
SIGGRAPH Spotlight
SIGGRAPH Spotlight is a podcast that explores cutting-edge projects and topics in computer graphics and interactive techniques, one episode at a time. Episodes are hosted by ACM SIGGRAPH leaders and feature experts spanning everything from animation and visual effects to engineering and virtual reality.
This show was founded as an extension of ACM SIGGRAPH's annual conference.
Latest episodes

Dec 19, 2020 • 1h 16min
39 – Deepfakes
ABOUT THE EPISODE
For the latest episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2021 Technical Papers Chair Sylvain Paris (fellow, Adobe Research) is joined by a group of the computer graphics industry’s best and brightest to tackle the subject of deepfakes — from the history of deepfake tech through to how it’s being used today. Press play to hear insight in two parts from Chris Bregler (sr. staff scientist, Google AI), Eakta Jain (assistant professor, University of Florida), and Matthias Nießner (professor, TU München) [Part 1 – 0:00:34], and from ctrl shift face (independent artist) [Part 2 – 0:52:55].
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://s2021.siggraph.org/program/technical-papers/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepfake | https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/cfi_real-fake_graphic-novel_508.pdf | https://news.mit.edu/2020/mit-tackles-misinformation-in-event-of-moon-disaster-0720 | https://youtu.be/9WfZuNceFDM | https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3197517.3201283 | https://jainlab.cise.ufl.edu/ | http://chris.bregler.com/ | https://www.patreon.com/ctrl_shift_face | https://contentauthenticity.org/ | https://www.witness.org/ | https://ai.googleblog.com/2019/09/contributing-data-to-deepfake-detection.html
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/
*Conference Website*
https://s2021.siggraph.org/

Sep 9, 2020 • 47min
38 – Game On
In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2020 and SIGGRAPH 2021 Games Focus Area Chair Carlos Gonzalez-Ochoa sits down with a panel of talented creators, developers, and researchers within the games industry. Arthur Brussee of DeepMind, Daniel Cornel of VRVis Research Center for Virtual Reality and Visualization, Neal Kaviratna of Uber Advanced Technologies, and Artem Kovalovs of Naughty Dog discuss the richly immersive and diverse games industry, performance and production techniques, and innovative applications for games technology beyond entertainment as creative solutions to life’s challenges.
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
Links: https://s2020.siggraph.org/conference/program-events/games/ | https://manifold.garden/ | http://visdom.at/ | https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3388767.3408335 | https://www.uber.com/us/en/atg/ | https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3388767.3408334| https://www.naughtydog.com/ | https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3388767.3407349 | https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3388767.3407393
*Social Media*
blog.siggraph.org | www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | www.twitter.com/siggraph | www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph | www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/
*Conference Website*
https://s2020.siggraph.org

Jul 17, 2020 • 51min
37 – Age Manipulation in VFX
ABOUT THE EPISODE
In this all-new episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2020 Production Sessions Chair Derrick Nau (CG texture & look development artist, DreamWorks) discusses the science, technology, and technique behind age manipulation in VFX with a group of the industry’s best and brightest visual effects leaders on everything from well-known projects like Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and manipulating Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” to the subtle beauty work that goes into just about every project VFX artists touch. Tune in to hear insight from Darren Hendler (director, Digital Human Group, D2/Digital Domain), Trent Claus (visual effects supervisor, Lola VFX), Pablo Helman (visual effects supervisor and second unit director, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM)), and Chris Lawrence (visual effects supervisor, Framestore).
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://s2020.siggraph.org/conference/program-events/production-sessions/ | https://www.digitaldomain.com/leadership/darren-hendler/ | https://twitter.com/trentclaus | https://www.ilm.com/people/pablo-helman/ | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1165856/ | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De-aging_in_film | https://www.vulture.com/2016/03/special-effects-c-v-r.html
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/
*Conference Website*
https://s2020.siggraph.org/

Jun 19, 2020 • 46min
36 – Multiperson Immersive Experiences
ABOUT THE EPISODE
Thanks for joining us for another SIGGRAPH Spotlight! In this episode, SIGGRAPH 2020 Immersive Pavilion Chair Chris Redmann (engineering manager, Unity Technologies) connects with the creators behind two SIGGRAPH 2020-selected projects, “Dr. Crumb’s School for Disobedient Pets” and “The Outpost.” Guests Kimberly Adams (COO and co-founder, Adventure Lab), Maxwell Planck (CEO and co-founder, Adventure Lab), Ken Perlin (director, NYU Future Reality Lab; professor, Department of Computer Science, New York University), Kris Layng (co-founder and creative director, Parralux; artist in residence, NYU Future Reality Lab), and Michael Gold (co-founder and CEO, Autotoon, Inc.; entrepreneur in residence, NYU Future Reality Lab) share a behind-the-scenes look at their projects, discuss how building relationships and bringing people together is at the core of their immersive experiences, and share how VR can close distances despite recent social-distancing norms.
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://frl.nyu.edu/ | http://krislayng.com/ | https://www.adventurelab.fun/ | https://frl.nyu.edu/theoutpost/ | https://s2020.siggraph.org/immersive-pavilion/
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/
*Conference Website*
https://s2020.siggraph.org/

