including RADiCAL Canvas, a browser-based, real-time 3D environment for collaboration and creation, and how their platform democratizes motion capture for filmmakers, game developers, and 3D enthusiasts alike.
The conversation touches on the challenges of developing AI that can work with any consumer-grade camera, the importance of scalability and accessibility, and how RADiCAL is poised to transform the way digital creators work. Gavan and Matteo offer key insights into the future of motion capture, real-time collaboration in 3D spaces, and how RADiCAL’s platform can inspire the next generation of creators.
This is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of motion capture, 3D collaboration, and how AI is revolutionizing the digital content landscape.
Topics Covered:
- Gavan Gravesen’s transition from law and AI to co-founding RADiCAL
- Matteo Giuberti’s background in biomechanics and motion capture
- The development and impact of RADiCAL’s AI-powered, single-camera motion capture technology
- The creation and evolution of RADiCAL Canvas as a collaborative 3D platform
- The challenges of developing scalable motion capture for all devices
- Insights into the future of AI in digital content creation
Quotes:
“Motion capture doesn’t need to be confined to expensive hardware anymore—it can be democratized.” “Our AI learns human motion to fill in the gaps, allowing anyone to animate their ideas.” “Creating a scalable, easy-to-use platform was key for us—it’s about giving everyone access to this magic.”
Resources:
- RADiCAL website
- RADiCAL Canvas
In this episode, Allan McKay sits down with Jan Philip Cramer, VFX Supervisor at Digital Domain, to explore the groundbreaking world of character-based visual effects and the innovative tools shaping the future of the industry.
They discuss Philip’s journey from animation to supervising some of the most iconic visual effects projects, including Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. Philip dives into the creation of Thanos and the challenges of delivering photorealistic CG characters with extensive screen time. He also covers the evolution of Digital Domain’s facial capture technology, Masquerade, and its role in major projects like She-Hulk and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
The conversation touches on the importance of flexibility in a technical pipeline, the advantages of working with both technical and artistic teams, and how to lead by example as a supervisor. Philip offers key insights on problem-solving in high-pressure environments and shares valuable advice for artists on how to stand out in the competitive world of visual effects.
This is a must-listen for anyone interested in character animation, performance capture, and the future of VFX technology, especially as studios transition to more real-time solutions and advanced facial capture techniques.
Topics Covered:
- Philip Cramer’s background and transition from animation to VFX supervision
- The creation and performance capture of Thanos for Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame
- The development and impact of Digital Domain’s markerless facial capture system, Masquerade
- The challenges of delivering a fully CG character for She-Hulk
- Leadership and team collaboration in high-pressure environments
- Advice for artists on standing out in a competitive industry
Quotes:
- “Never say no. Say yes, but explain the trade-offs.”
- “Leading a team is about working longer, working harder, and being there to support your crew.”
- “We needed to mass-produce She-Hulk’s performance in a way we had never done before, which pushed us to innovate Masquerade.”
Resources:
- Digital Domain website
- Masquerade facial capture technology
In this episode, Allan McKay sits down with Nick Seavert, CEO and founder of JangaFX, to explore the cutting-edge world of real-time visual effects software.
They discuss Nick’s entrepreneurial journey, the development of JangaFX’s suite of tools including Embergen, LiquiGen, and GeoGen, and the challenges of creating innovative VFX software. Nick shares insights into the current state of the VFX industry, its evolving needs, and the potential impact of real-time solutions on both film and game production pipelines.
The conversation also covers the importance of integrity in business, the value of perseverance in the face of adversity, and the process of creating their short film “Golem” to showcase their tools. Nick offers valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and discusses the evolution of VFX software over his career.
This is a must-listen for anyone interested in visual effects, real-time rendering, the creative process behind cutting-edge software development, and the future of the VFX industry in an increasingly real-time world.
Topics Covered:
- Nick Seavert’s background and the founding of JangaFX
- The development and features of Embergen, LiquiGen, and GeoGen
- The importance of integrity and perseverance in business
- The creation of the “Golem” short film and its impact on product development
- The challenges of developing real-time liquid simulations
- The potential future of VFX in video games
- The balance between technical accuracy and artistic usability in VFX software
- The value of internal projects in driving software development
Quotes:
- “If you want to play with the big dogs, you have to stop whining like a pup.”
Resources:
- JangaFX website
- “Golem” short film
- Riot Games
- Blizzard Entertainment
- Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)
- Unreal Engine
In this episode, Allan McKay sits down with Feng Zhu, renowned concept designer and educator, to explore the world of concept design in the film and video game industries.
They discuss Feng’s impressive career journey, his work on numerous high-profile projects, and the unique challenges of creating compelling concept designs. Feng shares insights into the current state of the design industry, its challenges and opportunities, and the potential impact of emerging technologies like AI.
The conversation also covers the importance of problem-solving skills in design, effective portfolio development strategies, and the business aspects of running a successful design studio. Feng offers valuable advice for aspiring designers and discusses the evolution of the industry over his 27-year career.
This is a must-listen for anyone interested in concept design, the creative process behind blockbuster films and games, and the future of the design industry in an increasingly digital world.
Topics Covered* Feng Zhu’s background and career in the design industry * The importance of problem-solving and thinking skills over technical skills * Portfolio development and job application strategies * The business side of the design industry * Studio management and working with clients * The impact of AI on the design industry * The evolution of technology and its impact on design * The difference between illustration and design * The challenges of game development and studio closures * Social media and its role in the industry
Highlights* “We’re actually business people. We’re selling products. Some people forget that even though we’re drawing, we’re not artists, we’re product sellers.” * “I’d rather have someone that has really good thought process than someone who renders really well, but has no ideas in their head.” * “If you’re doing social media stuff, but your content is just for social media, but not for actual industry, then yeah, that’s not that relevant in my opinion.” * “To get to that level [of AI replacing human designers], you have to cover new technology, something completely alien to us right now, to reach human level stuff.” * “What we need really is in here, the brain, the human brain, and that’s something AI cannot replace.”
ResourcesHugo Martin (Doom game director)
FCD School of Design (Feng Zhu’s school)
Design Cinema (YouTube channel – search for “FCD”)
CalArts
ArtCenter College of Design
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)
Lucasfilm
Duke Nukem Forever (game)
Luc Besson (film director)
Stephan Fleet is the VFX Supervisor for the hit Amazon series The Boys and serves as Associate Producer and Co-Producer on its spinoff Gen V. With a diverse background in visual effects and production, Stephan has become a leading innovator in television VFX.
Stephan has developed a reputation for creative problem-solving and empathetic leadership in high-pressure production environments. His work on The Boys has set new standards for tv series visaul effects, balancing realism with the show’s signature style while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in episodic content.
In this Podcast, Stephan Fleet talks to Allan McKay about the unique challenges of creating grounded superhero powers for The Boys, his innovative approaches to monitor comps, and the intricacies of on-set VFX supervision. He shares insights on workflow optimization using custom database solutions, and the importance of empathy in VFX leadership. Stephan also discusses his transition into producing roles with Gen V and how his VFX background influences his approach to overall production.
This episode offers valuable advice for both aspiring and established VFX artists, as well as producers and directors interested in the evolving landscape of visual effects in high-end television production. Stephan’s unique perspective, spanning both the creative and managerial aspects of VFX production, provides a comprehensive look at the current state and future potential of visual effects in prestige TV series.
Key Highlights:1. Superhero Power Development
Stephan reveals the intricate process behind crafting iconic effects like Homelander’s laser eyes and Butcher’s grotesque tentacles. Learn how the team balances realism with the show’s signature style.
2. Innovative VFX Techniques
Discover the groundbreaking “monitor leader” approach that revolutionized on-screen graphics in “The Boys”. Stephan explains how this technique has set a new standard for monitor comps in the industry.
3. Cutting-Edge On-Set Technology
Get an inside look at how the VFX team utilizes state-of-the-art tools like Polycam for 3D scanning and Tentacle Sync devices for seamless timecode synchronization across multiple cameras.
4. Workflow Optimization
Explore the custom solutions developed by Stephan’s team, integrating Airtable and FileMaker for efficient VFX tracking and financial management within the production pipeline.
5. Leadership in VFX
Stephan shares his philosophy on empathetic leadership in the high-pressure world of VFX production, offering valuable insights for industry professionals at all levels.
6. Cinematic Techniques in TV
Learn how “The Boys” adapts high-end cinema techniques for television, including the use of Sony Venice cameras to achieve feature-film quality in a TV production schedule.
Resources Mentioned:1. The Boys (TV series) 2. Gen V (TV series spinoff) 3. Polycam (3D scanning app) 4. Tentacle Sync (timecode devices) 5. PTGui (panorama stitching software) 6. Nuke (compositing software) 7. Airtable (database software) 8. ShotGrid (production management software) 9. Stephan Fleet’s Instagram 10. Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 lens 11. XY Short Film
Don’t miss this insightful conversation with one of the industry’s most innovative VFX supervisors. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or an aspiring VFX artist, this episode is packed with valuable knowledge and inspiration for pushing the boundaries of visual effects in television.
VFX Supervisor Tim Carras joins Allan McKay to discuss his work on high-profile projects like “Clipped” and “Shogun”. Tim shares insights into the challenges of creating realistic crowds for basketball arenas, crafting flaming arrow effects for period dramas, and the intricacies of on-set VFX supervision. The conversation covers a range of topics, from simulating realistic insect movement to adapting to remote work in the VFX industry. Tim offers valuable perspectives on the evolution of visual effects technology, the importance of networking, and the skills required to navigate complex productions in today’s fast-paced entertainment landscape.
