5. Pietro Ponti - VFX Supervisor: Leadership, vulnerability and support structures

Cristian is a CG and VFX supervisor with 20 years of experience in film and commercials with titles like Star Trek Discovery, Cats, Noelle and X-men Dark Phoenix on his CV. He is also a trainer and mentor at PXL Mentor with a passion for helping artists make it in VFX.This interview is all about the state of the industry. We talk about what brought us here, what we might expect of the future, the rise of AI, what’s up with the crappy movies these days, and much more. And as always we try to keep it positive and actionable with advice for students getting into the industry, thoughts on how to leverage AI instead of letting it take your job, and maybe even spotting a slowing down of the NO CGI trend!Music by amazing Marcus Olsson of Kungen & Hertigen

Carlos is a VFX Supervisor at MPC in Montreal, most recently on Transformers - Rise of the Beast. He started out as a compositor in London 2010 and has since worked on movies like Captain America, Prometheus, Terminator Genisys, Fantastic Four, Maleficent, Ghostbusters Afterlife and so on. In this interview we dissect the supervisor role and go deep into leadership and communication. Carlos is a great storyteller and shares a lot of examples and hilarious anecdotes. We talk about leading remote teams, being specific in your feedback, how to create an environment of trust and a lot more. Music by Marcus Olsson of Kungen & Hertigen

How well you communicate can dictate how far you will get in your career in VFX and how quickly you get there. But most artist don't think about communication as part of their skill set and are therefore holding themselves back. The good thing is that it's not rocket science and that you can learn to communicate better! In this episode I give advice on how you can become a better artist by the way you communicate, I give examples of what good and bad communication might look like and if it's appropriate to show some emotions when your shot is omitted. Music by Marcus Olsson of Kungen & Hertigen

Paul Wilkes has been recruiting for top VFX studios for many years. He used to be the Global Head of Talent Management at MPC Advertising, had a similarly prominent title at Technicolor and is now a Talent Consultant with PXL Talent.In this episode Paul helps to demystify what goes on behind the scenes when you submit your showreel to a studio, he gives tons of advice on how to craft your application to maximize your chances of getting a job,  how to chose your career path, the state of the global talent market and much more.Find out more about Paul and if his team at PXL Talent can help you find your next job at www.pxltalent.co.Music by Marcus Olsson of Kungen & Hertigen

Debra Coleman is a real titan in VFX. She has worked in the industry for over 25 years, going from runner to compositor to artist manager to global head of compositing at Dneg. She is now an accredited career coach working with VFX companies and professionals through her company Open Frame Coaching.In this conversation we talk about career development and the challenges that can come with new roles and responsibilities, what kind of leader you want to be, how to manage your time, perfectionism and much more. Debra shares a lot of useful advice and relatable anecdotes that I think a lot of people can benefit from. I for sure had a blast talking to her! To learn more about Debra Coleman and her coaching business, visit https://www.openframecoaching.co.ukThe Bond film we talk about in the end is no other than Goldeneye.Music by Marcus Olsson of Kungen & Hertigen

Pietro Ponti is a VFX Supervisor at Industrial Light & Magic with credits on shows like Lovecraft Country, Star Wars, Jurassic World, Harry Potter and The Dark Knight. This conversation is mainly about leadership but is packed with great insights and advice that everyone can benefit from. We talk about vulnerability, advice for new leads, his most important insights, asking if anyone needs help and much more. I love how informative this turned out, and the fact that Pietro is so humble and talks about his own struggles and shortcomings makes it all very relatable. Music by Marcus Olsson of Kungen & Hertigen

What is the difference between working in big and small VFX studios? Is bigger always better? Should you always strive for cooler projects? And how do you know what's right for you?In this episode I share my experience from working in different studios and give some advice to help you figure out where you belong. Music by Marcus Olsson of Kungen & Hertigen

Eduardo Parra is a compositing supervisor at Ingenuity Studios in Vancouver. He has worked on films and TV series like The meg, Away, Fantastic Beasts and where to find them, The man in the high castle, Vikings and True Blood. In this conversation we talk about the role of a supervisor, leadership, communication and much more.  Music by Marcus Olsson of Kungen & Hertigen

In this episode I share my ideas on how you as a leader can deal with bad behavior or poor performance and how to tackle the difficult conversations that can come with that.Music by Marcus Olsson of Kungen & Hertigen

Josh Parks is senior compositor who has worked on shows like Shang-Chi, Ready Player One and Transformers. He is also a compositing teacher and coach at compositingpro.com. He has been working in the industry since 2011, done writing for 3D World magazine and taught at a bunch of different VFX schools. In this conversation we talk about how to learn compositing the right way, finding mentors, asking the right questions, the optimal career path, work-life-balance and a lot more.Find out more about Josh Parks at compositingpro.com.Mentions: The RookiesDigital Tutors (now part of Pluralsight)Josh's tutorial "Grading a monster into a plate" at The FoundryMusic by Marcus Olsson of Kungen & Hertigen