CG Garage Podcast

08/04/2024

We’re revisiting some of the older episodes of the CG Garage podcast, starting with true luminaries of Hollywood revealing how they got their projects off the ground.

First up is the late Doug Trumbull, who talks about getting Brainstorm made and gives a visionary perspective on home theater.

We follow with Joe Kosinski talking about how he leveled up Tron: Legacy and brought Oblivion’s stunning visuals to life, while Tim Miller talks Deadpool and reveals some of the interesting choices that led to the beloved but very R-rated superhero movie.

In this flashback episode, directors Doug Trumbull, Joe Kosinski, and Tim Miller talk about getting “Brainstorm,” “Tron: Legacy,” and “Deadpool” off the ground.

20/02/2024

On this week's all-new episode—Could Paolo Berto Durante really be Chris, but from another dimension? These outspoken enthusiasts have a lot in common: an extensive knowledge of software and render engines stretching back decades, a history in and teaching CG, and strong opinions on the current state of the industry.

CG veteran Paolo Berto Durante talks about his long-standing computer graphics journey, his company J CUBE’s amazing CG tools, and AI's impact on creativity.

16/01/2024

On this week's all-new episode—Here’s the perfect start to 2024: Kat Dawes and NOWism’s particular blend of positivity for creative people. From busking in her native Brisbane to traveling through Africa, Kat has combined her love of performance art and spirituality to create NOWism, a playful philosophy that embraces the present moment and focuses on becoming the hero of your own story.

Begin 2024 the right way with this positive podcast about how creatives can turn an ever-changing world into an exciting wonderland of opportunity and joy.

08/01/2024

2024 gets off to an explosive start with this week’s guest: CG supervisor Jonas Ussing, who is on a quest to give visibility to the artists and studios who create invisible effects. He’s doing this via his YouTube channel, The Movie Rabbit Hole, where his impeccably researched and presented arguments have racked up over a million views.

Rising YouTube star and VFX supervisor Jonas Ussing returns to talk about how he’s shining a light on the CG artists and studios omitted from movie credits.

18/12/2023

On this week's all-new episode—Faruk Heplevent has spent his career perfecting the art of car photography. His experience in traditional photography transferred smoothly into the world of CGI, and he set up his company, The Scope, to create breathtaking renders for the world’s biggest car companies. Now, he’s released Scope City, a groundbreaking tool that empowers car manufacturers and CG artists to create and customize the perfect urban backdrops for digital vehicles.

Building Scope City: Automotive photography expert Faruk Heplevent on founding The Scope and creating a revolutionary new tool for customizable urban backdrops.

11/12/2023

On this week's all-new episode—SideFX President and CEO Kim Davidson has been a luminary of the computer graphics industry since the 1980s. In this podcast, Kim delves into his history, recounting his early days with the PRISMS procedural graphics application and the subsequent development of Houdini, SideFX’s Oscar-winning animation software, which has delivered astonishing shots for movies from Jingle All the Way to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

From flying logos to winning Oscars: SideFX’s Kim Davidson talks about how the company developed Houdini and became an important player in VFX.

04/12/2023

On this week's all-new episode— industry legend Joe Letteri talks about everything from how he created his very first shot for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country to the cutting-edge technology that helped him bag an Oscar for Avatar: The Way of Water, and the new , rendering, and depth-compositing tools that could get him another statuette. Joe also discusses where he finds inspiration and reveals his passion for fractal computer graphics and astrophotography.

Joe Letteri, the Academy Award-winning VFX supervisor behind “Avatar: Way of the Water,” talks about his career and reveals how new tech is changing the industry.

27/11/2023

On this week's all-new episode—Pixar director Peter Sohn discusses how his life experiences contributed to Disney and Pixar's Elemental and helped inform creative decisions. He delves into the technical aspects of the movie, revealing how machine learning helped solve some of the surprising complexities of fire and water characters. It’s a moving episode affirming cinema as a powerful tool to express and share human emotions.

A life in movies: Elemental director opens up about telling his personal story through a Pixar animation, and reveals the difficulties of working with water and fire.

20/11/2023

On this week's all-new episode—Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse director Joaquim Dos Santos reveals how his early obsessions with VHS and comic books led to his first break in storyboarding with Starship Troopers: Roughnecks, through to helming a golden era of US animation, including Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, and Voltron: Legendary Defender.

“Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse” director on how making series including “Avatar: The Last Airbender” helped him find the human heart in animated stories.

30/10/2023

On this week's all-new episode—Kyle Balda has enjoyed a 30-year career in animation, rising from animator to director of beloved kids' films like Minions: The Rise of Gru and Despicable Me 3. He shares his insights on the creative process, from the initial concept to the collaborative addition of ideas. Balda also offers a positive perspective on the role of in CG movies and his thoughts on how animation has evolved from a genre to a medium.

Kyle Balda reveals his journey to directing “Minions: The Rise of Gru” and “Despicable Me 3,” and sheds light on Illumination Entertainment’s creative process.

