The VFX Artists Podcast

This week's guest is co-founder of FXGuide, arguably the first and foremost podcast and blog in our field. He also co-founded FXPhd which was my route into the industry so this was a massive honor for me. We dive deep into Neural Rendering (which Mike has been involved with since 1999) machine learning and practical applications within visual effects and filmmaking. We then discuss the ethics of machine learning and art, why there won't "a metaverse" and some of the most likely applications of AR and VR. This raises some general points about the application of new technology which it would be well of us to heed. Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

In this episode with Matt Merkovich of The Matchmoving Company, we talk about the importance of 3D tracking/matchmove in the VFX industry and what it means to be a matchmove artist. Matt is an expert user of Syntheyes and has been a great influencer in getting it where it is today. He also uses it for almost all of his work, spiralling almost three decades in the VFX industry. Matt believes #Syntheyes is by far the best 3D tracking software out there and has by far "the best 2D tracking system in the world!", so in this episode, I sit him down to find out why he believes so. Being a Matchmove artist myself, having been a user of PFTrack in the past and an ongoing user of 3DEqualizer I was very curious to hear why Matt thinks so. 3D tracking or Matchmove as you may call it, ties perfectly with all the other departments in the VFX pipeline, to complete VFX shots in the biggest visual effects movies out there, making this episode an important one, to gain insights from an industry veteran like Matt. Matt's filmography spars from Minority Report, Star Trek Voyager, Doctor Dolittle 2, The Amazing Spider-Man and more. Here's Matt's IMDB. Matt's company The Matchmoving Company provides 3D tracking services globally and can currently be reached through https://www.mattmerk.com/ As always, if you liked this episode, please 👍 like, 📝 comment, 📢 subscribe, and 📣 share! Listen to all episodes on our website Watch our other videos 📣The Importance of Matchmove within the VFX pipeline | TVAP EP54 (P-1) 📣Inside VFX Recruitment with Melissa Blakey, Global Head of Talent at Crafty Apes | TVAP EP53 (P-1) 📣Inside VFX Recruitment with Melissa Blakey, Global Head of Talent at Crafty Apes | TVAP EP53 (P-2) 📣Behind The Desk with Hugo Guerra | TVAP EP47 Follow Us 👍👍📌📌 ◉ Instagram ◉ Twitter ◉ LinkedIn Subscribe to us on YouTube Chapters 00:00:00 Coming Up 00:02:19 Introductions 00:03:54 Who is Matt Merkovich 00:07:17 Where my interest for film originated 00:14:59 From Lightwave to Matchmoving on Minority Report 00:23:28 Minority Report Matchmoving Pipeline in the 2000's 00:26:24 Evolution of Aspect Ratios 00:30:18 Comparing Syntheyes, 3dequalizer, Boujou, PFTrack and more 00:35:13 Good & Bad Tracking Markers 00:38:54 Staying relevant in an evolving industry 00:44:36 Being a VFX artist in the mid 90's 00:46:45 Shot talk - Challenges 00:48:38 The future of 3D tracking 00:53:41 Comparing 3dequalizer and Syntheyes 01:01:01 Matchmove Artists - The underappreciated department 01:03:53 About The Matchmoving Company 01:04:11 Unionize the VFX industry 01:04:11 Conclusion Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

Inside VFX Recruitment with Melissa Blakey, Global Head of Talent at Crafty Apes | TVAP EP53 (P-1) For many VFX Recruitment is a bit of a black box - we send off our reels and CV and then hope for the best. This week we go behind the curtain with Crafty Apes, Global Head of talent, Melissa Blakey. We cover Melissa's own fascinating career - she started working on-set before moving into post and then worked for almost 20 years in VFX Production before moving into Recruitment! We discuss why she decided a career on set was not for her and start to unpick the way recruiters and VFX houses select candidates. Next we laser in on her best practices for candidates as well as the Crafty Apes philosophy for hiring and retaining staff. WFH resumes, showreel interviews, changing departments we will be discussing all this and more. Unusually for many VFX Houses, Crafty Apes tends to focus on Generalists and on permanent positions so we go into what that means in a market largely dominated by specialists and freelancing. Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

