Panel Backgrounds & Career Paths

• Colton (Day for Night, previs supervisor)
  • Started animation at Chapman, discovered storyboarding then previs
  • 9 years at Day for Night, worked up from junior to supervisor
  • Works on Marvel, DC films (Black Adam, Superman, Rebel Moon)
• Maddie (Mobscene editor, writer)
  • LMU grad, moved to Ireland during pandemic
  • 4 years at Mobscene doing behind-the-scenes content
  • Freelance comedy editing, repped writer pitching projects
• Nicole (Lionsgate International Marketing)
  • USC film grad, started at Paradigm talent agency
  • Moved through development at Mandeville, Imagine Impact
  • Laid off during strikes, pivoted to international marketing
• Eric (Sound studio owner)
  • USC grad, originally wanted to direct
  • Discovered sound design, worked EA games then freelance
  • Owns sound studio for 10 years, works on trailers and features

Previs & Post-Viz Workflow

• Previs creates animated movie version before shooting
  • 3D models of characters, environments for big action sequences
  • Directors see timing, camera moves before expensive shoots
• Post-viz helps editorial with temp VFX after shooting
  • Replaces green screens with environments for better editing
  • Example: Lilo & Stitch live-action integration work
• Team structure varies by budget
  • Large shows: supervisor, coordinator, asset artists, animators (15+ people)
  • Small commercials: supervisor + 1-2 artists
• Technology shift to Unreal Engine 5
  • Maya for animation, Unreal for lighting/rendering
  • New tools allow any artist to render in Unreal easily

Behind-the-Scenes Production Economics

• Mobscene costs ~$40k for 5-minute piece in 4 formats
  • Studios sometimes go in-house with freelancers to save costs
  • Mobscene shoots all BTS footage, sometimes other companies edit
• Maddie works with Denis Villeneuve’s wife (2nd unit director) on Dune 3
  • Internal content, may become part of released materials
• Barbie controversy: studio demanded blue screen paintouts in BTS
  • Given 1 day for hour of content, graphics team struggled
  • Online backlash when people noticed, tainted BTS release

International vs Domestic Marketing Strategy

• Lionsgate works with distributors, not owned international offices
  • Comedy doesn’t sell well internationally
  • Different territories prioritize different cast members on posters
• Campaign development starts with pillars (action, director pedigree, source material)
  • Each department layers strategy around core pillars
  • International team adapts domestic plans for 80+ countries
• Social media varies by platform and audience age
  • TikTok allows more experimental content for younger demos
  • Established franchises (Hunger Games) stay more conservative

Technology & AI Integration

• AI tools becoming supplemental, not replacement
  • Photoshop generative fill excellent for paintouts
  • Picture-to-3D model useful for quick assets
  • Transcription game-changer for interview editing