Travis came on the show to discuss his work and the role of a compositor on an effects-driven production. Some of the things we discuss include

• How someone can get started as a compositor
• Skills a compositor needs to work on big effects-driven projects
• How filmmakers can make things easier for their post-production teams
• Ways indie filmmakers can save money on visual effects
• What it was like working on Hugo and why the stereo 3D on it turned out better than most films
• How some of the dragon shots in Game of Thrones came together
• Dealing with unsettling content that comes with an adult-show like Game of Thrones 
• Travis’s transition to Weta Digital and how he prepped for his work on Mortal Engines, Weta’s latest film

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Travis holds one of Legolas’ knives from Lord of the Rings while getting a tour of Weta Workshop from Sir Richard Taylor. 

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Commentary Track

In this track I share some of my takeaways from the interview, give my review of Mortal Engines, and expand on my conflicted thoughts about Game of Thrones.

The Lord of the Rings, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, and Westworld Season 1 also get discussed.

Related Episode

To hear more about how the miniatures in Hugo were created, check out this interview I did with Jeff Jasper, the digital effects supervisor who oversaw the film’s train crash.

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The post From Game of Thrones to Weta Digital: Compositor Travis Nobles appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

This is a video I made that shows how CFX makes masks.

Diana Branton, CFX’s creative director, gave me a tour of their facility. Then she sat down with me and Christopher Hamburger, one of the company’s shop technicians, to talk about their mask making process, what distinguishes an excellent mask from a mediocre one, and why masks captivate our imagination.

Listen to the Podcast

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Related Things

• CFX’s website: cfxentertainment.com
• The Boxtrolls website, theboxtrolls.com. (Be sure to stay for the end to see the year’s best animated philosophical discourse!)
• The most compelling theatrical show I’ve seen involving masks was produced by this theatre company: faustwork.ca.
• The Fast Company interview with James Cameron
• This is the video CFX made in partnership with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge to raise awareness for the arts. See if you can spot me in there somewhere:

(A mad scientist is one more character to add my semi-illustrious acting resume. Other characters I’ve played include a bumbling caveman and a racist musician, and for both of those I was told that I was perfect for the part.  I’ve also played a bad poet, a conniving assistant, and a gangster. The one time I got to play a decent character in a bigger production was when I played Montano in a production of Othello, but that one is of course a tragedy. I’m not focused on pursuing an acting career, but I wouldn’t mind getting asked to play a decent character in triumphant story, just once.)

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The post On Masks with CFX, a Silicone Mask & Special Effects Studio appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

Listen to the Podcast

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Related Things

• fxguide
• fxphd: If you sign up for a full term, would you consider using nsavides as your referring member? In that case I get a free class!
• Mike does a couple of podcasts, including fxguidetv, the vfx show, and the rc (one of my favorite podcasts on digital cinematography)
• The Moonbot Studio interview on The nsavides Podcast: Toward the end of the interview, one of the company founders talks about how Louisiana’s tax rebates helped their company survive.
• Mike’s detailed write up and some video demos of Maya’s Bifrost
• “If I don’t put a visual effects shop out of business, I’m not doing my job” story on Variety 

If You Like the Show

• Say hello on Twitter.
• Subscribe: 
• Sign up for The nsavides Newsletter. It’s a different kind of newsletter.
• What are your thoughts on the discussion? Share them in the comments section.

Thank you for visiting!

The post Visual Effects: Mike Seymour, Cofounder of fxguide and fxphd appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.