The Allan McKay Podcast
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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! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/445. http://www.allanmckay.com/445.
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! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/444. http://www.allanmckay.com/444.
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! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/443. http://www.allanmckay.com/443.
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! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/442. http://www.allanmckay.com/442.
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. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/441. http://www.allanmckay.com/441.
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! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/440. http://www.allanmckay.com/440.
Rob Nederhorst is a veteran of the VFX industry. As a VFX Supervisor, he’s worked on titles like JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM, THE CONJURING, GHOSTBUSTERS, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, and so many others. Rob has deep knowledge in compositing, lighting, 3D, 2D and programming. In addition, he does his own photography (https://www.flickr.com/photos/71678094@N00/) and teaches at University of Southern California. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews VFX Supervisor Robert Nederhorst about his viral Generative AI Webinar for SAG-AFTRA Membership and the feedback that followed; the current CGI backlash and why the best visual effects are invisible; why AI will never replace VFX artists and why 2024 will be a year abundant with opportunities – and so much more! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/439. http://www.allanmckay.com/439.
Eric Wachtman is a CG / VFX Supervisor and Art Director at LAIKA where he’s been working for nearly 20 years. Prior to that, he served as the Director of CG / Visual Effects and Art Director at the Cartoon Network. LAIKA was founded in 2005 in Oregon and is guided by the vision of its President & CEO Travis Knight. Located just outside Portland, Oregon, LAIKA was awarded a Scientific and Technology Oscar® for its innovation in 3D printing in 2016. Its five films – MISSING LINK (2019); KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (2016); THE BOXTROLLS (2014); PARANORMAN (2012), and CORALINE (2009) – were all nominated for Oscars® and PGA Awards as Outstanding Animated Film. MISSING LINK was the first LAIKA film to win the Golden Globe® for Best Animated Feature and was awarded two Visual Effects Society (VES) awards for Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature and Outstanding Animated Character, and received seven Annie Award nominations. KUBO received a second Oscar® nomination for Outstanding Visual Effects and won the BAFTA Award, as well as three Annie Awards, the National Board of Review's Best Animated Feature citation, and 19 regional and critics’ group awards. THE BOXTROLLS earned Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe Award nominations and 13 Annie Award nominations, more than any other film that year. PARANORMAN garnered BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and GLAAD Media Award nominations, won two Annie Awards, and was cited as the year’s best animated film by 14 critics’ groups. CORALINE earned Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Critics’ Choice nominations and was named one of the year’s 10 Best Films by the American Film Institute (AFI). In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews the CG / VFX Supervisor at LAIKA Eric Wachtman about his experience working on award-winning titles of CAROLINE and PARANORMAN, his leadership in founding the Portland Chapter of VES, how curiosity and passion drives one’s VFX career, the secret to winning reels and so much more! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/438. http://www.allanmckay.com/438.
Alex Wang is a VFX Supervisor. He started his career in visual effects at The Orphanage on THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, right after graduating from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2003. He then joined Image Movers Digital to work on THE CHRISTMAS CAROL and MARS NEEDS MOMS. In 2010, Alex joined Digital Domain for TRON LEGACY, and then he worked on TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON, JACK THE GIANT SLAYER and FURIOUS 7. He also served as a CG Supervisor on FAST AND FURIOUS 7 and then VFX Supervisor on DEADPOOL. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews VFX Supervisor Alex Wang about creating the post-apocalyptic practical and visual effects of the Emmy-nominated HBO show THE LAST OF US, the skills of a VFX Supervisor, staying relevant by keeping up with technology, how AI is changing VFX pipelines and so much more! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/437. http://www.allanmckay.com/437.
Freelance is such a big topic in visual effects! For those of you starting in the industry, you’re probably wondering how to get your foot in the door. Ultimately, 2024 will be a very busy year. That means that those of you who are good should be ready to turn down work. The first thing you need to think about is how you’re positioning yourself in the business: What are the special skills that you have that allow you to stand out from others? We are in a problem solving business. Positioning means that you know how to sell yourself – by providing solutions to the potential employer – as well as understand your worth. You need to be aware of what you bring to the table and how to sell yourself. (That also means that you’re aware of what you’re not good at, which gives you room for improvement.) You also need to understand the needs of your employer. You show that understanding by providing a reel that sums up your best work – and is very heavily catered to the specific task that the employer is looking to fill. In addition, your cover letter must mention the position you’re applying for and your understanding of what the position entails. That allows you to position yourself as the go-to person for this role. In this Episode, you’ll learn about: __ __ One of the advantages of 2024 is widely available remote job opportunities. That means that you can live anywhere. By living in a cheaper area, you’re able to lower your overhead and actually enjoy your lifestyle. That also means that nowadays you can work for any studio you want. Remember: It’s not just about being skilled as a VFX Artist – it’s about the right artist for the right job, at the right time. In this Podcast, Allan McKay gives critical insight into how to find remote work and freelance work in 2024, how to be successful at outreach to potential employers, how to create a winning reel that guarantees employment, how to work for a dream studio remotely – and so much more! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/436. http://www.allanmckay.com/436.
