SIGGRAPH Spotlight

ABOUT THE EPISODE ACM SIGGRAPH Education Committee Member Johannes DeYoung (Carnegie Mellon University) sits down with April Baek (product marketing manager, Certiport) and Ellen Su (head of artistic recruiting, Titmouse) to discuss how you can further your advantage and get noticed in today’s ever-changing, competitive job market, including a deep dive on certifications and which ones get noticed...

ABOUT THE EPISODE SIGGRAPH 2022 Electronic Theater Director Darin Grant (Animal Logic) sits down with VFX Supervisor Swen Gillberg to discuss his Oscar-nominated work on “Free Guy”, what’s next for visual effects, and Gillberg’s career as a whole. || MUSIC Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos. || LINKS *Episode* https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/free-guy/3qBd6ESjzQOm | https://www.s...

ABOUT THE EPISODE Thanks for tuning in to another SIGGRAPH Spotlight! In this episode, SIGGRAPH 2022 Technical Papers Chair Niloy Mitra (professor of computer science, University College London) sits down with Dr. Michael Gaebler, a cognitive and neuroscientist for the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in the department of neurology’s Mind-Body-Emotion Group and MindBrain...

ABOUT THE EPISODE SIGGRAPH 2022 General Submissions Chair Chris Redmann (Netflix) sits down with Patrick Cozzi (Cesium) and Marc Petit (Epic Games) for a discussion on the future of the metaverse. The chat serves as a follow up to this summer’s Birds of a Feather session “Building the Open Metaverse”, which the two organized during SIGGRAPH 2021. || MUSIC Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Jul...

ABOUT THE EPISODE SIGGRAPH Spotlight welcomes Larry Cutler, Co-founder and CTO at Baobab Studios, to talk with our SIGGRAPH 2021 Production Sessions Chair, John Kalaigian. In our second installment of our “Future of Production” podcasts, Larry talks about where he sees the future of production going, especially at Baobab, as he dives into Baobab’s latest projects “Namoo” and “Baba Yaga.” || MUSIC...

ABOUT THE EPISODE SIGGRAPH Spotlight welcomes Alex Popescu, Generalist Supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic, to talk with our SIGGRAPH 2021 Production Sessions Chair, John Kalaigian. In our first installment of two installments of our “Future of Production” podcasts, Alex talks about where he anticipates the future of production going and his 5-minute short “Cassini Logs.” || MUSIC Podcast theme...

ABOUT THE EPISODE SIGGRAPH 2021 Special Projects Chair and VFX/Animation Journalist Ian Failes (befores & afters) chats with Sergio Pablos (founder, The SPA Studios) in this re-airing of the 2021 Featured Speaker session “How to Build an Animation Studio.” || MUSIC Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos. || LINKS *Episode* https://thespastudios.com/en/ | https://youtu.be/2XZbYNCjmqo |...

ABOUT THE EPISODE In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2021 Real-Time Live! Chair Christopher Evans (technical animation director, Epic Games) connects with 2021 Audience Choice award winners Athomas Goldberg (executive director, Shocap Entertainment, Ltd.) and Samuel Tétreault (co-founder and artistic director, Les 7 Doigts / The 7 Fingers). The group discuss the technical challenges...

ABOUT THE EPISODE In this episode, SIGGRAPH 2022 Conference Chair Munkhtsetseg Nandigjav leads a discussion with four impressive individuals who are each inspiring inclusion efforts both in our industry and in our world: Nora Dommer from Scanline VFX, Morenike Dosu from DreamWorks Animation, Magdiela Duhamel from Nickelodeon, and Theodore Kim from Yale University. Each of today’s guests contribute...

ABOUT THE EPISODE Thanks for joining us for another SIGGRAPH Spotlight! In this episode, SIGGRAPH 2022 Immersive Pavilion Chair Derek Ham (department head and associate professor of art + design, NC State University) sits down with two SIGGRAPH 2021 contributors from ILMxLAB, lead UI artist Mary Huang and interactive audio supervisor Kevin Bolen. Through the lens of “Vader Immortal” and “Tales Fro...

ABOUT THE EPISODE For the latest SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2021 Computer Animation Festival Electronic Theater Director Mark Elendt (mathematician, SideFX) is joined by Taz Tron Delix (director, “Stormzy – Superheroes”), Kayu Leung (director, “Louis’ Shoes”), and Simone Giampaolo (director, “Only a Child”) for a discussion about their 2021 Electronic Theater projects. The group also tackles the...

ABOUT THE EPISODE Thanks for joining us for another SIGGRAPH Spotlight! In this episode, SIGGRAPH 2021 Retrospective Chair Andres Burbano (associate professor, Universidad de los Andes) sits down with computer graphics industry icon Alvy Ray Smith. Here, Alvy discusses his rich history with computer graphics and takes a deep dive into the three parts of his upcoming book, “A Biography of the Pixel...

