CG Garage

Volume capture is fast becoming one of the easiest and most practical ways to transform real people into digital assets. Pioneering this new field is Metastage, a company that captures performers on a state-of-the-art stage and then turns them into 3D content that you can play back as AR and VR experiences on even the most humble hardware. Joining Chris this week is Christina Heller, Metastage's CEO. After working in media production, Christina co-founded VR Playhouse to deliver stunning immersive content and then took her expertise to Metastage. She tells Chris about the process of volume capture and its incredible advantages, including how it was put to use on a convention-defying commercial featuring Charli XCX.

Katrina Salicrup's story packs as many twists and revelations as a finely crafted thriller. After studying art, she worked as a Flame artist for companies including Method Studios, The Mission Studio, and Wieden + Kennedy. Following the birth of her daughter, her life took an unexpected turn, and she began writing as a hobby — which has grown into an award-winning podcast. A natural storyteller, Katrina tells Chris about her make-or-break move to LA, some of the amusing shots she helped fix, and how she learned the tricks of the trade. She also details her new adventures in fiction, from early storytelling advice to going to the recording studio. You'll find out what makes a Flame artist different from a compositor and why podcasts are the new movies.

2022 began with exciting news: Chaos is merging with Enscape. Referred to as a slam-dunk for both companies, the business move will combine Chaos' award-winning photorealistic ray tracing expertise with Enscape's flourishing knowledge of real-time rendering. But what will it mean for the companies, their software, and their customers? In this extra-special podcast, host Chris Nichols joins Chaos CEO Peter Mitev, Chaos CTO Vlado Koylazov, and Enscape CEO Christian Lang, to answer burning questions about the merger. The trio explains how they see the future of visualization, and how a combination of real-time and ray-traced rendering could blur the lines between arch-viz and VFX, reach a broader audience — and even power the metaverse

Peter Baustaedter's Hollywood career is an adventure worthy of a movie. After cracking the demoscene in Austria, he took a chance and wrote to Digital Domain — only for them to offer him a job. From here, he worked on a string of movies with groundbreaking VFX: Apollo 13, Dante's Peak, The Fifth Element, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Sin City, King Kong, and Avatar. In this extraordinary episode, Peter explains the minor role Arnold Schwarzenegger played in his career, discusses the dangerous world of practical effects in the mid-90s, and reveals why the power kept tripping at Square Pictures' Hawaiian production facility. Peter also talks about stepping up to become a visual effects art director and shares tidbits on using Unreal Engine to produce a major upcoming TV series from Amazon Studios.

By day, Raf Grassetti works at Sony Computer Entertainment's Santa Monica Studio, where he art directs the God of War games. But there's more to Raf than epic videogames: he's also carved a successful path in the world of NFTs, with his hyperreal sculpts becoming hot virtual commodities. Raf talks about his NFT artwork and how he's tailored pieces — such as his Crypto History sculpts of Elon Musk, Snoop "Doge" Dogg, and Beeple — to attract the crypto audience. Raf also reveals his approach to marketing and building a community eager for his next release. It's a fascinating conversation that helps unravel and explain the keys to success in the world of NFTs.

Mallory Yund always knew she wanted to work in the entertainment industry — and now she's a post-producer on some of the biggest shows in the world. Beginning in Kansas, she moved to LA, where she slept on a couch (for three years!), worked in restaurants, and became an extra. After PAing on feature films, she worked her way into post-production, where her organizational skills and technical know-how helped her become a producer. Today, Mallory's credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm, Silicon Valley, Cobra Kai, and many more shows and movies. She tells her fascinating story, including how a major natural disaster indirectly changed her career path. Mallory also reveals her favorite parts of being a producer and sheds light on the rapid evolution of the technology behind TV series.

In this episode, we get a deep dive into the efficiencies of Goodbye Kansas' pipeline, and how they grew their team from 4 to 12 TDs. Dan and Erik discuss how they started using V-Ray for Houdini, Solaris, and Hydra. They explain how USD is not just a new file format, but a complete change in the way people think about pipelines. We get into a lot of technical details about the advantages of USD, including how it can carry a lot of different data including lighting and shading. We also discuss how today, pipelines are more interested in using and supporting open-source initiatives compared to how they used to have to write their own proprietary solutions. It is a very technical discussion, but also a great way to kick off 2022 as we consider the future of the VFX pipeline.