Chris LeDoux is the Co-Founder of Crafty Apes, a VFX Supervisor and an Entrepreneur. Born and bred in Alaska, Chris earned Bachelor’s degree in both psychology and sociology, but his fascination with filmmaking led him to the world of visual effects. He began his career in VFX as a compositor at The Orphanage in 2004. He worked at numerous studios such as Uncharted Territory, Cafe FX and Scanline. Now a veteran of the film industry, his impressive resume includes compositing and VFX supervision on multiple titles, including 12 Years a Slave, Doctor Strange, Better Call Saul, among others. He has also directed music videos and led visual effects teams for U2, Chris Cornell, New Kids on the Block, Paramore, just to name a few. 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 compositing is the backbone behind quality visual effects, Crafty Apes was formed to primarily offer high-end compositing services for feature films and television clients. Crafty Apes specializes in compositing effects and visual effects supervision. By paying extra attention to the detail and integration that 2D work requires and by working with the best technology available spread among a select group of artists, Crafty Apes can deliver a superior product to higher end clients in a shorter time period. Their recent credits include: The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Lovecraft Country, Doctor Strange, Hidden Figures, Lalaland, Fist Fight, Pete's Dragon, Captain America: Civil War, Killing Reagan, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Dirty Grandpa, Allegiant, Insurgent, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Mass, The 33, Foxcatcher, 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, The Monkey King, White House Down, Single Mom's Club, The Last Stand, A Madea's Christmas and many more. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews the Co-Founder of Crafty Apes, VFX Supervisor and an Entrepreneur Chris LeDoux about his inspiration behind launching of Crafty Apes; ROI and taking the risk out of starting a business; why empathy guarantees professional success – and so much more! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/435. http://www.allanmckay.com/435.
Chris LeDoux is the Co-Founder of Crafty Apes, a VFX Supervisor and an Entrepreneur. Born and bred in Alaska, Chris earned Bachelor’s degree in both psychology and sociology, but his fascination with filmmaking led him to the world of visual effects. He began his career in VFX as a compositor at The Orphanage in 2004. He worked at numerous studios such as Uncharted Territory, Cafe FX and Scanline. Now a veteran of the film industry, his impressive resume includes compositing and VFX supervision on multiple titles, including 12 Years a Slave, Doctor Strange, Better Call Saul, among others. He has also directed music videos and led visual effects teams for U2, Chris Cornell, New Kids on the Block, Paramore, just to name a few. 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 compositing is the backbone behind quality visual effects, Crafty Apes was formed to primarily offer high-end compositing services for feature films and television clients. Crafty Apes specializes in compositing effects and visual effects supervision. By paying extra attention to the detail and integration that 2D work requires and by working with the best technology available spread among a select group of artists, Crafty Apes can deliver a superior product to higher end clients in a shorter time period. Their recent credits include: The Babysitter: Killer Queen, Lovecraft Country, Doctor Strange, Hidden Figures, Lalaland, Fist Fight, Pete's Dragon, Captain America: Civil War, Killing Reagan, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Dirty Grandpa, Allegiant, Insurgent, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Mass, The 33, Foxcatcher, 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, The Monkey King, White House Down, Single Mom's Club, The Last Stand, A Madea's Christmas and many more. In this Podcast, Allan McKay and the Co-Founder of Crafty Apes, VFX Supervisor and an Entrepreneur Chris LeDoux do a deep dive into the paradigm shift of Artificial Intelligence: Its effect on the future of VFX, a productive outlook at AI as a way to optimized things, how to train it to your advantage and Chris’s own investments into AI entrepreneurship. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/434. http://www.allanmckay.com/434.