Links Mentioned:
Barnstorm VFX: https://www.barnstormvfx.com/
ShotBot App: https://www.shotbot.com/
Tim Carras on Instagram: @wip_for_approval
Memorable Quotes and Interesting Topics:
- “The only thing more important than your reel is your network.”
- “Sometimes a decisive wrong answer is better than an indecisive right answer.”
- “The McDonald’s Principle” – Using a concrete suggestion to spark creative discussion.
- The counterintuitive difficulty of creating sparse crowds versus packed stadiums.
- The importance of admitting when you don’t know something as a supervisor.
- The evolution from running a VFX studio to focusing on the creative aspects of supervision.
- The impact of remote work on the VFX industry and global talent accessibility.
- The balance between technical accuracy and aesthetic appeal in VFX.
- The importance of detailed on-set data collection and how it impacts post-production.
- The transition from student films to professional union sets and respecting specialized roles.
- The value of understanding multiple disciplines within VFX to communicate effectively with different departments.
In this episode, Allan McKay sits down with Xavier Bernasconi, VFX Supervisor at DNEG, to dive deep into the world of virtual production.
They discuss Xavier’s fascinating career journey, his recent work on the highly anticipated Masters of the Air, and the decision to utilize virtual production for the project. Xavier shares insights into the current state of virtual production technology, its challenges and limitations, and the exciting future potential as the tech continues to evolve.
The conversation also covers the impacts of virtual production on actor performances and the shifts in collaboration it brings to VFX workflows. This is a must-listen for anyone curious about the cutting-edge of filmmaking innovation.
Table of Contents
Introduction (00:00:00)
Introducing Xavier Bernasconi (00:00:03)
Xavier’s Background and Journey (00:00:46)
From Proskier to Visual Effects (00:00:46)
Developing Compositing Software (00:02:05)
Becoming a VFX Supervisor (00:03:40)
Masters of the Air Project (00:04:17)
Overview and Initial Thoughts (00:04:25)
Complexity and Challenges (00:05:27)
Virtual Production Decision (00:05:46)
Logistical and Creative Reasons (00:06:11)
Comparison to Traditional Green Screen (00:06:57)
Challenges and Limitations of Virtual Production (00:09:18)
Technological Advancements and Limitations (00:09:55)
Limitations with Unreal Engine (00:12:03)
Preparation and Pressure on Set (00:13:35)
Workflow and Collaboration (00:14:09)
Pressure on VFX Team (00:16:48)
Current State and Future of Virtual Production (00:22:02)
Infancy and Potential for Growth (00:22:09)
Advantages and Limitations (00:22:36)
Virtual Production and Final Pixel (00:26:59)
Misconceptions and Post-Production Work (00:27:33)
Developing an End-to-End Pipeline (00:28:29)
Virtual Production in Episodic vs. Feature Films (00:31:48)
Prevalence in Episodic Content (00:31:53)
Blurring Lines Between Episodic and Feature Budgets (00:33:30)
Proprietary vs. Out-of-the-Box Tools (00:34:53)
Use of Unreal Engine and Cost of Setup (00:35:43)
Virtual Production for Previs and Pitching (00:36:27)
Quick and Cheap Iteration (00:37:10)
Benefits for Certain Types of Directors (00:38:14)
Collaboration in Virtual Production vs. Traditional Post (00:38:36)
Real-Time Collaboration and Creativity (00:39:15)
Challenges of Remote Work (00:39:21)
Actor Reactions to Virtual Production (00:42:48)
Immersion and Performance Benefits (00:43:31)
Conclusion (00:44:41)
Appreciation and Wrap-Up (00:44:41)
Memorable Quotes
“I love telling stories. I felt that I was drawn more to the end of the pipeline, more to the beginning of the pipeline, so I was more drawn into lighting and compositing.”
Virtual production was the most logical choice for Masters of the Air due to logistical, budgetary and creative reasons.
Virtual production is still in its infancy with lots of room for technological development. Extraction of foreground elements from LED screens is an important area of research.
Virtual production fosters real-time collaboration and creativity compared to traditional segmented workflows. However, on-set experience and mentorship is still crucial.
Actors appreciate virtual production as it helps their performances by providing interactive environments rather than pure green screen.
Xavier Bernasconi Bio
Xavier Bernasconi is a VFX Supervisor at DNEG. Originally from Italy, he now lives in Canada. His recent projects include Masters of the Air, Mad Max Furiosa and Godzilla x Kong.
In this insightful episode, Allan McKay sits down with Colin Giles, head of the School for Animation and Visual Effects at Vancouver Film School, for a deep dive into the world of modern VFX education.
They discuss Colin’s fascinating journey from small town artist to leading a world-class animation school, the intense pressures faced by today’s students, and how virtual learning during COVID has transformed educational models. Colin shares wisdom on the irreplaceable value of in-person collaboration, how AI is impacting the curriculum, and the vital role of social media and online presence for aspiring artists.
Memorable Quotes
“There is a difference between just crafting images and telling a story. I think that it’s part of that learning process as well that is very exciting.”
Students should focus on their own artistic growth rather than unrealistic pressure to be the best or work at certain studios. Everyone has a unique voice to contribute.
Virtual learning revealed the need for adaptable, hybrid education models that combine the benefits of online and in-person instruction. However, nothing replaces the creative energy of people connecting and collaborating face-to-face.
AI is a useful iteration tool to quickly generate ideas, but won’t replace the human touch. It’s important for students to learn with the technology and discover its applications together.
Aspiring artists must cultivate an authentic online presence that shows their personality and connects them to a community, not just a portfolio checklist. Social media engagement is vital for networking and getting hired.
Check out Vancouver Film School!
Check out VFS YouTube Channel
About Colin Giles:
Colin Giles is the head of the School for Animation and Visual Effects at Vancouver Film School. He oversees three programs – classical animation, animation concept art, and the 3D animation and visual effects program. Vancouver Film School runs 12-month diploma programs, serving as a post-grad institution that prepares students for the entertainment arts industry.
Shogun VFX Supervisor – Michael Cliett
In this epic episode of the Podcast, Allan sits down with Michael Cliett, the overall VFX Supervisor for the hit TV series Shogun.
Michael shares his journey into the world of visual effects, from his early fascination with behind-the-scenes movie magic to working his way up in the industry. He dives deep into the making of Shogun, discussing the collaboration between various VFX studios, the show’s commitment to historical accuracy, and the challenges of creating believable CG water and gore and other visual effects topics.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the art and craft of visual effects in television.
Table of Contents:
[00:02:54] – Michael’s journey into a creative career in VFX
[00:13:04] – The importance of diverse VFX skills as a supervisor
[00:18:02] – Michael’s initial reaction to the Shogun scripts
[00:23:05] – Collaborating with the production designer and other departments
[00:31:39] – Continuing the show’s style in post-production
[00:36:28] – Michael’s on-set kit and experience shooting Shogun
[00:41:17] – Memorable shooting days, including the shocking scene in Episode 4
[00:49:49] – Diving into the gory details of the Episode 4 sequence
[00:57:15] – The challenges of creating believable CG water
[01:02:27] – Crafting seamless environment extensions
[01:06:23] – The surprising number of decapitations in Shogun
[01:11:48] – The role of AI in the VFX industry and the importance of the human touch
[01:22:53] – The incredible reception to Shogun
In this episode of the Allan McKay Podcast, Allan sits down with VFX Supervisor Chad Wanstreet for an engaging discussion about Chad’s experiences in the visual effects industry. They dive into Chad’s transition from vendor-side to client-side VFX supervision, his work on the TV shows SWAT and Kill the Orange-Faced Bear (KTOFB), and the tools and techniques he employs on set.
Chad shares insights into the challenges of creating photorealistic talking bears for KTOFB and the emotional journey following the show’s cancellation. The conversation also touches on the future of KTOFB as a potential video game and the collaborative nature of working with directors and writers to bring their vision to life while managing budgets and technical limitations.
Key Takeaways:
- Transitioning from vendor-side to client-side VFX supervision requires adapting to new responsibilities, such as working closely with directors, DPs, and editors to guide the storytelling process.
- Creating photorealistic talking bears for KTOFB presented unique challenges, including managing the creative appetite of the showrunner while staying within budget and tackling unconventional shots.
- Effective collaboration between VFX supervisors and producers is crucial, with the best producers being both organizationally skilled and creatively involved.
- Practical effects and stunts can be invaluable references for VFX work, even if the final shot requires extensive CG enhancements.
- VFX supervisors must be adaptable and context-specific when capturing data on set, using a combination of cameras, LiDAR scans, and photogrammetry to obtain the necessary information for their work.
- Despite the cancellation of KTOFB, the IP remains important to Chad and the showrunner, leading them to explore new avenues such as developing a video game based on the concept.
- Building strong relationships with directors and writers is essential for VFX supervisors to successfully manage the creative vision of a project while navigating technical limitations and budgetary constraints.
Links: KTOF – Chad Wanstreet
EPISODE 450 – THE SYMPATHIZER – CHAD WANSTREET – VFX SUPERVISOR
In this episode, Allan McKay interviews VFX Supervisor Chad Wanstreet about:
His role as VFX Supervisor on the highly anticipated series The Sympathizer, an adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel;
Collaborating closely with visionary director Park Chan-wook to bring his unique vision to life;
The extensive previs and planning process that went into executing the show’s complex VFX sequences;
Overcoming the challenges of creating digital doubles and face replacements for Robert Downey Jr.’s multiple characters;
Ensuring geographical and historical accuracy while shooting on location in Thailand and Vietnam;
Making confident, split-second VFX decisions on set to keep production moving forward;
Lessons learned from his experience on other shows like S.W.A.T., Dollface, and Sweet Tooth;
Practical advice for up-and-coming VFX artists looking to break into the industry;
And so much more!
