New Episode
Episode 005 | Clash of the Titans, Ray Harryhausen, the State of 3D Movies, and Caveman
We chat with Jose Vazquez about Clash of the Titans, Ray Harryhausen’s other stop-motion creature films, Roy Arbogast’s work on the shark for Jaws and other physical effects, and experience the prehistoric comedy, Caveman. We also interview special guest Ed Marsh about the stop motion techniques in Chicken Run, and discuss the current (and future) state of 3D movies.
Listen now for your chance to win a free 1-year print subscription to Cinefex magazine — the journal of cinematic illusions.
VFX & Special Effects
Hal Hickel’s “Pacific Rim” talk at #BBWDesign
ILM animation supervisor Hal Hickel talks about Pacific Rim animation design and effects at Bloomberg Businessweek Design Conference 2014.
Noah: Epic Rain System Controlled with a Single iPad App
In this Design FX video from Wired, Fxguide’s Mike Seymour details how the blockbuster, Noah, was able to control the mechanics of a giant custom rain machine in a studio the size of two football fields with the use of a single iPad app.
Film Technology
Open Source Cinematic MoCo
Brad Justinen and Shane McKown of Motion Sickness, interviewed on The Optical Episode 004, are winding up their Open Source Cinematic Motion Control Kickstarter campaign. There's only three days left to contribute if you want to back their project.
History
Celebrating Cinefex in Photos
I was lucky enough to make it down to LA for the “Celebrating Cinefex” event a little over a week ago. The Optical even got a nice mention by Don Shay at the end of the chat! Here are some photos from the event, and my tourist afternoon on Hollywood Boulevard.