Isa A. Alsup
A Career Autobiography 1973-2014
Synopsis
Over 40 years of effort has been spent acquiring and honing the skills of my profession as a supervisor and manager of VFX and CG post production. These skills embrace the artistic, technical and managerial aspects of my profession in ways approached by none other.I have worked professionally in film and television for 30 years. Before that, 10 years in print graphic design and leadership development. Over the course of this career I have worked on hundreds of national and international broadcast design projects, television feature effects, and feature effects for over 50 films. My work has won numerous awards for clients and myself. I have designed, art directed, produced, supervised, programmed, directed, run a company, built a graphics division, taught technology and artistic concepts, published and participated in professional societies.
Artistic career : print graphics and design
Volunteer work on a monthly magazine led to employment as a pre-press assistant with a small commercial graphics firm in Sacramento, California. After two years, the Sacramento Board of REALTORS tapped me to edit and design for their monthly magazine. In 1982 I moved to Los Angeles to complete my education and work in the new computer graphics magazine design field.
Everything we did in this period was leading edge.
Throughout the 1980s my clients included major television shows, particularly UNIVERSAL, designing playback graphics and visual effects for AIRWOLF, NIGHT RIDER and other shows. For Paramount working on STAR TREK THe NEXT GENERATION. Lorimar’s MAX HEADROOM, and assignments on EERIE INDIANA, QUANTUM LEAP, etc.
Other clients included America’s top rated game show, Press Your Luck, television commercials, military contractors, and British Sky Broadcasting.
Other clients included Johnny Carson, Dick Clark, India’s newly formed “Z” Channel. Awards won included several TELLY’s, National Computer Graphics Association Awards, and an EMMY for the 1992 Olympics Preshow. I worked on the 1984 Olympics also, together with numerous sports and news packages including Turner Sports, ABC’s Wide World of Sports, CBS, NBC, etc.
I worked in this period on a number of feature films, including Back to the Future II, Dudley Moore’s film Best Defense, and Head Office.
I went from here to supervising and compositing graphics and visual effects for two 70mm films, ALASKA and THE GREATEST PLACES. I picked up a new relationship with Cessna’s marketing division producing graphics on two major presentations. The second was a DVD I developed storyline and computer graphics for. This won me an Aegis Award in 2001.
Since 2001 my clients have included Disney, World Wide Pictures, Reliance Media Works (Mumbai), GEON Studios (Mumbai), visual effects and graphics for hundreds of hours of television programming, and numerous feature films.
I pioneered use of linear color space at this time, developing custom software and speaking at the annual Wavefront User’s Group on the topic. I pioneered field rate production techniques, also writing custom software and presenting work at Wavefront User Group. I was the first user of the world’s first field rate video tape machine, the SONY 2500C and developed software to record to it. I was the first user of the Digital Disk Recorder, the Abekas A60, and developed software to drive its functions. When I was not coding software, I was specifying and directing other programmers. During this time I co-authored an in-house particle system in C language, writing the renderer and extending the physics engine. I taught myself general physics at this time.
By 1990 I had authored several C programs in use at THE POST GROUP and led development on another dozen or more. I wrote over 300 UNIX scripts to automate various production processes. I wrote a modeler in the text processing language AWK. I wrote skinning software in C-SHELL.
During this period I wrote a product specification that became the basis for Wavefront’s very successful COMPOSER compositing software. I alpha tested this for two years on Wavefront’s behalf. For the next 10 years I was a beta tester until the merger with Alias. I developed third party plug-ins and extensions to this compositing software including a chroma keyer, color correction tools and other tools.
In 1977 I was principal author and designer and director of leadership programs bringing professional quality management training to Order of the Arrow Scouts throughout northern California. This program is still in use today throughout northern and central California to the Oregon border.
In 1978 I was CEO, “Lodge Chief” over our local nine county area. During this time we introduced many new service programs and expanded membership 50% by recapture of lapsed members.
Throughout this period was greatly interested in general leadership and production management. I began independent study of production management theory and practice.
In 1993 I began occasional work producing my own projects for television and commercial clients. In 1999 I founded a boutique company, taking a business partner in 2000. We worked seven years on a number of feature films and television properties. During this time I functioned as Executive Producer, Supervisor and hands-on artist.
In 2007 I budgeted, built out and began production managing a studio for FLIGHt 33, a documentary producer. We were producing an average of 10 minutes of visual effects a week. By the end of 2008 I was managing not one show but three episodic shows, a feature-length special, and a pilot. I was supervising and mentoring supervisors for compositing and computer graphics. I worked directly with directors designing shots and storylines within the shots. At peak we were producing close to 40+ minutes visual effects- about 150 shots - a week. I was responsible for hiring, managing, producing. and supervising all visual effects work.
