Not that long ago, creating visual effects (VFX) on a desktop computer was more science fiction than reality. But in the past few years, new hardware and software have begun to make desktop post-production a day to day occurrence — just as 2D tools began revolutionizing the print industry a decade ago, according to Alex Lindsay, founder of dvGarage.
But Digital Post-Production on the desktop is still missing the keys required to become a full-fledged revolution, he said. Most people don’t know what’s possible or where to start, Lindsay said. Now dvGarage (a company dedicated to training the next generation of visual media artists), CG Channel (a Web-based publication for the 3D animation, visual effects and computer graphics industry), and the San Francisco SIGGRAPH Chapter plan to address this with a Jan. 7 seminar called “Guerrilla FX: Digital Masters on the Desktop.”
VFX experts will be sharing their experiences and their vision with the next generation of visual media artists. Described as a seminar “designed by a production artist for other production artists,” Guerrilla FX is not just for pros, but for everyone, Lindsay said.
“It’s designed to inspire people regarding what they can do with their Mac,” he told MacCentral. “It’s about Mac solutions but not software solutions.”
In addition to Lindsay, speakers will include John Knoll (Industrial Light and Magic, Apple Master), Kory Jones (Reality Check Studios), Eric Chauvin, Scott Pasko, Steven Walker and David Dozoretz (Persistence of Vision) and Dave Macomber (Duality). All will be showcasing 3D animation and visual effects work produced on Macs.
The seminar will be held at the San Francisco Academy of Art College Theater at 6 pm. The cost is US$25. A $200 daylong intensive course with some of these Visual Effects masters will also be held on the same day and at the same location. The daytime event will be co-hosted by dvGarage and CG Channel.
Pre-registration for the event is now available at the dvGarage Web site. Sponsors include Adobe, Alias|Wavefront, Electric Image, Kaydara, Northern Lights and RealViz.