Podcasts about Weta Digital

 to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. On episode 98 of the Director Watch Podcast, the boys are joined by Brian Tallerico, Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, to discuss the next film in their Peter Jackson series, The Frighteners (1996). The critical success of Heavenly Creatures proved to put Jackson on the map, with Hollywood calling for him to start making bigger pictures. In writing a treatment in 1992 for an idea that would become The Frighteners, Oscar winning director Robert Zemeckis viewed their idea as a chance to be a spin off to the television series Tales from the Crypt, centering on a small town private eye who can see and speak to the dead. In working with Jackson and Fran Walsh, Zemeckis liked the idea of the young director making the film, and thus became the last film he would make before the biggest project of his life. But is it good, is it successful, or is it a forgotten relic that doesn't make sense within Jackson's filmography. Ryan, Jay, and Brian debate where The Frighteners lands, the importance of Weta Digital, the career of Michael J. Fox, Jackson getting the movie filmed in New Zealand even though it takes place in America, and preview the start of the boys' journey to Middle Earth over the next couple of weeks. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube and more. This podcast runs 1h21m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Peter Jackson with a review of his next film, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. You can rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and “B-3” from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

Sebastian Sylwan has a wealth of experience, having been CTO at Weta Digital, Scanline, and Felix & Paul Studios, as well as Director of Technology at Digital Domain. He's spent his career at the intersection of art and technology, helping world-class teams push the boundaries of visual effects, immersive media, and real-time workflows. In this episode, he reflects on the challenges of innovating in production environments—where the pressure to deliver can often stifle meaningful experimentation—and offers a thoughtful look at how our industry might evolve if we rethink our relationship with technology. We talk about what it means to be truly innovative, how to design systems that scale while still empowering artists, and why creative industries so often fall into patterns of short-term thinking. Sebastian also shares some candid thoughts on how leadership, culture, and communication play a critical role in making or breaking new ideas. If you've ever struggled to bring a great tool or pipeline into a legacy studio, or wondered why some groundbreaking tech never catches on, this episode is for you.

Setelah berusaha sekitar 10 tahun, Sashya Subono Halse asal Indonesia akhirnya dipercaya jadi Face Animator di perusahaan WETA Digital di Selandia Baru, yang menggarap film-film Hollywood berteknologi canggih, seperti Avatar dan Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

Setelah berusaha sekitar 10 tahun, Sashya Subono Halse asal Indonesia akhirnya dipercaya jadi Face Animator di perusahaan WETA Digital di Selandia Baru, yang menggarap film-film Hollywood berteknologi canggih, seperti Avatar dan Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

The Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes sees the return of the popular series, many years after the last episode. Starring Owen Teague (It) and Freya Allen (Baghead) but the real stars are the amazing effects from Weta Digital.

[School of Movies 2024] With the new Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, directed by Maze-Runner helmer Wes Ball emerging this week, we went back to look at a Trilogy that emerged without any overarching grand plan, changing directors after the first instalment, with both men just trying to make the absolute best film they could with the opportunity they had. And they succeeded! This is one of the best low-key trios of films based on a long-existing franchise that nobody had any real expectations of, and that were easy to overlook in the decade when superheroes ruled the big screen. You will find out here what the creators' aims were, and the challenges of crafting films like these where the stars won't be in the picture until Weta Digital paint them in, and yet so much of those characters are right there in the human performances. If you ever doubted that Andy Serkis deserved a Best Actor nomination, regardless of digital makeup, this may convince you.

Read the full transcript here. What does it really mean to align an AI system with human values? What would a powerful AI need to do in order to do "what we want"? How does being an assistant differ from being an agent? Could inter-AI debate work as an alignment strategy, or would it just result in arguments designed to manipulate humans via their cognitive and emotional biases? How can we make sure that all human values are learned by AIs, not just the values of humans in WEIRD societies? Are our current state-of-the-art LLMs politically left-leaning? How can alignment strategies take into account the fact that our individual and collective values occasionally change over time?Geoffrey Irving is an AI safety researcher at DeepMind. Before that, he led the Reflection Team at OpenAI, was involved in neural network theorem proving at Google Brain, cofounded Eddy Systems to autocorrect code as you type, and worked on computational physics and geometry at Otherlab, D. E. Shaw Research, Pixar, and Weta Digital. He has screen credits on Ratatouille, WALL•E, Up, and Tintin. Learn more about him at his website, naml.us.Further reading:Gandalf: An Educational Game Demonstrating Security Vulnerabilities in Large Language Models"AI safety via debate""Claude's Constitution" Staff Spencer Greenberg — Host / Director Josh Castle — Producer Ryan Kessler — Audio Engineer Uri Bram — Factotum WeAmplify — Transcriptionists Miles Kestran — Marketing Music Lee Rosevere Josh Woodward Broke for Free zapsplat.com wowamusic Quiet Music for Tiny Robots Affiliates Clearer Thinking GuidedTrack Mind Ease Positly UpLift [Read more]

Welcome to another episode of the Media Boat Podcast. We start with Spotify laying off 1,500 people and Billie Eilish comes out during her Variety interview. Next, Unity is dissolving its $1.6B purchase of WETA Digital and the bits with Xbox news, gaming updates, and GTA VI trailer. Later, streamers look to bundle up with each other this holiday season and we wait for the SAG-AFTRA ratification vote. We wrap it all up with Michael Waldron taking top writing duties at Marvel and Kenan Thompson starts his production studio, Artists For Artists. We also have thoughts on The Gardens Between and May December. All this and more on this weeks episode of the Media Boat Podcast.