This is a hot topic with "No AI" trending on Artstation and pending court cases we spoke to Director, Filmmaker and Game Designer Alvaro García Martínezwho has been heavily engaged with this topic. Alvaro worked as VFX Artist for 10 years at London's top studios before founding Mayhem Mirror, his own Game Design studio. So he has experience as an employee an independent creator and as an employer of artists. As Alvaro says, "I am not against AI, but against the unethical use of AI". But what does that mean? Tune in and join the debate! As always, if you liked this episode, please like, comment, subscribe and share! Listen to all episodes on our website https://www.thevfxartistspodcast.com/ #vfxpodcast #compositing #motioncapture Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

In the first episode of 2023, we felt it quite important to start the year right, by bringing you some much necessary tips from a VFX recruiter, should you be looking to take on a new role. We are therefore pleased to have Sophie Maydon, former VFX Global Head of HR, Recruitment and PR at DNEG (Double Negative), and Director, VFX Talent & Recruitment Consultant at her firm PXL Talent Sophie has over a decade's experience recruiting 100's of VFX and animation artists across many levels and departments. In this episode, we discuss many topics to do with recruitment, focusing on the perspective of a VFX recruiter, as well as the applicant. We discuss and find out about the best practices and ways one could go about successfully coming on top in an interview, the do's and don'ts, try to understand if there are recruitment prejudices and more. This is a very insightful, useful and long awaited episode, and we hope you find it so. As always, if you liked this episode, please 👍 like, 📝 leave us a comment, 📢 subscribe, and 📣 share! PXL Talent on LinkedIn Connect with Sophie Maydon on LinkedIn Listen to all episodes on our website Watch our other videos 📣What does it take to be a lighting artist? with Jasmine Katatikarn | TVAP EP49 📣Behind The Desk with Hugo Guerra | TVAP EP47 Follow Us 👍👍📌📌 ◉ Instagram ◉ Twitter ◉ LinkedIn Subscribe to us on YouTube Chapters 00:00:00 : Coming Up 00:00:29 : Intro 00:01:48 : Overview 00:02:21 : A bit about Sophie Maydon 00:05:59 : Sophie's background as a recuiter at DNEG 00:10:32 : Power comes with pressure, as a recruiter 00:12:42 : Are generic applications a good idea? 00:14:57 : Going through job portals vs LinkedIn DM 00:17:41 : Are Resume's necessary in the VFX industry? 00:21:19 : Showreel advice from a VFX recruiter 00:27:37 : Showreel advice for returning mothers into the industry 00:31:17 : Flexible/Part-Time hours for Mothers in the VFX industry 00:33:41 : In-person vs remote interviewing advice 00:35:25 : Salary expectations - How to respond 00:41:39 : Budget vs experience 00:44:39 : Artists demand by studios 00:47:26 : Should I go to university before working in VFX? 00:52:48 Discrimination in recruiting 00:59:33 Leave a question in the comment section 00:59:55 How to get in touch with Pixel Talent 01:01:28 What not to do, as an applicant 01:03:19 Conclusion Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

