Venice, Calif. - Digital
production studio Digital Domain has named veteran visual effects
supervisor and technologist Thad Beier to the new position of head of
CG. In this role, Beier will oversee production technology and
long-term facility planning to ensure that artists across all feature
productions can create the highest-quality images efficiently and
effectively.
Reporting to Digital Domain CEO Cliff Plumer, Beier will work with a
cross-functional team of software engineers, visual effects
supervisors, and digital effects supervisors on show methodology,
R&D, and development of production tools for current and future
projects.
Beier is a 25-year veteran of the visual effects
industry. He most recently supervised the creation of 1150+ visual
effects shots for Fast and Furious,
leading the work of 12 VFX studios around the world. In 1995, Beier
co-founded Hammerhead Productions where he spent 14 years developing
the company’s VFX production tool kit and supervising visual effects.
Prior to that he was an animator and R&D manager at Pacific Data
Images, where he was instrumental in helping to develop the company’s
film production infrastructure. He has been recognized with a
Scientific and Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS). Beier was also a software
developer at Silicon Graphics and has consulted for studios, including
Universal, Walt Disney Feature Animation, Cinesite, and Sony Pictures
Imageworks.