The Creator Curriculum

Since discovering his portfolio, Sam Mason has been one of my favorite artists of modern day. Getting the opportunity to talk to him, I found him as brilliant and I hoped and genuinely humble. Romantic and lo-fi, yet produced with cutting edge technical acumen, his work stands out with it’s stunning whimsy.

Timecodes:

00:01:41 | Musings About Italy

00:06:34 | Influences: Jim Henson & Soviet Cartoons

00:11:31 | Backstory: Drumming to Directing

00:19:52 | Live Action is Hard

00:24:53 | The Importance of Writing

00:29:06 | 90s Videogames

00:34:55 | Nerdy Software Stuff

00:41:52 | Tasteful World-building In 3D

00:54:48 | Bringing Individuality Back Into Filmmaking

00:59:16 | Lessons Learned Directing

01:06:07 | Turning Personal Projects Into Professional Projects

01:16:26 | Work/ Life Imbalance

01:25:12 | Outro

Catherine started VJing in high school and she’s only continued putting on bigger and better shows since. Becoming a creative director at the Moment Factory has allowed her to coordinate the most sophisticated live experiences the world has ever seen. It was a treat getting to talk to her about what it takes to conjure magic.

Timecodes:

00:02:39 | Backstory: 14 Hour Raves

00:05:03 | The Art of VJing

00:14:01 | Array Artistry

00:17:41 | Realtime Visuals

00:26:27 | VJ Clip Selection, Usage & Sales

00:43:02 | Canadian Music Festivals

00:47:04 | Experiential Work

00:53:35 | The Merits of Doing It In Public

00:56:53 | Long Term Projects

00:58:52 | Moment Factory Project Criteria

00:63:54 | Getting a Job at the Moment Factory

01:06:05 | Blowing Minds with Physics

01:08:30 | The School of Moment

01:12:27 | New School Magic Tricks

01:21:27 | Creative Goals Left to Accomplish

01:24:55 | The Enchanted Forest

Brian creates immersive experiences. That can be anything from creating flying simulators for SXSW to pioneering the future of interactive livestreamed television shows. He’s got some wild ideas, stories and advice to share from the pioneering edge of the experience design industry.

Timecodes:

00:01:39 | Virtual Reality

00:05:55 | Alternate Reality

00:13:09 | George R. R. Martin & Meow Wolf

00:20:01 | Origins of the Medium

00:28:40 | Meow Wolf SXSW Project

00:33:55 | How Would You Describe Your Job? 

00:35:58 | Tools of the Trade

00:39:24 | Process

00:44:35 | Brian’s Magnum Opus

00:50:48 | Getting Your Hands Dirty

00:53:40 | Roy Anderson

00:56:51 | She-Sheds

01:00:00 | What is Your Style?

01:04:07 | AMCs Dispatches From Elsewhere

01:13:34 | Inventing CGI Livestreamed Television

01:19:35 | Being a Tech Explorer

01:23:33 | Starting His Own Company

01:31:57 | The Future of Experience Design

01:37:20 | Outro

Peter Clark has long one of my favorite designers in the biz and getting to speak with him made me an even bigger fan. Peter stands out from the crowd as a big advocate for shooting things practically. Hearing about his process and the amazing experiences he’s had working this way made me a convert.

Timecodes:

00:00:40 | Backstory: Bassnectar to Bradley Munkowitz

00:16:12 | Autofuss with Chris Bjerre

00:19:32 | Benefits of Working Practically

00:27:08 | Youtube Music Awards

00:30:25 | Killer Robot Arms

00:35:32 | Terminator Gallium

00:39:49 | Masterclass / Meeting Tony Hawk

00:48:03 | When Should You Work Practically?

00:55:49 | Crazy Analogue Glitch Effects

01:10:18 | Nine Inch Nails Work

01:14:28 | Enternull

01:23:30 | Music Thoughts

01:27:33 | Gaspar Noe / Enter the Void

01:32:33 | Naming Things

01:35:05 | Freelancing & Personal Projects

01:42:48 | Outro

He’s one of the industry’s most prolific creators, creating beautiful short films with the biggest names in town. Chris taught me a thing or two about what he’s learned and how he gets so much done.

Timecodes:

00:01:28 | Backstory (Robots and GMUNK)

00:12:05 | Film and TV Expectations

00:17:01 | Finding His Lense

00:23:14 | Directing for Films

00:25:38 | His Short Film Process

00:32:52 | Good vs Great 

00:37:15 | Cultivating Taste

00:43:13 | Top 3 Favorite Studios to Work

00:46:08 | Freelance vs Fulltime

00:52:00 | Future Goals

01:01:20 | VFX Work 

01:05:48 | Mograph for Films

01:12:22 | Ghost in the Shell

01:16:18 | Use of Time

01:21:08 | Work Life Balance

01:22:40 | Outro

Al Benoit is obsessed with filmmaking. Little did his grandma know that by taking him to the movies on Sundays as a kid, she would create a lifelong soldier of cinema. Al’s done more short films than anyone I’ve personally met and has made it clear he is going to make it in this career no matter what it takes. Some might say he already has, but if you ask him, he’s just getting started.