It's almost December, so it's time to take stock of the games we're currently catching up on, as well as the ones on our backlogs (with a break to talk about Steamworld Build), plus news of the day like details on Rockstar's long cancelled Agent, Game Awards announcement predictions, Unity's closure of Weta Digital, and some other stuff! Advertise on The Nextlander Podcast at Audioboom, or support us on Patreon! CHAPTERS (00:00:00) NOTE: Some timecodes may be inaccurate for versions other than the ad-free Patreon version due to dynamic ad insertions. Please use caution if skipping around to avoid spoilers. Thanks for listening. (00:00:10) Intro (00:01:03) Huuuu-rah, ooo-rah, hooo-ah? (00:04:18) Are you someone's Hunt: Showdown friend? (00:07:48) The video games (00:08:07) SteamWorld Build [Nintendo Switch, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S] on Dec 01, 2023 (00:25:51) Break (00:30:58) Baldur's Gate 3 [PC (Microsoft Windows)] on Aug 03, 2023 (00:45:38) Alan Wake II [PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S] on Oct 27, 2023 (00:46:17) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom [Nintendo Switch] on May 12, 2023 (00:47:33) Final Fantasy XVI [PlayStation 5] on Jun 22, 2023 (00:50:06) The lists of games we're working through this year (01:10:18) News (01:10:26) Xbox teases announcements during Game Awards (01:29:37) Unity laying off Weta Digital teams (01:32:59) Embracer seems ready to shutter TimeSplitters (01:41:48) Details emerge about Rockstar's canceled game Agent (01:51:06) Beyond Good and Evil is getting a 20th anniversary edition (02:00:55) Emails (02:08:16) Nextlander content updates (02:11:28) Mysterious Benefactor Shoutouts (02:12:51) Wrapping up and thanks (02:14:58) See Ya!

In today's episode, we delve into Unity's recent decision to lay off 275 employees and close down their Weta Digital studio. This studio, acquired for $1.6 billion just two years ago, has become the focal point of significant organizational changes.

More than 250 jobs are going from Weta Digital, after an American tech company ended its agreement with the Wellington-based company. The company acquired Weta Digital from New Zealand owned Weta FX in 2021. Weta FX says it will now try to rehire back as many staff as possible. Our reporter Krystal Gibbens joins us now with more. [embed] https://players.brightcove.net/6093072280001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6342040038112

Minute One Hundred Forty One: From The 34 Lighting TDs•Shader Writers at Weta Digital to The First Six of the Visual Effects ThanksThe TruStory FM Entertainment Podcast Network's own Steve Sarmento joins us in this episode!In the one-hundred-forty-first minute of The Avengers...We're knee deep in credits for the visual effects teams who worked on this movie. We look at how many people are credited with each team here, and then we jump into our names that we each picked. Steve picked the brothers Greg and Colin Strause, who run [hy*drau”lx], which spurs on a chat about the world of VFX right now, particularly with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes going on. From there, Andy talks about Joel Gerlach who worked as a VFX artist at Luma Pictures on this film, but has since gone on to create his own VFX company. Pete closes things out with a chat about Michael Corcoran, but we're still not sure where he's actually credited in this film. Regardless, he worked on creature effects, so we assume that means the Chitauri? Or maybe he was responsible for the exploding leviathan eyeball! And where would we be if we didn't bring up Soundgarden one last time? Tune in!Join the conversation with movie lovers from around the world on The Next Reel's Discord channel!Film SundriesFind Steve at TruStory FMWatch this film: iTunes • Amazon • YouTube • Disney+Join the conversation on DiscordScriptTrailer #1Trailer #2Poster artworkOriginal MaterialSeason 6 Show Art by Winston Yabo. Find him on InstagramSeason 6 Music: “Message to the World” by Anthony Vega. Find him on Instagram(00:00) - Marvel Movie Minute • Season 6 • The AvengersThis show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5556848/advertisement

Peter started his Visual Effects career in the mid 90s with Digital Domain. He worked on projects like Apollo 13, Titanic and Final Fantasy – The Spirits Within, until he found his was to Weta Digital in New Zealand. As a Digital Matte and Concept Artist he created visuals for LOTR- The Two Towers, King Kong, Avatar amongst many other projects. Switching tracks, Peter started working as VFX Art Director and also On Set VFX Supervisor in the early 2010s on a variety of long-form TV shows. This led him to be hired as Virtual Art Director on Amazon's Rings of Power, a position he held for over 3 years over 2 seasons. Peter is currently working on a high profile virtual production in Australia. Highlights of the Episode:0:00 Introduction0:17 Introduction of guest1:12 Background16:23 Doing well at walking the line19:30 Tools for photogrammetry26:43 Team members for XR filmmaking31:05 Flame sessions with clients in 3D environments31:52 Unity vs Unreal34:31 Guide to moving around different facets of visual effects and virtual production35:54 Seeing something that you should spend time on38:04 Studies that leads to the industry40:44 What do you do to keep on top of all the new technology42:59 What the industry is looking like for entry level positions48:10 Advice on keeping the passion through a long career50:38 The right time to walk away from an opportunity53:12 Getting perspective in the middle of a lot of noise55:40 AI and how it's influencing production01:01:48 Wrap up01:02:24 Outro Connecting with the Guest:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-baustaedter-3499/?originalSubdomain=nzArt station: https://peterbaustaedter7.artstation.com/ Connecting with CG Pro:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/becomecgproInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/becomecgpro/Website: https://www.becomecgpro.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/BecomeCGPro #CG #VirtualProduction #VFX

Originally Streamed on YouTube Live April 7, 2023. Audio Edited by Kiara Horowitz. In building the best animation studio Scott's worked for, Aaron Gilman has gathered philosophies from Brene Brown, Simon Sinek, etc, and in an experimental way has been navigating toward something remarkeable. Let's discuss how he does it and also the future of Steamroller Animation! With 23 years in the VFX industry, Aaron has worked at all levels of animation in film, games, and TV. Beginning with his early film work, Aaron was an animator on Matrix Revolutions, Hellboy, and Constantine with the acclaimed Tippett Studio. Eventually making his way to Weta Digital as a Senior Animator on Avatar, Aaron would remain with the award-winning New Zealand-based company for 8 years. During that time he worked on 14 feature films as Animation Supervisor on The Avengers, Iron Man 3, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Alvin, and the Chipmunks: Road Chip, and Godzilla. In 2016 Aaron made his way to Vancouver Canada as Animation Director at DNEG where he oversaw numerous projects before taking on the Head of Animation role. In 2021, Aaron assumed the Chief Creative Officer role at Steamroller Animation and most recently took on the Chief Executive Officer role where he oversees the studio's vision and core operations. Aaron brings a wealth of animation and leadership experience to the Steamroller team. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and has been nominated for a VES and Annie award. Found out about more of his incredible leadership at: https://www.steamrollerstudios.com/ Interviewer Scott Wiser has Directed Animation at Spacestation Animation and is currently supervising animation at Steamroller Animation Studios. He continues to develop more than 10 deeply meaningful feature film pitches, including the recently self-published illustrated novel, Masked Magic. Any producers or executives interested in collaborating or funding Scott Wiser's projects can peruse these pitches through the application at https://scottwiser.com/collaborate

