Ask An Artist
Calling all artists with a passion for visual effects! ActionVFX presents “Ask An Artist”, a show hosted by Luke Thompson that dives deep with industry experts to discuss their past experiences, creating high-level VFX, and emerging technologies within the Film, TV, and Video Game industries. Tune in and join the conversation!
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How To Maintain Artistic Integrity with Clinton Jones
03/07/2022
How To Maintain Artistic Integrity with Clinton Jones
A job that you love and enjoy can give you the extra motivation to meet all the goals. It keeps you feeling more fulfilled, productive, and accomplished. For this episode, Luke welcomes Clinton Jones. They talk about pursuing new opportunities and what keeps Clinton inspired to move forward. He also mentions the different roadblocks he faced when he just started and how he stepped out of his comfort zone to where he is now: Building and helping his community, sharing tutorials, and creating content and art. Highlights Experience doing live action shorts. - 1:48 Clinton’s backstory: His general interest in visual effects and moving to the NFT space and Unreal Engine.- 3:11 The biggest roadblock. - 9:58 Finding comedy in the action - 13:52 Did he see some of the stories he’s creating as the medium? - 20:26 Is it challenging to stay true to the IP when directing or creating? - 26:24 Clinton’s long-term goal. - 29:09 Understanding human behavior to help people achieve their goals. - 33:42 Stayingorganized. - 37:06 Where to find Clinton Jones and his next projects? - 38:41 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Clinton Jones
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Anatomy Of Real-Time Effects with David "DJ" Johnson of Undertone FX
02/28/2022
Anatomy Of Real-Time Effects with David "DJ" Johnson of Undertone FX
In this episode of Ask An Artist, host Luke Thompson introduces guest Dustin "DJ" Johnson. DJ is the award-winning founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Undertone FX, a studio specializing in real-time visual effects for video games and VR/AR. DJ describes how it all started: From working on big titles like Call of Duty, to leading a team and building his own company. He also discusses the latest projects their team is building, as well as the Ultimate Fire Pack—their collaboration project with ActionVFX. Highlights Scope of topics to be discussed today. - 0:33 What drew DJ to another form of art. - 2:32 Starting his own company: Undertone FX. - 10:14 Where are virtual effects next going to be after the launch of affordable and high-quality virtual reality? - 18:49 Some of the most impressive real-time effects DJ has seen in games. - 28:10 The Ultimate Fire Pack: What makes it so special? - 33:43 Real-time products that are in the works and things that he wants to do that are not in production. - 39:15 Where to find DJ and Undertone FX. - 42:00 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with DJ Johnson
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How To Maintain Passion with Sam Gorski
02/18/2022
How To Maintain Passion with Sam Gorski
Passion and creativity are vital fuels for living. However, people have different approaches to retaining motivation and moving forward with work. In this episode of Ask An Artist, host Luke Thompson welcomes guest Sam Gorski to talk about maintaining passion and creativity. Sam is one of the founding members of Corridor Digital Youtube Channel. Constantly having a hectic schedule can slowly fade that spark over time. Sam shares how he perseveres in his work to keep the fire of creativity and passion burning. He also shares how unique Unreal Engine is as a production tool with his team's projects. Highlights Welcoming and catching up with Sam Gorski - 0:56 What does Corridor Digital do?- 3:05 How to maintain passion and creativity amid hectic schedules - 5:37 Leveraging technology: benefits and downsides - 11:27 Pulling off a big project - 14:03 The assets used: motions, living elements, and other effects - 20:09 Why is Unreal Engine a unified system? - 24:23 The crossover with video games and filming with virtual sets - 30:14 Is the volume stage visual or special effects?: The intersection - 35:46 A common approach or method applied for each project - 44:51 Sam's favorite project with Corridor Digital - 47:30 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Sam Gorski Twitter: LinkedIn: Corridor Digital:
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How to Find Impactful Work with Hayley Akins
02/07/2022
How to Find Impactful Work with Hayley Akins
