We want some of Chris Browne’s energy. This multiskilled VFX supervisor, currently working at Sony Pictures Animation, has helped bring animated series to life, including The Fast and Furious Spy Racers, Kung Fu Panda, and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous. At the same time, he’s devoted his spare time to his own award-winning short films, beginning with “Gibb” at university, alien sci-fi “Beating the Abductors,” and now “Pleroma,” which examines themes of AI versus humanity.
Chris breaks down what it was like to work on “Pleroma” during the pandemic, talks about shooting in a dangerous particle accelerator facility, and shares how he single-handedly created 200-plus visual effects shots and built robots for the short. He also reveals his big plans for the future of “Pleroma,” as well as discussing what’s coming up in the world of animation.
Links:
“Pleroma” Animation World Network article >
”Pleroma” befores & afters article >
0:02:55 Chris Browne's "Super 8"-style childhood
0:08:27 Business school and 3D Studio Max
0:13:48 Cinematics and starting Digital Alchemy
0:18:25 Becoming Studio CG Supervisor for Bardel
0:22:11 Creating "Beating the Abductors" and winning awards
0:26:25 Moving to LA for "Fast & Furious Spy Racers" and more
0:31:41 Making "Pleroma," his latest short film
0:38:22 Designing robots and embracing the uncanny valley
0:43:23 Using Houdini and finding time to work on the film
0:47:32 Filming at a particle accelerator
0:51:55 Pleroma's release date