Alpha Chromatica

Chroma 0316 - In Which The Author Rolls Up His Sleeves

80 days. 1,150 recordings. You’d think I planned to keep count, right? Truth is, I didn’t. I just dove in, day after day, hitting the record button during class times and letting the lessons unfold for Alpha Chromatica Education (ACE) Class 3 & 4.

This wasn’t about putting on a show. No marketing fluff, no rehearsed speeches. Just the raw, unfiltered grind of real teaching.

These recordings aren’t polished to look pretty or rehearsed to sound flawless. They’re messy, spontaneous, and unpredictable, like any real learning process should be. When a tough question gets thrown in, I pause, I dive deep, and I let it unravel.

There’s no cutting corners, no fast-forwarding through the grit. When I teach, I don’t sugarcoat or skip the tough parts. I’m not here to make it look easy. I’m here to show the work, warts and all.

I’m not here to give a highlight reel; I’m here to give the real deal.

Sure, 1,150 recordings in 80 days sounds impressive. But to me? It’s just the natural flow of putting the craft first, every single day. It’s not about chasing numbers or throwing around big stats. It’s about showing up, getting our hands dirty, and grinding it out.

That’s where the real magic happens, in the grind, the hustle, the unplanned moments that turn into breakthroughs for my students.

What they don’t tell you at those other schools is that the true learning doesn’t come from a glossy presentation. It comes from the unplanned moments, the mistakes that turn into lessons, the late nights when I dig deeper into the nitty gritty of compositing.

That’s the kind of magic you can’t script.

So if you’re looking for something clean and perfect, sadly you are in the wrong place. VFX has always been messy, and I surrendered to its chaotic nature long ago.

I show up daily for the gritty, the unpolished, the relentless pursuit of mastering the craft. And maybe, just maybe, that’s the edge I have.

𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮 𝟬𝟰𝟬𝟱 - 𝗜𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 Hiroka Oizumi 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟰

Learning is one thing. Mastery is another.

For Hiroka, studying compositing isn’t just about following lessons, it’s about 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿.

Her biggest expectation? 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹. How much can she improve? How far can she go?

Her biggest challenge? 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲. The lessons are in English. The topics are technical. And for someone learning in a second language, that’s no small hurdle.

Then there’s the other challenge, 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. The VFX industry thrives on connections, but how do you build relationships in an online program?

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝘄𝗼 Hirokas! 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 '𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 Hiroka' 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘆.

𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀, 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀.

🎥 Shot, edited, and produced by our co-founder, Andrew Zeller.

𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮 𝟬𝟯𝟭𝟴 - 𝗜𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝘀 𝗢𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 Q Park - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟳

In this segment of my interview with Q Park - now a talented compositor credited on this year’s summer blockbuster Deadpool and Wolverine - we explored the complexity of visual effects and why many people don’t fully appreciate the effort involved.

Q made an insightful point: “You may know what it looks like, but do you know how it was made?”

It’s easy to forget that a single VFX shot can involve dozens of skilled artists across various departments. There are CG artists building models, lighting teams ensuring realistic lighting, compositors blending all elements together, and many more specialists working behind the scenes. Without understanding the process, it’s easy to miss the incredible effort that goes into creating even a single frame.

I compared it to building a house.

If you had the skills to build one beautiful house by yourself, that’s great, but what if you needed to build 50, 100, or even 200 houses? If it takes two years to finish one house, building an entire village on your own would take forever.

Visual effects work the same way. One talented artist might create an amazing shot, but if it takes months to finish, the movie will never be completed. That’s why teams of specialists come together, each contributing their skills to the larger project. For a movie like Avengers with thousands of shots, this teamwork is essential.

And it’s not just one film being worked on at a time. Companies like DNEG could have 12 to 20 projects in progress, all requiring attention. Managing feedback for every shot across multiple productions is a huge challenge. One piece of feedback can send many people back to revise their work, which costs time and resources. Efficiency is critical in making sure everything stays on track.

It’s not only about artistic talent. It’s also about coordination. Once you understand the process, you gain a much deeper appreciation for the incredible work that goes into every frame.

Check out the video for more insights into how this all comes together.

Missed the previous parts? Catch up here:

Listen to Part 1 Here : https://lnkd.in/grEDnfGU
Listen to Part 2 Here : https://lnkd.in/gMft_RCV
Listen to Part 3 Here : https://lnkd.in/g4A2mBfv
Listen to Part 4 Here : https://lnkd.in/gRCJT8ts
Listen to Part 5 Here : https://lnkd.in/gUEyRu5g
Listen to Part 6 Here : https://lnkd.in/gDgSBPrC

P.S. Have you ever thought about the number of people involved in creating a single VFX shot? What part of the process do you find the most surprising?

𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮 𝟬𝟰𝟬𝟰 - 𝗜𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗩𝗙𝗫 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟭𝟰

Before Pixar. Before digital animation as we know it. There was 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆.

𝗠𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘄, 𝟭𝟵𝟲𝟴. Amid Cold War tensions and scientific ambition, a team of Soviet physicists and mathematicians, led by 𝗡𝗶𝗸𝗼𝗹𝗮𝗶 𝗞𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗼𝘃, created something no one had ever seen before, the world’s first realistic, computer-animated character.

Their challenge? Simulating the natural movement of a walking cat using only mathematics and raw computing power.

Using the 𝗕𝗘𝗦𝗠-𝟰, a Soviet-era mainframe computer the size of a room, Konstantinov’s team built a mathematical model of feline locomotion. Ordinary differential equations governed every step, replicating muscle movements, weight shifts, and stride cycles with remarkable accuracy.

The computer processed these calculations, outputting hundreds of frames using alphabetic symbols, which were then printed on paper, filmed frame by frame, and turned into the first digitally animated creature ever created.

It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t for entertainment. It was pure scientific ambition. And yet, it changed everything.

What began as a mathematical curiosity evolved into an industry where computers don’t just calculate, they create. From 𝗕𝘂𝘇𝘇 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘀, today’s CGI wonders trace their lineage back to 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆’𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀.

The tools have changed. The vision remains the same.

𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮 𝟬𝟰𝟬𝟯 - 𝗜𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗠𝗔𝗫 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮

In the last lesson, we looked at how open-source machine learning models in Nuke can assist with 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴. Now, we’re taking that same footage into Boris FX 𝗠𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 to test its new 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗠𝗟 feature.

Here’s what it does:

Instead of manually creating a mask, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗱𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗠𝗟 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. No need to track points, no need to animate splines frame by frame, just let the tool do its job.

But let’s be clear: 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗯𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗻.

Since this is a matting tool, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗮 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲, 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀. It’s not replacing fine detail work yet, but it’s changing how we 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀.

And that’s the point.

These are 𝗚𝗲𝗻 𝟭 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀. Right now, they’re assisting. But I can already see a future where we don’t just use generic training data, we 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀, fine-tuned to our workflow. Where we don’t just pull from local sources, we 𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱, accessing a library of pre-trained AI masks that improve over time.

This is the beginning of 𝗩𝗙𝗫 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 toward 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲-𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆.

And that’s the real impact.

Already, these tools are allowing me to 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

It feels like 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆.

You 𝗰𝗮𝗻 drive yourself there.
Or you can 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗯 and get straight to where you need to be.

That’s what these tools are doing, they’re 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.

This is where 𝗠𝗔𝗫 (𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗩𝗙𝗫) continues. Let’s get into it.

Watch it on YouTube (Higher Res) - https://lnkd.in/gaqAvt6g

𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮 𝟬𝟯𝟮𝟬 - 𝗜𝗻 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗩𝗙𝗫 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟭𝟯

Mr. Computer Image Teaches Us the Origins of Digital Puppetry

In 1968, Lee Harrison III's Mr. Computer Image became a monumental achievement, setting the stage for the future of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and motion capture technology.

This project wasn't just a step forward, it was the first time a fully animated CGI character could speak and move in sync with human performance, a pivotal moment in the history of digital animation.

At the core of Mr. Computer Image was Harrison’s Animac system. This analog animation system used potentiometers sensors embedded into a body suit worn by performers that recorded movement in real-time.

These movements were translated directly onto a character displayed on a CRT monitor, effectively creating one of the earliest examples of motion capture​.

The system even allowed the character's facial animations to sync precisely with audio tracks, making the puppet not only expressive but also capable of delivering lines in time with a recorded voice. This was a groundbreaking blend of technology and performance.

Mr. Computer Image stands as a direct ancestor to the advanced digital puppetry and character animation techniques used today. Harrison's innovation went beyond mimicking human motion, he introduced the potential for real-time manipulation of characters.

His experiments inspired the creation of subsequent systems like Scanimate, which dominated TV production in the 1970s and 1980s, bringing animated logos, show openings, and effects into mainstream entertainment​.

Moreover, Mr. Computer Image demonstrated how analog technology could offer dynamic and synchronized interactions between visuals and sound.

The rigging of body suits to control animations was not only novel but essential to shaping what we now recognize as motion capture.

Harrison’s contributions remain woven into the DNA of the VFX industry. His early work blurred the line between artist and engineer, proving that animation could evolve into a real-time art form.