Unity announced its intention to expand into the blockchain gaming industry. For its first list of Web3 companies that will take part in the VSP Program, Unity has chosen the likes of Solana, Aptos Laps, Altura, Tezos, Immutable X, Algorand, Dapper Labs, Metamask, and others. This, coupled with recent acquisitions & partnerships by Unity Software of Weta Digital, Ziva, and Ready Player Me, signify a massive development boom of web3 NFT games and metaverse experiences coming. Is Unity Software ($U) Stock an amazing buy right now?Co-Host: Kyle WillsonKyle Willson Youtube Channel ➜ https://bit.ly/OMIkyleFollow Kyle on Twitter ➜ https://bit.ly/KyleWTwitter

When James Cameron's Avatar hit theaters in 2009, few could have predicted the new, CGI-laden intellectual property would enjoy such a staggering box office return, becoming the first film in history to gross two billion dollars. The film would be nominated for a whopping nine Academy Awards, and end up winning in three categories, all of them related to the film's stunning visuals. Given Hollywood's propensity to capitalize on success, a sequel was inevitable and long discussed by Cameron. That sequel finally arrived in December of 2022 with Avatar: The Way of Water. Boasting one of the largest budgets for any motion picture and a stunning new array of underwater motion capture technology pioneered by Wētā FX (formerly Weta Digital, of The Lord of the Rings fame), Avatar: The Way of Water carries audiences once again to the mid-22nd century moon of Pandora for another adventure. With more films on the way, Cameron's series is here to stay. But despite the fantastical subject matter, the story that he is crafting throughout the Avatar films is very quickly shaping up to focus on something surprisingly domestic: the nuclear family. For the cultural apologist interested in engaging in the discussion about the traditional family unit, Avatar: The Way of Water is a major cultural artifact that presents the opportunity to do just that.This Postmodern Realities episode is a conversation with JOURNAL author Cole Burgett about his online-exclusive article, “The Way of Family in Avatar: the Way of Water”.**Editor's Note: This article contains spoilers for Avatar: The Way of Water .**Coming Soon!! Locked articles are online exclusive content that are only available to subscribers. There are three subscription options to access our online exclusive content.1. Subscribe ($33.50) to the print edition of the Christian Research Journal which includes all online exclusive content.2. Pay a monthly fee ($4.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.3. Pay an annual fee ($24.99) for Christian Research Journal online exclusive content. This does not include online versions of current print edition articles or receiving the print issues.For more information and to subscribe please click here.Note online-exclusives are eventually made available to the public at regular intervals but to gain access to read it when it's originally posted subscribing at the link above is the best option.When you to subscribe to the Journal, you join the team of print subscribers whose paid subscriptions help provide the resources at equip.org that minister to people worldwide. These resources include our ever growing database of over 1,500 articles, as well as our free Postmodern Realities podcast.Another way you can support our online articles is by leaving us a tip. A tip is just a small amount, like $3, $5, or $10 which is the cost for some of a latte, lunch out, or coffee drink. To leave a tip, click hereOther articles featuring this topic:Avatar: A Postmodern Pagan MythOther recent articles and Postmodern Realities podcasts featuring this author:Episode 318 An Occasion for Just War: A Review of AndorAn Occasion for Just War: A Review of AndorEpisode 314 Tolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerTolkien Reimagined: A Series Review of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of PowerEpisode 309 The Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of EvilThe Devil and Kristen Bouchard: A Series Review of EvilEpisode 303 Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned WayStar Trek: Strange New Worlds and the New Old-Fashioned WayEpisode 298: The Essex Serpent: By Tongue of BruteThe Essex Serpent: By Tongue of BruteEpisode 297 Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)Why are we down here still working in the dark? (A Web TV Series Review of Severance)Episode 295 Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi-Wan Kenobi)Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Freedom of Forgiveness (A Series Review of Obi Wan Kenobi)

We said we were starting 2023 strong so we're recalling our 12th episode Avatar, a whole THREE years ago (we said 2 on the pod whoops) with the long-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water. Did James Cameron prove everybody wrong? Well, financially yes. But how does the story hold up? Are we really that jazzed to be back in Pandora? Shout out to the wonderful folks at Weta Digital for their incredible work, we don't have anything bad to say about their work but does Jake Sully and his family hold our attention for another three hours? Listen in to hear what we thought and let us know your thoughts on our socials.