This week we catch up with a rising star in the industry, Rishabh Laheja, a Junior Digital Compositor at MPC. Realizing that a career in IT was not for him. Rishabh began studying nights and eventually putting together a compositing showreel with the help of working industry teachers and mentors he reached out to via Linkedin. Launching his new career exactly in the middle of the Covid lockdowns. Rishabh won a remote role at MPC Bangalore and has already worked as a compositor on huge shows such as Prehistoric Planet and HBO's House of Dragons. As he says in the opening, "It's a rollercoaster ride, you may want to buckle up!" As always, if you liked this episode, please 👍 like, 📝 comment, 📢 subscribe, and 📣 share! You can click on up below links to get the courses of some brilliant instructors. 📣 Keagan Harris Patreon: patreon.com/keaganharris 📣 Josh Parks Masterclasses: https://www.compositingpro.com/nuke-masterclass-courses/ 📣 FXPhd: https://www.fxphd.com Our own interview with @joshvfxify : https://youtu.be/tgqlS2BswZ0 Listen to all episodes on our website https://www.thevfxartistspodcast.com/ Watch our other videos 📣What does it take to be a lighting artist? with Jasmine Katatikarn | TVAP EP49 https://youtu.be/ikFiHXeDP1M 📣Behind The Desk with Hugo Guerra | TVAP EP47 https://youtu.be/jGJruJHOx2g Follow Us 👍👍📌📌 ◉ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevfxartistspodcast/ ◉ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vfxartistspod ◉ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-vfx-artists-podcast/ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheVFXArtistsPodcast Listen on 🔊🔊🎧🎧 ◉ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NSllZG ◉ Amazon Misuc: https://amzn.to/3UrOrSn ◉ Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3fWyuog ◉ Stitcher: https://bit.ly/3EjHUmY #thevfxartistspodcast #vfxpodcast #compositing #careerAdvice #NewEntrants #HouseOfDragons #India #PrehistoricPlanet #MPC #WorkInIndia 00:00:00 : Intro - What to Expect 00:01:24 : There's a Tipping POint for Every Artist 00:02:19 : I Didn't Know How to Get into VFX 00:02:45 : Why Compositing? 00:03:20 : Getting in Touch via Linkein, Josh Parks 00:03:47 : Online Courses 00:05:18 : Keagan Haris Patreon and Marseile 00:07:42 : Studying While Working in Another Industry 00:09:51 : London Siggraph , Bring Your Own Comp 00:12:10 : First Freelance Job 00:13:31 : Finally Getting Into The Industry 00:15:03 : The Rookies: Dragon Personal Project 00:17:51 : Bangalore and Mumbai 00:22:58 : Work Life in India 00:26:43 : Being Creative in School 00:34:38 : Indian Work Culture 00:42:00 : Advice for Other New Entrants Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

What does it take to be a lighting artist? with Jasmine Katatikarn | TVAP EP49 This week we catch up with Jasmine Katatikarn, lighting artist and co-founder of the Academy of Animated Art. We discuss finding your career path at any stage in life, what it takes to be a lighting artist, what makes a successful lighting application to top VFX, and animation studios, working in the VFX and animation as a woman and POC, diversity in the industry and more. Without a doubt, we also go on to find out about Jasmine's career path in the industry, as well as how she co-founded the Academy of Animated Art, and what her academy teaches lighting artists. Jasmine has over two decades of industry experience as both, being a lighting artist in the VFX industry, and the feature animation industry. Jasmine has gone to work for studios such as Blue Sky Studios (Disney), The Mill, Framestore, and many more incredible studios, stamping her signature on shows such as Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Rio, Rio 2, Spies in Disguise and more. Enjoy! ◉ Academy of Animated Art ◉ Academy of Animated Art Courses ◉ Diversity Action Program Social Media: ◉ Instagram ◉ LinkedIn Connect with Jasmine on ◉ LinkedIn ◉ Instagram As always, if you liked this episode, please 👍 like, 📝 comment, 📢 subscribe, and 📣 share! Listen to all episodes on our website 🔊🔊🎧🎧 https://www.thevfxartistspodcast.com/ Watch our other videos 📣The Effective Freelance Compositor, with Shonda Hunt | TVAP EP31 📣Becoming a mother made me an efficient VFX Animator - Part 1 | TVAP EP35 Follow Us 👍👍📌📌 ◉ Instagram ◉ Twitter ◉ LinkedIn Subscribe Listen on 🔊🔊🎧🎧 ◉ Apple Podcasts ◉ Amazon Music ◉ Google Podcasts ◉ Stitcher Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