Mark Spindler is a Visual Effects Supervisor at Pixomondo in Frankfurt, Germany. He’s worked on feature films such as Midway, Justice League, Star Trek: Into Darkness, as well tv shows like The Mandalorian and Game of Thrones for which he received two VES Award nominations. His most recent work on House of the Dragon has also been recognized with an Emmy nomination. He began his career path as a Compositor after finishing his Master of Arts in Media Production in 2012, then became a Lead Compositor and Compositing Supervisor before being promoted to his Supervisor position. Besides his career as a Supervisor, Mark has also contributed to visual effects by developing several tools for Nuke. Some of those Gizmos, Python scripts and C++ plug-ins can be downloaded from the tools section on his website (http://www.mark-spindler.com/tools.html) or from Nukepedia. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews VFX Supervisor Mark Spindler about his work on both HOUSE OF THE DRAGON and GAME OF THRONES; the pipeline, creative process and go-to tools of a VFX Supervisor; his career at Pixomondo, as well as the future of AI in VFX. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/433. http://www.allanmckay.com/433.
Eric J. Robertson is the Executive Vice President of ReDefine, as well as a Producer, Cinematographer and Entrepreneur. As part of the DNEG Group, ReDefine leverages an incredible legacy of creative and technical innovation to cater to projects that benefit from their agile boutique approach. The studio designs solutions that are tailored to the requirements of each show and always delivers to the highest levels of quality. The list of their credits includes DUNE: PART II, BORDERLANDS, WACO: THE AFTERMATH, and so many more! Prior to joining ReDefine, Eric co-founded a New York based VFX Studio Mr. X Gotham. Over the course of his career, he supervised and produced visual effects for over 50 feature films and worked with some of film’s most respected directors including Ron Howard, Jonathan Demme, Sam Mendes, Joel and Ethan Cohen, Jim Jarmusch and Charlie Kaufman. With a career that spanned all genres, Eric enabled Sacha Baron Cohen’s General Alladeen to walk a tightrope above midtown New York in THE DICTATOR; he transformed Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s vision into a vast warehouse that enclosed the entire island of Manhattan in SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK and convinced moviegoers that they’re watching Richard Nixon’s confessions in real time in FROST / NIXON. Eric’s creations go from exhilarating and hilarious, to emotional and engaging, all with the visual effects integrated seamlessly with the storyteller’s vision. Eric is also an accomplished photographer and cinematographer whose 20+ years of experience in production gives him a storyteller’s eye along with the technical skills that encompass all aspects of the filmmaking process, from script to screen. Eric was instrumental in expanding the V.E.S. into an NYC section and served as its first Secretary / Treasurer. He is a member of IATSE Local 600. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews the Executive Vice President of ReDefine Eric J. Roberson about overcoming challenges and pushing the limits in visual effects; teaching filmmaking principles to the next generation of VFX Supervisors; the future of streaming content in 2024 post industry strikes; as well as Eric’s career in visual effects and the legacy of DNEG in ReDefine’s work and international presence. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/432. http://www.allanmckay.com/432.
Ghost Robot is the creative studio of the future based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. They work with a global community of artistic talent to create content for forward thinking clients. Ghost Robot was founded in 2002 by Zachary Mortensen. The company derived its name from the theme of a music video Ghost Robot was producing at the time. The video was for the song "In The Waiting Line" by the band Zero7. "In The Waiting Line" was the first commercial use of machinima using the animation engine from the Quake video game. In 2005 Mark DePace joined the company as a full partner and spearheaded the formation of the company's roster of directors for commercial representation. The addition of DePace repositioned the company within the industry and began their official move into advertising and commercial production. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Ghost Robot’s CEO Zach Mortensen and COO Mark DePace about the inspiration behind launching Ghost Robot and its name; how keeping track of latest innovations is imbedded into their foundation; working on indie films versus blockbusters; the value of giving yourself creative constraints when it comes to resources; how AI is getting integrated into artists’ workflow – and so much more! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/431. http://www.allanmckay.com/431.
Zacharias “Zach” Reinhardt is a 3D Artist, as well as Founder and Lead Instructor at CG Boost. CG Boost provides Blender tutorials and resources for 3D artists, in order to make creating passionate 3D projects achievable for anyone. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews the Founder of CG Boost Zach Reinhardt about starting his YouTube Channel and gaining traction, the inspiration behind launching his company, alternative packages to study Blender, which area of the industry uses Blender the most – as well as how to make a living as a 3D artist! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/430. http://www.allanmckay.com/430.