Jun 5, 2020 • 37min
35 – Real-time, Ray Tracing, and Realism
ABOUT THE EPISODE
In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2020 Real-Time Live! Chair Marc Olano sits down with four incredible creators who are pushing the boundaries of innovation in real-time graphics. Arisa Scott of Unity Technologies, Eric Haines of NVIDIA, Mike Hardison of Blizzard Entertainment, and Mohen Leo of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) discuss the evolution of real-time technology as well as techniques in ray tracing, games, VFX, artificial intelligence (AI), and everything in-between.
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
Links: https://unity.com/ray-tracing | https://www.reddit.com/r/minecraftRTX/ | https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/research/ai-playground/ | https://www.ilm.com/ | https://www.blizzard.com/en-us/ | https://s2020.siggraph.org/conference/program-events/real-time-live/ | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPam5CHFQMQ
*Social Media*
blog.siggraph.org | www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | www.twitter.com/siggraph | www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph | www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/
*Conference Website*
https://s2020.siggraph.org

Apr 24, 2020 • 45min
34 – Computer Animation Today
ABOUT THE EPISODE
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to participate in a SIGGRAPH conference jury? In this all-new episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, SIGGRAPH 2020 Computer Animation Festival Electronic Theater Director Munkhtsetseg Nandigjav (associate chair of digital communications, Savannah College of Art & Design) sits down with five of her six 2020 jurors to discuss the state of computer animation today and hear their reactions to the incredible breadth of content they reviewed from the computer graphics community. Tune in to hear insight on modern CG from Renato dos Anjos (head of animation, Walt Disney Animation Studios), Sidney Clifton (executive producer, Deluxe Animation Studios), Janet Iwasa (assistant professor, University of Utah), Mark SubbaRao (director of visualization, Adler Planetarium), and Natalya Tatarchuk (vice president of graphics, Unity Technologies).
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://s2020.siggraph.org/conference/program-events/electronic-theater/ | https://s2020.siggraph.org/conference/juries/ | https://www.instagram.com/renatoanimation/ | https://www.deluxeanimationstudios.com/en/about/team/sidney-clifton/ | https://twitter.com/mirror2mask | https://www.adlerplanetarium.org/learn/resources/astronomers/ | https://twitter.com/janetiwasa
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/
*Conference Website*
https://s2020.siggraph.org/

Mar 13, 2020 • 24min
33 – Interactive and Immersive Art
SIGGRAPH Spotlight
Show Notes: Episode 33
Title: 33 – Interactive and Immersive Art
ABOUT THE EPISODE
Thanks for joining us for another SIGGRAPH Spotlight! In this episode, SIGGRAPH 2020 Art Papers Chair Andres Burbano (associate professor, Universidad de los Andes) catches up with Rachel Dickey (assistant professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte), Sandro Kereselidze (co-founder and art director, ARTECHOUSE), and Marc Petz (instructor, Kent Career Tech Center) to discuss their recent work, the evolution of interactive and immersive art, the digital art scene in SIGGRAPH 2020 host city Washington, D.C., and more.
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://www.dc.artechouse.com/ | http://racheldickey.com/air-hugs | https://www.siggraph.org/leonardo/ | https://www.thetechcenter.org/programs/3d-animation--game-design/autism-xr---student-project/
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/
*Conference Website*
https://s2020.siggraph.org/

Feb 14, 2020 • 40min
32 – Celebrating Black History Month
ABOUT THE EPISODE
In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, ACM SIGGRAPH Diversity and Inclusion Chair Tony Baylis sits down with three incredible storytellers and creators — Everett Downing Jr., Sidney Clifton, and Roger Ross Williams — to discuss their powerful work on projects like the Academy Award®-winning animated short “Hair Love,” BET and Marvel’s “Black Panther,” and VR immersive documentary “Traveling While Black.” The group also speaks to diversity and the African American perspective in computer graphics and interactive techniques, and the importance of celebrating Black History Month.
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
Links: https://www.edowning.com/ | https://onestoryproductions.com/ | http://www.matthewacherry.com/hair-love | https://youtu.be/kNw8V_Fkw28 | https://rogerrosswilliams.com/ | https://www.felixandpaul.com/?projects/twb | https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2093299/ | https://blackwomenanimate.com/
*Social Media*
blog.siggraph.org/ | www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | twitter.com/siggraph | www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/
*Conference Website*
https://s2020.siggraph.org/

Dec 6, 2019 • 29min
31 – Trevor Romain
In this episode of SIGGRAPH Spotlight, ACM SIGGRAPH International Resources Committee member Jide Ajide sits down with Trevor Romain, a successful author, artist, filmmaker, and all-around storyteller whose works have been featured on PBS. Romain's DVDs are used in schools across the United States, and he has worked with former child soldiers in Africa and spoken to kids on military bases.

Oct 25, 2019 • 1h 15min
30 – Tim Sweeney and the Metaverse
ABOUT THE EPISODE
For the first time, SIGGRAPH Spotlight presents a live, in-session recording from the annual conference in North America. Tune in to hear Tim Sweeney (founder and CEO, Epic Games) during his SIGGRAPH 2019 Talk, “THRIVE: Foundational Principles & Technologies for the Metaverse.” You’ll hear Sweeney posit the state of the games industry, the rise of creator-centric and social gaming, what the “metaverse” really is, and what it will take to build the medium on a larger scale. Bonus: Listen until the end for a special question-and-answer session between Sweeney and members of the live audience.
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MUSIC
Podcast theme, "SIGGRAPH," composed by Julius Dobos.
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LINKS
*Episode*
https://s2019.siggraph.org/conference/programs-events/talks/ | https://dlnext.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3306307#heading11 | https://www.epicgames.com | https://twitter.com/timsweeneyepic
*Social Media*
http://blog.siggraph.org/ | https://www.facebook.com/SIGGRAPHConferences | https://twitter.com/siggraph | https://www.youtube.com/user/ACMSIGGRAPH | https://www.instagram.com/acmsiggraph/ | https://www.linkedin.com/company/acm-siggraph/
*Conference Website*
https://s2020.siggraph.org/
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