This week we caught up with Courtney Pryce. The industry veterans know him from his years as a Creative Specialist at Foundry. We cover a lot of ground, beginning in the "Rock&Roll" years of London VFX in the early 2000s. Also covering the role of the Creative Specialist and the secrets of financial stability as a Compositor. Courtney worked with UK Film and TV industry Union, BECTU, to put together a suggested rate card for freelance and contract staff in VFX. We get to engage with the methodology and consequences of open disclosure of the often taboo subject of the pay scale. Courtney also engaged strongly with the industry-wide discussion of racism sparked by the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. We don't shy away from tackling the issue of racism and nepotism in the workplace and there is a forthright but ultimately optimistic discussion. Nevertheless, we never lost sight of Courtney's key skills as a solid professional compositor and reactive as he shares a wealth of knowledge that will benefit artists of all levels and from all backgrounds. You won't want to miss out on this discussion! As always, if you liked this episode, please 👍 like, 📝 comment, 📢 subscribe, and 📣 share! Listen to all episodes on our website https://www.thevfxartistspodcast.com/ Watch our other videos 📣The Effective Freelance Compositor, with Shonda Hunt | TVAP EP31 https://youtu.be/Ggz82uk6KxI 📣How I manage being a VFX artist and a mother of two - Rebecca Holdstock | TVAP EP41 https://youtu.be/D6zzhlay_Ac Follow Us 👍👍📌📌 ◉ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevfxartistspodcast/ ◉ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vfxartistspod ◉ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-vfx-artists-podcast/ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheVFXArtistsPodcast Listen on 🔊🔊🎧🎧 ◉ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NSllZG ◉ Amazon Misuc: https://amzn.to/3UrOrSn ◉ Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3fWyuog ◉ Stitcher: https://bit.ly/3EjHUmY #thevfxartistspodcast #vfxpodcast #compositing #FoundryNuke #vfxartist #Freelancing #financialliteracy 00:00:00 : Intro - what to expect 00:18:17 : The Role of a Creative Specialist at Foundry 00:20:06 : When you're too comfortable 00:24:00 : Freelancing "Year Zero" 00:27:01 : Having kids as a freelancer 00:31:01 : Burnout 00:34:52 : VFX Rate cards: methodology and controversy 00:43:41 : Black Lives Matter and Racism in the Industry 00:54:25 : Projects most proud of Chapters by [Chaptered.app](https://Chaptered.app) Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

Behind The Desk with Hugo Guerra | TVAP EP47 Hugo Guerra, Director, VFX supervisor, and creator of Hugo's Desk. In this episode, Kofi chats to Hugo about his career in the VFX industry. Uncovering decisions and steps that have made Hugo the Director and Supervisor he is today. With an incredible industry footprint, Hugo has a huge voice across the VFX industry, and I felt it quite relevant to learn more about the man behind the glasses, or as our title says, 'Behind The Desk'. In this episode, we discuss the creative and VFX industry in Portugal, and Sweden, remote working, industry overtime, Hugo's VFX journey in London during his time at The Mill, mistakes VFX artists to make when looking for work, steps they could take to protect themselves from being taken advantage of, best video games, movies, series of 2022, industry-wide issues, how we could tackle them, and many more. It was a packed and insightful discussion worth listening to the end, as well as one to be shared! A massive thank you to Hugo for his time and for being such a gem to the industry. As always, if you liked this episode, please 👍 like, 📝 comment, 📢 subscribe, and 📣 share! Listen to all episodes on our website Watch our other videos 📣Building the Biggest VFX Asset Library in The World! ActionVFX CEO Rodolphe Pierre-Louis | TVAP EP46 📣Share Knowledge - Keep Learning with María Carriedo | TVAP EP43 You can find Hugo on the following platforms: Hugo's Desk Befores & Afters Hugo's Desk LinkedIn Hugo's LinkedIn Hugo's Twitter Hugo's Desk Twitter Listen on 🔊🔊🎧🎧 ◉ Apple Podcasts ◉ Amazon Misuc ◉ Google Podcasts ◉ Stitcher #thevfxartistspodcast #vfxpodcast #hugoguerra #hugosdesk Chapters 00:00:00 Coming up... 00:01:32 Introductions 00:03:11 Who is Hugo? 00:10:24 The Portuguese creative industry could be better 00:16:30 Reminiscing the London, Soho VFX industry in the 2000's 00:19:27 The unhealthy traits of the VFX industry - Overtime work 00:32:16 Chasing The Goal 00:37:05 How I ended up in the VFX & creative industry 00:39:37 Love-Hate relationship with the VFX industry 00:46:37 What I teach Nuke Compositors 00:49:49 What Junior compositors need to know when job seeking 01:02:41 Achieving targets on a creative journey 01:05:25 Films on Hugo's list for 2022 01:09:29 Where to find Hugo! 01:10:46 Thank you for watching! Subscribe! Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