A lot has changed in the two years since Pedro Conti last guested on the CG Garage podcast. Not only has he moved from bustling Sao Paulo to the more relaxed city of Florianópolis, but he's also contributed to a playful Katy Perry music video and directed "Tamo Junto," a touching tale of neighborly goodwill in the pandemic. Pedro tells Chris how "Tamo Junto" fell into place, from the inspiration behind the story and getting a superstar rapper to provide the vocals, to the support Chaos and Rebus Farm offered to render the final piece. Pedro also talks about his plans for the project and how the pandemic has changed the industry.

This week, Chris meets Nathan Millsap, a humble but hugely enthusiastic CG generalist. Nathan's career began as a "render monkey" for Chris at Sway, and since then he's gone on to work at 19 effects studios on movies including 2012, Avatar, and Transformers: Age of Extinction. Today, Nathan is working on TV series for prestigious LA studio, GhostVFX. In this podcast, Nathan talks through his life and career so far, from how Toy Story inspired him to pursue VFX, to his early days at Sway, moving to Singapore to fix shots on Transformers: Age of Extinction, and then returning to LA to raise his family. He gives his thoughts on why TV is taking over from theaters, talks about his favorite projects, and shares tales of working with directors including Roland Emmerich and Joe Kosinski.

Jelmer Boskma is livin' the VFX dream. Originally hailing from the Netherlands, he moved to Vancouver to go to film school and became interested in character modeling. Jelmer then picked up work as a modeler on movies including Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and District 9. With Tron: Legacy, he became a matte painter, then moved up to art direction on Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and VFX supervision on Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and Eternals. Jelmer tells Chris about his career highlights, from early encouragement from practical effects wizard Rick Baker to working alongside directors including Robert Rodriguez and Tim Burton. He also talks about how love blossomed in the VFX industry, discusses the pros and cons of working remotely, and shares some of the important life lessons he's learned.

It's been 18 months since Chris recorded a podcast in-person, but he's back with a bang — and the pop of a Belgian beer cork. His guest is Belle van der Woodsen, a talented arch-viz artist whose career has taken her from Europe to the US and the Middle East. At the same time, her work has developed a distinctive, tranquil style. Belle talks about what it takes to be an arch-viz artist today, including the expectations to be active on social media and how technology such as Corona's LightMix helps perfect her images. She and Chris also talk about how Inception inspired her career, worldwide architecture styles, and why she loves depicting home comforts.

Three years ago, Beauty and The Bit made an enormous splash in the arch-viz world with "Landmark," an atmospheric, anamorphic short film that homaged auteurs such as Scott, Kubrick, and Villeneuve. From here, the Spanish creative studio has worked on imagery and animations for studios including Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects, Bjarke Ingels Group, and Perkins & Will. In this podcast, Beauty and The Bit's CEO, Victor Bonafonte, joins Chris to tell the studio's story, from his beginnings in architecture to finding artistic inspiration at THU festival. Victor also talks about how arch-viz has evolved into its own art form, how he learned the rules in order to break them, and how the future of CG ties in with his ambitions.

Top of this year's Chaos Christmas wishlist is A Portrait of the Digital Age, Ian Spriggs' book on creating his meticulous character studies. In this week's podcast, the digital portrait artist returns to talk to Chris (who features in the book) about some of the subjects the publication tackles. Ian shares valuable insights into the process of making his portraits, including his Renaissance influences, the roles clothing, lights, and pose play in his images, and he's embraced improvements in technology and technique. He talks about some of the major shifts in the art world in the past few years, including the emergence of real-time digital humans and the rapid rise of NFTs. You'll also get to hear about Ian's next portrait — and find out why it's his most challenging yet.

Kofi Opoku-Ansah and Daniel Mark Miller have both found interesting routes to becoming successful VFX artists. Kofi was inspired by Final Fantasy to pursue a career in gaming, but working at The Mill ignited his passion for VFX. Daniel, meanwhile, toyed with becoming an editor before getting into compositing via the advertising industry. Together, Kofi and Daniel host The VFX Artists Podcast, which uses their wide range of industry contacts to record engaging, funny, and advice-packed podcasts. In this conversation with Chris, they give lots of valuable ideas about starting in VFX and how the industry works. Kofi also reveals how his three-year-old inspired him to set up the podcast, while Daniel details "Broken Toy," his Black Mirror-esque short film.