Tim Simmons is an experienced media producer with a demonstrated history of creating short and long form video to create engaging content.Tech Savvy, people savvy, and self motivated creator with a successful track record of building a brand from scratch, Tim is passionate about sharing his knowledge with others – and exploring the intersection of creative content and AI. In 2022, Tim created Theoretically Media, a channel focusing on creative AI imagery. The Channel dives into filmmaking, music, writing, and art, all enhanced by AI latest tools. Believing in technology's power to elevate independent artists' work, Tim explores the cusp of AI and art. The YouTube Channel currently has over 46K Subscribers. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Tim Simmons, the Creator of Theoretically Media, a YouTube Channel focused on creative AI imagery. Allan and Tim dive into the topic of AI: the rapid growth of AI and the reaction of the artistic community to this technology, the dual Hollywood strike and the issue of copyright, limitations and inspiration of artificial intelligence; as well the launch of his Channel and how to monetize on YouTube. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/429. http://www.allanmckay.com/429.
Melinda Ozel is an Expression Scientist, Consultant and Educator of all things face related. Before pioneering a career path in expression science, she worked as a Researcher at Meta and Affective where she used her expression expertise to advise the tracking and simulation of facial behavior. She now helps companies in film, game and tech create compelling animated characters and build high-fidelity face tracking technology. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Expression Scientist Melinda Ozel about neuroscience, neuro-marketing and psychology; her contribution to the FACS system and working as an educator; as well as tips for building your own consulting business and the importance of coding, SEO and social media. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/428. http://www.allanmckay.com/428.
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 together through epic entertainment. Their professional gaming properties include the Overwatch League™, the Call of Duty League™, Hearthstone® Grandmasters, and the World of Warcraft® Arena World Championship, among others. Activision Blizzard Esports also operates Tespa™, the leader in collegiate esports. In this Episode, Activision Blizzard King’s Executive Principal Recruiter for Art in Animation and Creative Robin Alan Linn gives insider tips about what makes a successful reel, how to negotiate a salary, importance of relationships and reputation, why visual effects is always about storytelling – and why the most crucial question an interviewee can ask is: “What am I bringing to the table?” For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/427. http://www.allanmckay.com/427.
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 biggest names in film and television, such as Fear of the Walking Dead, Wednesday, The Whale, Westworld, Power, Dear White People, Hunters, Mr. Robot, and many more. Since 1981, Alkemy X has been a pioneer in a continuously evolving industry — entrusted with projects generating billions of dollars in revenue. With the craft and talent to take on any project, they’re a vertically integrated creative company, offering strategy and execution with speed, quality and efficiency that always exceeds expectation. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews the Executive Creative Director of Alkemy X Jep Hill about leadership skills for artists, the age of AI in VFX — and how artists can take advantage of it; go-to tools and soft skills of a VFX Supervisor, four rules of management, how to win over clients; and the timeless question of: Is the magic of visual effects still alive? For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/426. http://www.allanmckay.com/426.
Todd Sheridan Perry is an On-Set Supervisor on the show with a diverse background in video games, film and television. He’s worked on titles like Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers to Final Destination 5, The Immortals, Total Recall, Resident Evil 5 and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Todd has also worked as a CG Supervisor on Marvel’s Doctor Strange which was nominated for a Best Visual Effects Oscar. Scott Kirvan is a VFX and Virtual Production Supervisor, Tech Enthusiast and multidisciplinary creative. He is also the Co-Author of globally recognized Brazil Rendering System, a high performance production quality GI ray trace renderer. As a Virtual Production and Visual Effects Supervisor, Scott has over 20 years of leadership experience, including client-side supervisory roles and in-studio digital production work. He has a diverse background in filmmaking, VFX, business leadership, and engineering, making him a valuable asset to any production team. In this Podcast, VFX Supervisors Todd Sheridan Perry and Scott Kirvan do a deep dive into the making of the Amazon comedy series I’M A VIRGO by Boots Riley, the practical effects and some of the technology used in the show, its challenges and how they resolved them. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/425. http://www.allanmckay.com/425.
With 10+ years of VFX industry experience, Digital Artist and VFX Sup Marco Baratoo is more than ever interested in being an integral part of it through compositing and creative leadership. An understanding of light, color and composition are essential to his approach. His additional interests include photography, concept art, cinema and mathematics. His most recent credit is the role of a Digital Artist in Christopher Nolan’s OPPENHEIMER. His other credits include EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY. In this Podcast, Digital Artist Marco Baratto talks about his work on OPPENHEIMER and how much CGI should or should not be utilized is storytelling; as well as the pros and cons of working remotely, the benefit of getting a degree in VFX and the importance of doing your personal work as a VFX artist. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/424. http://www.allanmckay.com/424.
