The SIGGRAPH activity kicked off at VFS with visits from three very special industry guests. This morning, Digital Domain’s Vice-President and General Manager of Stereo Productions, Jeff Barnes (pictured left), dropped by for a tour of the Animation & Visual Effects campus.

A colleague of Head of Department Marianne O’Reilly, Barnes is an 18-year veteran of the visual effects industry and has founded several companies, including Computer Cafe Group, Cafe FX, The Syndicate, and Sententia Entertainment. They are responsible for over 80 feature film credits, from Shutter Island to King Kong, The Aviator, and the Emmy-winning HBO miniseries, John Adams. He’s also been the Chairman and Vice-Chair of the Visual Effects Society (VES).

This past Friday afternoon Terry Clotiaux, the President of Prime Focus Worldwide, came in to say hello and see the “Ant Farm” where VFS students work tirelessly to create the videos and reels you see on our YouTube channel.

Clotiaux was previously a Senior Executive with Digital Domain and his experience as a Visual Effects Producer includes collaborating with directors and visual effects supervisors on films such as Spiderman 3, Matrix Reloaded, and Independence Day. He was accompanied by well-respected Senior Visual Effects Producer and Consultant, Nancy St. John, who has had a hand in such films as Gladiator, Enemy of the State, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

A warm welcome to our special guests. The three-day exhibition begins tomorrow!