If you enjoyed this episode, Allan would greatly appreciate it if you could take a moment to share it with others who might find it valuable. Your support means the world to him!
Listeners are invited to dive into this fascinating conversation with Chad Wanstreet and discover the behind-the-scenes secrets of creating high-end VFX for a prestige series like The Sympathizer.
In this episode of the podcast, Allan McKay sits down with Olivio Sarikas, a renowned AI expert and YouTuber, to dive deep into the world of AI image generation. Olivio shares his extensive knowledge and experience working with various AI tools, providing valuable insights for both beginners and advanced users. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, from getting started with AI image generation to exploring the latest advancements in the field. Olivio offers practical advice on navigating the learning curve, finding the right tools, and unleashing your creativity with AI. He also discusses the potential career opportunities in the AI industry and shares his thoughts on the future of AI in art and media production. Whether you’re an artist, a content creator, or simply curious about AI, this episode is packed with actionable tips and inspiring ideas to help you stay ahead of the curve.
Key Takeaways:
- AI image generation tools offer a wide range of possibilities for artists, content creators, and businesses.
- Experimenting with different AI tools and techniques can help you find your unique style and unleash your creativity.
- Joining AI communities on Discord and Reddit is a great way to learn, get support, and stay up-to-date with the latest advancements.
- Custom training models and datasets can open up new opportunities for creating specific styles and assets.
- Embracing the fluidity and randomness of AI can lead to unexpected and inspiring results.
- AI is becoming an essential tool in various industries, and developing AI skills can enhance your employability and career prospects.
Follow Olivio
- Olivio’s Twitter
- Olivio’s YouTube
- Olivio’s Instagram
Mentioned Tools, Websites, and Resources:
- Midjourney
- Stable Diffusion
- DALL-E
- Krita
- ControlNet
- Automatic1111
- ComfyUI
- InvokeAI
- OpenArt
- Civitai
- Hugging Face
- GitHub
- DreamShaper
- Juggernaut
- Chilloutmix
- RealViz
- RevAnimated
- Patreon
In this episode, Allan McKay interviews Roxana Baldovin, an esteemed music video and commercial director known for her vibrant visual style.
Roxana discusses her creative journey, from her early aspirations of being a screenwriter to becoming a sought-after director collaborating with major artists like Snoop Dogg, Steve Aoki, Doja Cat, Bella Poarch and Maluma.
She shares insights into her creative process, the challenges of directing, and how she finds inspiration. Roxana also opens up about imposter syndrome, the importance of preparation, and rolling with the punches on set. Finally, she discusses her upcoming projects including a TV show and one-woman stage show.
Links
Website – https://roxanabaldovin.com/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/senoradirectora
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@senoradirectora4819
In the latest episode, I’m excited to spotlight David Wahlberg, an esteemed 2D Pipeline Supervisor and Comp Supervisor at Important Looking Pirates VFX in Stockholm, Sweden. With an expansive career of over 17 years, David has traversed the globe, contributing his vast skills to studios in Stockholm, Oslo, London, Sydney and Wellington. His work encompasses roles as a comp supervisor, senior compositor, and a pioneer in developing tools and plugins for Nuke, leveraging his programming expertise in C++ and Python to advance the VFX industry.
David’s portfolio boasts participation in major productions such as “The Book of Boba Fett”, “The Mandalorian”, “Star Wars” sequels, “The Hobbit” series, and more. He is also the founder of Pixelmania, a company at the forefront of AI-powered VFX tools, showcasing his passion for merging technology with visual effects. For insights into David’s influential work and Pixelmania’s innovative tools, visit www.pixelmania.se.
Join us as we dive into the world of visual effects with David Wahlberg, exploring the blend of art and technology that defines his career and contributions to some of the most iconic visuals in film and television.
Links
IMDB – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1996338/
Website – https://pixelmania.se/
ILP Studio – https://www.ilpvfx.com/
Quick updates on many things happening in 2024 and on the Podcast! Resuming back to the normal Podcast starting next week but thought I would share views on AI, the industry as it is right now in Q1 of 2024 and more!
Karen Heston is a VFX Supervisor on feature films and episodic tv. They began their VFX career at commercial houses in NYC on the night shift; while finishing their MFA in computer art by day.
Starting as a Flame artist, they led VFX teams and engaged with creatives from storyboards to finals. On-set supervision and taking projects from pre-production through post remains their passion today. Karen’s projects include titles like GREEN LANTERN, BEASTS OF NO NATION, OCEAN’S EIGHT, and most recently GEN V.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews VFX Supervisor Karen Heston about their creative journey as a VFX Supervisor on GEN V, the spinoff of THE BOYS; as well as their experience studying cinematography at NYU, switching to visual effects, the learning experience as a the main vendor on Cary Fukunaga’s BEASTS OF NO NATION, and so much more!
Karen Heston on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1706230/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
GEN V on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13159924/
GEN V on Amazon Prime: https://www.amazon.com/Gen-V-Season-1/dp/B0CBFTRGPZ
Josh Rosenbaum is a Producer at Waypoint Entertainment.
Josh majored in Business Administration at the USC Marshall School of Business and minored in Music Industry through the USC Thornton School of Music. Before he joined Waypoint Entertainment, he worked as an Agent Trainee at William Morris.
After joining Waypoint Entertainment in 2015, he worked his way up from being a Production Coordinator to now a Producer. Since joining Waypoint, he worked on titles like THE FAVOURITE, CUCKOO, MID90S, HOSTILES.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Producer at Waypoint Entertainment Josh Rosenbaum about his start in the entertainment business at William Morris; why relationships and strategy are the most important tools in building a career; how a production company chooses VFX vendors; why AI will never replace storytellers (including VFX artists); the behind-the-scenes of CUCKOO (to be released in 2024) – and so much more!
Josh Rosenbaum on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-rosenbaum-61b29521/
Josh Rosenbaum on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4835250/
Waypoint Entertainment Website: https://www.waypoint-ent.com
EPISODE 444 – FILM PRODUCER JOSH ROSENBAUM – WAYPOINT ENTERTAINMENT
Hi, everyone!
This is Allan McKay. Welcome to Episode 444!
I’m interviewing Film Producer Josh Rosenbaum about:
- His start in the entertainment business as an Agent Trainee at William Morris;
- Why relationships and strategy are the most important tools in building a career;
- The importance of paying your dues and learning on the job;
- Working with Ken Kao, President and CEO of Waypoint Entertainment;
- The finance and production facet of Waypoint Entertainment;
- Has TikTok and social media changed the audiences’ standards of expectation;
- The studio trend of “No CGI” promotional narrative;
- Why AI will never replace good storytelling and storytellers (including VFX artists);
- The behind-the-scenes of CUCKOO (to be released in 2024);
- And so much more!
Please take a moment to share this Episode with others. That would mean the world to me, thanks so much!
Let’s dive in!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM ALLAN McKAY:
[55:44] One of the biggest problems we face as artists is figuring out how much we’re worth. I’ve put together a website. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com! This is a chance for you to put in your level of experience, your discipline, your location — and it will give you an accurate idea what you and everyone else in your discipline should be charging. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com!
Okay, what did you think? I want to thank Josh for joining the Podcast. I hope you got a lot from this Episode.
Next week, I’m interviewing VFX Supervisor Karen Heston about their creative journey as a VFX Supervisor on GEN V, the spinoff of THE BOYS; as well as their experience studying cinematography at NYU, switching to visual effects, the learning experience as a the main vendor on Cary Fukunaga’s BEASTS OF NO NATION, and so much more!
Until then –
Rock on!
Click here to listen on iTunes!
Get on the VIP insiders list!
Upload The Productive Artist e-book.
Allan McKay’s Facebook Fanpage.
Allan McKay’s YouTube Channel.
Allan McKay’s Instagram.
Episode 443 – “NO CGI = INVISIBLE CGI” – VFX Supervisor Jonas Ussing
With 15 years in the VFX business, Jonas Ussing has supervisor credits on several feature and television titles, including the Netflix series THE RAIN. Jonas has furthermore earned nominations for an Emmy and a Danish Academy Award.
In 2012, Jonas was nominated for an Emmy for his work on INSIDE THE HUMAN BODY. In 2014, he directed a short film ZOMBIEHAGEN which he also wrote.
During 2023, Jonas launched his own YouTube Channel The Movie Rabbit Hole. He released two videos that have immediately gone viral in the VFX community, in which he talks about the collective publicity stunt in Hollywood on the subject of “NO CGI”. He does a deep dive into those projects that claim they used “no CGI” in the making, like TOP GUN: MAVERICK, BLADERUNNER, FAST 5 and STRANGER THINGS.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews VFX Supervisor Jonas Ussing about the dangerous marketing rhetoric encouraged by studios about “No CGI” in films like TOP GUN: MAVERICK, BLADERUNNER, FAST 5; the inspiration behind Jonas YouTube Channel The Movie Rabbit Hole and the viral videos on the subject; the reaction of the VFX community to his content; surviving Hollywood Labor Strikes of 2023, whether VFX artists will ever get unionized – and so much more!
Jonas Ussing on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1036151/
Jonas Ussing on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jussing/?originalSubdomain=dk
Jonas Ussing on IG: https://www.instagram.com/jussing/
“NO CGI” is Really Just INVISIBLE CGI: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ttG90raCNo
Zombiehagen on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1wwFrbm_D0
EPISODE 443 – “NO CGI = INVISIBLE CGI” – VFX SUPERVISOR JONAS USSING
Hi, everyone!