Paul Deasy is a true master of character modeling. His sculpts demonstrate a deft understanding of how to tell stories through emotions and subtle touches, whether it's Hellboy, Mr. Freeze, Voldemort, or his own noir-ish creations. In this podcast, Chris talks to Paul about how becoming one of the most respected character artists on the internet, from his youthful obsession with Batman: The Animated Series to his present-day work at Giant Animation. He shares useful tips, from how to create an evocative sculpt to the essential steps to nurturing talent and ensuring artists are happy.

Steve Griffith's impressive IMDb page includes The Matrix sequels, Captain America: The First Avenger, Ant-Man, the Watchmen TV series, Jungle Cruise, and many more blockbusters. Over the course of 20 years, he's gone from intern to VP of Production at Legend, taking in stints at major VFX studios including Rodeo FX, MPC, Luma Pictures, Atomic Fiction, and Digital Domain. In this podcast, Chris and Steve reminisce about some of the projects they worked on together, including I, Robot and Stealth, before tackling the current state of the visual effects industry. They track the evolution of virtual production from Gravity and Oblivion to Murder on the Orient Express and The Mandalorian and discuss how real-time and AI are changing the way studios work.

Jack Evans' illustrious VFX career has taken him to some of the biggest studios in LA and Vancouver, including Digital Domain, ILM, Disney, and Image Engine Design. His impressive roster of credits includes lighting on Speed Racer, TRON: Legacy, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Fast & Furious 8, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Mandalorian, and Aquaman. In this entertaining podcast, Jack talks about his career so far, from his early days of creating TV graphics with Photoshop and 3ds Max to learning Nuke, V-Ray, and Gaffer. He also discusses working from home in the pandemic, goes into depth on shots for TRON: Legacy and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and gives insight into different cultures at visual effects houses.

V-Ray won an Emmy! And joining Chris this week is Craig Weiss, a committee member on the board for the Engineering Emmy Awards. Craig explains how Chaos' rendering engine has changed the way TV VFX are made and why the board chose it to win this prestigious award. Craig also delves into his role as CBS VFX's executive creative director, from his humble beginnings in stop-motion animation to the high-resolution, cinema-quality CG home audiences have come to expect. It's a fascinating journey into the past, present, and future of the technology that helps bring stories to life.

The big wide world can be a scary place for neurodiverse people — but Exceptional Minds can help them find their place. Founded in 2011, this remarkable non-profit training academy trains individuals on the autism spectrum to become visual effects and animation professionals. It also runs its own studio, which has put graduates to work on Black Widow, Loki, and a whole animated segment for Sesame Street. In this podcast, Exceptional Minds' Executive Director David Siegel explains how his six-year-old son inspired him to join the academy. He also describes how he works with studios and software companies to give students the knowledge they need for a career. Joining him is VFX Studio Supervisor David Wolgemuth, who discusses finding common ground with students and helping them make the most of their skillsets.

AJ Jefferies' art is unmistakable. Whether he's indulging in passion projects or designing campaigns for companies including Cadbury's, Virgin Atlantic, and MTV, this UK-based 3D illustrator and animator's work is eye-catching, playful, and colorful — and large, sometimes up to 10K in resolution. In this conversation with Chris, AJ breaks down his career so far, from how Toy Story inspired his early adventures in computer graphics, learning 3D and illustration in Bournemouth, and joining a two-person studio in Norwich where he remains to this day. AJ also talks about the essential tools in his workflow, how V-Ray helped boost his render times, and the future of rendering technology.

Real-time CG is quickly taking over the film industry — but learning about its virtual cameras, lenses, and sets can be tricky. Tackling this is "Becoming a CG Pro," an online virtual production course aimed at filmmakers and CG artists hosted by Edward Dawson-Taylor and Jacqueline Cooper, a pair of VFX industry pros with credits on Jurassic World, The Jungle Book, and The Lion King. In this podcast, Edd and (returning guest) Jackie talk to Chris about what he learned through taking the course, and how virtual filmmaking brings back on-set collaboration and puts CG tools in the hands of traditional filmmakers. They also discuss the history of filmmaking, from Eadweard Muybridge to The Matrix, and the applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the real world.

Ruairidh "Roo" MacNeill's love for 3D modeling began with sandcastles in Lightwave—and now, he's working in London on blockbusters including Thor: Ragnarok, Alita: Battle Angel, and Wonder Woman 1984. In this podcast, Roo brings fresh insight into the trends reshaping the way VFX are produced, with procedural tools such as Houdini removing the industry's reliance on hard-surface modelers. Roo gives some candid tips about working in VFX, including his thoughts on getting a VFX-related degree, the importance of attending dailies, and why he's on a race to the bottom of Rotten Tomatoes scores. He also dives into why he loves Modo—and talks about taking a rabbit across European borders.