Curious Refuge is a home for unlocking your inner artist using the latest tools. Founded by Caleb and Shelby Ward, the company believes in giving back to the creative community with their videos, blog content and interactive courses. They develop compelling and innovative video and blog content for free and have a blast with every video. They also work with world-class clients and storytellers to bring their creative visions to life. Self described as a bunch of goofballs who have a love for life and creativity, they love to share content and inspiration. Caleb Ward has led marketing teams for startups, Fortune-500 companies and creative brands around the world. His background in filmmaking and marketing has led him to develop keen intuition about what it takes to launch a successful idea. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Caleb Ward, the Co-Founder of Curious Refuge, a community for artists that tackles the latest tools including AI, about his starting the company as a positive change, going viral on YouTube, the profound change of AI and its future; as well as the timely question of: Should one embrace AI or fear it? For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/423. http://www.allanmckay.com/423.
Grant Miller is a Partner and an Executive VFX Supervisor at Ingenuity Studios. Grant brings a deep level of technical and artistic acumen to his role as Executive VFX Supervisor at Ingenuity Studios. He oversees the studio's CG, FX, and Pipeline teams, ensuring that final results meet the exacting demands of sophisticated clients. Working closely with directors and creative decision-makers, Grant provides guidance and methodology during preproduction, supervision on set, and ensures seamless collaboration and high-quality results through post. Over the years, Grant has supervised visual effects for a long list of notable clients, including episodic television shows such as The Night Agent, The Orville, The Boys, and Westworld; films such as Get Out and A Star is Born; music videos for Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Lady Gaga; and Super Bowl commercials for Fox Sports. Grant got his start working in video games in 2007, a background that he pulls from as the industry moves toward real-time VFX. Based in Los Angeles, Grant is a member of the Visual Effects Society and Film Independent. He received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Sports Promotional in 2017, and is frequently called upon to share insights at industry events and conferences. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews VFX Supervisor and Partner at Ingenuity Studios Grant Miller about how up-and-coming Artists can launch their career: the importance of following your dreams, how to train your eye in visual effects, why keeping it simple always wins and some job interview red flags. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/422. http://www.allanmckay.com/422.
With a passion for storytelling and a flare for the visual, Matt Whelan has been making short films and commercials for over 10 years. Training as a classical animator at Sheridan College, Whelan's experience spans live-action and digital Directing, storyboarding, CG animation, and VFX supervision, where he has received international nominations for multiple film/television works. His current focus is on live action narrative. Whelan received a 2023 Emmy® nomination for his work on Apple TV+ series FIVE DAYS AT MEMORIAL. Eric Durst is a Visual Effects Supervisor known for his work on GODS OF EGYPT (2016), SNOWPIERCER (2013), and BATMAN FOREVER (1995). Durst received a 2023 Emmy® nomination for his work on Apple TV+ series FIVE DAYS AT MEMORIAL. He was previously nominated for an Emmy® in 2017 for his work on National Geographic’s GENIUS. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews VFX Supervisors Eric Durst and Matt Whelan about their work on FIVE DAYS AT MEMORIAL for Apple TV+, the most memorable and challenging sequences on the show, doing previs in Unreal Engine, photorealism in an historic project, as well as the innovation of AI and its influence on visual effects. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/421. http://www.allanmckay.com/421.
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 currently a Freelance On-set VFX Supervisor, Flame and Nuke Artist. He offers secure remote artistry on both Flame and Nuke in his London studio. Over the years he has completed high end VFX on TV Commercials, TV Series effects and design, Channel Idents, Feature Films, Music Videos, Virals and Interactive Online Video projects. He is also known for his work on 28 WEEKS LATER (2007), WICKED SCIENCE (2004) and TED LASSO which has been nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Special Visual Effects, in 2023. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews VFX Supervisor James MacLaghlan about his work on the 2023 Emmy-nominated Episode of TED LASSO, the preparation and improvisation of VFX supervision, the tools used on set, how to fast track your career as a VFX Supervisor and so much more! For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/420. http://www.allanmckay.com/420.
