From Optical Compositing to Virtual Production: Jim Rider's VFX Journey

VP Land

Jim Rider shares his VFX journey from shooting miniatures to virtual production, offering insights into the evolution of visual effects in filmmaking. Discover the cutting-edge VP setup at Pier59 Studios and learn about the challenges and opportunities in modern filmmaking.
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📺 MORE VP LAND EPISODES
Final Pixel: How this virtual production studio lives up to its name
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0M0WVPv8w4
From The Mandalorian to Pinocchio: Halon Entertainment's Insights in Virtual Production
https://youtu.be/OwwBMW6zbgg
Breaking Things to Learn: Inside RIT's VP Research & Education
https://youtu.be/wgFomkIYRnY
Connect with Jim Rider and Pier59:
Pier59 Studios - https://www.pier59studios.com
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/pier59studios
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pier59studio
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pier59studios
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@pier59studios46
Jim @ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-rider-6916771
Jim Rider is a Visual Effects Supervisor and Virtual Production Supervisor with over 25 years of experience in film and television. After beginning his career shooting models & miniatures, Jim transitioned to compositing, working as an artist and then VFX supervisor at facilities such as Method Studios, Gravity and The Mill. As an independent Visual Effects Supervisor, some of Jim’s recent clients include HBO and Apple Studios. Some of Jim’s credits include: Titanic, Star Trek (TV series), Requiem for a Dream, Angels in America, Evan Almighty, The Adjustment Bureau, Tower Heist, Non Stop, Foxcatcher, Run All Night, Vinyl, The Deuce, and The Plot Against America.
Seeing ICVFX as the perfect fusion of his VFX skills and years of on-set experience, since 2020 Jim has veered the ship of his career firmly toward virtual production, having worked as Virtual Production Supervisor at Final Pixel and now at the new Pier 59 Studios volume in Manhattan. Truly exciting times.
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📝 SHOW NOTES & SOURCES
Pier59 Studios
https://www.pier59studios.com
FinalPixel
https://www.youtube.com/@_finalpixel
Mark Roberts Motion Control Ltd
https://www.youtube.com/@mrmoco1
Pacific Motion Control
https://www.youtube.com/@PacificMotionControl
HTC VIVE
https://www.youtube.com/@HTCVive
Quasar Science
https://www.youtube.com/@QuasarScience
Kino Flo Lighting Systems
https://www.youtube.com/@KinoFloLightingSystems
Rosco Laboratories Inc
https://www.youtube.com/@rosco_labs
Perforce
https://www.youtube.com/@PerforceSoftware
stYpe
https://www.youtube.com/@stYpeTV
Marwan Rassi / RETracker Bliss
https://www.youtube.com/@adorablemarwan
WWE
https://www.youtube.com/@WWE
Disguise
https://www.youtube.com/@disguise_one
Cuebric
https://www.youtube.com/@CuebricOfficial
The Garage / Steve Giralt
https://www.the-garage.tv
Fandom
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Image_G
Xite Labs
https://xitelabs.com/portfolio/agt/
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00:00 Intro
01:58 Jim's VFX Background
07:17 Transition to Virtual Production
11:26 Pier59 Studios Setup
21:44 Camera Tracking Systems
30:31 Pier59 Hardware Setup
36:31 Unreal Scene Optimization
48:23 WWE Promo Breakdown
55:58 Gaussian Splats and AI in VP