In this week's podcast, Chris digs into the relationship between CG and archaeology with world-renowned archaeologist Bernard Frischer. Having studied Classics, Bernie discovered a passion for the past and led excavations of Horace's Villa in Licenza, Italy. At the same time, he maintained a keen interest in the evolution of computing technology and used it to reconstruct Rome for his Rome Reborn project. Bernie reveals his vast knowledge of ancient history, explaining what made ancient Roman and modern American societies similar, how chariot racing was the spectator sport of its time, and why he prefers Rome to Athens. He also tells Chris how he founded Flyover Zone and reveals his plans to bring history to the world of videogames.

Liz Montes bumped into someone at an LA party—and landed a job at Digital Domain. Here, she worked alongside Chris on movies including Real Steel and Oblivion. Then she moved to visualization specialist The Third Floor, where she worked as a production manager and producer on blockbusters including Edge of Tomorrow, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and Avengers: Endgame. In this podcast, Liz talks about how The Third Floor's expertise in previs has made it a perfect fit for the emerging world of virtual production. She delves into how The Mandalorian's immersive set, Volume, helped the cast and crew create incredible worlds in real-time. She also discusses The Third Floor's work on Loki, how gaming graduates are taking over VFX, and how working from home has changed the industry.

Chris Harvey's brief encounters in biology and theater set him up perfectly for a thriving career in VFX. After taking an animation course, he went on to work on movies such as Chappie, TRON: Legacy, and Zero Dark Thirty. Then, he helped Neill Blomkamp launch independent production company Oats Studios and now he works as a freelance VFX supervisor. In this podcast, Chris talks about striking a balance between working hard and raising a family. He shares the lessons he learned from working at the ahead-of-its-time Oats Studios, covers how easy it is to tighten pipelines and make filmmaking more efficient—and reveals why Neill Blomkamp's new production house is called Stability. You'll also find out about Chris' upcoming sci-fi film projects, including Neill Blomkamp's Demonic, and 65, from the team behind A Quiet Place.

Want to know the secrets of a successful VFX career? In this week's podcast, Andy Boyd tells Chris how he worked his way up from VFX artist to head of 3D at MPC and then became co-founder of his own company, Jamm VFX, moving from Johannesburg to London and Los Angeles in the process. Andy gives useful insights on getting noticed and securing promotions. He also talks through the nerve-wracking process of founding a company and taking it from desperately seeking clients to being in a position where it can turn down work. Andy finishes with his thoughts on how AI will change the future of VFX and sheds a little light on Jamm's upcoming projects.

Introducing the CG Garage podcast's first-ever virtual guest: PHIA, AKA Sophia Bollinger. In the space of little over a year, PHIA's "The Virtual Reality Show" has amassed over 100,000 YouTube and Twitch subscribers who tune in to find out about the latest tech and trends in VR. At the same time, she's become a virtual celebrity, and running the show has become her full-time job. In this podcast, which is better watched than listened-to, the enthusiastic VR expert tells Chris why she started the channel. She talks about how the virtual world can offer a haven from the real one and discusses some of the more unusual phenomena that come about as a result of fooling your brain into thinking the virtual is real. You'll learn what the best tech for a modern VR setup is—as well as PHIA's ambitious plans for the future.

The globally renowned RealTime Conference couldn't have been founded by anyone other than Jean-Michel Blottière. From a young age, Jean-Michel has been at the heart of both the games and media industries, beginning with gaming magazines and TV series in his native France, and moving into CG and animation conferences via Imagina and FMX. Today, Jean-Michel runs the RealTime Conference, which has proved spectacularly successful—despite starting when the pandemic hit last year. He talks about the joy of organizing the conference, from finding generous sponsors and talented speakers, to presenting live in front of a global audience. He also discusses the exciting upcoming edition of the RealTime Conference—The Rise of the Metaverse: Populating the Metaverse.

This week's podcast guest, Carlos Fueyo, checks all Chris' boxes for architecture, VFX, and real-time. After working alongside theoretical architecture legend Lebbeus Woods, Carlos provided stunning visual effects for movies including Priest, Super 8, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. He then set himself up as a studio working on VFX, architectural, virtual reality, and real-time projects, including evil base compendium, LAIR. Today, Carlos is investigating real-time filmmaking via an intriguing short film entitled "Replica" while working on effects for a yet-to-be-revealed Marvel project. Carlos gives his thoughts on how real-time is turning filmmaking on its head and some of the new challenges it presents in keeping content fresh.

After making stop-motion videos as a kid and studying furniture design, Ross Denner found his way into VFX via stints at Bermuda Shorts and The Mill. He then moved from London to Los Angeles to work for MPC and now lives in New York, where he helped set up boutique studio ArtJail. Ross talks about how SideFX's versatile Houdini software is usurping Maya in traditional pipelines and empowering smaller VFX houses. He also gives invaluable advice on getting hired by VFX studios and what to do when you start, and he and Chris talk about working with dyslexia.

Over the past few years, Gravity Sketch has made its way into the workflows of everyone from individual artists to large corporations, including Ford and HP. This unique software allows designers to intuitively create and perfect their visions in a three-dimensional, virtual space. Gravity Sketch Co-Founder and CEO Seyi Sosanya talks about how his team used influences from outside computing, such as dance, kitchen design, and London's underground system, to develop the software's accessible-but-minimalist interface. Seyi offers a fascinating insight into what it's like to run a startup company and how users are making use of Gravity Sketch—including lobster-influenced footwear.

No one knows the virtual world like Solomon Rogers. From an academic background, Sol decided to found his own company, REWIND, to specialize in creating immersive and meaningful VR experiences for an impressive array of companies, including HBO, Lyft, Sony, and Microsoft. In this podcast, Sol tells Chris how VR has evolved over the past decade, explains why we're yet to see good VR architecture, and goes behind-the-scenes of REWIND's terrifying in-car VR experience with holoride technology for Universal Pictures. He also talks about how the entertainment industry is catering for digital natives, who prefer esports and zero-gravity concerts in Fortnite to watching movies. It's a fascinating and authoritative glimpse into the incredible potential of future technology.

Patrick Osborne grew up with a passion for Nintendo, Jurassic Park, and Wavefront—and he got to see behind the scenes of movie merchandising via his dad's job as head of design at Kenner Toys. After attending the prestigious Ringling College of Art + Design, he joined Sony Imageworks, then Disney, and polished his skills as an animator. While at Disney, Patrick directed the short film "Feast," which won an Academy Award, and then moved into directing full-time on the sitcom Imaginary Mary. Patrick talks about the tools he's used throughout his career, what it's like to become a Hollywood director, and his favorite part of the filmmaking process. He also gives a sneak peek into his upcoming experiments with real-time, VR, and in-progress shorts for Love, Death & Robots, and Apple.

Hard-hitting documentaries and cutting-edge VFX rarely go together, but for David France's Welcome to Chechnya, it was necessary to marry the two. The film captures the flight of LGBTQ citizens from the Russian republic of Chechnya, where being gay can lead to beatings and murders. To preserve his subjects' anonymity while allowing the audience to connect with them emotionally, David turned to VFX expert Ryan Laney to digitally swap faces with willing "donors" from around the world. Ryan explains how he developed new techniques to replace faces without the limitations of traditional methods such as blurring and pixelation. He also discusses his 20-plus-years in movie VFX, including The Matrix, The Aviator, The Day After Tomorrow, and many more. It's proof that VFX's role in filmmaking now extends far beyond Hollywood blockbusters— and it's had a surprising effect on Ryan's outlook, too.

Originally hailing from Russia, Dmitry Vinnik's love for CG computer game cutscenes inspired him to learn 3D Studio and study at Vancouver Film School. He's gone on to work on VFX projects big and small, including Battlestar Galactica, Tron: Legacy, Final Destination 5, and Game of Thrones. Throughout his career, Dmitry has embraced technology and encouraged studios to use V-Ray—with spectacular results. This podcast serves as a deep dive into the past, present, and future of rendering technology, covering everything from 286s in the mid-90s to the versatile, superpowered hardware that powers today's CGI.

What do NFTs mean for professional artists? That's the question Chris explores this week with returning podcast guest David Levy, whose concept art has helped define the look of big sci-fi movies, including Tron: Legacy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and the upcoming Avatar sequels. In this thought-provoking discussion, David talks about the potential NFTs have to revolutionize digital art and how this new way of attaching value to content changes the industry for well-known artists and absolute beginners. Chris and David talk about how NFT galleries are more like Las Vegas than The Louvre, discuss some of the ethical and environmental concerns surrounding NFTs and explain what cryptocurrencies mean on a larger scale.

