Podcasts are an underappreciated resource for free education. I’ve spent hours over the years listening to podcasts while running errands, walking my dog, or commuting via bus or car. I generally prefer interviews or conversational podcasts, as they are easier to follow and feel more natural to me than a lecture, report, or monologue.
I recommend the 21 Artist Show by Alexander Richter. You can tell Alex puts extra effort into getting good quality audio and even video (for those who watch). He edits carefully, including occasional non-obtrusive music and sound effects related to whatever is being discussed. Each episode is long enough to get to know the guest and have a meaningful discussion, while also providing a thoughtful coffee break intermission. The guests are interesting people from a wide range of backgrounds and specializations within VFX and Animation.
Most recently I listened to episode 27: “Visual Effects is About Observation” with Jahirul Amin, the founder of CAVE Academy. This episode is relevant for my past, current, and future students who are interested in becoming a Compositing Technical Director (Python Ninja) or expanding out from Compositing into Onset Data Acquisition or departments upstream such as Modelling, Rigging, Texturing, Look Development, or Lighting.
Both Alex and Jahirul come across as teachers who genuinely care about the quality of their training and students’ experiences with their content. I knew of Jahirul because I also worked as a VFX Trainer for DNEG. Even though we worked at different locations and I joined after he left, I heard his voice in training videos and read internal documentation he created. My colleagues who had worked with him had nothing but positive things to say. Alex and I have communicated on LinkedIn in the past and he was polite, curious, and insightful.
You might enjoy this episode if…
- you geek out about VFX education, observational skills, and self-learning like me
- are frustrated or bored with following the same tutorials as everyone else
- want to create more realistic and meaningful art or useful tools for storytelling
Listen to the 21 Artist show on Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube.