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For filmmakers, musicians, & creative people who do amazing things and want to make the world better in some way.

From Game of Thrones to Weta Digital: Compositor Travis Nobles

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Compositor Travis Nobles wanted to work on films ever since he saw The Lord of the Rings. Through an unexpected journey that led him from the United States to Germany and then to New Zealand, he finally got to work for the company that brought CG Gollum to life: Weta Digital. Before Weta, Travis’s resume includes several Emmy-winning seasons of Game of Thrones, where he got to composite a number of the show’s iconic dragon shots.

Travis-Nobles Game-of-Thrones compositor podcast interview

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 Nobles with Richard Taylor while touring Weta Workshop

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.

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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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Sponsor for this Episode

nsavides productions – I make videos and tell stories. Some of my videos are here.
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Related Things

  • Prior discussion of Game of Thrones is on this episode with Pilar Alessandra
  • Screenwriter Ashleigh Powell (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms) was once a finalist on the BlueCat Screenplay Competition as mentioned on this episode.
  • Shortcut for the podcast: nicksav.show

Music for the show provided by Rob Costlow.

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Films & Shows Mentioned

  • Aladdin
  • Avatar 
  • Bride of Frankenstein
  • Game of Thrones
  • Hereditary 
  • Hugo 
  • The Lord of the Rings 
  • Meet the Feebles 
  • Mortal Engines 
  • The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
  • The Ring
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens 
  • Super Size Me
  • Super 8 
  • Westworld

Books Mentioned

  • The Artist’s Journey
  • Boom Town
  • The War of Art

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New Deal’s VFX Supervisor Jeff Jasper on Dark Knight, Hugo, & Interstellar

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New Deal Studios is an effects house in California that has been worked on high-profile projects for over 20 years. Some of the films they’ve worked on include Interstellar, The Aviator, Dark Knight Rises, Hugo, The Avengers, Iron Man, The Dark Knight, Watchmen, I Am Legend, Night At The Museum 2, Alice in Wonderland, and Inception. Their work has received awards from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The Visual Effects Society, & The British Film and Television Academy.

New Deal offers a variety of effects services, but they are one of the few studios in the world that specializes in shooting miniatures. On top of that, they also place priority on treating their employees right, another rarity in an industry where overtime abuse runs rampant.

Jeff Jasper, vfx supervisor on Dark Knight, Hugo, and Interstellar

Jeff Jasper is our guest on this episode. He started at the company as a digital artist and compositor. Over the years he has worked his way up to technical lead and digital effects supervisor. Jeff came on the podcast to discuss

  • When to shoot miniatures and when to use digital effects
  • Some of the special considerations for planning a miniatures sequence
  • What has caused a number of other effects companies to go out of business
  • How treating employees with consideration can lead to better work
  • The work New Deal Studios did on The Dark Knight, Hugo, and Interstellar

After the interview, I discuss my take on some of the Christopher Nolan films and the hidden ciphers you need to understand them properly.

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Sponsor for this Episode

nsavides productions – I make music videos, commercials, and short films, but I want to hear more about what you do.
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Why not take a moment to say hello and tell me more about what you’re working on? Email me at podcast@nsavides.com.
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