Todd Vaziri

I make visual effects for movies and talk about movies a lot.

on the web: http://www.tvaziri.com
email: [email protected]

Public Key

npub1d5hg8ffqx3xxhlluu7pxz0eakcdjlckaumyz7axaen70ej42nvqsnpwhsc

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[email protected]

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nprofile1qqsx6t5r55srgnrtll7w0qnp8u7mvxe0utw7djp0wnwuel8ue24fkqgpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsp0cmsl

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relay.damus.io

nos.lol

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npub1d5hg8ffqx3xxhlluu7pxz0eakcdjlckaumyz7axaen70ej42nvqsnpwhsc

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Last Notes

2026-05-29 00:28:58 UTC

As spotted by Ryan Estrada on Bluesky, HOLY SHIT
Paramount+ created a thumbnail for "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" where it genAI-filled a closeup shot of Shatner, giving him a sensible haircut and a suit and tie.
LEFT: Paramount+
RIGHT: The shot from the movie
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/655/032/142/975/657/original/a9c7a2bc2e3d9e8c.png
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/655/032/453/626/351/original/ecf7ea177c717865.jpeg

2026-05-26 21:38:21 UTC

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16 years - the time between ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN and SNEAKERS
34 years - the time between SNEAKERS and now

2026-05-26 21:25:44 UTC

be a beacon

2026-05-26 15:28:42 UTC

the 'film is superior to digital because of film grain' folks: "Film grain equals cinema!"
Christopher Nolan: "I want the least film grain possible."
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/641/583/527/420/015/original/7008f2c5fd3fff61.png

2026-04-29 22:44:41 UTC

"2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968) has the most dramatic, most famous match cut in the history of cinema.
remastered in HD:
https://youtu.be/SsE6WgxG0aE?si=FmX28x5AQR10BnG5
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/490/413/773/559/500/original/e112ee797d295ce6.mp4

2026-04-23 16:25:15 UTC

On Apple TV (box and app), I bought my first Apple TV Channel: BritBox.
I started watching a show (“Happy Valley”) on BritBox via Apple TV (app).
I've watched four episodes.
Apple TV (app), however, doesn’t think I've watched any episodes and keeps asking me to “Play First Episode”.
Up Next/Continue Watching has always worked for me with participating apps, as well as Apple TV (service) shows.
WHAT GIVES

2026-04-14 22:24:36 UTC

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for example (detail):
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/405/401/857/142/645/original/0d7a475d17dcfdf2.mp4

2026-04-14 21:49:27 UTC

The good news: “Terminator 2” will get a theatrical release later this year.
The bad news: it will probably be the version with all the paint-outs, face replacements and ‘modern’ color grade.

2026-03-27 20:38:46 UTC

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Chris Miller (and Greig Fraser) giving props to ILM on Instagram:
"Shout out to the amazing work on PROJECT HAIL MARY by the folks at ILM - All of these shots (& many hundreds more) were made completely digitally by the talented artists there."
https://www.instagram.com/p/DWZfr7lkW0p/?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/303/064/099/060/393/original/aefd1c1f8cefd33a.png

2026-03-24 06:08:55 UTC

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like I said, exhausting
(Grogu, in this shot for a piece whose theme is “CGI BAD”, is computer graphics made by computer graphics artists)
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/282/656/797/564/862/original/b241b035da1a4429.jpeg

2026-03-23 21:47:26 UTC

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it's almost as though this happens ALL THE TIME and it's totally exhausting
https://fxrant.blogspot.com/2024/12/correcting-some-skeleton-crew.html
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/280/684/877/712/985/original/6d1639375c8e8171.mp4

2026-03-23 21:35:36 UTC

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I guess writing an piece that says "good filmmakers use the right tools for the right job" —— which has been true since the dawn of cinema itself —— is just too boring for the trades