23/10/2023

On this week's all-new episode—Spider-Man 2 and Iron Man 2 storyboard artist Ryan Woodward talks about how he’s found happiness after some perilous life moments. He also dives deep into story, and how his understanding of metaphysics and neuroscience led to a breakthrough that can avoid formulaic Hollywood tales. Anyone with a creative streak will recognize Ryan’s career path, and his advice on navigating it is invaluable.

A fresh perspective: “Spider-Man 2” and “Avengers” artist Ryan Woodward reveals how he works hard without burning out, and discusses his approach to storytelling.

17/10/2023

On this week's all-new episode—Murai Sadayuki is the writer behind some of the most astonishing and groundbreaking anime films of all time, including the Perfect Blue, Steamboy, and Millennium Actress. Murai explains the importance of Godzilla, Ultraman, Akira, and WWII in Japanese culture. He also discusses the back-and-forth between Western and Japanese movie-making, and gives his thoughts on what it means to be a creative person today.

The astonishingly talented screenwriter behind “Perfect Blue” and “Steamboy” shares his thoughts on Japanese storytelling and its relationship with the West.

02/10/2023

On today's all-new episode—Amy Aniobi is a whirlwind of inspiration and creative energy. As a young girl, she was inspired by Frasier and Boy Meets World to become a writer. After graduating from Stanford University, she entered the industry and worked her way up to becoming head writer, executive producer, and director of HBO’s Insecure. In addition, she co-hosts The Antidote podcast and has movie projects coming up with Fox and Universal.

Head writer, director, and producer on HBO’s “Insecure” reveals how she got her dream job, and gives her thoughts on how auteurs and AI are shifting content.

25/09/2023

On today's all-new episode—Chris catches up with creative genius, and fellow Trojan Horse was a Unicorn attendee, Kevin Reste to talk about his career so far and offers some tips on getting ahead in the creative industry and staying on top of technological trends. Kevin also gives some invaluable insights into how is affecting the industry for newcomers, established artists, and big tech companies.

Creative genius Kevin Reste has lent his expertise to some of the world’s biggest companies. Hear his insights into how AI will change the entertainment industry.

18/09/2023

Greetings, CG Garage Podcast listeners—There will be no new episode today. But don't worry; we'll be back next week with more all-new episodes, so stay tuned. In the meantime, catch up on any past episodes you've missed by clicking on the official CG Garage Podcast website below.

Top rated weekly podcast produced by Christopher Nichols of Chaos. Lively interviews with Oscar-winning directors, world-renowned architects, influential photographers, talented 3D artists and everything in between.

11/09/2023

On today's all-new episode—Jonathan Rothbart’s illustrious career in VFX includes credits on everything from Men In Black to Superman Returns and The Predator. He was a founding member of John Knoll’s Rebel Mac Unit at Industrial Light & Magic, he established The Orphanage, where he delivered the HUD shots for Iron Man, and then became a sought-after supervisor for movies including Deadpool and John Wick: Chapter 4.

Discover how a 3D screensaver inspired Jonathan Rothbart to get into the industry and work on everything from “Men in Black” to “John Wick: Chapter 4

05/09/2023

On today's all-new episode—Chris meets James MacLachlan, the supervisor behind Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso. James talks about how his love for bringing stories to life has powered his career and whisked him from New Zealand to London. He gives some inspirational career advice and goes into enthusiastic detail on how the team crafted the detailed world of Ted Lasso.

“Ted Lasso” VFX supervisor James MacLachlan reveals how the hit Apple TV+ show used invisible effects to create realistic Premier League soccer matches.

29/08/2023

On this week's all-new episode—In this rollercoaster of a podcast, Creative Director Andrew MacDonald talks about the ups and downs of his life and the ebbs and flows of the industry. He shares stories of working with directors including Tony Kaye, Terry Gilliam, and David Lynch, speaks about how sneaking into a Welsh party led to his Hollywood career, and ultimately reveals how he found contentment and happiness.

From fear and loathing in Wales to happiness and contentment in a Flame bay: VFX veteran Andrew MacDonald reflects on an incredible career in film and ads.

21/08/2023

On this week's all-new episode— Apple TV miniseries Five Days at Memorial shines a light on a disturbing true story of a New Orleans hospital flooded during Hurricane Katrina. In this podcast, the show’s supervisors — returning guest Eric Durst and newbie Matt Whelan — reveal how they recreated New Orleans circa 2005 and added invisible effects that would earn the show an Emmy nomination.

VFX veterans Eric Durst and Matt Whelan on helping create the invisible effects that would earn Apple TV+ miniseries “Five Days at Memorial” an Emmy nomination.

17/08/2023

On this week's all-new episode—What if the 1969 moon landing failed? That’s the question artist Halsey Burgund poses with his “Moon Disaster” project, which makes use of AI technology to envision then-president Richard Nixon delivering an alternative speech to be used in the case of emergency. Halsey sheds light on the video and audio technology used for this alternative take on history and talks about his other adventures in audio art installations and what he’s got coming up.