Since its launch in 2000, CG content marketplace Turbosquid has amassed almost 1 million 3D models and become a go-to source for VFX, games and much more. In this week's podcast, Turbosquid's VP of Business Development, Beau Perschall, and Chief Creative Officer, Dade Orgeron, join Chris to talk about this unforgettably named company. You'll learn how the company uses clever tech—including V-Ray AppSDK—to catalog and display its vast array of content and ensure it works across multiple platforms. Beau and Dade also discuss Turbosquid's Pixelsquid and Kraken spin-offs, and the company's acquisition by stock photography giant Shutterstock. If you've ever wanted to create Turbosquid content yourself, Beau and Dade will tell you what's most wanted at the moment

Chris' exploration of NFTs continues with returning guest and virtual architecture expert Alex Coulombe and podcast newbie Samuel Arsenault-Brassard. Samuel has set up the Museum of Other Realities to display virtual works of art but lacked a convenient way to monetize and distribute them. Enter NFTs, virtual worlds such as Somnium Space and marketplaces including SuperRare and Foundation. In this in-depth discussion, Samuel and Alex cover the good, bad and ugly of NFTs. They break down what makes them so ideal for selling virtual art, how you could steal an NFT, what happens when an owner posts offensive content in virtual space and the potential for forging 3D artwork. They also cover potential solutions to the high energy demands of cryptocurrencies.

This week, Blur's Franck Balson and Gabe Askew join Chris to discuss the intricacies of cel-shading, which gives 3D visuals a unique cartoony look. You'll find out how Blur combined advanced hacks and simple techniques to create stylized animation for Love, Death & Robots episode "Suits," which features mech-touting farmers, and the frenetic trailer for Riot Games' Valorant. Franck also discusses his multi-cultural background and how he landed a job at Blur, while Gabe covers his previous job directing commercials in New York. They talk about what it's like to get hired and work for Tim Miller and Blur Studio, and shed light on some of the approaches to animation that can bring characters to life.

Our exploration of how NFTs apply to CG artists continues with esteemed NYU Stern professor, David Yermack, an expert in cryptocurrency. But don't worry, you don't need a finance background to understand this. David breaks down key concepts behind NFTs in the most accessible way possible, so you can figure out how they factor in your world. We get into issues of ownership, the value of digital copies and how NFTs are enabling CG artists to finally become part of the gallery system.

This week's podcast tells the fascinating story of Doug Wilkinson, who worked with Chris on Tron: Legacy and is now head of CG at global creative company Buck. Inspired by Jurassic Park, Doug helped create cutscenes for video games before moving from Boston to LA to join effects companies including Digital Domain, Sway and Buck. Doug recounts his numerous adventures in visual effects, including creating a David Fincher-directed Heineken ad starring Brad Pitt, working with Joe Kosinski on car commercials, and his latest work, including Apple's "Share Your Gifts" spot. Doug also shares his thoughts on the CG industry's future, talks about how Buck balances creative freedom with technical innovation and reveals surprising connections to Chris' friends and co-workers.

Over the past 15 years, Matan Abel has worked on lots of cutting-edge VFX projects, including the game Call of Duty, numerous car commercials and movies such as 2012, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Last Airbender, Red Tails and Fast & Furious 5. Now, Matan's getting into real-time via John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum's virtual pre-production and The Mandalorian's virtual sets. In this podcast, Matan tells former boss Chris how his laid-back approach and honesty have helped his career trajectory. He talks about how he loves lighting tail lights despite knowing nothing about cars; overcoming cultural, linguistic and time barriers when he worked in China; and the practical and financial reasons behind the rise of real-time in movies.

NFTs — or Non-Fungible Tokens — have hit the headlines recently after digital artist Beeple sold a JPEG for $69 million. But there are many questions about this new way of selling art: Is it a scam? How easy is it for artists to make millions with NFTs? What does "fungible" even mean? In this podcast, digital artist and returning guest Sally Slade tells Chris everything she's learned about NFTs in seven days. She talks him through turning one of her artworks into an NFT, beginning with buying cryptocurrency Ethereum to "minting" her artwork and listing it online. Sally digs into some of the ethical and environmental concerns about the NFT process and discusses what it could mean for the future of art and filmmaking.

