The CG Spectrum Podcast

In this episode, CG Spectrum’s Chief Creative Officer Jeremy Chinn interviews Emmy-nominated VFX Supervisor and CG Spectrum alum Charlie Lehmer. Charlie shares his inspiring journey from aspiring filmmaker to a VFX career working on major projects like All the Light We Cannot See, Avengers: Endgame, and Deadpool & Wolverine.

Discover how Charlie’s unrelenting commitment set him apart—whether it was flying across the country to demonstrate his commitment to a gig, learning advanced tools like Nuke and Maya while working full-time, or simply making the best sandwiches to show his dedication to craft. He reflects on the challenges and rewards of his career, the critical role of mentorship, and his advice for aspiring VFX professionals looking to break into the industry.

Charlie reflects on his early days, crediting CG Spectrum’s flexible, mentor-led training in 3D Modeling and Nuke VFX for helping him bridge the gap between production and post-production, and allowing him to stand out in the industry. Through hard work, perseverance, and a deep love for the craft, Charlie rose from entry-level roles to becoming a lead VFX supervisor. With his success story, he wants to encourage more professionals to explore specialized learning as a tool for career growth.

This episode is packed with practical tips and inspiration for aspiring VFX artists and film professionals looking to carve their path in a competitive field. Don't miss it!
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Find Hubert: https://www.bonjam.ca/
Learn 2D Animation: https://www.cgspectrum.com/career-pathways/2d-animator

Maxine speaks with Hubert Lapointe, Online Educator/Creative Director and Founder at Bon Jam Animation, about how to work as a freelance animator, including how to determine your rate, whether to charge hourly or daily, and marketing yourself on social media. Plus, Hubert gives some great tips on how to succeed in e-learning. This episode is chock-full of actionable tips and is not to be missed, especially for those who are considering starting to work as a freelancer!

Hubert Lapointe is an online educator, Creative Director and Founder at Bon Jam Animation and mentor of 2D Animation at CG Spectrum. His experience ranges from Toonboom software instructor to animation supervisor, to director and finally studio founder at Bon Jam Animation. He has worked at studios like Oasis Animation, Bardel Entertainment, Shed, and Happy Camper Media and has credits on shows like Rick and Morty, The Ollie and Moon Show for Netflix, and primetime children TV series Jon Le Bon.

🔗 Episode notes: https://www.cgspectrum.com/podcast/freelance-animation-hubert-lapointe

00:00 Intro
01:24 Hubert’s background, starting as an animator in Quebec
03:26 Failing the animation test, Hubert’s first job
05:10 Getting into the industry through side roles, finding your path
9:20 Becoming an Animation director
13:50 Benefits of freelancing versus working in a studio
18:34 Getting started as a freelancer and online exposure
24:02 How to make content more interesting for social media
30:10 Producing consistently and creating engagement
36:09 Knowing the audience for your demo reel
42:30 Qualities Hubert looks for when hiring juniors
48:00 How to set your rate and other practical tips
53:16 Hourly versus daily rates
55:45 Starting at a discounted rate
59:15 Negotiating your rate
1:05:10 Tips for e-Learning
1:10:40 Where to find Hubert

Connect on:
📍 https://www.instagram.com/cgspectrum
📍 https://www.linkedin.com/cgspectrum
📍 http://www.facebook.com/CGSpectrum.Film.and.Game.School
📍 https://www.twitter.com/cgspectrum

Hubert:
📍 https://www.bonjam.ca/
📍 https://www.linkedin.com/in/hubert-lapointe/
📍 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8153335/
📍 https://www.instagram.com/bonjam.ca/
📍 https://www.instagram.com/bleu_ecarlate/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Find Azra: https://www.azralkan.com/
Learn Real-time 3D: https://www.cgspectrum.com/career-pathways/virtual-production

Maxine speaks with Azra Alkan, Compositing Supervisor and Real-Time Look Development Artist, about how to determine your worth as an artist in film and games. Hear about Azra’s career journey, from moving to the United States from Turkey to study computer programming, getting into compositing supervision and then real-time 3D virtual production. Azra breaks down why authentic networking is so valuable and how important it has been in her profession, including landing the highly competitive Epic Games Unreal Engine Fellowship in 2019. Plus, practical tips like how to research to create opportunities for yourself!

Azra Alkan is an Unreal Engine Artist, Visual Effects Compositor, and Filmmaker. She has been predominantly using traditional tools such as Nuke, Maya, and Houdini to work in the film industry for over 10 years. After being selected for Epic Games’ Unreal Engine Fellowship in 2019, Azra has been trying to unlock new ways that bring power to the traditional VFX pipeline with the addition of real-time tools.

