The Allan McKay Podcast

In this episode, Allan McKay sits down with Xavier Bernasconi, VFX Supervisor at DNEG, to dive deep into the world of virtual production.

They discuss Xavier's fascinating career journey, his recent work on the highly anticipated Masters of the Air, and the decision to utilize virtual production for the project. Xavier shares insights into the current state of virtual production technology, its challenges and limitations, and the exciting future potential as the tech continues to evolve.

The conversation also covers the impacts of virtual production on actor performances and the shifts in collaboration it brings to VFX workflows. This is a must-listen for anyone curious about the cutting-edge of filmmaking innovation.

Table of Contents

• Introducing Xavier Bernasconi (00:00:03)

• From Proskier to Visual Effects (00:00:46)
• Developing Compositing Software (00:02:05)
• Becoming a VFX Supervisor (00:03:40)

• Overview and Initial Thoughts (00:04:25)
• Complexity and Challenges (00:05:27)

• Logistical and Creative Reasons (00:06:11)
• Comparison to Traditional Green Screen (00:06:57)

• Technological Advancements and Limitations (00:09:55)
• Limitations with Unreal Engine (00:12:03)

• Workflow and Collaboration (00:14:09)
• Pressure on VFX Team (00:16:48)

• Infancy and Potential for Growth (00:22:09)
• Advantages and Limitations (00:22:36)

• Misconceptions and Post-Production Work (00:27:33)
• Developing an End-to-End Pipeline (00:28:29)

• Prevalence in Episodic Content (00:31:53)
• Blurring Lines Between Episodic and Feature Budgets (00:33:30)

• Use of Unreal Engine and Cost of Setup (00:35:43)

• Quick and Cheap Iteration (00:37:10)
• Benefits for Certain Types of Directors (00:38:14)

• Real-Time Collaboration and Creativity (00:39:15)
• Challenges of Remote Work (00:39:21)

• Immersion and Performance Benefits (00:43:31)

• Appreciation and Wrap-Up (00:44:41)

Memorable Quotes

"I love telling stories. I felt that I was drawn more to the end of the pipeline, more to the beginning of the pipeline, so I was more drawn into lighting and compositing."

Virtual production was the most logical choice for Masters of the Air due to logistical, budgetary and creative reasons.

Virtual production is still in its infancy with lots of room for technological development. Extraction of foreground elements from LED screens is an important area of research.

Virtual production fosters real-time collaboration and creativity compared to traditional segmented workflows. However, on-set experience and mentorship is still crucial.

Actors appreciate virtual production as it helps their performances by providing interactive environments rather than pure green screen.

Xavier Bernasconi Bio

Xavier Bernasconi is a VFX Supervisor at DNEG. Originally from Italy, he now lives in Canada. His recent projects include Masters of the Air, Mad Max Furiosa and Godzilla x Kong.

In this insightful episode, Allan McKay sits down with Colin Giles, head of the School for Animation and Visual Effects at Vancouver Film School, for a deep dive into the world of modern VFX education.

They discuss Colin's fascinating journey from small town artist to leading a world-class animation school, the intense pressures faced by today's students, and how virtual learning during COVID has transformed educational models. Colin shares wisdom on the irreplaceable value of in-person collaboration, how AI is impacting the curriculum, and the vital role of social media and online presence for aspiring artists.

This is a must-listen for anyone curious about the future of visual effects and what it takes to succeed as a student in 2023.

Quotes:

"There is a difference between just crafting images and telling a story. I think that it's part of that learning process as well that is very exciting."

Students should focus on their own artistic growth rather than unrealistic pressure to be the best or work at certain studios. Everyone has a unique voice to contribute.

Virtual learning revealed the need for adaptable, hybrid education models that combine the benefits of online and in-person instruction. However, nothing replaces the creative energy of people connecting and collaborating face-to-face.

AI is a useful iteration tool to quickly generate ideas, but won't replace the human touch. It's important for students to learn with the technology and discover its applications together.

Aspiring artists must cultivate an authentic online presence that shows their personality and connects them to a community, not just a portfolio checklist. Social media engagement is vital for networking and getting hired.

Andrew L. Schmidt is a Director of Trollhunter (DreamWorks Animation). With a 20-year experience in the industry, he has a long list of credits to his name: The Iron Giant, Monsters, Inc; Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Ratatouille and many more. Andrew has worked at studios like Amblimation, DreamWorks, Warner Brothers and Pixar. Guillermo del Toro’s Trollhunters is his first directing credit.