In 2010 I worked as a NUKE instructor at Reliance Mediaworks in Mumbai. Later I began six months working as Digital Effects Supervisor Cum CG Supervisor at GEON Studios, Mumbai. In this capacity I oversaw directly about 70 artists working on international film projects, 3D feature conversion support services, and domestic Indian TV visual effects.
In 2011 I returned to the USA where I was employed as technical compositor on a number of feature film projects and some advertising projects. I supervised projects for this company in 2012 and 2013.
During the late 1990’s and early 2000’s I began researching production command and control systems and methods. I experimented with Microsoft Project and other tools.
I was invited to attend Harvard, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Stanford, NY University, Brown, and numerous other institutions. For personal reasons I declined these offers. I believe my decision put me at the exact right place at the right time to be a key player in the early adoption of computer graphics.
I believe my unique combination of leadership skills, technical skills, production and compositing methods knowledge and personnel training and mentoring make me the ideal candidate for this and similar positions. I believe the work I have completed over 40 years is the effort equivalent of many degrees. I believe my unique position in the early development of this business gives me a distinctive view on current globalization and market conditions in the business.
Isa A. Alsup
18 July 2014
Artistic career : motion graphics, animation and visual effects
Print work did not pan out, but I soon found myself in the enviable position of having access to teach myself the world's first turn-key 2D paint and animation cg system. This, the Aurora/100, based on a non-commercial prototype called SuperPaint, was really the foundation for all subsequent development in 2D cg and compositing. By a series of fortunate events, I was hired as Autographics Productions Art Director in early 1983.
An early BOSCH demo reel featuring work I did at The Post Group. This was among earliest cg work and is extremely crude by today's standards.
By October 1983, our success led THE POST GROUP to buy out our division. At that time I received training in the world’s first commercial 3D graphic system, the Bosch 4000, and I became the senior artist. I was soon promoted to 3D graphics supervisor.Everything we did in this period was leading edge.
Throughout the 1980s my clients included major television shows, particularly UNIVERSAL, designing playback graphics and visual effects for AIRWOLF, NIGHT RIDER and other shows. For Paramount working on STAR TREK THe NEXT GENERATION. Lorimar’s MAX HEADROOM, and assignments on EERIE INDIANA, QUANTUM LEAP, etc.
Other clients included America’s top rated game show, Press Your Luck, television commercials, military contractors, and British Sky Broadcasting.
Other clients included Johnny Carson, Dick Clark, India’s newly formed “Z” Channel. Awards won included several TELLY’s, National Computer Graphics Association Awards, and an EMMY for the 1992 Olympics Preshow. I worked on the 1984 Olympics also, together with numerous sports and news packages including Turner Sports, ABC’s Wide World of Sports, CBS, NBC, etc.
I worked in this period on a number of feature films, including Back to the Future II, Dudley Moore’s film Best Defense, and Head Office.
Artistic career : vfx compositing and supervision
In 1992 I began work as a consultant to other graphics companies, going fully independent in 1993. During the next eight years I worked on and off in the feature film business, as a compositor, cg (we would say digital effects today) supervisor, and independent producer-artist. My clients included work on feature films such as The Shadow, Mortal Kombat, Last Action Hero, Immortal Beloved. I worked as a compositing instructor on Starship Troopers for Phil Tippett’s studio. My major non-feature client during this time was the legendary designer Saul Bass.
I went from here to supervising and compositing graphics and visual effects for two 70mm films, ALASKA and THE GREATEST PLACES. I picked up a new relationship with Cessna’s marketing division producing graphics on two major presentations. The second was a DVD I developed storyline and computer graphics for. This won me an Aegis Award in 2001.
Since 2001 my clients have included Disney, World Wide Pictures, Reliance Media Works (Mumbai), GEON Studios (Mumbai), visual effects and graphics for hundreds of hours of television programming, and numerous feature films.
Technical Skills
During these years I taught myself Pascal, C, C-SHELL, AWK, SED, MEL, Python, Java script programming, trigonometry and basic physics, Renderman, Maya. Over the course of my career I have learned 10 different commercial compositing applications to various levels of use from, hands on familiarity for supervisory purposes to full blown production work.I pioneered use of linear color space at this time, developing custom software and speaking at the annual Wavefront User’s Group on the topic. I pioneered field rate production techniques, also writing custom software and presenting work at Wavefront User Group. I was the first user of the world’s first field rate video tape machine, the SONY 2500C and developed software to record to it. I was the first user of the Digital Disk Recorder, the Abekas A60, and developed software to drive its functions. When I was not coding software, I was specifying and directing other programmers. During this time I co-authored an in-house particle system in C language, writing the renderer and extending the physics engine. I taught myself general physics at this time.