This is Allan McKay. Welcome to Episode 443!
I’m interviewing VFX Supervisor Jonas Ussing:
- His 18-year career in visual effects;
- Taking a year to create his first VFX reel;
- Getting the first job at Ghost VFX in Denmark;
- The inspiration behind his YouTube Channel The Movie Rabbit Hole;
- The marketing rhetoric encouraged by studios about “No CGI” films;
- The reaction of the VFX community to his viral YouTube videos on the subject;
- The long term effects of the Hollywood Labor Strikes in 2023;
- Whether VFX artists should get unionized;
- Why it’s important – for the general public – to discern between VFX and AI;
- And so much more!
Please take a moment to share this Episode with others. That would mean the world to me, thanks so much!
Let’s dive in!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM ALLAN McKAY:
[56:00] One of the biggest problems we face as artists is figuring out how much we’re worth. I’ve put together a website. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com! This is a chance for you to put in your level of experience, your discipline, your location — and it will give you an accurate idea what you and everyone else in your discipline should be charging. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com!
Okay, what did you think? I want to thank Jonas for joining the Podcast. I hope you got a lot from this Episode. This was a lot of fun! Definitely check out his YouTube series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ttG90raCNo.
Next week, I’m interviewing Producer at Waypoint Entertainment Josh Rosenbaum about his start in the entertainment business at William Morris; why relationships and strategy are the most important tools in building a career; how a production company chooses VFX vendors; why AI will never replace storytellers (including VFX artists); the behind-the-scenes of CUCKOO (to be released in 2024) – and so much more!
Until then –
Rock on!
Click here to listen on iTunes!
Get on the VIP insiders list!
Upload The Productive Artist e-book.
Allan McKay’s Facebook Fanpage.
Allan McKay’s YouTube Channel.
Allan McKay’s Instagram.
Episode 442 – Infinite-Realities Founder and Director Lee Perry-Smith
Infinite-Realities (IR) specializes in digital humans. Founded in 2007, IR has been developing static and motion scanning systems for over 15 years.
Lee Perry-Smith is the original Founder of Infinite-Realities. As CEO, he has led various large scale project developments. He has a deep passion for human scanning and the ongoing pursuit of the perfect digital human.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Founder of Infinite-Realities Lee Perry-Smith about his passion for digital humans and scanning technology, the inspiration for his launching of Infinite-Realities; his first feature film project STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS; 3D Gaussian Splatting, 4D capture, Artificial Intelligence – and so much more!
Lee Perry-Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeperrysmith
Infinite-Realities Website: https://www.ir-ltd.net
Infinite-Realities on Twitter: @8Infinite8
Infinite-Realities on IG: @infiniterealities4D
IR Vimeo Channel: https://vimeo.com/user2608859
EPISODE 442 – INFINITE-REALITIES – FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR LEE PERRY-SMITH
Hi, everyone!
This is Allan McKay. Welcome to Episode 442!
I’m interviewing Director and Founder of Infinite-Realities Lee Perry-Smith about:
- His start in computer graphics and building his own PC’s;
- Getting a part-time job to fund his passion;
- The drive and motivation of being self-taught (rather than pursuing formal education);
- His first job in computer graphics;
- His launching Infinite-Realities in 2007;
- His passion for digital humans and digital scanning technology;
- How much THE MATRIX inspired Lee;
- His first feature film projects: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS;
- 3D Gaussian Splatting, NeRF processing and 4D capture;
- The disruption of Artificial Intelligence and the future of the industry;
- And so much more!
I’m really excited to talk to Lee! This is going to be an epic interview!
Please take a moment to share this Episode with others. That would mean the world to me, thanks so much!
Let’s dive in!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM ALLAN McKAY:
[56:52] One of the biggest problems we face as artists is figuring out how much we’re worth. I’ve put together a website. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com! This is a chance for you to put in your level of experience, your discipline, your location — and it will give you an accurate idea what you and everyone else in your discipline should be charging. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com!
Okay, what did you think? I want to thank Lee for joining the Podcast. I hope you got a lot from this Episode.
Next week, I’m interviewing VFX Supervisor Jonas Ussing about the dangerous marketing rhetoric encouraged by studios about “No CGI” in films like TOP GUN: MAVERICK, BLADERUNNER, FAST 5; the inspiration behind Jonas YouTube Channel The Movie Rabbit Hole and the viral videos on the subject; the reaction of the VFX community to his content; surviving Hollywood Labor Strikes of 2023, whether VFX artists will ever get unionized – and so much more!
Until then –
Rock on!
Click here to listen on iTunes!
Get on the VIP insiders list!
Upload The Productive Artist e-book.
Allan McKay’s Facebook Fanpage.
Allan McKay’s YouTube Channel.
Allan McKay’s Instagram.
Episode 441 – Writer, Producer & Head of Writing at Vancouver Film School Kat Montagu
Kat Montagu is the Head of Writing for Film, Television and Games Program at the Vancouver Film School. She has taught for over 20 years in VFS’s Writing and Film Production Departments. Her Career Launch class has prepared countless VFS graduates to work on feature films, in the writers’ rooms of tv series and in video game studios. Kat has been named a VFS Instructor of the Year three times.
Kat is also the author of the best stilling book The Dreaded Curse: Screenplay Formatting for Film and Television. This twist on the how-to guide demonstrates best practices through a riotous story of two witches loosely inspired by her own family history, and is used to teach screenwriting at film schools and universities globally.
She is also the Senior Story Editor for Crazy8s and produced many short films and co-produced indie feature film THE PRODIGAL DAD.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Kat Montagu, the Head of Writing at the Vancouver Film School – as well as Writer and Producer – about finding passion for writing, the importance of the emotional journey in every story, what makes for a compelling story, why every department in film and tv production is involved in storytelling; as well as her own writing and teaching career at the Vancouver Film School.
Link to THE DREADED CURSE by Kat Montagu: https://www.threeoceanpress.com/all-titles/the-dreaded-curse
Kat Montagu at Vancouver Film School: https://vfs.edu/news/2023/05/05/faculty-news-qa-with-vfss-new-head-of-writing-for-film-television-games-program-kat
Kat Montagu on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1086155/
EPISODE 441 – WRITER, PRODUCER & HEAD OF WRITING AT VFS – KAT MONTAGU
Hi, everyone!
This is Allan McKay. Welcome to Episode 441!
I’m interviewing Writer, Producer & Head of Writing at Vancouver Film School Kat Montagu. For those of you that think this Episode isn’t for because you’re in visual effects, you have to realize that story is everywhere. If you can tell a compelling story – or at least, understand the structure – you’ll benefit immensely.
Kat and I talk about a lot of cool stuff, like:
- Kat’s pursuit of her own writing career;
- Falling in love with the craft of writing;
- The inspiration behind her book The Dreaded Curse: Screenplay Formatting for Film & Television;
- Her teaching career at Vancouver Film School;
- How writing for tv differs from writing for a video game IP;
- Why every department in film production is part of storytelling;
- The importance of the emotional journey in every story;
- What makes for a compelling story;
- Why a 3-act story is just a starting point;
- And so much more!
I loved this Episode so much, I’ve already lined up more interviews with Kat.
Please take a moment to share this Episode with others. That would mean so much!
Let’s dive in!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM ALLAN McKAY:
[59:24] One of the biggest problems we face as artists is figuring out how much we’re worth. I’ve put together a website. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com! This is a chance for you to put in your level of experience, your discipline, your location — and it will give you an accurate idea what you and everyone else in your discipline should be charging. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com!
Okay, what did you think? I want to thank Kat for joining the Podcast. This was an absolute blast!
Next week, I’m interviewing the Founder and Director of Infinite-Realities Lee Perry-Smith. This one you cannot miss if you’re into photogrammetry, body scanning, digital humans, NERFs. This one is going to be a big one! I also found this Episode to be pretty hands-on and by the end, you’ll have a list of technology to attack.
Until next week –
Rock on!
Click here to listen on iTunes!
Get on the VIP insiders list!
Upload The Productive Artist e-book.
Allan McKay’s Facebook Fanpage.
Allan McKay’s YouTube Channel.
Allan McKay’s Instagram.
Episode 440 – Kriscoart YouTube Channel Creator Kris Truini
Kris A. Truini was born in Middletown, Connecticut, and was raised in Italy until the age of 15. There, he first discovered his passion for film when he was 8 years old and has been making videos ever since. With little to no help for his first videos, he had to explore and learn as much as possible on every aspect involved in completing a film from start to finish. He acquired a good knowledge of software such as 3DS Max, After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere, Final Cut Pro X, FL Studio, along with other 3D applications, tracking programs and non-linear editors.
At the age of 15, he left his parents to go continue his school studies in the United States. He began to make tutorials and short videos posted on YouTube in the channel Kriscoart Productions. In the summer of 2010, he attended a film school at Maine Media Workshops.
After graduating high school in 2012, he moved to Florida to enroll in Full Sail University. There he continued to make videos and short films. One of his directing teachers offered him the position of Director of Photography, Editor, and Music Composer for his short REVERSE. His next short SPECULUM was a Finalist at the 2013 StartFest Florida Film Festival.
Kriscoart currently has over 436 Subscribers.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Kris Truini, the Creator of a successful YouTube Channel Kriscoart, about the inspiration for his Channel, the importance of building a supportive creative community, how to get over creative blocks, the future of AI, why both self-doubt and perseverance are part of the creative process, and so much more!