I Sold Gum. Now I Blow Things Up! With Action VFX Founder and CEO Rodolphe Pierre-Louis | TVAP EP46 I am pretty sure you've heard of Action VFX, I've used them in my own shots! So we managed to get the Founder and CEO on the show to talk about his career. It's a success story that very nearly wasn't! This is a great one for any artists or filmmakers who are thinking of starting a business because Rodolphe has a lot of insight into how to turn FX talent into a business model, as shown by the widespread use of Action VFX elements in the industry. Join us and follow Rodolphe's journey from filmmaker to entrepreneur. After the interview I cheekily asked if I could get our subscribers a discount code and they very kindly agreed! Details at the end of the video. As always, if you liked this episode, please 👍 like, 📝 comment, 📢 subscribe, and 📣 share! Listen to all episodes on our website https://www.thevfxartistspodcast.com/ Watch our other videos 📣HD - AI in the VFX & Creative Industry: Impact, Issues & Solutions | TVAP EP45 https://youtu.be/i7VhV2WlzEA 📣Share Knowledge - Keep Learning with María Carriedo | TVAP EP43 https://youtu.be/BFQ21Nu5vQE Follow Us 👍👍📌📌 ◉ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevfxartistspodcast/ ◉ Twitter: https://twitter.com/vfxartistspod ◉ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-vfx-artists-podcast/ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheVFXArtistsPodcast Listen on 🔊🔊🎧🎧 ◉ Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3NSllZG ◉ Amazon Misuc: https://amzn.to/3UrOrSn ◉ Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3fWyuog ◉ Stitcher: https://bit.ly/3EjHUmY #thevfxartistspodcast #vfxpodcast #compositing #motioncapture Chapters 00:00:00 : Preview 00:00:45 : A Special Offer for Subscribers 00:03:05 : starting in Filmmaking 00:04:24 : College Years, Freelancing 00:05:05 : My First Business 00:07:24 : The Idea for Action VVFX 00:08:36 : Things to bear in mind when shooting for Compositors 00:16:34 : The first shoot 00:19:33 : Launching on Kickstarter 00:52:15 : Advice for Starting a Business 00:56:56 : Firing Employees 01:05:00 : Plans for the future Chapters powered by [Chaptered.app](https://Chaptered.app) Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

AI in the VFX & Creative Industry: Impact, Issues & Solutions | TVAP EP45 Join us, as we discuss the impact of AI in the VFX & Creative industry. With the rise of platforms such as Midjourney, Dalle-2, and Stable Diffusion influencing artists, we bring forth this open discussion about what the impact could be for our industries if certain laws and rules aren't put into place to protect artists and creators worldwide. We look to touch on copyright ownership and rights, privacy, ethics, and more! Join us this Wednesday, Nov 2nd, 2022, for the discussion and to take part in our Q&A session with industry professionals in the VFX & creative industry. Our guests are, in no particular order: Simon Legrand - Realtime Supervisor at Untold Studios London Justin Braun - FX TD at Untold Studios London Vladimir Venkov - Modeler/Texture Artist Carlo Santoriello - 3d artist, Animator & Graphic designer Anthony Martin - Senior Lecturer & Course Leader for Concept Art at Staffordshire University Jamie Bakewell - Company Owner / Creative Director (Visualisation for Film, Game & TV) at Bigtooth Studios Tom Paton - Writer // Director // Producer focused on integrating AI, UE5. Artwork created by Carlo Santoriello Listen to all episodes on our website #thevfxartistspodcast #vfxpodcast #aiart #midjourney Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