Indeed, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to achieving purposeful work in freelancing. However, systems created by individuals who came before us can be an effective tool for guiding us on our journey. In this episode, Luke welcomes Hayley Akins to talk about finding meaningful work. Hayley is the founder of Motion Hatch and a motion designer and animator. She has nine years of motion design expertise and has worked with high-profile clients like Google, the BBC, the United Nations, and the Gates Foundation. Hayley wants to be a part of projects that positively impact the world. As a result, she founded Motion Hatch, an online learning hub for motion designers and animators that provides training materials, resources, community, and podcasts to help them do better business. Highlights Who is Hayley Akins? - 0:01 How do you find impactful work as a freelancer? - 1:42 Three ways to niche down - 3:49 There is no one way to get clients: building systems and testing them out - 5:26 Four A’s Freelance Funnel - 8:00 How Hayley got into podcasting, motion design, and Motion Hatch - 12:52 The game plan for launching motion hatch original videos - 22:17 Accountability: getting the work done and making SMART goals - 26:29 SMART goal vs. DUMB goal - 28:50 Keeping things organized: utilizing a project management tool - 31:33 Productivity is a practice - 39:12 Resources from Hayley’s website - 41:09 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Hayley Akins Free 5-day Course: Youtube: Facebook:
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The Anatomy of an Explosion with Urban Bradesko
01/31/2022
The Anatomy of an Explosion with Urban Bradesko
Cinematic explosions are way more than what meets the eye. They only last for minutes or even seconds on screen, yet the process of making them is mind-blowing! Luke welcomes guest Urban Bradesko to launch the first episode, all about CG explosions of the new series Anatomy of Segments. Urban is an ultra-talented 3D & VFX artist. With many years of experience in the creative medium of VFX, Urban has carved out a particular set of skills that elevates him as an expert in the industry. Because of his expertise, Luke reached him through LinkedIn by asking his thoughts on Netflix’s Red Notice explosion sequence. Tune in to this episode to know more about Urban’s work on Rebelway and what it takes for an explosion to indeed boom its blow on screen and its audience. Highlights Introducing Urban Bradesko from Rebelway - 1:58 An astonishing explosion sequence from Netflix’s Red Notice - 2:36 Urban’s background: from CG simulations to Rebelway - 6:59 What makes a good explosion? - 14:38 Subcategories of explosion - 17:12 The most popular explosion: the gas explosion - 17:45 The impact explosion - 20:08 The spark explosion - 21:53 Aerial explosion: shifting to zero gravity - 27:04 Mushroom cloud explosions: making nuke shockwaves - 28:13 Tips on making realistic and convincing CG explosions - 32:26 Explosion fun facts - 37:11 Mixing compounds, filming explosions, and leaving impact - 40:34 Key Takeaways - 51:46 Additional fun facts for explosions - 53:29 Improving the work culture through equipping people and building tools - 54:57 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Urban Bradesko Twitter: LinkedIn: Website:
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The Importance of Being a Maker with Mary Poplin
01/17/2022
The Importance of Being a Maker with Mary Poplin
Creativity is never ending: just because you quit working on a certain project or company, doesn’t mean that you’ll stop being creative. For today’s episode, Luke welcomes Mary Poplin to talk about her work, the makers, and Boris FX. Mary is not only a Senior Product Specialist at Boris FX, she’s also a VFX artist, a trainer, and a content creator. Together, Luke and Mary discuss the importance of being a maker and the other makings that Mary creates outside of Boris FX. Mary also shares the things that she learned while working for the FX studio as well as the other things that people should look forward to: Including her quest to learn taxidermy. Highlights The theme of today’s topic? - 1:34 How important is it to be a maker? - 2:18 The other makings that Mary creates outside of Boris FX. - 4:46 How it ties together: The thematic elements to be able to create - 9:00 What she learned while working for Boris FX and the core principles that she was able to carry through. - 14:56 The visual effects industry really is small. - 23:33 You're gonna make sure that you are growing with the market that you have. - 25:02 One of the best things to learn. - 25:54 What’s next for Mary and Boris FX? - 28:34 The next things that are on Mary’s radar to create. - 31:19 Where can people find out more about Mary and Boris FX? - 36:26 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Mary Poplin
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How To Build Meaningful Relationships with Ian Failes
01/10/2022
How To Build Meaningful Relationships with Ian Failes