Kris A. Truini on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5628547/
Kriscoart on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcck1Zdvdt5aML_O32Y_Adg
Kriscoart on Facebook: www.facebook.com/kriscoart
Kris Truini’s Short Film: https://youtu.be/M8A8uln1sK8
Kriscoart on IG: @kriscoart
EPISODE 440 – KRISCOART YOUTUBE CHANNEL CREATOR KRIS TRUINI
Hi, everyone!
This is Allan McKay. Welcome to Episode 440!
I’m interviewing with Filmmaker and YouTube Creator Kris Truini. I’m really excited to talk to Kris about his career as a filmmaker, as well as subjects like:
- The inspiration behind his YouTube Channel Kriscoart;
- The pursuit of his American Dream as a Filmmaker;
- The importance of finding a supportive creative community;
- Why both self-doubt and perseverance are part of the creative process;
- The future of Unreal Engine;
- How AI is democratizing the filmmaking process;
- Where to find inspiration and get over creative blocks;
- Why an artist’s brand must be based on a personal story;
- His advice for up-and-coming filmmakers;
- And so much more!
Please take a moment to share this Episode with others. That would mean the world to me, thanks so much!
Let’s dive in!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM ALLAN McKAY:
[58:38] One of the biggest problems we face as artists is figuring out how much we’re worth. I’ve put together a website. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com! This is a chance for you to put in your level of experience, your discipline, your location — and it will give you an accurate idea what you and everyone else in your discipline should be charging. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com!
Okay, what did you think? I want to thank Kris for joining the Podcast. I hope you got a lot from this Episode.
Next week, I’m interviewing Writer, Producer and Head of the Writing Department at Vancouver Film School Kat Montagu. I think it’s a really cool interview!
Until then –
Rock on!
Click here to listen on iTunes!
Get on the VIP insiders list!
Upload The Productive Artist e-book.
Allan McKay’s Facebook Fanpage.
Allan McKay’s YouTube Channel.
Allan McKay’s Instagram.
Episode 420 — TED LASSO – VFX Supervisor James MacLaghlan James MacLachlan is a London-based VFX Supervisor and Director with a career spanning 19 years.He has worked for studios in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. James has worked at a number of London VFX houses including Glassworks and The Mill and is […]
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Episode 419 — Pixar President Jim Morris Jim Morris is President of Pixar Animation Studios, where he oversees all of the company’s productions and operations. Morris began working at Pixar in 2005. Films under his supervision include RATATOUILLE, UP, TOY STORY 3, CARS 2, BRAVE, MONSTERS UNIVERSITY, INSIDE OUT, THE GOOD DINOSAUR, FINDING DORY, […]
The post Episode 419 — Pixar President Jim Morris appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 418 — NVIDIA – 3D Artist David Baylis David Baylis is a 3D Artist living in Vancouver B.C Canada who specializes in automotive real-time rendering using Unreal Engine. He is originally from Lille, France. David works at Epic Games as a Consultant who produces demos, tutorials and webinars. Having always been a car […]
The post Episode 418 — NVIDIA — 3D Artist David Baylis appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 417 – VFX Legion – Founder & Creative Director James David Hattin James David Hattin is the Founder and Creative Director of VFX Legion. James oversees every aspect of the visual effects process for episodic television shows and feature films, from start to end, and provides clients with 20+ years of skill and […]
The post Episode 417 – VFX Legion – Founder & Creative Director James David Hattin appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 416 – VFX Sup Martin Hall – RABBIT HOLE Martin Hall is a VFX Supervisor with 30+ years of experience in visual effects. Trained in the traditional fine arts, he found visual effects to be the perfect synthesis of art, technology, and business, while being the most collaborative of all creative endeavors. Among […]
The post Episode 416 – VFX Sup Martin Hall – RABBIT HOLE – Paramount + appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 415 – André Luis – Trojan Horse was a Unicorn André Luis is the Co-Founder, CEO and creative force behind Trojan Horse was a Unicorn (THU), one of the world’s leading transformative experiences for digital artists and creative professionals. In 2013, he came up with the idea to create THU as a result […]
The post Episode 415 – André Luis – Trojan Horse was a Unicorn appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 414 – Alkemy X – Executive Creative Director Jep Hill A veteran facilitator with over 25 years experience in VFX and animation, Jep Hill is an Executive Creative Director at Alkemy X, an award-winning global creative company at the intersection of advertising, brands and entertainment. The company is a creative partner for the […]
The post Episode 414 – Alkemy X – Executive Creative Director Jep Hill appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 413 – Barnstorm VFX – Co-Founders Cory Jamieson and Lawson Deming Barnstorm VFX is an Emmy-nominated studio behind the visual effects on Amazon Studios’ THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE, HBO’S SILICON VALLEY and CBS’ STRANGE ANGEL. Barnstorm’s team embodies the pioneering ingenuity, daring creativity and freewheeling spirit of the first aviators. Founded […]
The post Episode 413 – Barnstorm VFX – Co-Founders Cory Jamieson and Lawson Deming appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 412 — John Romero – Legendary Game Designer / Creator of DOOM and Co-Founder of id Software John Romero is an award-winning game designer, level designer and programmer whose work spans over 130 games, 107 of which have been published commercially, including the iconic works Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM and Quake. He has worked […]
The post Episode 412 – John Romero – Legendary Game Designer of DOOM and Co-Founder of id Software appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 411 — Digital Domain – Global President and COO Lala Gavgavian As Global President & Chief Operating Officer at Digital Domain, Lala oversees the company’s global VFX services and operations. As part of her duties, Lala partners with production management, finance, production accounting, recruiting, artist management, technology management and operations to steer Digital […]
The post Episode 411 – Digital Domain – Global President and COO Lala Gavgavian appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 410 – Gabriel Aguiar – YouTube Creator & Unity Expert Gabriel Aguiar is a YouTube Creator and a Unity Expert. Focused on his work in Blender and Unity, Gabriel’s YouTube Channel currently has over 100K followers. He also provides assets for game developers on his Patreon. In 2021, Gabriel launched a game studio […]
The post Episode 410 – Gabriel Aguiar – YouTube Creator & Unity Expert appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 409 – From Self-Doubt to Self-Discovery: Pursuing Your Personal Legend In his book THE ALCHEMIST, Paolo Coelho talks about a Personal Legend. So many people give up just moments before they reach their own Personal Legend. After a while, if you aren’t getting the desired goal, it’s hard to convince yourself not to […]
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Episode 408 – THE MENU – Crafty Apes Dishes on the Film’s VFX Crafty Apes is a full service, boutique VFX company based in Culver City, CA & Atlanta, GA. The company was launched in July of 2011 by three visual effects veterans Jason Sanford, Chris LeDoux and Tim LeDoux. Believing that strong 2D […]
The post Episode 408 – THE MENU – Crafty Apes Dishes on the Film’s VFX appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 407 – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT’s VFX Supervisor Frank Petzold Frank Petzold is an internationally acclaimed Director and VFX Supervisor, and he’s been working in film for over 25 years. Whether working in film or television, Frank creates cutting edge visuals. Before stepping into the world of directing, this award-winning VFX […]
The post Episode 407 – ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT’s VFX Supervisor Frank Petzold appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 406 – How to Make More Money Some people argue that you can’t make more than $50K in VFX. Others compare their lives to the curated lifestyles on social media and demand to get paid more. It really comes down to your WHY: Why do you need more cash? The quickest pay rise […]
The post Episode 406 – How to Make More Money appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 405 – SMILE – The-Artery Talks About the Film’s Epic Visuals VICO SHARABANI is a Creative Entrepreneur, award-winning Creative-Director, Director, and Producer. He is also the Founder and CCO of The-Artery, a New York based media production company that creates high-end visual content for brands, feature films, commercials, digital experiences, art installations and […]
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Episode 404 – ARwall – Co-Founder and CEO Rene Amador ARwall is a group of indie filmmakers based in LA who are on a mission to democratize their virtual production tech that has previously only been accessible to major studios. ARwall is a virtual production, software and solutions company. Since its founding 7 years […]
The post Episode 404 – ARwall – Co-Founder and CEO Rene Amador appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 403 – Wonder Dynamics – Co-Founder and CEO Nikola Todorovic Wonder Dynamics is utilizing Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to develop cutting-edge technologies, innovate production tools and create original content for Film and TV Industry. A startup founded in 2017 by Ready Player One star Tye Sheridan and VFX expert Nikola Todorovic aims […]
The post Episode 403 – Wonder Dynamics – Co-Founder and CEO Nikola Todorovic appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 402 – Move.ai – Co-Founder Anthony Ganjou Move.ai develops patented AAA quality marker-less motion capture technology powered by computer vision and deep learning. Their software runs off any mobile device or camera, can capture any relative volume size and can be deployed in any environment on the planet. It’s been tested to be […]
The post Episode 402 – Move.ai – Co-Founder Anthony Ganjou appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 401 – VFX Sup Colin Strause – Creating Fire Sequences for FIRE COUNTRY The intense drama and riveting action in the newest primetime CBS hit series FIRE COUNTRY is accompanied by spectacular firestorms: The work of visual effects leaders CBS VFX which was selected by producers to create the namesake infernos and deliver […]
The post Episode 401 – VFX Sup Colin Strause – Creating Fire Sequences for FIRE COUNTRY appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 400 – ANNIVERSARY EPISODE – Ash Thorp Interviews Allan McKay Ash Thorp is a graphic designer, illustrator, artist, and creative director for a multitude of media, including feature films, commercial enterprises, and print. Most recently, Ash worked on the concept for the Batmobile and the Batcycle, for the 2022 film The Batman directed […]
The post Episode 400 – ANNIVERSARY EPISODE – Ash Thorp Interviews Allan McKay appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 399 – Unleashing Unreal Potential – UE Expert and 3D Artist William Faucher William Faucher is a 3D Artist, Unreal Engine Educator, CG Spectrum Mentor and a successful YouTuber. He is a deaf 3D Generalist who’s been working in the entertainment industry for the past 14 years. Some of his titles include VFX […]