This week it's been a real pleasure to meet Paul Miller and Marco Paolini - Software Developer and Product Manager behind the Oscar winning software, Boris Silhouette. Despite advances in AI, manual rotoscoping and invisible paintouts are still an essential bullwark of the VFX industry and not going away anytime soon. We begin our discussion with their work on Elastic Reality (used on classic shows like Quantum Leap) and talk about how they have built Silhouette for artists who need to paint 100 stokes a second and export mattes accurate to better than a 16th of a pixel. Recently Silhouette has expanded it's compositing toolset so we discuss their choices around this. Of course machine learning is something cannot avoid discussing, so we look at both its promise and its limitations at the high end. In closing both Paul and Marco give some excellent career advice for anyone entering or advancing in the VFX and Software Development industries. Enjoy! 00:00:00 : Preview 00:01:39 : Introductions 00:02:20 : Founding the team 00:03:55 : Elastic Reality 00:06:51 : Original plan for Silhouette 00:07:43 : The Node Graph 00:10:56 : Marco's Journey from Artist to Software 00:14:01 : The Smallness of the Industry 00:20:05 : What Keeps the Team Busy 00:25:34 : The Scripting Engine 00:28:38 : The Decision to Add More Comp Features 00:31:28 : Performance and Paul's Nightmares 00:35:49 : Silhouette as OFX Plugin 00:41:15 : Limits of Machine Learning 01:06:26 : Retimes 01:17:38 : Paul's Advice for Aspiring Developers 01:20:50 : Learn Python! 01:22:41 : Marco's Advice for Getting into VFX and into Software 01:28:41 : Closing thoughts (chapters powered by [Chaptered.app](https://Chaptered.app)) #Silhouette #Oscars #scitech #VFX #Podcast #rotoscoping #invisiblevfx As always, if you liked this episode, please like, comment, subscribe and share! Listen to all episodes on our website https://www.thevfxartistspodcast.com/ Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

In this episode, we chat to María Carriedo, CG Lead at Freefolk and former colleague of Daniel's at The Mill. Born in Mexico, María studied VFX at the prestigious Gnomon School in LA before working at Psyops on commercials. Since then she moved to London to work at The Mill before her current role. In this interview we learn about María's journey into VFX and her approach to continuous learning and development. As a lead María is involved in the hiring process so her showreel advice will be invaluable to any 3D Artists seeking new projects. While trained in Maya, María mostly works with Houdini so we discuss the merits of the 2 giants in the 3D industry as well as touching on Zbrush, Unreal and the new Solaris/Karma renderer in Houdini. There's a lot packed into this interview so you will want to check it out! Einstein image credit: Smart Energy/The Mill, "Join the Revolution" 00:00:14 : Current role 00:00:32 : Education and beginning of career 00:14:34 : Showreel advice from the point of view of a hirer 00:19:15 : What seniors can learn from new entrants 00:20:33 : What qualities make a better 3D artist 00:26:17 : R&D Stages of a project 00:29:25 : Reference from everyday life 00:33:54 : Solaris and Unreal Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

Jörundur Rafn Arnarson returns after exchanging the frozen mountains of Iceland for the Deserts for his recent VFX Supervisor role on "Rise of The Witches". We talk about how extreme environments influence filmmakers, the route from Compositing to VFX Supervision, "bad CGI", helicopters and much much more. With a Supervisor whose body of work ranges from Icelandic indie films to Cannes Palm D'Or, Triangle of Sadness to Prehistoric Planet to franchise blockbusters Dr Strange - Multiverse of Madness and Game of Thrones, You won't want to miss this one! As always, if you liked this episode, please like, comment, subscribe and share! Listen to all episodes on our website https://www.thevfxartistspodcast.com/ #vfxpodcast #compositing #motioncapture 00:03:43 : Triangle of Sadness 00:13:42 : The most sought after commodity on-set 00:16:03 : The mindset of extreme environments 00:23:15 : RIse of The Witches - a Saudi Arabian epic 00:28:07 : Dr Strange and Prehistoric Planet 00:36:25 : Issues I have with CG 00:45:45 : Guiding big and small budgets 00:49:17 : I will always cut out VFX if I can 00:53:04 : "Bad CGI" 01:26:04 : Advice for filmmakers using VFX for the first time. Rendered: 2022-10-01 15:10:27 Powered by [Chaptered.app](https://Chaptered.app) Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