After Jeff, John, and Dave rant about how critics are doing film-goers a great disservice (Owen Gleiberman, click-baiting Avatar haters), the boys discuss Avatar: The Way of Water. Despite this movie having pretty favorable reviews among critics and incredibly favorable reviews among audiences, it pains us to be haters since we love movies so much and people aren't supporting new films the way we used to. It's led Dave to drink. He didn't get drunk because he turned 50, it's because an actual critic called Avatar: TWOF a "Smurfahontas Stodgeathon", which is horesheet. And because it eases the pain of being alive as a human, as opposed to a Na'vi. Anyway, our job is to keep it positive, and we mostly do! We get critical- with love- in the spoiler section, but crack a tinny and spend some time with us. Find all of our Socials at: https://linktr.ee/theloveofcinema Additional Cast/Crew: James Cameron, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Kate Winslet, Edie Falco, Jemaine Clement, Jack Campion, Bailey Bass, Trinity Jo-Li Bliss, Brendan Cowell, Weta Digital, Weta FX, Josh Friedman, Shane Salerno. Cliff Curtis, CCH Pounder Hosts: Dave Green, Jeff Ostermueller, John Say. Edited and produced by Dave Green. Music: soundcloud.com/dasein-artist Beer: @cbarrozo.beer

A learning and talent development focused podcast made by Framestore, for Framestore! Each week we present a conversation in two halves! Part one, released today, offers up the 'Framestore Podcast Dailies', set questions designed to find out what makes our special guest tick, what they do at our studio, their career journey so far and all manner of advice, tips and tricks.  On episode two, arriving later in the week, we hand the reins over to a guest 'co-host', a member of our global community who stands to learn a lot from the experience of engaging our interviewee in a deeper dive conversation.  This week's special guest is Sergio Gonzalez, Unreal and 3D Trainer here at Framestore. With 20-years industry experience, Sergio has taught visual effects and animation all over the world, including Miami International University, SAE Creative Media Institute and as VFX Program Lead at Middlesex University. He's held down roles at Microsoft, Weta Digital and Animal Logic, joining us here at Framestore. Our co-host is Tom Perry, an animation graduate from Escape Studios and now Runner in London. Tom is an aspiring Rigger and also joined the Framestore team this year!

Steve, Deathmetal Dave and Ace, welcome everyone back to the GORE CLUB PODCAST! On this episode we invited JASON LEI HOWDEN, VFX artist for Weta Digital, AND DIRECTOR OF DEATHGASM on to the show. Let's dig into Deathgasm, monstrous dildos and more. FIND US ON YOUTUBE! FIND US ON FACEBOOK! Find us on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheLouisvill... https://www.facebook.com/stevevessell https://www.facebook.com/deathmetaldave. https://www.facebook.com/foreversteel... music provided by Karl Casey Karl@whitebataudio.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/goreclub/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/goreclub/support

Kerry and Collin are joined by returning guest Steve Prokopy to talk about the 2015 horror-comedy "Krampus," which sports some impressive practical effects, costuming and puppetry from WETA Digital and a terrific cast. How closely does it follow the Krampus folklore? What makes the "Naughty Cut" of the film "naughty"? How does it measure up to other Christmas horror films? All this, plus the Book and Blu-ray segments get us into discussions on "Poltergeist," "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Friday the 13th."  We Just Say Book titles covered: "Breathless" (1960) "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" (1975) "Poltergeist" (1982)   Blu-ray Gift Exchange titles covered: "Poltergeist" (Warner Home Video) "The Lost Boys" (Warner Home Video) "Rachel, Rachel" (Warner Archive) "King Kong" (Warner Archive) "Abe Lincoln In Illinois" (Warner Archive) "Friday the 13" (Paramount) "The House of the Lost On the Cape" (Shout Factory)

Avatar (also marketed as James Cameron's Avatar) is a 2009 American[7][8] epic science fiction film directed, written, produced, and co-edited by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, and Sigourney Weaver. It is set in the mid-22nd century when humans are colonizing Pandora, a lush habitable moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system, in order to mine the valuable mineral unobtanium.[9][10][11] The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local tribe of Na'vi – a humanoid species indigenous to Pandora. The film's title refers to a genetically engineered Na'vi body operated from the brain of a remotely located human that is used to interact with the natives of Pandora.[12] Development of Avatar began in 1994, when Cameron wrote an 80-page treatment for the film.[13][14] Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, for a planned release in 1999;[15] however, according to Cameron, the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve his vision of the film.[16] Work on the language of the Na'vi began in 2005, and Cameron began developing the screenplay and fictional universe in early 2006.[17][18] Avatar was officially budgeted at $237 million, due to a groundbreaking array of new visual effects Cameron achieved in cooperation with Weta Digital in Wellington.[4] Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production and at $150 million for promotion.[19][20][21] The film made extensive use of new motion capture filming techniques and was released for traditional viewing, 3D viewing (using the RealD 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D, and IMAX 3D formats), and "4D" experiences in selected South Korean theaters.[22] Twitter Instagram Mack's channel Intro music by Dan Mason

“LOOKS LIKE MEAT'S BACK ON THE MENU!“On this episode of Retro Grade Podcast we talk about the second Peter Jackson live-action adaptation of The Lord of the Rings series, We are joined once again by our resident LOTR expert Becky to help us talk about why this film series changed the fantasy genre forever.We talk about how this film splits the fellowship and takes our various heroes on their own journeys, fighting against the ethereal evil of Sauron. Delivering the ring to Mount Doom, defending the Rohan against the orc hordes, or recruiting more to join the cause, the ensemble cast really gets to come into their own in this film, and establish themselves as individual characters we can still relate to 20 years later. Speaking of characters, we talk about what makes Gollum at the top of many lists as one of the greatest CGI characters of all time. Not only do we get an amazing physical and vocal performance from Andy Serkis gave but also talk about the amazing work of the visual effects team at WETA Digital, and go through a brief history in the world of motion capture.The Battle of Helm's Deep is the big, climactic set piece in the film and probably the most iconic castle siege in film history. We talk about the months it took to film the scene, the way it is lit so that we can actually see the battle at night, and how the beats of the action walk the line of being an enjoyable action sequence, but also a commentary on the cost of war. The allegory comes in heavy in The Two Towers, possibly more so here than in The Fellowship of The Ring. As we watch films, sometimes to get the most out of that experience we have to think about what the film is trying to say. When Sarumon says he wants “the old world to burn in the fires of industry,” maybe Tolkien wasn't just talking about the old world of Middle-Earth. Maybe the reason these stories held up so well to be written as books and shared between generations and turned into films and now television series is because they are a reflection of real world concerns through a fantastical lens of dwarves, elves, wizards and orcs. And in this fantasy world, there is hope that's worth fighting for, so maybe ours is too.Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.Artwork by @jannelle_o