Joining Chris for this week's podcast are old pals and seasoned professionals Leighton Greer and Paul Ghezzo. Having met Chris at VFX studio Sway, Leighton and Paul have worked for Rhythm and Hues, Zoic and Scanline. Today, they've been reunited at Technicolor, which produces visual effects alongside traditional post-production fixes for shows including Star Trek: Picard, Westworld, Snowfall and Bridgerton. Leighton, Paul and Chris reminisce about work they've done in the past, including Scion ads for demanding directors and the physics of power sliding minivans. More importantly, the trio shares the important lessons they've learned from one another. Leighton and Paul also discuss some of their upcoming projects, including Firefly Lane, Reservation Dogs and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as well as Technicolor's acquisition by the increasingly large Streamland Media.

VFX veteran Ari Rubenstein has quite a story to tell. After spending a few years in unrelated fields, he gravitated towards visual effects, where a cloth sim experiment landed him work on The Matrix Revolutions. He went on to work at Blue Sky Studios, the company behind animated movies including Horton Hears a Who!, Epic and Rio. At the same time, Ari has indulged his creativity and embraced new technology via short films. Ari talks enthusiastically about how he's always chosen creative paths, his deep-rooted love of music, and how individuals across the industry and around the world have helped him bring his visions to life. Since this interview, Blue Sky Studios has closed its filmmaking operations. Nimona, which was slated for January 14, 2022, is no longer being released.

Chaos' Key Account Group are unsung heroes of the CG industry. They understand the trends of the VFX, arch-viz and design industries; they're happy to be woken up at 3AM on Christmas morning to help customers solve problems—and they help gather feedback to help shape Chaos products. Heading up the Key Account Group is the dynamic and energetic "Mother of Dragons," Albena Ivanova. After studying business at university, Albena honed her skills in film production before joining Chaos. Albena discusses the unusual ways customers use Chaos software, reminisces about epic parties for clients and talks about her newest recruit—Chris Nichols himself.

Chaos Group is no more; long live Chaos! In this week's podcast, Richard Pay from design agency Uniform and Chaos' own Melissa Knight talk us through the year-long process of reinvigorating the computer graphics company's presence to reflect the increasing diversity of its products and customers. Rich explains why a brand is far more than just a logo, and how Uniform has united Chaos' previously fragmented elements into a more cohesive and colorful whole. Melissa also talks about the advantages of simply being called Chaos, the huge amount of work that went into the rebrand—and reveals a planetary secret hidden in the new logo.

This week's podcast guest is a true visionary in the CG world. Ash Thorp came from a humble background and perfected his artistic skills via a year-long stint at film title specialist Prologue. Since then, he's contributed to Ghost in the Shell, Ender's Game and Captain Marvel, while pursuing his love for cinema via personal projects including Ghost in the Shell homage "Project 2501," electric Ferrari concept "Evinetta" and short film "NONE." Ash offers invaluable advice on avoiding creative blocks, the importance of collaboration, getting great performances out of actors, and dealing with criticism and social media. It's an honest and inspirational discussion and, touchingly, Ash hasn't lost any of the humility he had at the start of his career.

Christian Debney's incredible career began awesomely and has only become more awesome: his first job was building lightsaber props for Star Wars: Episodes I and II. After learning 3D for his own short films, he created VFX for Farscape, directed music videos, made animations for the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony, set up a VFX firm and second-unit-directed little-known but much-loved Australian comedy Swinging Safari. Phew! Now, Christian is putting his 20-plus years of experience in the movie industry to good use as VFX supervisor on sci-fi thriller Ascendant and as director of three films (one in VR) and a documentary. In this podcast, Christian talks about his career so far and shares tips and anecdotes about how he's learned to create great work within budgetary and time constraints.

Andrew Murdock is a man of many talents. His career began in a recording studio, alongside Chris Isaak, and he went on to join Mondo Media to work on gaming projects including The Daedalus Encounter and Westwood's Blade Runner. After founding his company, Lots of Robots, he created his own short films, beginning with "Rocket Pants," while producing scientific animations for National Geographic. Today, Andrew still creates his own short films and he's recently joined forces with 3ds Max creator Gary Yost on his "Inside Covid-19" VR project. Andrew discusses his independent approach to his projects' sound and visuals, his passion for Chaos Cloud and tyFlow, and Automatron, his character animation plugin for 3ds Max