In this episode, we chat to Rebecca Holdstock, senior matchmove and rotomation artist at Cinesite London about her VFX career, spiralling over a decade in some of London's well known and biggest studios, through to becoming a mother of two and the change that comes with being a working mother. I had the privilege of working with Rebecca at Cinesite on The Witcher season 2, and for the first time in my life, I was working with a mother, who was signing on in the middle of the day, on a customised working hours. This blew my mind, and triggered my interest in the topic to which we sat down to discus. Becoming a working mother, or choosing to become a working mother in any industry is often times a big challenge and decision that affects women in all sorts of life and industries. Whilst Rebecca's story focuses on the VFX industry, it very much is relatable to all women and working mothers in every industry, and will be for every generation to come. It therefore is a rightful and important subject to be discussing and brining it to light, to create awareness, and hopefully encourage and or prepare other women in the VFX and wider working industries. Chapters 00:00:00 Ident 00:00:05 Introductions 00:01:40 A bit about Rebecca 00:02:31 Journey into the VFX industry 00:09:32 Getting foot in the door of the VFX industry 00:13:19 Settling in the Matchmove department 00:23:49 Motherhood and being an artist in the VFX industry 00:31:59 Managing kids and shots during early days of covid 00:51:46 Planing to start a family, vs having kids unexpectedly 00:54:10 What can be improved for women working in the VFX industry 01:03:15 Advice to any artists looking to start a family 01:05:59 What should women look out for, when applying to join a VFX studio 01:10:51 Conclusion As always, if you liked this episode, please like, comment, subscribe and share! Listen to all episodes on our website https://www.thevfxartistspodcast.com/ #vfxindustry #workingmom #vfxartist Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

In this episode, I had the biggest opportunity to chat to Rolf Schneider, owner of Science-D-Visions, about how he Created 3DEqualizer For The VFX Industry. Looking back at the evolving digital scene in the 80's and 90's, we discuss working on the Commodore 64 and Amiga, to creating the first version of 3DEqualizer in 1996, to MPC and ILM purchasing their first licenses in 1996 and '97. We do a deep dive about the whole journey and how it all happened. An episode not to be missed! As always, if you liked this episode, please like, comment, subscribe and share! Listen to all episodes on our website https://www.thevfxartistspodcast.com/ 3DE https://www.3dequalizer.com/ Chapters: 00:00:00 Ident 00:00:05 Introducing Rolf 00:00:35 A bit about Rolf, his background and role at Science-D-Vision 00:02:15 Working on the Commodore & Amiga in the 80's 00:04:32 How we started building 3DEqualizer 00:07:06 Coming up with a name for 3DEqualizer 00:08:07 The team 00:11:35 Developing animation & (ray tracing) rendering software in the 80's 00:16:09 Getting the first studio to buy 3DEqualizer 00:22:42 Tools over interface? 00:27:07 Playing a major role in the VFX industry 00:32:17 The future of matchmove & motion tracking within 3DE alongside AI 00:36:40 Industries outside of VFX using 3DE 00:38:50 Is it easier to impliment tools into 3DE 00:42:52 How 3DE became the industry standard for the VFX industry 00:46:21 Best Wins till date 00:49:13 What keeps you going and innovative 00:53:01 What should the industry expect in the future 00:53:18 Appreciation & Conclusion #3dequalizer #matchmove #rolfschneider Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

In this episode, I chat to Yin Wu, a Junior CG Artist at The Mill, Shanghai, about his experience and journey into the Chinese VFX industry. My curiosity of the Chinese industry, leads me to chase for comparisons between the U.K. VFX industry - Finding similarities and differences on topics like work-life-balance and how the industry differentiates itself between Beijing and Shanghai. Yin's story is that of dedication and merit. As a developing CG artist, with background in Blender, we dive in to find out why Blender stands out for him. We also discuss his transition into Unreal engine, and Houdini. As always, if you liked this episode, please like, comment, subscribe and share! Connect with Yin https://www.linkedin.com/in/yin-wu-b8804aa9/ Subscribe to our channel https://www.youtube.com/c/TheVFXArtistsPodcast Listen to all episodes on our website https://www.thevfxartistspodcast.com/ Chapters: 00:00:00 Ident 00:00:05 Intro 00:00:46 Get to know Yin 00:01:04 How I got into the VFX industry 00:05:20 Getting my first VFX job in China 00:06:44 Becoming an artist at The Mill Shanghai 00:10:06 A bigger picture of the VFX industry in China 00:11:04 Work-life-balance in the Chinese VFX industry 00:14:20 Regulations for better work-life balance in the Chinese VFX industry 00:15:33 Working in Blender 00:18:23 Inspiration behind the cityscape 00:19:55 Transition to Unreal Engine 00:21:49 Typical route to entry into the Chinese VFX industry 00:23:50 Freedom of career direction in the Chinese community 00:25:14 What inspired your journey into the creative industry 00:26:10 Need for change in the Chinese VFX industry 00:31:48 Advice for aspiring VFX artists 00:33:16 Commercials vs Film, Shanghai vs Beijing 00:34:31 Conclusion #vfxpodcast #chinesevfxindustry #vfxartistchina Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