Paris Marx is joined by Thomas Coughlan to discuss Amazon's foray into Tolkien's fantasy world, the big subsidies it received to film in New Zealand, and how its decision to move the series to the UK is giving fuel to demands to reassess the support for Hollywood productions.Thomas Coughlan is a senior political reporter at NZ Herald, and formerly was a journalist at Stuff and Newsroom. Follow Thomas on Twitter at @coughlthom.Tech Won't Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, support the show on Patreon, and sign up for the weekly newsletter.The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.Also mentioned in this episode:Thomas wrote for Stuff about the effort by the New Zealand government to attract Amazon to New Zealand and how it hoped the relationship would go beyond the TV series. For the NZ Herald, he also wrote that Amazon's decision to move the series away from New Zealand will have implications for tourism and wasn't communicated to the government until the last minute.Benjamin Clark wrote about how film subsidies have been essential to attracted big Hollywood productions to New Zealand.Madelaine Chapman dug into how much Peter Jackson has benefited from those subsidy schemes.Amazon is spending about $464 million on the first season of The Rings of Power.Amazon announced it was moving future seasons of the show to the UK in August 2021, causing frustration in New Zealand.There were concerns about safety on the set of The Rings of Power after stunt workers were injured and they didn't seem to be properly reported to authorities.In November 2021, Unity acquired the technology division of Jackson's Weta Digital.There's also a growing debate in New Zealand over whether it should be the site of major data centers.Support the show

Weta Digital som står bak spesialeffektene i utallige storfilmer lager nå et Lord of the Rings-spill og vi spekulerer i hva det kan være fo…

This week on 8111 the tables are turned and my hero/mentor Kim Bromley interviews me about my career and background. I grew up in the Los Angeles suburbs in the 70's and 80's skateboarding and going to the movies. In 1992 I earned my degree in Cinema from San Francisco State University.That same year, I began my career at George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic where I worked for nearly a decade in the company's computer graphics division. For over 25 years I have worked around the world at the top visual effects houses; Peter Jackson's Weta Digital in New Zealand, Tippett Studio in Berkeley, Sony Pictures Imageworks in Los Angeles, Warner Bros. ESC Entertainment in California, Brainstorm Digital in New York, and the Moving Picture Company in Vancouver. My film credits include; The Mummy, Twister, Star Wars: The Special Editions, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions, Hellboy, Constantine, King Kong, Watchmen, and Jurassic Park: The Lost World.Outside of Hollywood, I served as the Visual Effects Supervisor for American artist Matthew Barney's five-part Cremaster Cycle and the follow up experimental film, Drawing Restraint 9 staring Icelandic pop star Bjork.I am the host of the 8111 (Eighty-one Eleven) podcast. Each episode is a conversation with a guest who worked at George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic during its 40+ year history. Guests discuss their journeys and career paths, and how working at ILM changed them. I'm also the co-host of FX Guide's VFX Show podcast listened to by visual effects professionals, fans, and aspiring artists from all over the world.Today I am the senior full-time faculty and Chair in the department of Communication Arts in the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. I teach numerous courses specializing in 3D computer graphics, visual effects, and the creative application of emerging digital technologies. http://mattwallin.com/

Act One Podcast - Episode 23 - Interview with Filmmaker, Kirby Atkins.Kirby Atkins has written feature film scripts for Robert De Niro, MIRAMAX, and 20th CENTURY FOX. He has worked with some of the most recognizable names in cinema across animation and visual effects such as Sony Animation, Weta Digital, and Steven Spielberg. His short film "Mutt" won BEST ANIMATED SHORT at the HOLLYWOOD FILM FESTIVAL and he has directed the TV show "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius" for NICKELODEON. In 2019 Kirby wrote and directed the first New Zealand/China Film Group co-production of MOSLEY which was nominated for “Best Animated Feature Film” at the 2019 Asia Pacific Screen Awards, The Burbank International Film Festival, The Festival of Cinema, NYC, and the 2020 Ottawa International Animation Festival.  MOSLEY won the Golden Dolphin Award for Best Animated Feature Film at China's 13th Xiamen International Animation Festival. The film will be released worldwide 2021. Kirby wrote the screenplay and plays the title role, starring with the all Kiwi cast of John Rhys-Davies (LOTR), Lucy Lawless (Xena, Warrior Princess), Rhys Darby (Flight of the Conchords), and Termuera Morrison (Star Wars).The Act One Podcast provides insight and inspiration on the business and craft of Hollywood from a Christian perspective.Support the show (https://actoneprogram.com/donate/)

Bienvenidas y bienvenidos a Recarga Activa, el podcast diario de AnaitGames en el que filtramos lo más relevante de la actualidad del videojuego en pildorazos de 10-15 minutos:Pokémon Diamante Brillante y Perla Reluciente supera el estreno de Espada y Escudo en JapónWeta Digital trabaja en un juego basado en «una franquicia de alcance mundial»Square Enix reconoce que Neo: The World Ends with You ha vendido por debajo de sus previsionesEl director creativo del próximo Dragon Age se va de BioWareSuscríbete para recibir el siguiente episodio en tu gestor de podcasts favorito. Puedes apoyar nuestro proyecto (y acceder a un montón de contenido exclusivo) en Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anaitreload Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 de noviembre | Nueva YorkHola, maricoper. Es semana de Acción de Gracias y muchísimos estadounidenses abandonan Nueva York para viajar a sus casas en una cita que aquí es tan importante como lo es la Navidad en España. ¿Mi plan? Un Friendsgiving en el que una amiga y yo nos encargamos del postre (¡Dos tartas! una de chocolate y otra de nuez lisa), aunque creo que también voy a llevar consomé porque lo he hecho hoy por primera vez y me ha salido muy rico.Bienvenido a La Wikly diaria, una columna de actualidad y dos titulares rápidos para pasar el resto del día bien informado. Si quieres comentar las noticias en nuestra comunidad privada de Discord, puedes entrar rellenando este formulario.La Wikly es una newsletter joven e independiente que se mantiene con el apoyo de los suscriptores. Súmate al proyecto:Leer esta newsletter te llevará 5 minutos y 52 segundos.Cool concept para una cuenta de Twitter. Bienvenido a La Wikly.