The post Episode 399 – Unleashing Unreal Potential – UE Expert and 3D Artist William Faucher appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 398 – Revolutionizing AI – Interview with Pindar Van Arman Pindar Van Arman is an award-winning AI Artist who builds, codes and experiments with robots that paint in a variety of styles. Pindar was a winner of the Robot Art Competition for his home-made robots that use AI to paint artworks. He is […]
The post Episode 398 – Revolutionizing AI – Interview with Pindar Van Arman appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 397 – Crush the Interview – Advice to Nail Your Next Job When it comes to job interviews, the number one thing to think about is putting yourself in the interviewer’s shoes. The more you can think like them – the pain points they may have, their wants and needs – the more […]
The post 397 – Crush the Interview – Advice to Nail Your Next Job appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 396 – Important Looking Pirates Co-Founder Niklas Jacobson Important Looking Pirates (ILP) is a visual effects and digital animation studio located in central Stockholm founded in 2007 by Niklas Jacobson, Yafei Wu, Carl Hermelin and Eric Hermelin. The studio has more than 200 artists and have worked on big titles like Jurassic World: […]
The post Episode 396 – Important Looking Pirates Co-Founder Niklas Jacobson appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 395 – Sir Wade Neistadt – From Animation School to Cannes Sir Wade Neistadt is a Freelance Animator, VFX Artist and YouTube Creator. Currently, his YouTube Channel has over 205K followers. In 2014, after his short film about a sick superhero brought him to the Cannes Film Festival, he completed Animation Mentor’s Character […]
The post Episode 395 – Sir Wade Neistadt – From Animation School to Cannes appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 394 – Chris Zammit Talks TOP GUN: MAVERICK VFX Christopher Zammit is a VFX Supervisor and Art Director. He’s worked on many films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Tomorrowland, Ghostbusters, and of course films in the Transformers franchise Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Transformers: Age of […]
The post Episode 394 – Chris Zammit Talks TOP GUN: MAVERICK VFX appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 393 – 2023. Is This the Year VFX Dies? It is amazing how far Artificial Intelligence has progressed just in the last year! No one could’ve predicted the speed of this innovation. A lot of artists are now worried about being replaced with machine learning. While AI can automate and speed things up, […]
The post Episode 393 – 2023. Is This the Year VFX Dies? appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 392 – How Hollywood is Using Voice Cloning with Respeecher AI Respeecher uses deep learning (AI) techniques to produce high quality synthetic speech. The company was launched in 2018 by Alex Serdiuk, Dmytro Bielievtsov and Grant Reaber. In March 2020, Respeecher received $1.5 million in startup funding from ff Venture Capital, Acrobator Ventures, […]
The post Episode 392 – How Hollywood is Using Voice Cloning with Respeecher AI appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 391 – The Future of VFX – Lon Molnar of MARZ The mission of Monsters Aliens Robots Zombies (MARZ) is to deliver feature-film quality visual effects on television timelines by harnessing GPU clusters, game engine technology, AI and senior industry talent. Leveraging these pillars allows us to consistently execute with both speed and […]
The post Episode 391 – The Future of VFX – Lon Molnar of MARZ appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 390 – Stable Diffusion’s Creative Director Stability AI is the company behind Stable Diffusion, a powerful, free and open-source text-to-image generator that launched in August 2022. Since launching, Stable Diffusion has been downloaded and licensed by more than 200,000 developers globally. Stability AI’s consumer-facing product DreamStudio quickly grew to well over a million […]
The post Episode 390 – Stable Diffusion’s Creative Director appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 389 – Should I Go to a VFX School? The most commonly asked questions that get asked are: “Should I go to school to study VFX?” “Should I study online?” “What school / online community should I join?” Attending a school is a more traditional way of learning. However, because of the speed […]
The post Episode 389 – Should I Go to a VFX School? appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 388 – Brendan Kane – One Million Followers Brendan Kane is the Bestselling Author of ONE MILLION FOLLOWERS: HOW I BUILD A MASSIVE SOCIAL AUDIENCE IN 30 DAYS and HOOK POINT: HOW TO STAND OUT IN A 3-SECOND WORLD, as well as the Founder and Managing Director of Hook Point. Since 2005, Brendan […]
The post Episode 388 – Brendan Kane – One Million Followers appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 387 – Stop Sabotaging Your Career! Perfectionism holds artists back. It gets the best of us, both junior and senior artists like. It’s part of the inability to manage ourselves. It also ends up costing more: You’re spending so much time on the project, you burn through the budget. You end up paying […]
The post Episode 387 – Stop Sabotaging Your Career! appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 386 – Productivity Expert Chris Bailey Chris Bailey is a Productivity Expert and the bestselling Author of two books about productivity: The Productivity Project and Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction. Chris writes about productivity at www.alifeofproductivity.com and speaks to organizations around the globe on how they can […]
The post Episode 386 – Productivity Expert Chris Bailey appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 385 – Fighting the Seeds of Doubt We all have doubts if we’re on the right path. Being an artist requires a lot of patience, perseverance and skill. In addition, we have to continue learning and innovating. There is this inner voice that asks, “Am I investing my time into something that’s going […]
The post Episode 385 – Fighting the Seeds of Doubt appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 384 – Tim Miller’s Advice for Artists Tim Miller is a Film Director, Animator, Creative Director and VFX Artist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the work on his short film Gopher Broke. He made his directing debut with Deadpool. He is also known for creating […]
The post Episode 384 – Tim Miller’s Advice for Artists appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 383 – AI Art is Taking Over AI is exploding everywhere. There are so many technological innovations that use AI in visual effects. You might be already following the massive growth of AI. For VFX artists, the question is: Is AI taking over the art world? Will art be replaced by AI? Are […]
The post Episode 383 – AI Art is Taking Over appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 382 – ActionVFX CEO + COO: Building a Business! ActionVFX is a website that provides stock footage for visual effects, from smoke plumes to fire, from sparks to explosions. Before the company was launched in 2016, its CEO Rodolphe Pierre-Louis, along with Joe Camarata (Marketing Manager) and Luke Thompson (COO and Co-Owner) conducted […]
The post Episode 382 – ActionVFX CEO + COO: Building a Business appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 381 – Everypoint – Jonathan Stephens EveryPoint combines photogrammetry techniques with the iPhone Pro’s LiDAR scanner to fill in the gaps, as well as utilizes the positional / accelerometer data from the Apple AR toolkit. When combined, this delivers color 3D models that are said to be more accurate than simply using the […]
The post Episode 381 – Everypoint – Jonathan Stephens appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 380 – Positive Outcomes of COVID-19 COVID-19 created havoc in people’s lives and for a while, we thought it would shut down the VFX industry. But it turned out to have the opposite effect. As productions shut down, the studios sent artists home and their equipment to their homes, allowing for artists to […]
The post Episode 380 – Positive Outcomes of COVID-19 appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 379 – CTO Epic Games – Kim Libreri Epic Games CTO Kim Libreri is responsible for continuing Epic’s tradition of fusing state-of-the-art technology with the pinnacle of visual artistry, and for defining the studio’s Unreal Engine as the platform of choice for all types of interactive experiences including games, movies, visualization, augmented reality […]
The post Episode 379 – CTO Epic Games – Kim Libreri appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 378 – Advice for Entry Level Artists At the beginning of your VFX career, things can seem so hard and so stressful. As a junior VFX Artist, you may feel like everyone is out to get you. Here are some powerful mindset shifts that will change your outlook and how you feel about […]
The post Episode 378 – Advice for Entry Level Artists appeared first on Allan Mckay.
EPISODE 377 – VFX SUPERVISOR CHRISTOPHER ZAMMIT Christopher Zammit is a VFX Supervisor and Art Director. They’ve worked on many films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Tomorrowland, Ghostbusters, and of course films in the Transformers franchise Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Transformers: Age of Extinction and Transformers: […]
The post Episode 377 – VFX Supervisor Christopher Zammit appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Darin Moran has been making movies for over 20 years. While he studied design & photography at The Academy of Art in San Francisco and film theory and cinematography at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, he dropped out of school after a few years to learn in the field by actually […]
The post Episode 376 – Cinematographer Darin Moran appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 375 – Deepfake Expert Chris Ume Chris Ume is a visual effects expert with many years of experience in entertainment and corporate projects. In 2020, he began experimenting with deepfake technology, sourcing AI models from obscure Russian websites, and experimenting with new techniques. That led to a collaboration with an American actor known […]
The post Episode 375 – Deepfake Expert Chris Ume appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 374 – LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS Director Emily Dean Emily Dean is an Asian-Australian writer, director, and artist living in LA. Emily holds a BA (Honours I), History and English Major, from the University of Sydney. Following her academic studies, Emily pursued a career in animation first at the Australian Film TV Radio […]
The post Episode 374 – LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS Director Emily Dean appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 373 – How To Stand Out from Competitors You need to be ultra specific in how you define yourself when you’re applying for jobs as an artist. It’s the difference between being front-of-mind and standing out — or blending in with all the other applications. And it’s something that none of us do. […]
The post Episode 373 – How To Stand Out from Competitors appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 372 – YouTuber Evan Carmichael – How to Get 3 Million+ Subs Evan Carmichael #BELIEVES in entrepreneurs. At 19, he built and then sold a biotech software company. At 22, he was a venture capitalist raising $500k to $15M. He now runs a YouTube channel for entrepreneurs with over 2 million subscribers, […]
The post Episode 372 – YouTuber Evan Carmichael – How to Get 3 Million+ Subs appeared first on Allan Mckay.
