In this unique fxphd course Matt Leonard takes you on a journey through the history of visual effects. Starting in 1867 and moving forward to today we look at how the industry got started, the key players and what techniques and tools they where using. We look at familiar names such as George M?li?s, Ray Harryhausen, Dennis Murren and others as we cover their contribution to art and science of VFX.
Over the entire course we look at movies, companies, software, techniques, people, places and technologies. From Blade Runner to Avatar, Alias/1 to Maya, hand painted glass matte to Nuke’s RotoPaint. The course structure will consist of video interviews, software demos, slides, illustrations, film extracts and much more. I’ll be showing old school techniques recreated with modern tools and we’ll be getting some advice from a number of today’s great VFX Supervisors. This course is a must for anyone passionate about the visual effects industry. Be inspired as you look back at the amazing history of our industry.
Matt Leonard has been in the 3D and visual effects industry for 20 years. He has spoken at various events and shows on behalf of Autodesk, The Foundry and eyeon Software and has had articles published in various magazines and journals. He is a member of the Visual Effects Society and has worked as a beta tester for Maya, Katana, Arnold, RenderMan, Mari and Nuke. He currently runs his own on-site training company in the UK and has trained artists from companies such as ILM, Pixomondo, MPC and Sony Pictures Imageworks.