For complete show notes visit http://www.allanmckay.com/76/

Andrew L. Schmidt on IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2112570/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Trollhunters on IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1734135/

Andrew’s talk at IAMAG Master Class: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/iamagmasterclasses17/

Andrew Schmidt quoted in the New Yorker’s article The Fun House: Life at Pixar: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/05/16/the-fun-factory

Episode 76 - Interview with Andrew L. Schmidt

NOTES

[-1:21:11] Hey! This is Allan. Just a quick thing to check out: www.vfxrates.com. This is a website that I created to solve a massive problem that we all have: What should we be charging? This is the giant mystery that we all have and most people feel very uncomfortable talking about is what we should charge as a freelance rate. And the worst part is when we go apply for a job and if we ask for too much, we risk alienating the employer and never getting that call back. Whereas we play it safe and ask too little, we not only get taken advantage of, but on top of that, we leave a lot of money on the table, which potentially over a span of a few years, can add up to 10’s of thousands of dollars.

[-1:20:32] So this is chance for you to go to the website www.vfxrates.com. Put in bits of information, like your city, your experience, your discipline, software, little things that are important, to figuring out what you should be charging as your base rate when you’re talking to an employer. This is based on a lot of experience, but more importantly, it’s based on the braintrust of the industry experts from different fields that we’ve pulled together to collect a very accurate way to generate what you should be charging.

[-1:20:00] The best part is not just what you should be charging -- but what you could be charging by tweaking a few things: how you present yourself, building a brand, learning to negotiate better. Also, there are factors like building an irresistible reel, learning to approach employers the correct way; learning how to network. I want to share all of this information for free! Go to www.vfxrates.com -- and find out what you should be charging for your hourly VFX rate.

[-1:19:31] Alright, welcome to a brand new Episode. It is with Andrew Schmidt who is a good buddy of mine. I’ve known him for three years. We met at the very first IAMAG Master Class in Paris. Andrew is a super great guy. I was really excited to do this because Andrew has a vast amount of experience within the industry at DreamWorks, [also at] Pixar for quite some years. Before that he worked on projects like one of my favorite movies The Iron Giant, Prince of Egypt. What I’ve loved is that each year that I’ve attended the IAMAG Master Class, Andrew’s talks have been some of my favorite because they have so much more substance. Usually, they take you on a bit of a journey through his career, his insights, but more importantly, a lot of the life lessons he’s learned on his journey. I thought it would be really great to talk to him because not only is he able to talk about his humble beginnings and how he got started but also about some of the transitions he’s experienced recently.

[-1:18:03] In case I haven’t mentioned it yet, he is one of the directors of Guillermo del Toro’s Trollhunters for DreamWorks Animation. He’s also worked on some of the amazing classics that we all love like The Incredibles, Finding Nemo; Monsters, Inc.,; Up and on, and on, and on. We also talked about Family Guy because he contributed to its Season 1. We talk about a lot of stuff. I knew this would be a killer!

[-1:17:29] One thing that I will mention is that the audio quality on this Episode isn’t the greatest, and I apologize for that. However, what I recommend to you is to not focus of the level of quality of the audio -- but focus on the level of quality of the content! I always take pride in having great quality to my Episodes.

[-1:16:53] If you enjoy this talk, I believe you can get Andrew’s IAMAG Master Class talk. I’ll leave a link if you want to access that. I think it’s $10. And of course, in t...

In this episode of the podcast, Allan McKay sits down with Olivio Sarikas, a renowned AI expert and YouTuber, to dive deep into the world of AI image generation. Olivio shares his extensive knowledge and experience working with various AI tools, providing valuable insights for both beginners and advanced users. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, from getting started with AI image generation to exploring the latest advancements in the field. Olivio offers practical advice on navigating the learning curve, finding the right tools, and unleashing your creativity with AI. He also discusses the potential career opportunities in the AI industry and shares his thoughts on the future of AI in art and media production. Whether you're an artist, a content creator, or simply curious about AI, this episode is packed with actionable tips and inspiring ideas to help you stay ahead of the curve.

Key Takeaways:

1. AI image generation tools offer a wide range of possibilities for artists, content creators, and businesses.
2. Experimenting with different AI tools and techniques can help you find your unique style and unleash your creativity.
3. Joining AI communities on Discord and Reddit is a great way to learn, get support, and stay up-to-date with the latest advancements.
4. Custom training models and datasets can open up new opportunities for creating specific styles and assets.
5. Embracing the fluidity and randomness of AI can lead to unexpected and inspiring results.
6. AI is becoming an essential tool in various industries, and developing AI skills can enhance your employability and career prospects.

Follow Olivio

• Olivio's Twitter
• Olivio's YouTube
• Olivio's Instagram

Mentioned Tools, Websites, and Resources:

• Midjourney
• Stable Diffusion
• DALL-E
• Krita
• ControlNet
• Automatic1111
• ComfyUI
• InvokeAI
• OpenArt
• Civitai
• Hugging Face
• GitHub
• DreamShaper
• Juggernaut
• Chilloutmix
• RealViz
• RevAnimated
• Patreon

Quick updates on many things happening in 2024 and on the Podcast! Resuming back to the normal Podcast starting next week but thought I would share views on AI, the industry as it is right now in Q1 of 2024 and more!