Terrence Masson’s students are probably the luckiest on the planet. The computer arts lecturer draws on 30 years of experience in the industry, from working on innovative movies including True Lies and Interview with the Vampire, helping create South Park’s progenitor in CG, and retooling the original Star Wars trilogy for its 1997 reissue.
In this podcast, Terrence talks through some highlights of his career, including how he flew the Millennium Falcon and killed Boba Fett for Star Wars, and how he was called on to review UFO footage for Ancient Aliens. He also talks about his gaming and archviz experiences, and shares some interesting perspectives on AI in education.
Links:
0:05:14 Amigas, Apple Macs, and "The Abyss:" Terrence's early days
0:11:34 The flying logo days and "Hook"
0:18:57 Joining Doug Trumbull and creating previz
0:23:08 Starting DD with Scott Ross; Color of Night, True Lies, Interview with the Vampire
0:26:44 Forming his own company and helping create the South Park look in CG
0:31:29 Flying the falcon and killing Boba Fett in Star Wars special editions
0:37:18 How to make a lightsaber in CG
0:41:31 Moving into games: Siberia 2, Xbox, Sim City 4
0:45:49 Becoming a speaker and educator
0:50:29 Becoming a CEO of an AR archviz company
0:55:35 Details on what Terrence teaches
0:59:07 AI and what it means for graduates
1:05:11 Why we still need artists
1:11:24 The election and tools to detect deepfakes and AI
1:13:01 Helping Bill Plympton