In this episode, we chat to Atem Kuol about how he became a VFX coordinator. Starting up as a witness camera operator and venturing into VFX production before embarking on 'Death on the Nile' as assistant coordinator, Atem gives us the low down on his experiences and how he made it into the VFX industry from his early beginnings in the live TV industry. One not to be missed, from anyone looking to understand what VFX coordinators do, and the ins and outs of how one gets to be one. As always, if you liked this episode, please like, comment, subscribe and share! Listen to all episodes on our website https://www.thevfxartistspodcast.com/ Connect with Atem https://www.linkedin.com/in/atemkuol/ Chapters 00:00:00 Ident 00:00:05 Intro 00:00:10 A bit about Atem 00:03:19 The role of a VFX coordinator explained 00:06:54 VFX journey - The inspiration 00:10:01 What's the entry route for VFX coordinators 00:11:35 Coordinating alongside covid 00:13:01 Working with departments on a day-to-day basis 00:14:05 Coordinator's relationship & process with VFX vendors 00:16:10 What's the best way to understand every department's needs 00:19:02 Features or Episodics 00:20:14 Advice for aspiring coordinators 00:21:40 Advice for coodinators looking to move between vendor side and production company 00:22:43 Humble Beginnings Films 00:23:58 Conclusion #vfxpodcast #vfxcoordinator #vfxcareer Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

This week we catch up with Senior Compositor and trainer, Josh Parks for a lively discussion of all things tech, industry and career related. Starting out as "The wildcard choice" for MPC's training program, he has built an impressive career with credits including: Jungle Book, Transformers: The Last Knight, Ready Player One, Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy, Lovecraft Country, Stranger Things and much more We also talk about Josh's training materials and how building this from early in his journey in VFX has not only helped other artists, but also helped himself to grow as a compositor. We also discuss Unreal, volume, machine learning and the future of the industry so you will want to check this one out! 00:00:05 : Introductions 00:04:33 : Machine learning and the black box 00:09:04 : The Mailing List 00:11:41 : How creating learning materials can help the creator 00:13:04 : Keying and Dan's worst interview ever 00:18:48 : Josh's route into the industry 00:22:15 : The ups and downs of life as a comper 00:37:18 : Ownership of art and Caravaggio getting client notes 00:51:00 : Unreal in Nuke 00:57:34 : CompositingPro.com 01:07:12 : Outro and a bit of industry history Rendered: 2022-07-24 20:30:49 Powered by [Chaptered.app](https://Chaptered.app) Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!

Part 2 of our discussion with Christina Mandia continues, with this last part focusing on Christina's VFX industry journey, going all the way back to her first interests and influence, education, as well as showreel and general advice for current and aspiring mothers and animators. Christina’s journey as a VFX animator, begun with an entry into the VFX industry as a runner, following the completion of an animator degree at Ravensbourne university, leading on to a progression into the matchmove department, and finally into the much anticipated department she’d always been aspiring for - animation. We hope you find this episode useful as we did. Special thanks to Christina for kindly taking time out to share her experiences with us. Subscribe and turn notifications on to be alerted when part 2 comes out! Find Christina on IMDB LinkedIn As always, if you liked this episode, please like, comment, subscribe and share! Listen to all episodes on our website Chapters: 00:00:00 Welcome to Part 2 00:00:05 What inspired your interest in Animation and VFX 00:09:26 Thoughts on Runner's positions as part-entry into the VFX industry 00:20:20 Filmography review 00:29:41 Advice for animators, and transitioning artists into maternal roles #vfxartist #animation #vfxcareer Sometimes you want to see the artists work as they talk. You can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel. Subscribe & Watch all episodes on our YouTube ChannelVisit our website Thank you for your support! We appreciate you!