2026-03-23 21:33:27 UTC

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the piece is worse than the headline and deeply misleads
TO BE CLEAR:
- in half the shots in which he appears, Rocky is computer graphics animation
- Project Hail Mary used LED screens
- Top Gun Maverick had all-CG jet sequences, the Dune films had all-CG sequences, Alien Romulus had all-CG aliens
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/280/629/868/596/561/original/42fc3f39c66c7c91.png

2026-03-23 21:21:44 UTC

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The discourse is still so bad. It's one thing when internet bozo film bros spread misinformation, but when the trades just say stupid stuff like this it's just so overwhelming and depressing.
Fun fact: even those movies that you think "rely on 'CGI'" have gigantic practical effects work!
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/280/583/822/761/434/original/de4bd3706aaf8401.png

2026-03-17 14:09:22 UTC

Happy Robert Patrick’s Day
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/244/910/017/558/360/original/3928eaba7e945c6d.jpg

2026-03-05 17:21:39 UTC

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First Christopher Miller clarifies, now Phil Lord. I am extremely grateful for them putting out this information.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/177/718/178/176/760/original/51e0ee8cb8681203.png

2026-03-04 21:30:12 UTC

you can all stop asking me to comment now
"Project Hail Mary" (2026)
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/173/033/209/545/849/original/33f2f522d98034f0.png

2026-03-04 14:36:54 UTC

here we are
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/171/408/252/376/598/original/ff6a486ea84ad7a1.jpg

2026-02-25 19:12:47 UTC

I'm thinking about buying a desktop external of at least a 16TB HDD, with faster-than-USB 3 speed, and I like OWC products.
Any reason NOT to buy one of their StudioStack products?
https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-studiostack

2026-02-24 19:02:26 UTC

Should the top of my Mac mini (2024 M4) be warm?
(It's not HOT, just... warm. 98% of the day it’s mostly idle, not doing any big rendering or crunching.)

2026-02-19 14:45:15 UTC

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Evergreen:
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/097/830/835/020/617/original/8cd05c1511a6858b.png

2026-02-19 14:44:42 UTC

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Every few months, I ask the chatbots about an innocuous movie fact that I have personally investigated and documented, just to gauge the accuracy of these tools about a topic I'm extremely versed in.
ChatGPT is still repeating false mythology. Gemini however is accurately referencing my blog post.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/097/828/354/712/269/original/5160b0e17ba1a4e9.jpeg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/097/828/665/216/889/original/41ec3e170456e357.jpeg

2026-02-19 14:33:07 UTC

Do NOT expect chatbots to give you facts.
I hacked ChatGPT and Google's AI – and it only took 20 minutes
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20260218-i-hacked-chatgpt-and-googles-ai-and-it-only-took-20-minutes

2026-01-27 15:38:23 UTC

huh that’s weird
OpenAI’s president is a Trump mega-donor
https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/867947/openai-president-greg-brockman-trump-super-pac

2026-01-26 17:03:36 UTC

https://www.theverge.com/news/867567/tim-cook-accused-rapist-brett-ratner-melania-screening
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/962/479/434/230/142/original/1ba8447050a3a393.png

2025-12-18 21:50:20 UTC

"I don't like movies that *rely* on 'CGI'" is a ridiculous thing to say.
"Nouvelle Vague" (2025), directed by Richard Linklater, visual effects by CGEV.
https://youtu.be/1p0G-lGZkL4?si=jya5zjbQyZh61zMX
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/742/776/728/479/890/original/0bf113f368d7d391.mp4

2025-12-02 18:03:40 UTC

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sorry but you know i had to do it
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/651/286/811/572/213/original/e893a30a27a8d0f0.mp4

2025-12-02 16:33:39 UTC

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live shot of me, wondering what other things got screwed up on this show, one of the most prestigious shows in the history of television
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/650/934/552/222/151/original/f802341ed8ec83ac.png

2025-12-02 16:11:26 UTC

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To be clear - "Mad Men" was originally mastered in HD in 16:9, so this isn't an issue of "exposing more film negative to fit a new aspect ratio", like "Friends" and "Seinfeld".

2025-12-02 16:05:08 UTC

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In addition, it seems like "Mad Men" season one titles/episodes are jumbled on HBO Max. The vomit scene is in "Red in the Face", but on HBO Max it's labeled "Babylon". (The one labeled "Red in the Face" is actually "5G", too.) Some interesting QC issues afoot.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/650/822/402/388/210/original/0f183b228f84a7c6.jpeg

2025-12-02 16:04:28 UTC

This is absolutely real. The current HBO Max version of this "Mad Men" episode "remastered for 4K" did not include an updated visual effects shot, which originally painted out the crew and equipment. Not just that, the HBO Max episode titles/order is jumbled for s01.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/650/819/769/646/397/original/1d63d0b6537ba38a.png

2025-11-27 02:50:16 UTC

two of the greatest 5+ season TV shows that were consistently excellent from pilot-to-finale: “Veep” and “Breaking Bad”

2025-11-24 16:42:09 UTC

Washington Post: Can you tell when you’re seeing CGI in movies and TV shows?
https://wapo.st/48vEGf8

2025-10-14 16:38:34 UTC

One of the most influential artists in the history of Hollywood has passed. Thanks for everything, Drew Struzan.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPy0ZUEEVnt/

2025-10-07 17:21:34 UTC

Vanity Fair asked me to talk about visual effects, and it was my great honor to show off some of ILM’s terrific work over the years.
Todd Vaziri on Vanity Fair VFX
https://youtu.be/ERKEsIzTFas?si=Fd0gOlcllmJeSmzg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/334/033/597/901/491/original/a473cc20f8133344.jpeg

2025-09-28 22:16:43 UTC

The “Knight Rider” complete series Blu-ray box set is magnificent. And it’s all in the proper aspect ratio (4:3).

2025-09-13 16:14:49 UTC

FYI the alien queen in “Aliens”, a movie made nearly a decade before “Jurassic Park”, wasn’t “CGI”
#Aliens #AlienQueen #PracticalEffects #Aliens1986
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/197/875/917/529/733/original/b643dc2be8052bf6.jpeg

2025-09-11 16:24:32 UTC

Watching “V: The FInal Battle” (1984) and getting super nostalgic for small pickup trucks.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/186/589/380/463/890/original/d047f6d10b21d9d7.jpeg

2025-08-29 22:33:22 UTC

Some solid links here.
The best YouTube channels and podcasts every film artist should subscribe to.
https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/the-best-youtube-channels-and-podcasts-every-film-artist-subscribe-to

2025-08-26 03:21:58 UTC

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” was made in 1981, depicting a story from 1936. That’s 45 year difference.
Next year (2026) is the 45th anniversary of “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.

2025-08-15 04:22:52 UTC

My favorite gags from The Naked Gun” (2025):
5. The windshield
4. All the coffee
3. Chowing Down on Spaghetti
2. TiVo
1. “Me too!”

2025-08-14 19:48:07 UTC

An historic day: I started watching “V” (1983) with my kid.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/028/845/304/938/069/original/eadb93dba50e2cf7.jpeg

2025-08-07 15:21:04 UTC

My goodness — Sketch" (2025) is at 95% on the Tomatometer!
"Sketch", written and directed by Seth Worley, with visual effects supervised by Dan Sturm, is now in theaters!
@npub1e3j…9qm9 @npub1p7x…2348
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/988/158/824/058/782/original/85fe892dc178f820.jpeg

2025-07-20 23:15:56 UTC

Do you know what "The Pepsi Challenge" is?

2025-07-18 15:29:24 UTC

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absolutely horrifying that paramount would cancel a successful TV show to appease the White House but hilarious that Fallon is not even named in his gloating victory lap and only referred to as “Moron”
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/874/945/347/019/935/original/e8bf34664866b38b.jpeg

2025-07-17 23:35:23 UTC

what the fuck
CBS to Cancel ‘Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ Citing ‘Financial Decision’
https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/cbs-cancel-late-show-stephen-colbert-financial-decision-1236464356/

2025-07-13 22:15:36 UTC

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[update: my trusty research assistant (hi, █████!) found some folks who have talked about this but I’ll say that is the first time I’ve heard this, and it has never been illustrated in the way I’m attempting to do, so yay]

2025-07-12 22:34:46 UTC

Ever since I was a kid, I *thought* something about the “Star Wars” movies was true, but I never actually got around to testing my theory. Now, decades later, I’m testing it and… it seems totally valid (and cool!). Pretty sure it’s not been talked about. Coming soon.

