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'To Be Loved & Understood': Take a Look Inside the Creative Process of Comedian Patton Oswalt

03.3.13 @ 9:50PM Tags : advice, career, careeradvice, careers, comedy, creativity, pattonoswalt, watch

All creative individuals have their own ways of working and specific quirks about their methods. I always think it’s fascinating to watch professionals at the top of any creative or artistic field, and see what parallels can be drawn between those fields and filmmaking. Patton Oswalt happens to be one of those rare few who has had major success in a number of different areas, including comedy, acting, and screenwriting, and even if you don’t recognize his face, you just might recognize his voice as Remy from Ratatouille. In the episode below of Thrash Lab’s Rituals, get an in-depth look at Patton Oswalt’s creative process. More »

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The Day the Gatekeeper Died: Patton Oswalt on DIY Creative Careers

11.5.12 @ 2:57PM Tags : advice, career, careeradvice, careers, comedy, creativity, pattonoswalt, watch

This is not new. It is so old, in fact, that it has been on the internet for over two months, so feel free to skip this if you’ve already heard it. However, I’ve found myself sharing Patton Oswalt’s recent keynote speech on comedy with more than one filmmaker/actor/creative over the past few months when they tell me about trying to make it via “traditional” routes. So here it is, because if you replace the term “comedian” with “filmmaker” it applies equally well. More »

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Want to Break into Visual Effects? 9 Tips from Pioneering VFX Artists

06.16.12 @ 7:14PM Tags : career, careeradvice, dennismuren, industryadvice, johnrosengrant, philtippett, vfx

The VFX industry has exploded over the past few decades — going from a very specialized, somewhat obscure, corner of the filmmaking industry to one of its most important high-profile sectors.  It seems like every movie and tv show these days requires VFX of some kind.  Are you one of those folks looking to bring fantastic never before seen screen characters/worlds/sequences to life?  Well, here’s some advice from the folks behind some of the great pioneering VFX in recent film history — from Star Wars to Terminator 2: Judgment Day to Jurassic Park and Avatar, Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett and John Rosengrant have watched the industry transform more than once, and here’s what they advise anyone looking to break into visual effects today: More »

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Neil Gaiman's Advice on What You Need to Know when Embarking on a Creative Career

06.8.12 @ 7:15PM Tags : advice, careeradvice, careers, creativecareer, neilgaiman

It’s that time of year when waves of freshly minted graduates head out to make their way in the world.  It’s both an exciting and daunting moment — there’s all the possibility and anxiety of the unknown, mixed with the uncertainty of one’s ability to do what one has set out to do.  This is especially so for anyone pursuing the creative life.  If you’re one of those nutty folks, or even someone already well on their way, Neil Gaiman offers some great advice in this commencement speech he delivered at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.  As Gaiman puts it, it’s “[e]verything I could think of that someone starting out on a career in the arts right now might need to know.” More »