We sit down with Butterbug, the creator of the viral HELLDIVERS 2 fan film Straight to Hell — a fully animated short made in Blender. Inspired by the chaotic universe of Helldivers 2 and the cinematic VFX techniques of Ian Hubert, Butterbug shares how he brought this ambitious project to life. We dive deep into his creative process, how he started learning Blender, and what it takes to build a standout fan film from scratch. He also opens up about battling imposter syndrome, finding his unique s...
Jul 07, 2025•47 min
In this episode, we sit down with Jackie Droujko — a talented 2D character artist, filmmaker, and YouTuber from Vancouver, Canada. Jackie is known for her work with major studios like Disney TV, Netflix, and Nickelodeon, but in this interview, she opens up about stepping into unfamiliar territory: creating her first 2D/3D hybrid short film, Space Dates 5, using Blender. Co-created with her husband, the film marks a major stylistic shift from her usual character design, embracing a more experimen...
Jun 20, 2025•50 min
Go behind the scenes with VFX artist, filmmaker, and YouTuber Sam Denison aka Samster, as he reveals the making of We Few Survivors — a fan made short film set in the universe of The Last of Us. Sam shares how he used cutting-edge Vicon motion capture (mocap) technology and a talented cast of actors to bring both survivors and infected to life. From capturing realistic performances to building immersive environments in Unreal Engine, this film is a passion project made for fans, by a fan. With S...
Jun 06, 2025•1 hr 17 min
The VFX industry is evolving quickly, and if you're exploring careers in VFX or want to know how to get into the VFX industry, this episode is packed with real-world insight. Jamie sits down with his longtime friend and former colleague Miran Dilberovic — now a Senior Cinematic Artist at Epic Games London — for a candid conversation about VFX jobs in 2025 and what it really takes to succeed. Miran shares his journey from being a production assistant on Game of Thrones to working on Star Wars: Th...
May 16, 2025•1 hr 32 min
Success as a 3D artist doesn’t always mean happiness. In this emotional and inspiring episode, Lucas Camargo—aka the mind behind Untitled Army—shares the story of how a thriving career in 3D character design and advertising left him burnt out, creatively drained, and personally lost. Despite working with global brands like Nike, Apple, and Coca-Cola and winning some of the industry's top awards, Lucas found himself in a dark place, ultimately leading to divorce and disconnection from his creativ...
May 02, 2025•59 min
Duncan Rudd, a seasoned CG animator, rigger, and generalist with over 25 years in the industry, shares the story behind Deep Rooted—his fourth animated short and his first created entirely in Blender. Duncan dives into how Blender, Geometry Nodes, and pure passion helped him bring this 10-minute 3D film to life. WATCH DEEP ROOTED: click here We explore Duncan’s creative process, from character and rigging to scene construction and rendering—all powered by Blender. He breaks down why personal pro...
Apr 17, 2025•58 min
Caleb Worcester, a Kansas City-based illustrator and animator, blends traditional and 3D art to create striking, immersive visuals. In this video, he takes us behind the scenes of his stunning stylized 3D short film, Under The Thicket. We explore his creative process, from developing the story and characters to refining the film’s unique style to his rendering techniques in Blender. Caleb also walks us through a few key Blender scenes, offering insight into how he brings his vision to life. Beyo...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr
Is Unreal Engine the #1 filmmaking tool? According to Charlie Driscoll, it just might be. As a cinematographer, Charlie first saw UE5 as a wat to practice real-world filmmaking techniques—but it quickly became a game-changer for crafting professional-level cinematics. Through his YouTube channel, The Darkest Age, he’s pushing the limits of Metahumans, AI motion capture, and real-time rendering to create stunning short films and animation tests. In this episode, we break down why UE5 is revolutio...
Mar 21, 2025•1 hr 16 min
In this episode, Jamie sits down with Craig Caton-Largent, VFX artist and Chair of 3D Animation & VFX at the New York Film Academy (NYFA) Los Angeles, to discuss his incredible 45-year career in the VFX industry. Born in Portland, Oregon, Craig has contributed to over 100 films and collaborated with legendary directors like Tim Burton, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron. His journey began with creating animatronics and puppets for Ghostbusters, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, and other iconic ...
Mar 10, 2025•1 hr 34 min
In this episode, Jamie sits down with Rasmus Poulsen (aka Technouveau), a Copenhagen-based Art Director in the AAA games industry. With an impressive resume working on titles like Hitman, Kane & Lynch, and the upcoming Project 007, Rasmus has also built a name for himself as a sci-fi artist, crafting stunning Blender renders of futuristic ships and worlds. As a lifelong Star Wars and sci-fi fan, Rasmus began cyber-tuning vehicles, creating concept art, and photo-bashing before discovering Bl...