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, CARS 3, COCO and INCREDIBLES 2. As a producer, Morris most recently made the live-action Disney feature JOHN CARTER with director Andrew Stanton. He also produced Pixar’s WALL•E, which won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature. Morris was also awarded Producer of the Year in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures from the Producers Guild of America, the AFI Award, the Golden Globe and the Visual Effects Society Best Animated Feature Award for WALL•E. Prior to joining Pixar, Morris held a range of key positions for 17 years in various divisions of Lucasfilm Ltd. He served as President of Lucas Digital Ltd., and managed its three divisions, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Skywalker Sound and Lucasfilm Animation. As ILM’s General Manager for more than 13 years, he supervised a staff of over 1,400 artists and technicians, and guided the largest visual effects facility in the entertainment industry. With Morris’ oversight, ILM created the groundbreaking and Academy Award®-winning visual effects in JURASSIC PARK, DEATH BECOMES HER, TERMINATOR 2 and FORREST GUMP. Other notable projects completed under his management include MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, TWISTER, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, STAR WARS: EPISODE I, STAR WARS: EPISODE II, THE PERFECT STORM, PEARL HARBOR, MINORITY REPORT, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, MASTER AND COMMANDER, and three films in the HARRY POTTER series. Morris joined ILM in 1987 as a Producer of visual effects for films and commercials. Among Morris’ producing credits are James Cameron’s THE ABYSS (which earned the Academy Award® for Best Achievement in Visual Effects), and Steven Spielberg’s ALWAYS. Before joining ILM, Morris was Executive Producer at Arnold & Associates, where he oversaw the company’s three offices and produced commercials for clients such as Atari, Chevron and Mattel. Prior to that, Morris was Executive Producer at One Pass, where he headed the commercial production division. He also served in the production departments at advertising agencies J. Walter Thompson, and Foote, Cone & Belding in San Francisco. Morris worked as a producer and director for PBS, and began his career as a cameraman and editor at NBC. Morris is the recipient of the Producers Guild Digital 50 Award, the Visual Effects Society Board of Directors Award and the Visual Effects Society Founders Award. He has also been named a VES Fellow. Morris served for many years as President of the San Francisco Film Commission, and is Founding Chair of the VES. He is a member of AMPAS, PGA, BAFTA, VES and ASIFA, and currently serves as a member of Motion Picture Academy’s Finance Committee. Morris earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Film and a Master of Science degree in Television/Radio from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Pixar’s President Jim Morris about his career both at ILM and Pixar; working with legendary Directors such as James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Andrew Stanton and Robert Zemeckis; behind-the-scenes and Innovations of JURASSIC PARK and FORREST GUMP; the unpredictable magic of live action projects; how limitations inspire VFX inventions; and why “Problems aren’t an impediment to the job. Solving problems IS the job.” For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/419. http://www.allanmckay.com/419.
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 enthusiast, David loves exploring new ways to deliver photorealistic renderings. There is a lot of history behind each car, and that is what he tries to portray in his artworks. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews 3D Artist David Baylis about innovations in ray tracing and AI, the future of VFX careers in the era of machine learning, NVIDIA and Chat GPT, DLSS technology, how to get started in Unreal and why learning 3D is a lifelong occupation. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/418. http://www.allanmckay.com/418.
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 experience as a lead creative and Visual Effects Supervisor. Prior to launching VFX Legion, James spent three years as senior compositor and compositing/digital effects supervisor at Zoic Studios. James exited Zoic in 2013 to apply his creative skill set and technical ingenuity to a new challenge: designing a leading-edge digital management pipeline. Looking beyond long-standing traditional VFX business models, he tapped state-of-the-art technology to build the new infrastructure from the ground up. Legion was launched later that year, with James’ pioneering digital pipeline positioning the studio at the forefront of the next generation of visual effects companies. Legion’s LA-based studio is structured to work as an on-site collaborative partner with TV and film studios. It provides an end-to-end approach that maximizes the quality and efficiency of VFX for episodic television shows and feature films around the globe. Under the VFX Legion banner, Hattin's supervised VFX for a mix of TV shows and movies. Episodic series include SCANDAL, HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, THE CATCH, SUITS, EL CHAPO, EYE CANDY, REVOLUTION and GONE. Film work includes SINISTER 2, STEPHANIE, OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL, THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR and THE PURGE: ANARCHY to name a few. James' work has been recognized with a VES Award nomination for 'Outstanding Visual Effects in Broadcast Programming,' for FALLING SKIES, and a Primetime Emmy nod for WORLDS APART, to name a few. He is an Emmy Award honoree of the California Channel’s, The Three Branches of Government and a member of The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In this Podcast, Allan interviews the Founder and Creative Director of VFX Legion James Hattin about launching his own company and the lessons he’s learned along the way: how to build trust, negotiate contracts, keep clear communication with clients and VFX artists alike, as well as the importance of humility in visual effects. For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/417. http://www.allanmckay.com/417.