En rachetant Weta Digital pour 1,6 milliard de dollars, Unity vient de signer la plus grande acquisition de son histoire. La fusion de ces deux entreprises promet la création de contenus extraordinaires avec un objectif précis en ligne de mire : le développement du métavers.Lire l'article sur Siècle Digital. Voir Acast.com/privacy pour les informations sur la vie privée et l'opt-out.

0:00:41 Dzień dobry 0:02:45 NFT, Discord, Game Awards, Szwecja i kradzieże GPU 0:15:28 Battlefield nie działa, ale Elden Ring i tak jest najważniejszy 0:22:24 Produkcja PS5, braki części, wyciągnięte klucze 0:26:33 Apka Xbox na PC być może będzie mniej zła 0:31:24 Ray tracing na mobilkach, WETA Digital kupiona przez Unity 0:34:23 Ciąg dalszy problemów z kulturą pracy w Blizzardzie, Ubi 0:36:18 Forza Horizon 5, Jeep, jednoręki bandyta i pory roku 0:56:55 My Friend Peppa Pig, Hannah Montana, Psi patrol 1:04:13 Unpacking 1:06:50 Halo 5 lepsze od Halo 4 (być może) 1:24:33 Pa, pa!

Alex and Jim reconvene after a three week 'vacation' to discuss Disney's underwhelming quarter where they only gained 2.1 million Disney+ subscribers. What can the massive slowdown be attributed to? Alex briefly reviews both 'Eternals' and 'Last Night in Soho'. Game engine maker Unity buys Peter Jacksons VFX company, Weta Digital, possibly to make a splash into Film/TV production. Oh, and Leonardo DiCaprio is looking to play Jim Jones in a biopic.

Disney Plus Day finally hit and with it: A SLEW of freaking rad announcements and teaser trailers! Join us as we give you all the juicy details you need to know, alongside that nerdy news you love so much! Start: 00:03:31 - Intro 00:04:47 - Captain's Orders Keep subscribing to our YouTube! Reminder: We're doing a live reaction to the 2021 Game Awards!!! 00:07:01 - Little Waves The Helm: 00:24:03 - MoviePass co-founder has bought back the company 00:30:46 - Doctor Strange 2 undergoing "significant reshoots" 00:39:26 - Unity buys Weta Digital for $1.6 billion Hands On Deck: 00:44:28 - Start 00:45:06 - Devin (Forza Horizon 5/Skyrim: Anniversary Edition/Battlefield 2042) 00:52:23 - Ernell (Battlefield 2042/Dexter: New Blood) The Gallows: Disney Plus Day Rundown 00:57:56 - Start 01:27:07 - Schedule/End Please make sure to rate and review us! If you leave us one, we just might read it on the next episode... Subscribe to our Youtube channel so we can get a URL! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6AHgHcSFazcnoyfSPxiUKA Follow our Twitch and sub to get the show ad free! GK! - https://www.twitch.tv/goodkrakenshow Support: Good Kraken! - https://twitter.com/GoodKrakenShow Ernell - https://twitter.com/OceanShrine Devin - https://twitter.com/brehvinthadude

Bu bölümde Apple Business Essential, Shopify Hydrogen, Weta Digital'in satın alınması, Forza Horizon 5, Technopoly kitabı ve daha birçok farklı konu üzerine sohbet ettik.Apple Business Essential: https://www.apple.com/business/essentials/IBM says it is 3X more expensive to manage PCs than Macs: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3131906/ibm-says-macs-are-even-cheaper-to-run-than-it-thought.htmlShop Pay: https://shop.app/what-shop-doesMeet Hydrogen: A React Framework For Dynamic, Contextual And Personalized E-Commerce: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2021/11/hydrogen-react-framework-dynamic-contextual-personalized-ecommerce/Mesut Çevik'in M1 Max Macbook Pro 14" incelemesi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYF9rUWCzqsWeta Digital: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weta_DigitalUnity is buying Peter Jackson's Weta Digital for over $1.6B: https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/09/unity-is-buying-peter-jacksons-weta-digital-for-over-1-6b/?_guc_consent_skip=1636811719Microsoft and the Metaverse: https://stratechery.com/2021/microsoft-and-the-metaverse/Hollywood studio Legendary bought for $3.5 bn in largest Chinese acquisition: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/12/hollywood-studio-legendary-bought-for-35-bn-in-largest-chinese-acquistionThe Metaverse Is Already Here — It's Minecraft: https://debugger.medium.com/the-metaverse-is-already-here-its-minecraft-99c89ed8ba2Niantic CEO: ‘AR Is Where the Real Metaverse Is Going to Happen': https://www.wired.com/story/john-hanke-niantic-augmented-reality-real-metaverse/The Medium is the Massage: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25955.The_Medium_is_the_MassageNew World: https://www.newworld.com/en-gbForza Horizon 5: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/forza-horizon-5Borderlands 3: https://borderlands.com/de-DE/welcome/Logitech Driving Force: https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/products/driving/driving-force-racing-wheel.941-000121.htmlTechnopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology - Neil Postman: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79678.TechnopolyAmusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business - Neil Postman: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/74034.Amusing_Ourselves_to_DeathThe Disappearance of Childhood - Neil Postman: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79679.The_Disappearance_of_ChildhoodDemystifying Public Speaking: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32784222-demystifying-public-speakingMindset: The New Psychology of Success: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40745.MindsetJoe Rogan's thoughts on paternity leave: https://www.reddit.com/r/JoeRogan/comments/qh46qd/joes_thoughts_on_paternity_leave/How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36613747-how-to-change-your-mindCooked - Michael Pollan: https://www.netflix.com/title/80022456Farklı Düşün Twitter hesabı: https://twitter.com/farklidusun_