Feb 21, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Jamie sits down with VFX artist and director Santiago Menghini to discuss the making of his incredible Unreal Engine short film, RALLY. This suspenseful, action-packed film marks Santiago's debut in Unreal Engine, showcasing his transition from traditional live-action filmmaking to the world of real-time animation. Originally intended as a live-action project, RALLY was shelved due to unforeseen circumstances—until Santiago discovered the power of Unreal Engine. With no prior animation experienc...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 14 min
Join VFX artist and filmmaker Calvin Romeyn as he takes you behind the scenes of his ambitious Unreal Engine short film, Firmware. This groundbreaking project, which took two years to create, marked Calvin’s first time using Unreal Engine. Despite being new to the platform, Calvin utilised advanced tools like Metahumans for lifelike faces and motion capture with actors to create thrilling action sequences—mastering techniques that challenge even seasoned pros. With a career that includes working...
Jan 28, 2025•1 hr 16 min
In this episode, VFX artist MX Bell takes us behind the scenes of his incredible work as a VFX art director on Deadpool and Wolverine! Working alongside acclaimed director Shawn Levy and visionary production designer Raymond Chang, Martin utilised the power of Unreal Engine to revolutionise the creative process. We explore how Unreal Engine helped visualise the stunning sets of Deadpool and Wolverine, turning ambitious ideas into cinematic reality. Learn how MX Bell collaborated with the team to...
Dec 19, 2024•38 min
Join Nikodem Bredlich, also known as DemNikoArt, as he shares his insights into Blender 3D filmmaking and the secrets behind his efficiency in creating high-quality animations. In this video, Niko breaks down the process of crafting his latest Mega Man 3D fan film, Mavericks Episode 5, offering an in-depth look at how passion and careful planning come together to bring his vision to life. Whether you're a seasoned animator or just starting in the world of Blender, this video is packed with inspi...
Nov 29, 2024•1 hr 19 min
In this episode, VFX graduates Sondre Fagerborg and Sebastian Sveen, who attended Kristiania University College in Norway, take you behind the scenes of their ambitious bachelor project, Cryo Odyssey—a fully CG sci-fi short that showcases their mastery of Hollywood-level VFX compositing. Sondre and Sebastian dive into the challenges and creative choices involved in bringing Cryo Odyssey to life, exploring the techniques they learned in their VFX Bachelor course and applied with advanced Nuke sof...
Nov 08, 2024•58 min
In this episode, VFX artist and writer/director MX Bell discusses Giblets, his upcoming live-action dark comedy short currently in the pitching and visualisation stage. Bell explains how Unreal Engine and Virtual Production are essential in bringing his vision to life. Though still unfilmed, Unreal Engine’s real-time tech has enabled him to pitch the concept to collaborators and investors. Bell, an award-winning writer/director and animator, created the festival-winning animated short Prazinburk...
Oct 25, 2024•59 min
In this video, we sit down with writer and animator Sean Buckelew to discuss his work on HBO Max's sci-fi animated series Scavengers Reign . Sean gives an inside look at writing for such an immersive, otherworldly project, sharing his approach to crafting unique stories and compelling characters in animation. He also talks about overcoming imposter syndrome, offering advice for creatives facing self-doubt, especially in the competitive fields of animation and screenwriting. We also explore his a...
Oct 18, 2024•1 hr 12 min
In this video, animation director Raman Djafari dives deep into their career creating visually stunning music videos for some of the biggest names in the industry, including Coldplay, Dua Lipa, and Ashnikko. We'll explore their artistic journey, how they developed their signature style, and the truth behind working in the animation and music video industries. From their early influences to collaborating with major artists, Djafari sheds light on what it takes to thrive as an animation director i...
Sep 27, 2024•59 min
In this episode, we sit down with 3D artist Trent Fortune to explore his innovative work in recreating a scene from X-Men '97 using Unreal Engine. Trent shares his expertise on how this project, designed as a Previs exercise, demonstrates Unreal Engine's potential for revolutionizing Previs in animation and filmmaking. Trent’s animation software of choice is Maya, where he modeled, rigged, and animated his X-Men character. He explains the process of importing a 3D character from Maya into Unreal...
Sep 13, 2024•39 min
In this episode, we sit down with Christopher Rutledge, an innovative CG artist and filmmaker, to explore his unique approach to creating stunning animations. Known for his exceptional use of SideFX's Houdini, Chris takes us behind the scenes of his creative process, showcasing the making of several of his captivating short films. While Houdini is typically recognized as a go-to tool for blockbuster VFX, Chris explains why it's his software of choice for animation, proving that Houdini can do so...