Ian Failes joins Luke to talk about building meaningful relationships in the VFX industry. Ian has written for magazines such as FXGuide, Cartoon Brew, VFX Voice, 3D Artist, 3D World, Thrillist, Syfy, Inverse, Digital Arts, Rolling Stone, Polygon, and more. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, he traveled to different studios, events, and conferences across the globe and built relationships with various people. Now, due to restrictions, he shares how virtual space broadens his horizon when it comes to building relationships. Highlights Building meaningful relationships in the VFX industry - 3:37 VFX Journalism is niche and continuously changes - 6:31 A small industry providing space for people - 10:04 Creating camaraderie virtually - 13:38 Ian’s background and transition into his career - 19:31 Sending out magazines across the globe - 24:54 The cover of the issue III - 27:14 Huge shows, lots of stories untold - 28:45 Challenges in VFX journalism today - 31:31 Ian’s podcasts for VFX - 35:56 Always carry the “newbie mindset” - 39:00 There will always be enough content - 41:13 Where to find Ian Failes - 42:52 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Ian Failes Twitter: LinkedIn: Website: Instagram: Podcast:
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Collaborative Storytelling with Andrew Donoho
01/03/2022
Collaborative Storytelling with Andrew Donoho
What does it take to be a filmmaker? Do you need to have the right connections, the budget, and the skills? For today’s Ask The Artist episode, Luke welcomes filmmaker Andrew Donoho. Andrew talks about how he started out young, watching directors make and directing music videos of his own. He also shared different stories about his experiences with high-profile videos and artists to his dreams as a director and his next trajectory with what he wants to eventually work on. Highlights How does he find himself effectively collaborating with other artists as an artist himself? - 1:05 Andrew’s background in VFX and transitioning to music videos. - 8:36 Is there anyone questioning his skills or taking him seriously because he’s young? - 13:59 Did he ever lie about his age, just to avoid the whole age conversation? - 16:09 His first high-profile directing gig. - 19:03 Initial thoughts and experiences with working on the video with Paul McCartney. - 23:19 Is it difficult to make the transition? How was he able to find the balance? - 31:59 His next trajectory with what he wants to eventually work on. - 36:51 Piece of advice to someone who wants to follow his career path. - 40:11 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram:
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How Do You Balance Content Creation, and Growing as an Artist? with Niko Pueringer
09/07/2021
How Do You Balance Content Creation, and Growing as an Artist? with Niko Pueringer
Luke talks with Niko Pueringer of Corridor Digital. Niko has done a really great job over the years providing some educational VFX content, filmmaking tips, and more about visual effects! In their discussion, they covered things like the art of telling a story as well as getting into the history of Corridor Digital and how it got started. Highlights Balancing content creation and growing as an artist - 1:26 Having the wrong mentality - 5:31 The different projects that they have - 10:18 Perspective always matters - 11:17 Having emotional reactions to the things you’re creating - 22:19 Finding an audience that is passionate - 26:37 The process of creating - 39:40 Having a lot of cool projects to do - 42:27 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Niko Pueringer
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How Do You Stay Creative? with Chris LeDoux
08/30/2021
How Do You Stay Creative? with Chris LeDoux
Luke talks with Chris LeDoux in episode nine of Ask An Artist! Chris is the founder of Crafty Apes VFX, a widely successful FX studio producing high-quality FX. We talked not only about how you can scale in the FX business but also about the healthy culture while scaling. Chris shared his experiences working with different people from different fields, as well as the importance of taking care of your people, and a sneak peek of what’s next for him and the Crafty Apes. Highlights How does Chris stay creative? How is it possible to balance creativity between all of his roles? - 3:44 There should be a balance in the relationship between producers and artists. They need to understand more about each other. - 8:13 Making a creative call. - 10:58 Where he is sitting now, is it where his headspace was 10 years ago? - 20:08 The one who gets on the mat the most wins in the end. - 21:58 Having an innovative mindset and starting to move things around: Who we are isn’t going to take us to where we want to go. Our systems and processes that got us here aren’t going to get us to where we need to go. - 25:23 To get to the next level, you have to try new things. - 35:49 Movies and TVs have so much budget and corporate power behind them that they can’t afford to take a risk. Because if they fail, then there is massive punishment in financial loss. 36:54 It’s such a level of healthy curiosity that leads to all the other discoveries of recognizing something. - 40:00 We’re problem solvers. We’re finding new ways to do things. - 44:48 The question might change people’s view of him for the rest of his life. - 50:00 What’s next for Chris and the Crafty Apes. - 52:52 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Chris LeDoux LinkedIn: Instagram: Facebook: Twitter:
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Why Revisit? with Christopher Clements
08/23/2021
Why Revisit? with Christopher Clements
Luke interviews Chris Clements. Chris is well-known for his works with the Reimagine series and Scene 38 of Star Wars. He has been working as a Visual Effects Artist for eleven years, bringing creative visions from storyboard to the screen. Luke and Chris talk not only about Chris’ experiences as an FX Artist, but also the struggles of working as one. He also shared the importance of revisiting and keeping an asset library, and how essential it is to stick to the previous looks, to satisfy fans and viewers, and also to save money and time. Highlights What are Chris' notable works? 0:06 What are the factors which cause Chris to want to revisit Scene 38, specifically? - 1:32 The idea was always to try and recreate something. Trying to reconnect what we saw as kids, to what the reality is. - 4:03 Did Chris face any backlash or internal issues working with big studios? - 8:41 Are there any pushbacks in recreating famous works, especially from fans? - 11:00 Where did your love for the effects and stunts intersect and combine? - 14:05 As far as asset libraries go, are they very helpful for the project? Do they cut down turnaround time? - 18:36 Having high-quality assets… means I need to do a lot less work for them to look good which makes the whole process so much more refined. - 23:38 Each revision is a sales pitch. 23:58 Time is money. You can’t replace it. You can’t change it. It’s just constantly flowing. - 27:44 The experience that let Chris get a chance to play, try some new things, and develop some skills and knowledge from the tools which are already available for him - 28:16 What’s coming up for Chris? - 30:09 Inside scoops that Chris and Luke were not able to talk much about, publicly. - 32:09 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Christopher Clements
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How Do You Stay On the Cutting Edge? with Jordy Vandeput
08/16/2021
How Do You Stay On the Cutting Edge? with Jordy Vandeput
Luke talks with Jordy Vandeput. In 2012, Jordy Vandeput graduated from the film school of Brussels, right after he started as an independent freelancer for various video productions. One of his clients at the time was Envato, for whom he took online courses about various aspects of filmmaking and video editing. On the 20th of March 2014, Jordy founded Cinecom Belgium with the goal of creating educational content for filmmakers and video editors around the world. Highlights Cinecom’s goal - 1:06 The primary question for this episode - 2:33 It can be difficult to come up with good ideas - 4:23 You have to market yourself - 8:53 What are his projects for the future - 15:03 Spending time producing a lot of good courses - 18:34 Being passionate about what he does - 19:41 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Jordy Vandeput and Cinecom
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How Do You Build a 20-year Business In VFX? with Josh Davies
08/09/2021
How Do You Build a 20-year Business In VFX? with Josh Davies
On this episode of Ask An Artist, Luke and Rodolphe are joined by long-time friend of ActionVFX, Joshua Davies. Josh is the founder and CEO of FXhome. Over the years, Josh and his team have brought a multitude of accessible tools to the creative market, and have greatly impacted the creative industry. Highlights Making a good product - 6:15 The amount of care they have for their community - 7:12 People want to be creative - 12:00 Being creative on your own terms - 12:57 Being really lucky to have support - 29:37 Projects that they’re working on - 32:07 Their work on the charity side - 39:03 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Josh Davies
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How Do You Balance Between Tech, and Story? with Hasraf "HaZ" Dulull
08/02/2021
How Do You Balance Between Tech, and Story? with Hasraf "HaZ" Dulull
Hasraf 'HaZ' Dulull started his career in Visual Effects for Film and TV, before transitioning to directing and producing with his breakout sci-fi indie feature film - The Beyond, which was released by Gravitas Ventures, and premiered at #2 on the iTunes charts before trending on Netflix. His second feature film 2036: Origin Unknown, which starred Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica, Another Life) earned a limited theatrical release in the US before landing on Netflix. He was later hired to direct the pilot for Disney's action-comedy mini series - Fast Layne, and was also credited as creative consultant on the entire series and directed three additional episodes when he wowed Disney channel executives with his vision for the 8 part series. Other credits include directing the short bridge film - Descendants - Under the sea for Disney, and directing a segment in the sci-fi horror anthology Portals released by Screen Media. Highlights How to balance tech and story - 2:04 Showing more and saying less - 4:44 Working in visual effects - 7:42 Making a movie for the audience - 9:20 Virtual production is the future - 18:57 Growing as an artist as time moves forward - 28:02 About the automation style - 41:56 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Hasraf "HaZ" Dulull
