A look inside DD
A couple years ago, I had the opportunity to show you what the public areas of Tippett and Pixar looked like. You're in for a treat. Follow the extended to see where I currently work.
Digital Domain is spread over two blocks in five buildings, located very close to Arnold's Golds Gym. Many of the employees here get a chance to go to that gym, in addition to the beach, which is very close too! There are a number of small cafes and restaurants which many of us take advantage of during lunch.
We start off with the ramp to our reception area. Beyond the double glass doors, the Digital Domain logo looms.
This our features lobby, and where the majority of artists start their initiation at DD.
One of the many Flame Suites that we have onsite.
Our legendary greenscreen stage! You may have seen this stage in Cinefex when they did behind the scenes for Titanic and other DD films.
And last but not least, one of the internal stages for artists.
Thanks for this insider look into DD. I really like the last photo, the internal stage for artists. It looks like a great collaborative environment. Can you tell us what department this is and why I only see one monitor per desk?
I actually work really smoothly with one monitor for my matte painting work but at my day job in web design dual monitors is necessity, especially working in Flash. Are most of these artists in a skill set that can work with one monitor or is that the norm?
Matthew Scheuerman
April 15, 2009 1:23 PM
I am not sure at what time the last photo was taken, but it is probably before we started putting two monitors per desk, for some artists. The internal stage is just one the many locations that artists are seated. In this case, I think it may have been for Flags of our Fathers, or maybe even Stealth. The environment is quite interesting, as various arts are sprinkled throughout, lighting with anim, comp with fx, and so forth. When I was on Flags of our Fathers, I sat here, and I was sitting with fx artists behind me.
Most artists right now have two monitors per desk, one CRT for color work, one LCD for layout. Some artists have two LCDs when color isn't a huge requirement. Others, like me, have three.
Aruna
April 15, 2009 3:44 PM
Very cool, it seems like there is a chill atmosphere in the work area. Unlike the more corporate feel in the city north of Venice, hehe. Are there any theaters and what kind of stations are there for viewing Dailies and monthlies? Do the Senior Nukers have their own office or are they spread out with the juniors to help make production smoother? The Flame suite looks awesome! It's always a great feeling to be around the power of a Flame. What monitors are you guys using for color and does the calibration team come around often? You always go out of your way with this blog, thanks a bunch!
Geronimo
April 21, 2009 4:50 PM
Yep, like other big production houses, we have a theater, and there are quite a bit of dailies stations scattered throughout the facility. Depending on the show, some supervisors have their own rooms. Most of the comp leads and other leads sit among their peers, so there is definitely opportunity to run up to your lead and quickly ask a question. They're not segmented somewhere out of the way (usually). Our color calibration and systems teams are pretty on top of all our equipment, and are constantly running around to calibrate the many monitors we have!
Aruna
April 26, 2009 11:46 AM
Sweet.
Do all those warm lights affect color perception after a while ???
b
boomji
June 23, 2009 2:53 AM
thanx aruna for the inside look of charming DD.
It has nice blend of professional & Creative atmosphere,
can we see some more :)
thanx
\Shank
shank75
July 27, 2009 2:20 AM