Artist Halsey Burgund’s “Moon Disaster” uses a digital Nixon to deliver an alternative moon landing speed. He tells Chris more about this fascinating project.

07/08/2023

On today's all-new episode—We check in with Vladimir “Vlado” Koylazov, Chaos’ co-founder. Chris discovers more about Vlado’s new role as head of innovation and how the company is embracing recent technological developments to make it easy and efficient for customers to stage and render scenes. Click below.

Chaos co-founder Vlado discusses Vantage 2 and virtual production, and shares his vision for the artificial intelligence-powered future of computer graphics.

31/07/2023

On today's all-new episode—Simeon Balabanov, ’s product manager, talks through what makes the engine different from other real-time rendering solutions and dives into current rendering techniques at the same time. Simeon also reveals what’s new in Chaos Vantage 2, including the surprising use cases that have shaped its features, and he offers a sneak peek into what’s coming up for this groundbreaking software.

Chaos’ real-time ray-traced photorealistic rendering engine has just hit its second iteration. Product Manager Simeon Balabanov discusses what’s new in Vantage 2.

17/07/2023

On today's all-new episode—educator Terrence Masson talks through some highlights of his career, including how he flew the Millennium Falcon and killed Boba Fett for Star Wars and how he was called on to review UFO footage for Ancient Aliens. He also talks about his gaming and experiences and shares some interesting perspectives on AI in education.

Educator Terrence Masson talks about what his students learn in his exciting MFA and shares his incredible experiences in the VFX industry’s formative years.

26/06/2023

Thank you /Film for listening! It was great episode on John Wick 4 with Janelle and Jonathan.

On-set VFX supervisor Johnathan Rothbart had never seen Keanu Reeves work on set before, and it really threw him for a loop.

05/06/2023

On today's all-new episode—Stan Szymanski’s company, StanleyVision, has become a go-to source for the perfect talent for companies including Crafty Apes, MPC, The Mill, and Method, as well as PlayStation, MSG Sphere Studios, and TurboSquid. Stan reveals what it takes to be a recruiter in the world, from maintaining up-to-date expertise on new technology to understanding how people will fit in at certain companies. If you’re job hunting or headhunting, it’s worth staying with the podcast to the end, where Stan gives crucial advice on how to market yourself in the VFX industry.

Stan Szymanski has been in VFX for over 30 years — but he still has his finger on the pulse of the industry. He reveals what recruiters look for in new talent.

22/05/2023

On today's all-new episode—Having helped create virtual social media phenomenon Lil Miquela, Isaac Bratzel is bringing his expertise in and digital humans together in AvatarOS, the company he founded to create digital humans with personalities. In this podcast, Isaac reveals how he overcame some of the technical challenges of creating digital humans that work across the platforms of tomorrow and reveals his ultimate goal for the company.

AvatarOS is taking digital humans into the metaverse. Founder and CEO Isaac Bratzel reveals how his company is aiming to create the celebrities of tomorrow.

15/05/2023

On today's all-new episode—Lala Gavgavian, the president and COO of Digital Domain, explains how the studio charting a course through the waters of new technology. Lala talks about how Digital Domain has branched out beyond blockbuster and is now taking on gaming projects and medical imaging. She also talks about how and machine learning have been changing things behind the scenes at Digital Domain and how the technology behind its Digi Doug and Digi Zoe projects is helping create the perfect digital double.

Watch the conversation below or visit https://bit.ly/45e9cqu to listen.

08/05/2023

On today's all-new episode—After growing frustrated with the Hollywood system, assistant director Adam Martin co-founded Macroverse to give writers and artists a platform to share their stories and visions. Adam gives a full overview of Macroverse and what makes it work, explaining how its Tap Story system enriches comic stories and gives them a cinematic flair, and covers how this democratized web 3.0 platform gives everyone a chance to tell their story.

Watch the conversation below or visit https://bit.ly/3VKk3DZ to listen.

01/05/2023

On today's all-new episode—Multiskilled supervisor Chris Browne breaks down what it was like to work on his short film “Pleroma” during the pandemic, talks about shooting in a dangerous particle accelerator facility, and shares how he single-handedly created 200-plus visual effects shots and built robots. He also reveals his big plans for the future of “Pleroma,” as well as discussing what’s coming up in the world of .

Watch the conversation below or visit https://bit.ly/3AJIW9l to listen.

24/04/2023

On today's all-new episode—“John Wick: Chapter 4’s” Production VFX Supervisor Janelle Croshaw Ralla, and Prep and On-Set VFX Supervisor Johnathan Rothbart talk about working with director Chad Stahelski, who takes a meticulous, frame-by-frame approach to filmmaking and prefers to work in camera and on location over bluescreen or virtual production sets. They reveal the feats of stamina and endurance performed by star Keanu Reeves, share how to hit someone with a car or set them on fire without hurting him, and discuss the creative decisions behind the film’s incredible 1,500 invisible shots.

Watch below or visit https://bit.ly/41OR0ky to listen.