Kenneth Nakada • Amazon

The Virtual Production Podcast is back with a brand new live format! Our guest Phil Galler co-founded Lux Machina Consulting. Focusing on in-camera visual effects, real-time mixed reality, and the future of film making and live broadcast, Phil's been fortunate enough to find himself at the crossroads of technological innovation and creativity. To check out this and other recent episodes live with video, please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/noahkadner/recent-activity/events/Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Disguise is a creative platform powering major live entertainment from Taylor Swift to U2 and beyond. LED volume stages also leverage Disguise for virtual production. Addy Ghani, Fernando Kufer, and Tom Rockhill from Disguise join us in this special expanded episode of the Virtual Production podcast.Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Kenneth Nakada is the Head of Virtual Production Operations at Amazon Studios. He was instrumental in Amazon’s efforts to build an LED volume in Hollywood, which became one of the largest in North America when it opened in 2022. Before Amazon, Nakada worked as a visual effects supervisor and artist on movies like Avatar, The Matrix Revolutions, Terminator 3, and X-Men. But a far earlier special effects film got him interested in filmmaking as a career. Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Pinar Seyhan Demirdag is an AI director, multidisciplinary artist, and opinion leader originally from Turkey. In 2020, she founded Seyhan Lee with renowned advertising executive Gary Koepke. Demirdag is on the cutting edge of generative AI and exploring how it can enhance virtual production workflows. Her current project is Cuebric, a generative AI tool for creating virtual production environments instantly.  Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Paul Debevec is the Director of Research for Creative Algorithms and Technology at Netflix. A pioneer in new techniques such as photogrammetry and image-based lighting, Debevec's work formed the basis of breakthrough visual effects for movies like The Matrix, Spider-Man, and Avatar.Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Emma Needell is an independent writer/director. Her screenwriting skills caught the attention of Oprah Winfrey, who came on to produce her script, The Water Man when Needell was 24 years old. She also completed a short film, Life Rendered, using Unreal Engine and motion capture virtual production techniques which played at the Tribeca Film festival.Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

The Netflix mystery series 1899 is set on a migrant steamship on the high seas and was shot in a giant LED volume in Germany. Writer/producer Jantje Friese and producer/director Baran bo Odar created the show with collaborators, including director of photography Nikolaus Summerer and production designer Udo Kramer. In this special episode, we speak with both Summerer and Kramer about their experiences. Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Erik Weaver is a specialist focused on the intersection of cloud computing and the media and entertainment industry. He's currently the director of the Entertainment Technology Center's Adaptive Production project and special projects in Los Angeles. That means he gets to test out new technologies and report to the major movie studios on his findings.Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Brett Leonard is an American film director, producer, and music video director specializing in science fiction and horror. He also hosts a podcast called What the F is the Metaverse. One of Leonard's first films, The Lawnmower Man, is considered the first significant movie to feature virtual reality as a cautionary tale long before our present fascination with all things virtual production. Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.

Alex Proyas is an Australian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He's best known for directing films like The Crow, Dark City, I Robot, Knowing, and Gods of Egypt. A longtime master of visual effects wizardry, Proyas is currently in pre-production on a horror movie to be shot in an LED volume. The Virtual Production podcast is brought to you by Puget Systems and Blackmagic Design. Please visit Abel Cine and The Virtual Company for all your virtual production needs.  Follow Noah Kadner on Linkedin.