EPISODE 371 — CRUSHING Your Bigger Goals The WHAT IF? Scenario: It’s an addictive concept for all of us. What if you give up on a career before you ever got started? Fear is just your mind trying to prevent you from change because change is unknown. It doesn’t want you to risk safety […]
The post Episode 371 — CRUSHING Your Bigger Goals appeared first on Allan Mckay.
EPISODE 370 – Zoic Studios – Virtual Production Sup for the Real Time Group – Scott Rosekrans Scott Rosekrans is a VFX Supervisor and Virtual Production Supervisor for the Real Time Group at Zoic Studios. He has been working to integrate Unreal Engine into every facet of the facilities post production workflow, from previz […]
The post Episode 370 – Zoic Studios – Virtual Production Sup for the Real Time Group – Scott Rosekrans appeared first on Allan Mckay.
EPISODE 369 – DI4D – Colin Urquhart & Douglas Green DI4D the world’s leading 4D facial performance capture service that specializes in animation for digital doubles. Their proprietary technology is derived from over 30 years of cutting edge research and development dating back to their own PhD research. Since then, the company has consistently […]
The post Episode 369 – DI4D – Colin Urquhart & Douglas Green appeared first on Allan Mckay.
EPISODE 368 – YouTuber and VFX Artist Eloi Andaluz Fullà Eloi Andaluz Fullà is a visual artist with over 18 years of experience in 3D. He’s worked in architecture, motion graphics, advertising, mappings, interactive installations and movies. He is specialized in particles and dynamics simulations. He has worked as a freelancer for different VFX […]
The post Episode 368 – YouTuber and VFX Artist Eloi Andaluz Fullà appeared first on Allan Mckay.
EPISODE 367 – Magnopus – Co Founder / CEO Ben Grossmann Oscar-winning Visual Effects Specialist Ben Grossmann has been paving the way for the new immersive web for nearly 20 years. As a Co-Founder of Magnopus, he’s long had a vision of bringing physical and digital worlds together through connected spaces. His passion for […]
The post Episode 367 – Magnopus – Co Founder / CEO Ben Grossmann appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 366 – VR Entrepreneur – Sally Slade Sally Slade worked for eight years in the VFX Industry, supporting visionary creators at Oscar award-winning studios, before pivoting to the XR Industry in 2016. Sally was nominated as “Reality Mixer of the Year” by Microsoft for her HoloLens product, Muralize, and further decorated by the […]
The post Episode 366 – VR Entrepreneur – Sally Slade appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 365 – BUCK – Creative Director Orion Tait Orion Tait is a Director and Partner at Buck, leading its New York studio in creating commercials and content for major brands from all over the world. With a background in filmmaking, fine arts and graphic design, his varied body of work is rooted in […]
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Episode 364 – Filmmaking in Unreal – Aaron Sims Aaron Sims, the visual creator behind some of this generation’s most unforgettable cinema creatures, began his career over two decades ago as a special effects makeup artist. His pioneering techniques in the world of visual effects influenced the face of character and creature design in […]
The post Episode 364 – Filmmaking in Unreal – Aaron Sims appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 363 – Director Carlos Stevens – LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS Carlos Stevens is an Animation Director, Writer and Executive Producer. He’s a former Student Academy Awards nominee for his animated short film Toumai. This achievement kick-started Carlos’s career working on a variety of Cannes Gold Lion award-winning commercial campaigns, notably for Sprint and […]
The post Episode 363 – Director Carlos Stevens – LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 362 — Henrique Reginato – NOX Visual Effects Henrique Reginato is a VFX Supervisor and the Founder of NOX Visual Effects. After working in VFX for over 13 years, Henrique launched NOX Visual Effects during COVID-19 by purchasing the Nuke Indie license and working from home. Born in Brazil, Henrique first studied at […]
The post Episode 362 — Henrique Reginato – NOX Visual Effects appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 361 – ILM – David Vickery David Vickery is a VFX Supervisor at ILM, well known for his work on films such as Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Parts 1 and 2, Fast & Furious 6 and Jupiter Ascending. His work has been recognized with an Academy Award® nomination and […]
The post Episode 361 – ILM – David Vickery appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 360 – Fred Ruff – Running a VFX Studio Fred Ruff is the founder of Refuge FX, a Portland based visual effects studio responsible for projects like For All Mankind, Helstrom, Queen of the South, Runaways, Grimm, Last Knight. Fred has over two decades of experience in computer graphics, visual effects and software […]
The post Episode 360 – Fred Ruff – Running a VFX Studio appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 359 — VFX Supervisor Bilali Mack – Alkemy X Bilali Mack is a VFX Supervisor Based in NYC. Born in Accra, Ghana and based in Brooklyn, Bilali has spent the better part of the last decade honing his craft at visual effects at studios such as Brickyard VFX, Smoke and Mirrors, MPC and […]
The post Episode 359 — VFX Supervisor Bilali Mack – Alkemy X appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 358 – Tim Miller – Founder of Blur Studio Tim Miller is a Film Director, Animator, Creative Director and VFX Artist. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for the work on his short film Gopher Broke. He made his directing debut with Deadpool. He is also known […]
The post Episode 358 – Tim Miller – Founder of Blur Studio appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 357 – EmberGen CEO – Building a Business Janga FX was founded in 2016 by Nick Seavert, an entrepreneur who is well versed in both startups and real-time VFX. Janga FX was initially bootstrapped with credit cards, software sales, and many thousands of man hours instead of outside investments. The company’s core motive […]
The post Episode 357 – EmberGen CEO – Building a Business appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 356 — Channel Makers – Nate Black When Nate Black decided to start a YouTube channel, he had a significant advantage: As an actor, he’d been in thousands of live stage performances and knew how to play to an audience. After leaving the stage, he moved through various jobs until he found a […]
The post Episode 356 — Channel Makers – Nate Black appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 355 — NFT’s and Other “Hacks” — Clinton Jones Clinton Jones is a Director, Content Creator, VFX Artist and Photographer. He has worked at Rocket Jump and at Corridor Digital. On his YouTube Channel, where he is known as Pwnisher, he launches challenges for his community, as well as creates tutorials. His YouTube […]
The post Episode 355 — NFT’s and Other “Hacks” — Clinton Jones appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 354 – Ian Spriggs – Photoreal 3D Character Portraits Ian Spriggs is a 3D Digital Artist and a VFX Artist. He completed his first 3D portrait in 2014. His work has become widely known for being photorealistic because they seem to represent the subjects’ inner selves. As a Lead Character Modeler, he has […]
The post Episode 354 – Ian Spriggs – Photoreal 3D Character Portraits appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 353 – ILM – Manager Emerging Talent – Kim Paris Since 1975, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) has set the standard for visual effects, creating some of the most stunning images in the history of film. At the forefront of the digital revolution, ILM continues to break new ground in the field not […]
The post Episode 353 – ILM – Manager Emerging Talent – Kim Paris appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 352 – Activision Blizzard – Executive Principal Recruiter for Art in Animation and Creative Robin Alan Linn Activision Blizzard’s history goes back more than 40 years. Two incredible gaming brands Activision and Blizzard Entertainment merged, bringing together the best creative talent in gaming. The acquisition of King in 2016 further strengthened the company’s […]
The post Episode 352 – Activision Blizzard – Executive Principal Recruiter for Art in Animation and Creative Robin Alan Linn appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 351 – CBS VFX – Ava DuVernay’s ONE PERFECT SHOT When Oscar®-nominated, Emmy® award-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay teams with some of cinema’s most noted directors in the new HBO Max original docuseries One Perfect Shot, movie lovers will see dazzling, unprecedented views inside memorable shots from film history. The series provides a […]
The post Episode 351 – CBS VFX – Ava DuVernay’s ONE PERFECT SHOT appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 350 – F is for Family – Showrunner Mike Price Mike Price is a Writers Guild Award and three-time Emmy Award-winning Writer and Producer. He is the Executive Producer and Showrunner of the acclaimed Netflix animated comedy series F is for Family, which he co-created with series star Bill Burr. He is also […]
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Episode 349 – Blur Studio – Head of Character Effects Kemer Stevenson Kemer Stevenson is the Character Effects Supervisor at Blur Studio in Los Angeles, California. With more than 15 years of experience in feature film, marketing and communications, he has previously worked for DreamWorks Animation, Rhythm & Hues, Republic Studios. His credits include: […]
The post Episode 349 – Blur Studio – Head of Character Effects Kemer Stevenson appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 348 – Foundation – DNEG’s VFX Sup Chris Keller DNEG (www.dneg.com) is one of the world’s leading visual effects (VFX) and animation studios for the creation of feature film, television and multiplatform content. DNEG employs nearly 7,000 people with worldwide offices and studios across North America (Los Angeles, Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver), Europe (London) […]
The post Episode 348 – Foundation – DNEG’s VFX Sup Chris Keller appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 347 – Perfectionism is the Enemy Perfection is our inability to balance out our priorities or see the big picture. We get so fixated on everything being perfect, we fall behind our responsibilities, eventually failing to deliver anything at all. This is a huge problem for a lot of junior artists who make […]
The post Episode 347 – Perfectionism is the Enemy appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 346 – DNEG’S VFX Supervisor Tom Proctor – Last Night in Soho DNEG (www.dneg.com) is one of the world’s leading visual effects (VFX) and animation studios for the creation of feature film, television and multiplatform content. DNEG employs nearly 7,000 people with worldwide offices and studios across North America (Los Angeles, Montréal, Toronto, […]
The post Episode 346 – DNEG’S VFX Supervisor Tom Proctor – Last Night in Soho appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 345 — Women in VFX TEHMINA BEG is a New-York based VFX supervisor currently working at Molecule VFX. She has previously worked at Zoic Studios, The Mill, MPC. Tehmina’s credits include Homeland, Quantifco, The Blacklist, And Just Like That, Modern Love and many more. She is a self-taught artist and photographer. MAGGIE OH […]
