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Episode 438 – LAIKA – CG Supervisor Eric Wachtman
Eric Wachtman is a CG / VFX Supervisor and Art Director at LAIKA where he’s been working for nearly 20 years. Prior to that, he served as the Director of CG / Visual Effects and Art Director at the Cartoon Network.
LAIKA was founded in 2005 in Oregon and is guided by the vision of its President & CEO Travis Knight. Located just outside Portland, Oregon, LAIKA was awarded a Scientific and Technology Oscar® for its innovation in 3D printing in 2016.
Its five films – MISSING LINK (2019); KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS (2016); THE BOXTROLLS (2014); PARANORMAN (2012), and CORALINE (2009) – were all nominated for Oscars® and PGA Awards as Outstanding Animated Film.
MISSING LINK was the first LAIKA film to win the Golden Globe® for Best Animated Feature and was awarded two Visual Effects Society (VES) awards for Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature and Outstanding Animated Character, and received seven Annie Award nominations. KUBO received a second Oscar® nomination for Outstanding Visual Effects and won the BAFTA Award, as well as three Annie Awards, the National Board of Review’s Best Animated Feature citation, and 19 regional and critics’ group awards. THE BOXTROLLS earned Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe Award nominations and 13 Annie Award nominations, more than any other film that year. PARANORMAN garnered BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and GLAAD Media Award nominations, won two Annie Awards, and was cited as the year’s best animated film by 14 critics’ groups. CORALINE earned Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Critics’ Choice nominations and was named one of the year’s 10 Best Films by the American Film Institute (AFI).
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews the CG / VFX Supervisor at LAIKA Eric Wachtman about his experience working on award-winning titles of CAROLINE and PARANORMAN, his leadership in founding the Portland Chapter of VES, how curiosity and passion drives one’s VFX career, the secret to winning reels and so much more!
Eric Wachtman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-wachtman-b547158/
Eric Wachtman on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0905204/
LAIKA Website: http://www.laika.com
LAIKA on IMDb: https://www.linkedin.com/company/laika/
EPISODE 438 – LAIKA – CG SUPERVISOR ERIC WACHTMAN
Hi, everyone!
This is Allan McKay. Welcome to Episode 438!
I’m interviewing LAIKA’s CG Supervisor Eric Wachtman. We talk about his work on award-winning titles of CAROLINE and PARANORMAN, and so much more!
I’m super excited about this Episode. Eric and I talk about:
- How STAR WARS inspired him to being his journey in VFX;
- How curiosity and passion drives a VFX career;
- Whether coding skill are essential in an artist’s career;
- How to keep up with technological innovations;
- His experience as a CG and VFX Supervisor at the Cartoon Network;
- Working on stop motion at LAIKA;
- His experience working on Coraline and ParaNorman;
- Eric’s advice for successful reels that land interviews;
- His leadership founding the VES Chapter in Portland, OR;
- And so much more!
Please take a moment to share this Episode with others. That would mean the world to me, thanks so much!
Let’s dive in!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM ALLAN McKAY:
[01:05:58] One of the biggest problems we face as artists is figuring out how much we’re worth. I’ve put together a website. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com! This is a chance for you to put in your level of experience, your discipline, your location — and it will give you an accurate idea of what you and everyone else in your discipline should be charging. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com!
Okay, what did you think? I want to thank Eric for joining the Podcast.
Next week, I’m interviewing VFX Supervisor Robert Nederhorst about his viral Generative AI Webinar for SAG-AFTRA Membership and the feedback that followed; the current CGI backlash and why the best visual effects are invisible; why AI will never replace VFX artists and why 2024 will be a year abundant with opportunities – and so much more!
Until then –
Rock on!
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