By 1990 I had authored several C programs in use at THE POST GROUP and led development on another dozen or more. I wrote over 300 UNIX scripts to automate various production processes. I wrote a modeler in the text processing language AWK. I wrote skinning software in C-SHELL.
During this period I wrote a product specification that became the basis for Wavefront’s very successful COMPOSER compositing software. I alpha tested this for two years on Wavefront’s behalf. For the next 10 years I was a beta tester until the merger with Alias. I developed third party plug-ins and extensions to this compositing software including a chroma keyer, color correction tools and other tools.
Leadership and Managerial Skills
Most recently I was employed as a Sequence Supervisor on the film, Sin City A Dame to Kill For. This is the latest adventure in a career focused on cg and vfx production management.Volunteer Work
In the early 1970’s I became a leader in America’s Boy Scout elite organization, the Order of the Arrow. This is an honor society dedicated to providing leadership within Scouting. I eventually earned Scouting's, the Eagle Scout Award, and was bestowed with the Vigil Honor for leadership.In 1977 I was principal author and designer and director of leadership programs bringing professional quality management training to Order of the Arrow Scouts throughout northern California. This program is still in use today throughout northern and central California to the Oregon border.
In 1978 I was CEO, “Lodge Chief” over our local nine county area. During this time we introduced many new service programs and expanded membership 50% by recapture of lapsed members.
Throughout this period was greatly interested in general leadership and production management. I began independent study of production management theory and practice.
Professional Work
As Art Director at Autographics and later as 3D/CG supervisor at The Post Group, my duties included training and mentoring junior artists. Many of these artists have gone on to very successful careers. On The Shadow I was given increased supervisory responsibilities, managing a combined crew of texture artists, Softimage artists and compositors to render and comp shots. With Immortal Beloved this was expanded further, with assignment to coordinate internal artists with work with external vendors. On Mortal Kombat I was managing a substantial crew.In 1993 I began occasional work producing my own projects for television and commercial clients. In 1999 I founded a boutique company, taking a business partner in 2000. We worked seven years on a number of feature films and television properties. During this time I functioned as Executive Producer, Supervisor and hands-on artist.
In 2007 I budgeted, built out and began production managing a studio for FLIGHt 33, a documentary producer. We were producing an average of 10 minutes of visual effects a week. By the end of 2008 I was managing not one show but three episodic shows, a feature-length special, and a pilot. I was supervising and mentoring supervisors for compositing and computer graphics. I worked directly with directors designing shots and storylines within the shots. At peak we were producing close to 40+ minutes visual effects- about 150 shots - a week. I was responsible for hiring, managing, producing. and supervising all visual effects work.
In 2010 I worked as a NUKE instructor at Reliance Mediaworks in Mumbai. Later I began six months working as Digital Effects Supervisor Cum CG Supervisor at GEON Studios, Mumbai. In this capacity I oversaw directly about 70 artists working on international film projects, 3D feature conversion support services, and domestic Indian TV visual effects.
In 2011 I returned to the USA where I was employed as technical compositor on a number of feature film projects and some advertising projects. I supervised projects for this company in 2012 and 2013.
During the late 1990’s and early 2000’s I began researching production command and control systems and methods. I experimented with Microsoft Project and other tools.
Authoring
In 2009 I began authoring a blog, The Art of CG Supervision. This is dedicated to management theory and practice in Visual Effects post production. I have a unique view of this based on my knowledge of production management.General Education
At the time I began my career, not a single university anywhere offered a degree program in the art of computer graphics or visual effects. Since that time I have been largely self-taught. In secondary school and college I studied general art, design and color theory, photography, sculpture, graphics, architectural design and film aesthetics.
I was invited to attend Harvard, Northwestern, Pepperdine, Stanford, NY University, Brown, and numerous other institutions. For personal reasons I declined these offers. I believe my decision put me at the exact right place at the right time to be a key player in the early adoption of computer graphics.
Conclusion
I believe my unique combination of leadership skills, technical skills, production and compositing methods knowledge and personnel training and mentoring make me the ideal candidate for this and similar positions. I believe the work I have completed over 40 years is the effort equivalent of many degrees. I believe my unique position in the early development of this business gives me a distinctive view on current globalization and market conditions in the business.
Isa A. Alsup
18 July 2014
