Episode 525 - Dennis Berardi on Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein & Resurrecting Mr. X
CG Garage
Visual effects veteran Dennis Berardi joins the podcast to discuss the resurrection of his legendary studio, Mr. X, and his latest collaboration with Guillermo del Toro on Frankenstein. Dennis shares the technical and artistic challenges behind the film, detailing how his team blended massive physical builds with digital artistry to create the film’s "invisible" effects. From creating expansive Arctic icescapes in a Toronto parking lot to blowing up 20-foot "bigature" miniatures for the climactic tower sequence, Dennis explains how they achieved an operatic scale while maintaining the...
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Episode 524 - VFX Soldier & Scott Ross: The Subsidy Wars
CG Garage
The anonymous "VFX soldier in the trenches" who took on the studios is back, and the fight he started is far from over. Two legends of the VFX labor rights movement, Daniel Lay (the formerly VFX Soldier) and veteran exec Scott Ross, join Chris and Daniel Thron to revisit the pivotal moment their fight began. The conversation goes back 10+ years to when the VFX Soldier blog became the rallying cry for an industry in crisis, detailing why Lay started it, his reasons for anonymity, and how he and Ross ultimately "merged forces" to fight for artists. The group dives deep into the history of their...
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Episode 523 - David Morin, Executive Director of the ASWF, on His Journey from Softimage to Securing Open Source
CG Garage
What was it like to be inside Softimage during the Microsoft acquisition? How did Bill Gates' "big pivot" to the internet change everything overnight? Industry veteran David Morin joins Chris to share his fascinating origin story, from programming with punch cards and an 8-year art detour to working with ILM on Jurassic Park and navigating the seismic shifts at Softimage, Microsoft, Avid, and Autodesk. Today, David leads the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF), and he details its crucial mission: providing a permanent, secure home for the industry's most vital open-source software. He discusses...
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Episode 522 - Gabriel Regentin: How Ingenuity Studios Made Weapons Unbelievably Real
CG Garage
For our special Halloween episode, we sit down with VFX Supervisor Gabriel Regentin to discuss his work with Ingenuity Studios on the smash-hit horror film, Weapons. Gabriel details his close collaboration with director Zach Cregger, whose primary goal was to ensure every visual effect felt 100% "in-camera" and unquestionably real. He shares the challenge of creating the film's signature terrifying effects and how Ingenuity Studios was brought in early to develop the look for such a massive, director-driven vision. Gabriel also walks us through his fascinating "origin story," from studying...
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Episode 521 - Tim Miller Gets Real About Hits, Misses, and What's Next
CG Garage
Returning to the podcast for his fourth appearance, director Tim Miller, the creative force behind the blockbuster hit Deadpool and the acclaimed anthologies Love, Death & Robots and Secret Level, pulls back the curtain on the unpredictable reality of a Hollywood career. In a candid discussion, Miller unpacks the delicate balance of luck and perseverance that defines success, the misconceptions surrounding his collaborative directing style, and the complex challenges of working within the massive machinery of a studio franchise like Terminator. The conversation then pivots to the...
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Episode 520 - Dan Fowler on 20 years of Virtual Production on the Avatars
CG Garage
After nearly 20 years dedicated to James Cameron's groundbreaking Avatar saga, virtual production supervising stage operator Dan Fowler joins host Chris Nichols in the garage for a deep dive into his incredible 30-year career. Dan recounts his journey from being the drummer in a 90s hair metal band to becoming a key operator on one of the most technologically advanced film sets in history. This conversation is a rare, firsthand look into the evolution of modern filmmaking. Dan shares stories from the trenches, starting with his self-taught entry into VFX, his "rock and roll" days at Digital...
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Episode 519 - Sean Faden, VFX Supervisor - Murderbot
CG Garage
Ever wonder how the scrappy, sarcastic world of Murderbot was brought to life? Veteran Visual Effects Supervisor Sean Faden pulls back the curtain on the hit Apple TV+ series, revealing the innovative and often hilarious journey of its creation. He shares the origin story of his involvement, detailing a highly collaborative process that began nearly a year before filming. Discover how the team stretched a modest budget to create an epic feel, using real-world locations from the deserts of Moab to the volcanic landscapes of Iceland. Sean gives a masterclass in creative problem-solving, from...
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Episode 518 - Scott Ross: "You Got It Wrong About James Cameron"
CG Garage
A few months back, on episode 510, we debated whether James Cameron is an all-powerful maverick who answers to no one. VFX legend and Digital Domain co-founder Scott Ross heard the discussion and had a clear message for us: "You got it wrong." According to Scott, the idea that Cameron operates completely free from studio influence is a fantasy, especially when a quarter-billion dollars is on the line. He holds nothing back, sharing an explosive insider story from the set of Titanic that shows exactly how fraught that relationship can become. However, Scott is quick to admit that while he...
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Episode 517 - Ken Perlin - Professor of Computer Science, NYU
CG Garage
Computer graphics pioneer Ken Perlin invented Perlin noise, a foundational tool used in nearly every area of computer graphics. In this episode of CG Garage, Ken shares his unique journey, starting with a childhood love for both art and mathematics. He recounts how his early work on the film Tron inspired him to invent Perlin noise and the foundational concepts of shaders, a breakthrough that laid the groundwork for modern GPUs and the photorealistic visuals we see today. His presentation of this work at SIGGRAPH in 1984 directly influenced companies like Pixar and permanently altered the...
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Episode 516 - Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC - Cinematographer, “Sinners”
CG Garage
This week, we sit down with acclaimed cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the first woman ever to shoot on IMAX for the film Sinner. She discusses her unique journey into filmmaking, including her work in 16mm on The Last Showgirl and her credits on major studio projects like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Marvel’s Loki. Autumn highlights the vital importance of finding a creative community and emphasizes how her career has been built on trust and collaboration with fellow artists. Autumn also dives deep into the dynamic (and sometimes frustrating) relationship between...
info_outlineJohnson Yan, a trailblazer in real-time 3D graphics, joins the podcast to recount his remarkable journey from the earliest days of computer graphics and flight simulation. Starting in the late 1970s, Johnson tackled fundamental challenges like texture mapping, anti-aliasing, translucency, and scalability, long before today's GPU technology emerged. He shares insights into his pioneering work at Singer-Link, where he developed flight simulators utilizing vector graphics and early raster technology, laying the groundwork for both military training and future advancements in real-time visualization.
In this episode, Johnson also discusses his transition into the commercial sector, detailing his impactful roles at companies like Sun Microsystems and Oak Technology. He explores his efforts to develop affordable 3D graphics chips, significantly enhancing consumer PCs' capabilities. Reflecting on industry milestones such as the rise of NVIDIA, the evolution from rasterization to ray tracing, and the integration of AI into modern graphics, Johnson provides unique historical context and personal anecdotes. His firsthand perspective offers a rare glimpse into the technological evolution of real-time graphics spanning nearly half a century.