We speak with Edward Dawson-Taylor, founder of CG Pro, about the tools that are transforming the creative process
In our CineSparks Webinar Series, we’ve talked to people working across the cinema industry, from exhibition to screenwriting, about their roles, trends in their industries, and tips for those who are just starting or early in their careers.
We spoke with Edward Dawson-Taylor, head of technology and founder of CG Pro, where he creates and teaches dynamic live courses focused on Unreal Engine, VFX tools, and Virtual Production. He has deep experience in the world of computer graphics (CG), having worked for ILM, Disney, MPC, and Digital Domain on blockbuster movies such as “Jurassic World”, “The Lion King”, and “The Jungle Book”.
In conversation with Chris Barnett, our public and live events manager, Edward talks about his background, advancements in technology that impact filmmaking, and tips for new and recent graduates.
Jurassic Park to The Jungle Book
“Jurassic Park was really the movie that inspired me to want to do computer graphics,” explains Edward. “I was interested in the technology side of things as well as the art.”
After completing his degree in computer science, he realized that he wanted to pursue computer graphics and visual effects. He went back to school and has continued to hone his skills over the years. “I’ve worked in movies, commercials, music videos, VR, and theme parks,” says Edward.
While working at Digital Domain, he had the opportunity to work on “The Jungle Book”, which most people turned down, he explains. “It was a strange experiment of making a movie. It wasn’t visual effects, and it wasn’t quite pre-viz. I thought it sounded interesting,” he says. “It paved the way for [my work on] The Lion King.”
Edward’s “light bulb” moment to start CG Pro came during the period he was working on these films, and experiencing advances in technology, previsualization, and how people could work together more collaboratively.
Visual effects and the new creative process
Edward explains the evolution of the creative process by referencing Einstein’s idea of “combinatory play,” or the combination of elements that don’t ordinarily belong together.
“It’s about the willingness to try things in a different way,” says Edward. “And I think over the past five years, we’ve probably seen more of that [in] the visual effects pipeline. There’s still a lot of innovation going on in it, but a lot of things like modelling, lighting, and rigging – those kinds of things have been figured out.”
“The big innovations…have really been the advent of using real-time technologies together.” Specifically, Edward references virtual production as an advancement that has changed the creative process: “You can try a lot more things and be more willing to fail at them.”
What about AI?
While Edward laughs and shares that he’s not very good at predicting the future, he shares that there’s “a huge amount of excitement” for tools that can make high-fidelity videos with a prompt of only a few words.
He sees AI as a tool in the creative process, relating it back to Einstein’s idea. “We would want to use it to make something more efficient. And being in visual effects is really all about trying to do things that haven't been made before.”
However, he adds that we still want to be specific about how we tell stories, control what the output is, and consider copyright implications. “And for that reason, I think we still need to work on the traditional pursuits…of composition, drawing, 3D, and camera storytelling.”
Skills for recent grads
While AI is exciting, Edward offers new and recent graduates a few tips – including focusing on the fundamentals. “I think what's useful right now is still what has been useful for the last 20 years, which is good, solid fundamentals.
And going back to the first thing I think I said about my computer science degree, which was maybe overkill for a visual effects artist, but has paid off over the course of my career tremendously. And if that's a fundamental, then I think that's proved itself to be valuable in so many ways.”
To learn more about CG Pro, visit https://www.becomecgpro.com/