🔗 Episode notes: https://www.cgspectrum.com/podcast/real-time-3d-look-dev-artist-azra-alkan

00:00 Intro
01:14 Azra’s background, growing up in Turkey
04:58 Studying computer programming
07:48 Getting a sign, moving to the States, and starting film studies
11:54 The value of going to school vs. self-guided learning
14:32 If it’s not the right job for you, there is something else
19:55 How to overcome the challenge of not working in a studio
22:30 How to network authentically
26:35 Moving from compositing supervisor to virtual production in real-time 3D
31:32 Epic Games Unreal fellowship
36:18 Advancing by combining skills and talents
42:29 Knowing your boundaries
47:30 Prioritizing your health and keeping perspective
52:08 Making a liveable wage
55:55 How to give helpful critique and feedback
59:44 Listener questions: staying current with software, creative applications for software
1:07:10 Where to find Azra

Connect on:
📍 https://www.instagram.com/cgspectrum
📍 https://www.linkedin.com/cgspectrum
📍 http://www.facebook.com/CGSpectrum.Film.and.Game.School
📍 https://www.twitter.com/cgspectrum

Azra:
📍 https://www.azralkan.com/
📍 https://www.linkedin.com/in/azralkan/
📍 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6784875/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Find Ian: www.ianspriggs.com
Learn 3D Modeling: https://www.cgspectrum.com/career-pathways/3d-modeling

Digital Portrait Artist Ian Spriggs catches up with Maxine to unpack the creative process behind his mind-blowing realistic 3D character portraitures. Learn how Ian approaches creating his digital portraits, including how he chooses subjects, tricks for lighting and workflow, and the importance of practicing your craft. Ian also discusses the difference between hyperrealism and photorealism, how digital portraiture compares to traditional painting, and finding inspiration in art history.

Ian Spriggs is a digital portrait artist creating believable digital humans. He has also worked as a lead character 3D modeler with credits including Bloodshot, Mulan, The Mandolorian (Chapter 1), Spiderman: Far From Home, and John Wick 3. He's been creating digital art in the industry for over 16 years, working at studios such as OatsStudios, ImageEngine, ILM, Mr X, and is currently at Unity Labs.

🔗 Episode notes: https://www.cgspectrum.com/podcast/create-3d-character-portrait-ian-spriggs

00:00 Intro
01:15 Ian’s 3D Portraiture
03:38 Finding passion through a self-portrait
05:37 Ian’s background in VFX
07:57 Working at ILM and Oats
10:10 Working in small versus large studios
12:01 How Ian selects portrait subjects
16:11 How digital portraiture compares to traditional painting
20:33 Ian’s art shown in galleries
23:06 Ian’s process for portraiture
26:08 Hyperrealism vs. photorealism
29:36 Ian’s portrait of Kim Jung Gi
31:28 Feedback and attention to detail
35:35 Leonardo da Vinci portrait
38:24 Personal work versus professional work
42:03 Finding inspiration in art history
43:50 Lighting models
45:50 Tricks Ian has picked up from the industry
47:35 Following your passion and practicing
50:02 How many hours Ian spends working
53:20 Listener questions: recommendations for realistic sculpting, preferred workflows
55:50 Where to find Ian

Connect on:
📍 https://www.instagram.com/cgspectrum
📍 https://www.linkedin.com/cgspectrum
📍 http://www.facebook.com/CGSpectrum.Film.and.Game.School
📍 https://www.twitter.com/cgspectrum

Ian:
📍 https://www.ianspriggs.com
📍 https://www.instagram.com/ianspriggs
📍 https://twitter.com/spriggsian
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Find Alex: https://beddowsdesign.carrd.co/
Learn Environment Art: https://www.cgspectrum.com/career-pathways/environment-artist

Justin interviews Alex Beddows, a Senior Environment Artist at Respawn Entertainment, about how to get ahead in the industry and his pragmatic perspective on career advancement. Alex shares how personal projects like his podcast 'Game Dev Discussion' helped him to network and land jobs, and how his background in sports (rugby) has been a pivotal asset for building leadership in the studio. He shares practical tips about how to research for a position you want and determining the scope of a project, and answers listener questions about inspiration, mental bandwidth, and preferred software for environment art.

Alex is an environment artist with nearly 10 years of experience in varying sectors of the game industry, from mobile to AAA, on titles including Returnal, Scavengers, and Godfall. He also worked at ArtStation as a consultant. Alex currently resides at Respawn Entertainment as a Senior Environment Artist. As well as being an artist, Alex hosts the ‘Game Dev Discussion’ podcast dedicated to the games industry, where he speaks with people from all aspects of games with a strong focus on environment art.

🔗 Episode notes: https://www.cgspectrum.com/podcast/environment-art-repawn-entertainment-alex-beddows

00:00 Intro
01:12 Alex’s Background from rugby to game art
03:25 Starting the GDD podcast
06:29 How sports helped Alex in the games industry
09:15 Communication and delivering bad news in a positive way
11:54 Progressing with soft skills rather than hard skills
16:28 Doing the research
19:35 Alex’s pragmatic approach to his career
23:45 How knowing what you don’t want to do helps you figure out what you do want to do
26:30 How far is far enough?
32:39 Scoping your project and maintaining momentum
36:23 The easy way to make a checklist for your portfolio
38:30 Getting inspired through photography
43:30 Making steps toward Art Direction
48:00 Listener questions: inspiration, mental bandwidth, preferred softwares for environment art
57:45 Where to find Alex

Connect on:
📍 https://www.instagram.com/cgspectrum
📍 https://www.linkedin.com/cgspectrum
📍 http://www.facebook.com/CGSpectrum.Film.and.Game.School
📍 https://www.twitter.com/cgspectrum

Alex:
📍 https://beddowsdesign.carrd.co/
📍 https://www.artstation.com/alexbeddows
📍 https://www.dinustyempire.com/podcast
📍 https://www.instagram.com/beddows.design/
📍 https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-beddows-2a827585/
📍 https://twitter.com/BeddowsDesign
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.