In this solo episode, Leo covers the latest in gaming news surrounding the Steam Deck delay due to component shortages, Netflix games coming to Android, Unity acquiring Weta Digital, and Phil Spencer's comments about Xbox seeking casual game talent. We also cover IGN's current tally of the highest selling consoles of all time and host of The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley, announcing we'll see 40+ games showcased at the awards this year. Finally, we shed some light on the upcoming holiday sales using the link below. Gamespot's Black Friday Sales list https://www.gamespot.com/articles/best-black-friday-game-deals/1100-6497808/ Discussion includes: #SteamDeck #nVidia #RTXOn #Netflix #Unity #Weta #Microsoft #Xbox #XboxSeriesX #Sony #PS5 #TheGameAwards Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/podcast_g3 Join the Discord community by visiting https://discord.gg/wwBw6hGs Consider supporting us on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/G3Podcast The G3 Podcast is a show 'For Gamers By Gamers' where we discuss the news, reviews and culture surrounding video games. Gaming's Greatest Generation attempts to cover all our experiences in the medium, whether you played games on the 1970s platforms or currently play on the latest consoles, PC or mobile platforms. Video games are a unifying artform and our aim is to champion them as the greatest form of interactive entertainment. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/podcast-g3/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/podcast-g3/support

This week the fellas dive into some Metal Gear Solid news, Weta Digital, EA's Fight Night rumors, and much much more!!! Articles: Metal Gear Solid Games Are Being Removed Over Historical Footage Unity to pay $1.6 billion for The Lord of the Rings VFX maker Weta Digital Netflix launches games to iPhone and iPad users worldwide Fight Night Return Reportedly Greenlit by EA, but Won't Happen Until After UFX's Next Game

We talk to Paul Debevec on IBLs and using them in LED Virtual Production Volumes along with guest Erik Erik Winquist from Weta Digital.

We talk to Paul Debevec on IBLs and using them in LED Virtual Production Volumes along with guest Erik Erik Winquist from Weta Digital.

Valve's Steam Deck has been delayed, Unity acquired Weta Digital, Riot announced a new singleplayer game coming next week, GTA Trilogy gameplay leaked, a Travis Scott emote was removed from Fortnite, a new expansion for The Lord of the Rings Online launched today, and more! GG Replay is your gaming news recap and breakdown 3 days a week, hosted by Matt and Paul from the Goodnight Groofs! Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:22 - Corrections 1:38 - The Reviews Are In 3:27 - Steam Deck Delayed 8:00 - Unity Acquires Weta Digital 11:35 - Riot Stuff (New Game, Wild Rift, Arcane) 20:05 - GTA Trilogy Gameplay Leaks 24:21 - Travis Scott Emote Removed From Fortnite 28:47 - Quickies: Forza Horizon 5, Deep Rock Galactic, Crunchyroll, & Lord of the Rings Online 34:48 - Outro Goodnight Groofs is an independent media production team focused on creatively providing commentary on the video game landscape, and tangentially-related areas of pop culture, with enthusiasm, unapologetic authenticity, and diverse thinking for a massively underserved gaming community that deserves such honest, genuine, and fun content. Visit https://goodnightgroofs.com/ for all of our content! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/goodnightgroofs Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoodnightGroofs

NSO grupė, kurianti šnipinėjimo ir įsilaužimo į telefonus programą Pegasus, pateko į JAV juodąjį sąrašą. Ką žinome apie šią paslaptingą kompaniją, kokie jos veiksmai užsitraukė JAV blokavimą? Taip pat: Facebook panaikins veidų atpažinimo funkcijas, Google gudriai apėjo Pietų Korėjos reiklavimus, Intel išleido konkurencingus 12-os kartos procesorius, o Unity įsigijo Žiedų valdovo specialiuosius efektus kūrusią Weta Digital.

Apple and Alphabet suffer setbacks in court. More hardware moves in the great Metaverse realignment of the tech landscape. Unity buys Weta Digital. No word on if Andy Serkis is part of the package. And Twitter Blue is finally live. A reminder of what that actually is.Sponsors:Masterworks.io/rideOracle.com/rideLinks:Judge orders Apple to allow external payment options for App Store by December 9th, denying stay (The Verge)Google Loses Appeal of $2.8 Billion EU Shopping-Ads Fine (WSJ)Qualcomm's Snapdragon Spaces try to make it easier to get apps ready for augmented reality (The Verge)Unity is buying Peter Jackson's Weta Digital for over $1.6B (TechCrunch)Meta plans to remove thousands of sensitive ad-targeting categories. (NYTimes)Twitter will now let you pay to undo tweets and read ad-free news in the US (The Verge)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

American conglomerate General Electric (GE) announces its plans to split into three separate companies. Unity Software (U) is to acquire Peter Jackson's Weta Digital for NZ$2.3 billion. Coinbase (COIN) reports declining user numbers and trading volume in the cryptocurrency exchange's latest results. www.sharesies.com For more share market news, subscribe to Lunch Money, Sharesies' bite-sized email update: https://www.sharesies.nz/lunch-money If you'd like to get in touch, for any reason at all, email recap@sharesies.co.nz or record a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sharesies2/message. Investing involves risk. You aren't guaranteed to make money, and you might lose the money you start with. We don't provide personalised advice or recommendations. Any information we provide is general only and current at the time. For specific advice, speak to a licensed financial advice provider

Bienvenidas y bienvenidos a Recarga Activa, el podcast diario de AnaitGames en el que filtramos lo más relevante de la actualidad del videojuego en pildorazos de 10-15 minutos:1️⃣ 2K compra los estudios valencianos elite3D y Turia Games2️⃣ Y Unity ha pagado 1.600 millones de dólares por Weta Digital, el estudio de efectos especiales de Peter Jackson3️⃣ Con 4,5 millones de jugadores, Forza Horizon 5 es el mayor lanzamiento de la historia de Xbox Game Studios 4️⃣ Apple tendrá que introducir formas de pago alternativas en la App Store el 9 de diciembre, después de que la jueza Gonzalez Rogers haya desestimado su apelaciónSuscríbete para recibir el siguiente episodio en tu gestor de podcasts favorito. Puedes apoyar nuestro proyecto (y acceder a un montón de contenido exclusivo) en Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/anaitreload Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

Weta Digital's Andrew Glassner discusses machine learning and its role in visual effects.