The post Episode 345 — Women in VFX appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 344 — Women in Leadership Round Table JINKO GOTOH is an Animation Producer and Consultant whose credits include The Little Prince; the Academy Award nominated The Illusionist; the Academy Award winning Finding Nemo. Jinko also serves as Vice-President of Women in Animation dedicated to advancing women in the field of animation. NELL LLOYD-MALCOLM […]
The post Episode 344 — Women in Leadership Round Table appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 343 — Molecule VFX Sup Tehmina Beg Tehmina Beg is a New-York based VFX Supervisor currently working at Molecule VFX. She has previously worked at Zoic Studios, The Mill, MPC. Tehmina’s credits include Homeland, Quantico, The Defenders, The Blacklist, Modern Love and most recently And Just Like That. She is a self-taught artist […]
The post Episode 343 — Molecule VFX Sup Tehmina Beg appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 342 — THE MATRIX: RESURRECTIONS – DNEG’s VFX Sup Dan Glass DNEG (www.dneg.com) is one of the world’s leading visual effects (VFX) and animation studios for the creation of feature film, television and multiplatform content. DNEG employs nearly 7,000 people with worldwide offices and studios across North America (Los Angeles, Montréal, Toronto, Vancouver), […]
The post Episode 342 — THE MATRIX: RESURRECTIONS – DNEG’s VFX Sup Dan Glass appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 341 — CRUSHING Your Bigger Goals The WHAT IF? Scenario: It’s an addictive concept for all of us. What if you give up on a career before you ever got started? Fear is just your mind trying to prevent you from change because change is unknown. It doesn’t want you to risk safety […]
The post Episode 341 — CRUSHING Your Bigger Goals appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 340 — Zoic’s Executive Creative Director / Co-Founder – Andrew Orloff Zoic Studios is a VFX company of accomplished artists and producers with a deep understanding of story, process and relationships. With offices in Los Angeles, New York and Vancouver, the company has prided itself in partnership, integrity and enthusiasm as the key […]
The post Episode 340 — Zoic’s Executive Creative Director / Co-Founder – Andrew Orloff appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 339 — Perception – Co-Founders Jeremy Lasky & Danny Gonzalez Perception is an Emmy nominated design lab pioneering the visionary process of Science Fiction Thinking to architect the future. They divide their time equally between the parallel worlds of science-fiction—working with trailblazing filmmakers and science-fact—collaborating with the world’s most innovative technology brands. Drawing […]
The post Episode 339 — Perception — Co-Founders Jeremy Lasky & Danny Gonzalez appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 338 — Executive Business Advice — Louis Castle Louis Castle is a prolific American video games designer. He is known for co-founding Westwood Studios and for his work on the Command & Conquer real-time strategy series. In 2017, he became the Head of Amazon Game Studios Seattle. Most recently, Louis joined GreenPark Sports […]
The post Episode 338 — Executive Business Advice — Louis Castle appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 337 — My Experience Looking for a Staff Position There’s such a shortage of visual effects people right now. It’s insane how many projects have been greenlit. And even for a 3D artist, there’s so much stuff out there – and that’s a good thing! Visual effects in general is such a healthy […]
The post Episode 337 — My Experience Looking for a Staff Position appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 336 — Cinecom: Growing a Massive YouTube Business — Jordy Vandeput Cinecom is a YouTube channel and a media organization from Belgium founded in 2014 by Jordy Vandeput. The goal of the channel is to provide educational content for filmmakers and video editors around the world. Jordy Vandeput graduated from a film school […]
The post Episode 336 — Cinecom: Growing a Massive YouTube Business — Jordy Vandeput appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 335 — VFX Legend Richard Edlund – Part 2 Richard Edlund is a four-time Academy Award visual effects winner for Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. He is VFX Supervisor, Producer and Cinematographer. Richard was also […]
The post Episode 335 — VFX Legend Richard Edlund — Part 2 appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 334 – Activision Blizzard – Senior Director Creative Talent Robin Alan Linn Activision Blizzard’s history goes back more than 40 years. Two incredible gaming brands Activision and Blizzard Entertainment merged, bringing together the best creative talent in gaming. The acquisition of King in 2016 further strengthened the company’s vision to bring the world […]
The post Episode 334 – Activision Blizzard – Senior Director Creative Talent Robin Alan Linn appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 333 — NO TIME TO DIE — VFX Sup Charlie Noble & Special Effects Sup Chris Corbould DNEG (www.dneg.com) is one of the world’s leading visual effects (VFX) and animation studios for the creation of feature film, television and multiplatform content. DNEG employs nearly 7,000 people with worldwide offices and studios across North […]
The post Episode 333 — NO TIME TO DIE — VFX Sup Charlie Noble & Special Effects Sup Chris Corbould appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 332 — Foundry — Jen Goldfinch, Senior Director of Industry Marketing Founded in 1996, Foundry is a visual effects software development company headquartered in London, with over 300 employees and a presence in the US, China, Japan, Australia and Europe. They have been developing creative software for the Digital Design, Media and Entertainment […]
The post Episode 332 — Foundry – Jen Goldfinch, Senior Director of Industry Marketing appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 331 — Crushing Success The more we see the result of the success people are having, the more we can get inspired and model our goals after that success. Which is why I think it’s important to follow other successful people: to see what their habits are and if you can apply those […]
The post Episode 331 — Crushing Success appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 330 — Eran Dinur — Photorealism for VFX Eran Dinur is VFX Supervisor, Composer and published author. His career in visual effects began with a fascination for creating 3D natural scenery. Through his early years, he became well known as a VUE expert and innovator. When he joined ILM Singapore, he created visual […]
The post Episode 330 — Eran Dinur — Photorealism for VFX appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 329 — VFX Legend Richard Edlund — The History of STAR WARS Richard Edlund is a four-time Academy Award visual effects winner for Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. He is VFX Supervisor, Producer and Cinematographer. […]
The post Episode 329 — VFX Legend Richard Edlund — The History of STAR WARS appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 328 — Cinesite Lead FX TD — David Adan David Adan is an FT TD Lead at Cinesite whose list of credits include Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, American Gods, Mindhunter, Godzilla: King of Monsters, Terminator: Dark Fate, Lost in Space and many more. David’s journey began in 1994 in Cuernavaca, Mexico, when […]
The post Episode 328 — Cinesite Lead FX TD — David Adan appeared first on Allan Mckay.
Episode 327 — Pricing Strategy In the beginning of your career as junior artists, it’s fight or flight. You will either leave the industry because it’s too hard or you’ll work hard on as many jobs as you can. You need that exit strategy, however, otherwise you will burn out. It’s the fear that […]
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Episode 326 — Artist Burnout There is nothing worse than burnout. As artists, we work hard, we work long hours, chase tight deadlines. As the expression goes in Blade Runner, “The candle that burns twice as bright, burns for half as long.” So how do you avoid hitting rock bottom? A lot of the […]
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Episode 325 — Becoming a Content Creator — Sam Wickert Sam Wickert is a director and VFX supervisor who has worked closely with many clients such as Epic Games, Google Daydream, AMD, BlackMagic Design, Universal Orlando Resorts, Redbull, and Discover. The most exciting projects he has enjoyed working on is the content featured on […]
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Episode 324 — Erika Burton — DNEG — President, Global VFX Production Erika Burton brings over 25 years of senior-level experience to her role at DNEG. Most recently, she led as EVP, Global Features & Streaming VFX at Method Studios. Prior to that, she held senior leadership positions at major studios, including Walt Disney […]
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Episode 323 — DUNE VFX Supervisor — Paul Lambert Paul Lambert is a Visual Effects Supervisor. He is also the inventor of IBK Keyer in Nuke. Over the course of his over-two-decade long career, he’s worked on such titles as Gone Girl, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, TRON: Legacy, The Curious Case of […]
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Episode 322 — Raise Your Value — Raise Your Rates A lot of the time, artists feel like clients do them a favor by hiring them. The more you understand the ecosystem, the more you start seeing this as a service-based industry: You’re delivering value to your client, they’re delivering value to theirs — […]
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Episode 321 — Manufacturing Hit Commercials — Harmon Brothers The Harmon Brothers is a marketing firm based in Provo, Utah, that has a history of making viral advertising videos. Founded by brothers Daniel, Neil, Jeffrey and Theron Harmon and CEO Benton Crane, the company creates marketing campaigns that are usually the length of an […]
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Episode 320 — Niche Down to Stand Out You need to be ultra specific in how you define yourself when you’re applying for jobs as an artist. It’s the difference between being front-of-mind and standing out — or blending in with all the other applications. And it’s something that none of us do. By […]
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Episode 319 — F9 VFX Supervisor – Peter Chiang Peter Chiang is co-founder of DNEG and a prolific and critically acclaimed Visual Effects Supervisor. He is one of the leaders in his field with over 30 years experience in the industry. Starting out as a graphic artist, animator and later visual effects art director, […]
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Episode 318 — How to Raise Your Prices Knowing when to raise your rates is really critical. A lot of us get the resistance in the beginning. We’re afraid that if we raise our prices too high, we’ll lose our clients. But that’s kind of the idea! A brand is our position in the […]
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