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When Did You Decide to Put “Artist Empowerment” at the Core of Your Content? with Hugo Guerra
07/26/2021
When Did You Decide to Put “Artist Empowerment” at the Core of Your Content? with Hugo Guerra
Hugo is a Director & VFX Supervisor working in both the VFX and the Videogames industry for the past 20 years. After working as a freelancer in Portugal, Sweden, and the UK, he became the Head of Nuke and VFX Supervisor at The Mill London. Most recently, Hugo worked as a Director for Fire Without Smoke, as a VFX Supervisor for Sony Playstation, and is currently working as a Film Director for Rebellion Games. He is also a VES Jury member, teaches VFX in several universities, and runs the largest YouTube channel about Nuke compositing called Hugo’s Desk. Highlights “Artist empowerment” at the core of his content - 1:52 The worst content in his channel - 5:52 Caring for people - 6:47 Working on a lot of projects in a year - 9:25 Resting and sleeping more - 13:46 Loving video games and being a gamer - 17:04 The industry is used to the “shiny” things - 37:44 A huge project that was canceled - 42:01 It takes weeks to make a video - 47:09 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Twitter: @HugoCGuerra Youtube:
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How Do You Find Inspiration as a Consistent Content Creator? with Ryan Connolly
07/19/2021
How Do You Find Inspiration as a Consistent Content Creator? with Ryan Connolly
On this episode of Ask An Artist, we have the man of the myth and the legend himself, Mr. Ryan Connolly. Many of us know Ryan because of his interest in film making and his work over the years with more than 1 million subscribers on Youtube. Highlights Thinking longterm - 2:56 Being a filmmaker - 4:44 What was the long term idea? - 5:44 People coming and supporting - 8:54 Starting freelance at 15 years old - 10:40 What can be stressful - 17:15 Listening to a song over and over again - 25:28 The technical side of things - 27:04 Ryan’s projects in the pipeline - 42:59 Having a Plan B - 44:50 Get in touch with Ryan - 46:29 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Ryan Connolly
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Why Visual Effects? With Allan McKay
07/12/2021
Why Visual Effects? With Allan McKay
Today we have the godfather of visual effects: Allan McKay. If you’re interested in high-level visual effects, you have probably heard this name once or twice. Allan has worked on a lot of films such as Star Trek, Transformers, and more. Highlights Why visual effects? - 1:20 Communication is the number one skill that every person should have - 8:42 Learning to be more patient - 11:12 Stop being intimidated by freelancers - 14:05 The Avengers poster - 17:30 Everyone struggles with fear and failure - 32:42 Enjoy the process along the way - 34:00 There’s a difference between being a consumer and being a creative - 40:27 Everything is sales - 48:40 Teaching people how to build a successful career - 50:00 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson LinkedIn: Instagram: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Allan McKay
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Why ActionVFX with Rodolphe Pierre-Louis
07/12/2021
Why ActionVFX with Rodolphe Pierre-Louis
Luke will be interviewing CEO and Founder of ActionVFX, Rodolphe Pierre-Louis, about Rodolphe’s story, kick starter, and what’s next for ActionVFX. Highlights Why ActionVFX? - 2:21 Getting into ActionVFX - 3:48 Loving the idea of doing something yourself - 8:05 What ActionVFX is now - 9:17 The importance of making a good first impression - 16:09 It’s possible to make a kick starter campaign - 22:47 Emphasizing quality over quantity - 34:52 Establishing the foundation - 40:42 Providing more options for people and artists - 43:38 What’s next for ActionVFX - 46:16 How to help compositors - 48:00 Episode Resources Connect with Luke Thompson Instagram: LinkedIn: ActionVFX Instagram: Connect with Rodolphe Pierre-Louis
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Welcome to Ask An Artist
07/08/2021
Welcome to Ask An Artist
Welcome to “Ask an Artist”, a show that talks about everything VFX related. Join VFX artists and industry innovators as they talk about projects, discuss the process behind creating effects, and debate what's next in emerging technologies. Check out new episodes each week with host Luke Thompson and the ActionVFX team.
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