ABOUT THE EPISODE In an all-new episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2021 Games Focus Area Chair Carlos Gonzalez-Ochoa (rendering programmer, Epic Games) is joined by Tanya X. Short (captain and designer, Kitfox Games) and Rodney Reece (principal level designer, Respawn Entertainment) to talk about “the door problem” and other game design dilemmas faced during a game’s production cycle. || MUSI...

ABOUT THE EPISODE In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2021 Special Projects Chair Ian Failes (editor, "befores & afters") hosts a discussion on the intersection of AI, VR, and technology. Guest Arthur Miller (researcher and author), discusses how the mind shapes experiences and interactions, creativity challenges that stem from AI, VR, and technology, and AI's role in collaboration bet...

ABOUT THE EPISODE Time to talk art in the age of TikTok! In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2021 Art Gallery Chair Angus Forbes (associate professor, Department of Computational Media, UC Santa Cruz) connects with creators who use data and new realities in their art, and who use social media both in their art and in sharing their art. Guests Sophia Brueckner (assistant professor, Univ...

In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2021 Production Sessions Chair John Kalaigian (senior technical director, Blue Sky Studios) is joined by Erik Winquist (visual effects supervisor, Weta Digital) and Paul Franklin (creative director, DNEG) to discuss the hot topic of virtual production, what it entails, how it has worked in the past, how the COVID-19 pandemic spurred new opportunities...

ABOUT THE EPISODE For the latest episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2021 Technical Papers Chair Sylvain Paris (fellow, Adobe Research) is joined by a group of the computer graphics industry’s best and brightest to tackle the subject of deepfakes — from the history of deepfake tech through to how it’s being used today. Press play to hear insight in two parts from Chris Bregler (sr. staff scien...

In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2020 and SIGGRAPH 2021 Games Focus Area Chair Carlos Gonzalez-Ochoa sits down with a panel of talented creators, developers, and researchers within the games industry. Arthur Brussee of DeepMind, Daniel Cornel of VRVis Research Center for Virtual Reality and Visualization, Neal Kaviratna of Uber Advanced Technologies, and Artem Kovalovs of Naughty Do...

ABOUT THE EPISODE In this all-new episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2020 Production Sessions Chair Derrick Nau (CG texture & look development artist, DreamWorks) discusses the science, technology, and technique behind age manipulation in VFX with a group of the industry’s best and brightest visual effects leaders on everything from well-known projects like Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” an...

ABOUT THE EPISODE Thanks for joining us for another SIGGRAPH Spotlight! In this episode, SIGGRAPH 2020 Immersive Pavilion Chair Chris Redmann (engineering manager, Unity Technologies) connects with the creators behind two SIGGRAPH 2020-selected projects, “Dr. Crumb’s School for Disobedient Pets” and “The Outpost.” Guests Kimberly Adams (COO and co-founder, Adventure Lab), Maxwell Planck (CEO and c...

ABOUT THE EPISODE In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2020 Real-Time Live! Chair Marc Olano sits down with four incredible creators who are pushing the boundaries of innovation in real-time graphics. Arisa Scott of Unity Technologies, Eric Haines of NVIDIA, Mike Hardison of Blizzard Entertainment, and Mohen Leo of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) discuss the evolution of real-time techno...

ABOUT THE EPISODE Have you ever wondered what it’s like to participate in a SIGGRAPH conference jury? In this all-new episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2020 Computer Animation Festival Electronic Theater Director Munkhtsetseg Nandigjav (associate chair of digital communications, Savannah College of Art & Design) sits down with five of her six 2020 jurors to discuss the state of computer anim...

SIGGRAPH Spotlight Show Notes: Episode 33 Title: 33 – Interactive and Immersive Art ABOUT THE EPISODE Thanks for joining us for another SIGGRAPH Spotlight! In this episode, SIGGRAPH 2020 Art Papers Chair Andres Burbano (associate professor, Universidad de los Andes) catches up with Rachel Dickey (assistant professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte), Sandro Kereselidze (co-founder and ar...

ABOUT THE EPISODE In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, ACM SIGGRAPH Diversity and Inclusion Chair Tony Baylis sits down with three incredible storytellers and creators — Everett Downing Jr., Sidney Clifton, and Roger Ross Williams — to discuss their powerful work on projects like the Academy Award®-winning animated short “Hair Love,” BET and Marvel’s “Black Panther,” and VR immersive documentary...

In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, ACM SIGGRAPH International Resources Committee member Jide Ajide sits down with Trevor Romain, a successful author, artist, filmmaker, and all-around storyteller whose works have been featured on PBS. Romain's DVDs are used in schools across the United States, and he has worked with former child soldiers in Africa and spoken to kids on military bases.