Sep 02, 2024•1 hr 5 min
AJ Jefferies (MOONJAM) is a multi-disciplinary digital artist, illustrator, retoucher, character designer, animator, and director. He has been creating images, characters, and animations for the advertising, gaming, and entertainment industries since 2001. In this episode, AJ dives into making his 3D animated short films Peas and Horse, fueled by wacky ideas and a desire to learn new 3D animation technology. AJ, a versatile 3D Generalist, explains the chaotic yet creative nature of the job. We a...
Aug 02, 2024•1 hr 22 min
In this episode, Julian Glander dives deep into the making of Boys Go to Jupiter. Self-produced and self-financed, the film was animated entirely using Blender 3D software. Julian explains why Blender was the perfect software for this project and praises the Blender 3D community for their support. He shares the highs and lows of producing a feature-length animation in Blender over the course of five years. Julian Glander is a 3D artist and animator who uses Blender. He has directed projects for ...
Jul 19, 2024•59 min
Vikki & Niels discuss starting YONK, an animation studio utilising VR sculpting with Blender to create unique and playful character designs and animations. "Hello there! We are YONK, the 3D animation studio that specialises in using Virtual Reality Sculpting software to craft visually striking artworks, animations and character designs. Our innovative approach to this technology has resulted in a unique style that seamlessly combines raw, childlike sculpting with polished, vibrant veneers. O...
Jul 08, 2024•50 min
SouthernShotty is widely known in the 3D community for his unique character designs and his Blender tutorials on YouTube. Shotty started teaching Blender skills to the community four years ago and is now one of the go-to content creators for those wanting to make 3D animated films. In this episode, SouthernShotty shares the process of creating his animated short film "Watermelon Girl," made using Blender with a little help from After Effects and the Adobe Substance suite. After failing many time...
Jun 21, 2024•1 hr 21 min
Jess Wiseman, a 3D animator and designer based in the UK, shares her journey from painting portraits to working with brands and individuals to bring their creative ideas to life. She started by entering competitions and cold emailing potential clients, offering her work for free to overcome her lack of experience. Her strategy paid off when she received a reply from YouTube superstar KSI and went on to create artwork for him to promote his boxing match with Logan Paul. Jess shares her experience...
Jun 07, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Joshua Toonen discusses his VFX journey and his mission to push the limits of Unreal Engine's filmmaking and visual effects capabilities. Joshua Toonen is a seasoned VFX artist with 8 years of experience in the film industry, contributing to blockbuster films like Alien: Covenant, Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse, and Star Wars, among others. In 2020, Josh embarked on a personal project, creating 'Stay,' a short film/music video inspired by 'The Last of Us.' In this episode, he shares his jour...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 19 min
Olov Burman, a multi-award-winning director, discusses his journey, unique characters, and projects ranging from Cartoon Network to Tenacious D. Olov Burman, an animation director from Sweden, travels the globe while collaborating with networks of artists and clients worldwide. He has harboured a passion for animation and visual storytelling since a young age, and throughout his professional career, he has been involved in over 200 animated film productions, often serving as Creative Director, S...
Apr 26, 2024•54 min
Hollywood Stunt Coordinator Dave Macomber discusses previsualising a fight sequence for David Fincher's 'The Killer' and his latest Unreal Engine project. Meet Dave Macomber, an award-winning stunt/fight coordinator and second unit director in the film industry. With a passion for Visual Effects (VFX), Dave seamlessly incorporates VFX elements into his stunt visualisations, providing a comprehensive template for the crew. Having worked on iconic blockbusters like Transformers, HBO's Watchmen, an...
Apr 11, 2024•1 hr 21 min
The VFX Process Podcast #39 Jamie chats with THUMBS about building his brand focused on pop culture and how he was commissioned by Mark Hoppus of Blink 182. Nick Thompson, also known as THUMBS, is a West London-based artist who has built his brand through a love for 80's and 90's pop culture. His work includes paintings, prints, apparel, and collectible toys, filled with an incredibly nostalgic feel by breathing new life into his favourite pop culture icons, including The Simpsons, Marvel, DC, D...
Mar 22, 2024•1 hr 2 min
The VFX Process Podcast #38 Patrick 4D shares his 3D process, discusses how he utilises social media as an artist. Patrick Foley is a 3D artist who specialises in creating photorealistic food. Utilising a combination of ZBrush, Cinema 4D and Octane, he has earned legendary status in the 3D world through his daily Instagram reels, showcasing the process behind his remarkable food renders that have claimed him the name 'The Digital Chef.' What began as a 3D artist having fun transformed into Patri...
Mar 08, 2024•1 hr