Weta Digital's Andrew Glassner discusses machine learning and its role in visual effects.

This episode is sponsored by Autodesk.  Raqi Syed is a writer, VFX designer, and researcher. She began her career in animation as a Lighting Artist for Disney Feature Animation on films such as Meet the Robinsons and Tangled. She then went on to work as a Senior Techincal Director with Weta Digital on films like Avatar, The Planet of the Apes films, and The Hobbit Trilogy. Her practice and teaching focus on the materiality of light, hybrid forms of non-fiction and genre storytelling, and using media archaeology and software studies methodologies to better understand contemporary practices in VFX. Her actual research focuses on developing an anti-racist critical aesthetics of VFX.  In 2020 Raqi co-directed MINIMUM MASS, an interactive narrative experience for Virtual Reality. Minimum Mass won the 2020 Annecy International Animation Film Festival Crystal Award for “Best VR”, was a winner at ANIDOX Denmark, and has played at the Tribeca, Cannes, and Venice International Film Festivals.  Her areas of expertise are VFX feature film lighting (see imdb profile), VFX education/research (see VUW profile) and narrative  VR---> https://minimum-mass.com/  Website: https://www.hydroxandhorlix.com/  Social Media: https://twitter.com/hydroxandhorlix  https://www.instagram.com/likeambernz/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/raqi-syed-ba70b93/  https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1673490/  https://people.wgtn.ac.nz/raqi.syed Ted Kim's talk which I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROuE8xYLpX8&t=2609s&ab_channel=TheodoreKim --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/simplyrobotixpod/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/simplyrobotixpod/support

While we were distracted by politics, artificial intelligence advanced by leaps and bounds. Deep fake artistry is now so believable that, in the wrong hands, it can be dangerous. In this episode of FMC Fast Chat, go inside the world of computer scientist Hao Li, reputedly the best deep fake artist on the planet. (You may have seen his visual effects work in Furious 7 or The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.) Hao Li is CEO and Co-Founder of Pinscreen, a startup that builds cutting edge AI-driven virtual avatar technologies. He is also a Distinguished Fellow of the Computer Vision Group at UC Berkeley. Before that, he was an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Southern California, as well as the director of the Vision and Graphics Lab at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies. Hao's work in Computer Graphics and Computer Vision focuses on digitizing humans and capturing their performances for immersive communication, telepresence in virtual worlds, and entertainment. His research involves the development of novel deep learning, data-driven, and geometry processing algorithms. He is known for his seminal work in avatar creation, facial animation, hair digitization, dynamic shape processing, as well as his recent efforts in preventing the spread of malicious deep fakes. He was previously a visiting professor at Weta Digital, a research lead at Industrial Light & Magic / Lucasfilm, and a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia and Princeton Universities. He was named top 35 innovator under 35 by MIT Technology Review in 2013 and was also awarded the Google Faculty Award, the Okawa Foundation Research Grant, as well as the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Early Career Chair. He won the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Award in 2018 and was named named to the DARPA ISAT Study Group in 2019. In 2020, he won the ACM SIGGRAPH Real-Time Live! “Best in Show” award. Hao obtained his PhD at ETH Zurich and his MSc at the University of Karlsruhe (TH). Find out more at pinscreen.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Samsung has fixed the issues with the Galaxy Fold and sets a launch date, Foxtel includes Netflix in its new interface, we go behind the scenes at Weta Digital to see how Alita Battle Angel was brought to the screen and chat with digital animation supervisor Mike Cozens, we check out the new Seagate portable hard drives, we also take a look at the Birde speaker that's the safest way for your kids to access audio and video content, we look at the Brother VC500W label printer and we wrap things up with the Tech Guide Help Desk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nick Keller is a Senior Concept Artist at Weta Digital (formerly Weta Workshop) and an Illustrator. Many of you may know Weta which was founded by Peter Jackson and have worked on some of the biggest movies our time including Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Chronicles of Narnia, Avatar, Avengers and many more. You would think that this would be why I was compelled to have a chat with Nick considering he works for one of the more exciting businesses in the world. The real reason however is Nick's own profile as an illustrator and artist, painting and designing album artwork for metal bands in New Zealand and Australia as well as all over the world. If you're a fan of bands such as In Malice's Wake, Disentomb, Dawn of Azazel, The Black Dahlia Murder, Beastwars and Bulletbelt then you will already be well acquainted with his fantastical and surreal imagery which (in my opinion) is quite Beksiński inspired. It's difficult to put into words how incredible Nick's art is. The level of detail and skill that would be required to create artwork of this nature would feel almost beyond reach to most people. At least for me anyway! One of the cool things in this chat with Nick is his humble approach to what he does but also what he believes has helped him over the years to achieve what has to date. We talk a lot about talent and skill, with most cases comes from environment and continuous practice rather than an inherited or genetic trait. We also touch on some of Nick's earlier memories of getting into art, how he landed the job at Weta and the challenges he can face at times working as a concept artist versus his own personal work. His work for bands and other personal peaces helps balance out the often intense and selfless work as a concept artist where some of his creations may not come to light due to preferences of the client. If you're an artist of any type, you will love this chat and get a lot from it. Nick's work is jaw dropping but it's his approach and story which certainly fuels my inspiration to progress past stick figure drawings! To check out Nick's art, follow Weta Digital or learn anything more we discussed. Check out the show notes for all resources and links. Show notes Follow Nick Keller via Main Website | Facebook | Instagram Check out Weta Digital via Main Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitter |

The film was directed by Robert Rodriguez, who did “From Dusk Till Dawn" and "Sin City," and it comes by its visual elegance honestly, since the technology derives from James Cameron's "Avatar." Cameron produced this one, and the digital wizardry, as in "Avatar;" came out of the Weta Digital facility in New Zealand.