Timecodes:

0:02:45 | Backstory

0:05:36 | Directing at The Mill

0:08:07 | Performances Are Key

0:12:19 | How Do Actors Think?

0:15:54 | Making A Short Film: Process

0:25:56 | Getting Into Feature Films

0:39:16 | Al’s Top 3 Favorite Films

0:47:06 | The Last Blockbuster

0:49:49 | Directing Skillsets

0:54:33 | Writing is a Roadblock

0:59:08 | Finding Time to Write

1:00:48 | Success vs. Age

1:03:49 | Love the Cow Shit

1:08:43 | What Makes Good Editing?

1:19:26 | Editing His First Feature Film

1:24:49 | Outro

Shannon is an up and coming motion designer who persevered through misfortune to make his way into an industry he loved. Shannon’s house burning down ended up being the kick in the teeth that got him serious about his career in motion. He’s been killing it ever since.

Timecodes

0:02:23 | Backstory: Rising from the Ashes

0:13:25 | Lessons Learned

0:15:52 | Living Without a Home

0:18:50 | Biggest Dreams

0:21:18 | Breaking into the Film VFX Industry

0:23:49 | James Cameron

0:29:17 | Teaching at Motion Science

0:35:11 | Alan McKay’s Technical Directing Mentorship

0:41:52 | What Does a Technical Director Do?

0:46:01 | Film Experience: 476 AD

0:54:29 | Outro

Talking to Filipe felt like a masterclass in title design. It’s no surprise he’s so good at talking about it once you realize how many talks he’s given around the world. Then there’s the Emmy he won for Outstanding Main Title Design in 2018. A true patron of arts, Filipe couldn’t have been more generous sharing his time and expertise. He’s the kind of guy you’d just love to get a beer with.

Timecodes

0:02:12 | Web Design to Digital Kitchen

0:15:04 | Concepts vs. Styleframes  

0:17:15 | Niching Down into Titles

0:18:56 | Good vs. Bad Title Design 

0:24:06 | Voting on the Emmys

0:28:42 | Pitching (On Westworld)

0:34:43 | Process 

0:41:16 | Colossal Inspiration

0:50:56 | Bootstrapping Your Own Career

0:59:12 | Personal Projects & Learning 3D

1:07:28 | Focus on the Sequence Not the Frame

1:09:34 | Storyboarding Counterpoint

1:19:13 | Zoom Fatigue

For a superstar designer, Nik is incredibly humble. Yet he has credits on features like Guardians of the Galaxy & Blade Runner 2049. He’s a studio owner. He’s an athlete, submitting himself to physical challenges that would make you cry. Enjoy his zen energy & frequent moments of brilliance in this conversation.

Timecodes

0:01:30 | Starting Your Own Studio 

0:07:00 | Backstory: Graffiti to Mograph

0:14:00 | Backstory: Arsenal Football Club

0:21:58 | Blade Runner 2049 & Working with Denis Villeneuve

0:33:10 | First Hires for Your Studio 

0:39:12 | Growing Your Studio

0:42:40 | Profitability of Studio Ownership

0:46:51 | Taking Your Hands Off the Box

0:50:39 | Clients Are People Too

0:53:05 | Who is Twenty Third C?

0:56:42 | Nature as Inspiration 

1:07:08 | Mental Running Challenges

1:27:20 | Spirituality

1:28:51 | Outro

Nidia’s sophisticated brand of abstraction has shaped the look of studios like Tendril, Future Deluxe, and Man vs. Machine. She’s spoken at industry conferences from Prague to Melbourne. And she lives in Portugal. Needless to say, I picked her brain on everything I could.

Timecodes

0:02:03 | Nidia’s Backstory

0:04:45 | What Makes Studios the Best in the World

0:06:05 | Ident Process

0:17:35 | Microsoft is the New Nike

0:25:31 | Difference Between Design and Art Direction

0:34:08 | Talking to Clients

0:37:15 | Becoming Your Art Director’s Favorite Designer

0:42:49 | Who’s Looking At Your Portfolio?

0:47:35 | How Did You Get Big?

0:50:16 | Women in Mograph

0:54:33 | Schools Don’t Teach You About the Cool Jobs in Design

1:01:07 | Freelancing: Rates, Safety Nets & T-Shirt Stores

1:22:51 | Starting Your Own Studio 

1:26:49 | The Future of Mograph

1:29:25 | Outro