2025-05-28 23:06:41 UTC

BREAKING: Mark Gurman Announces Apple Thing That We’ll All Know In Ten Days Anyway

2025-05-12 05:01:30 UTC

In very bad news, classic “Reno 911” — which was filmed in 4:3 — apparently is stretched AND cropped for 16:9 on Paramount+. Bad.

2025-05-08 15:53:32 UTC

Jay Leno

2025-04-21 14:34:05 UTC

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I finally solved the mystery movie mistake in “Episode III”, and also talk about some of my favorite revealing movie mistakes from my favorite films.
The Movie Mistake Mystery from "Revenge of the Sith"
http://fxrant.blogspot.com/2025/04/the-movie-mistake-mystery-from-revenge.html

2025-04-21 14:32:04 UTC

wait, what is THAT?
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/376/434/966/613/776/original/f5d02f090ada3cca.mp4

2025-04-13 21:15:21 UTC

As of today, I will only argue with the “practical is better than ‘CGI’ crowd in person. Arguing face to face has the warmth and texture and hand-made authenticity that arguing on the internet lacks.

2025-04-07 02:56:54 UTC

absolutely atrocious how poorly the Washington Post and New York Times covered the nationwide protests yesterday

2025-04-03 23:11:10 UTC

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Before you get off the plane, I'd also recommend temporarily disabling Face ID on your iPhone. I know I'll be doing that.
It's easy - press and hold the power button AND either of the volume buttons until you see the “power off" screen - that's it. Now, the only way to unlock your phone is with your passcode.
How to Temporarily Disable Face ID or Touch ID, and Require a Passcode to Unlock Your iPhone or iPad
https://daringfireball.net/2022/06/require_a_passcode_to_unlock_your_iphone
2/2
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/276/556/275/595/703/original/17b8871ea11d534a.png

2025-04-03 23:06:59 UTC

For anyone who is traveling to the U.S., and even for U.S. citizens returning to the U.S.:
ACLU: Can Border Agents Search Your Electronic Devices? It’s Complicated
https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/can-border-agents-search-your-electronic
1/2

2025-03-05 19:25:28 UTC

Sorry, Google Search AI Result, this is totally incorrect. Ving Rhames did NOT win an Oscar for his work in “Piranha 3D” (2010).
Never “just trust” an AI Result.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/111/461/975/589/920/original/6cc899cb8d2e6574.jpeg

2025-02-28 00:31:51 UTC

"A Different World" Upscaling is Not Good (plus a comparison to MTV Unplugged on Paramount+)
http://fxrant.blogspot.com/2025/02/a-different-world-upscaling-is-not-good.html
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/078/692/328/777/434/original/3f0525027a68e009.jpeg
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/078/692/636/647/140/original/1d093a17fda1c6e0.jpeg

2025-02-20 14:57:05 UTC

By 2030:
🍸 Jacob Elordi’s 007 film
🍸 “Blofeld: Rise of SPECTRE” streaming series
🍸 “Young M” streaming series
🍸 “A Day in the Life of Moneypenny” streaming series
🍸 Jimmy Fallon’s parallel comedy 007 film
🍸 “Shaken AND Stirred?” animated series, a 007 What If...? show
https://variety.com/2025/film/global/james-bond-amazon-mgm-gain-creative-control-1236313930/

2024-11-25 16:09:28 UTC

Thanksgiving... a.k.a. the perfect time to stealthily turn off motion smoothing on your relatives' TVs.

2024-11-21 04:24:58 UTC

Every time someone repeats the totally incorrect myth that “CGI” is cheaper than practical effects—it’s not and that’s a ridiculous statement—‘because “CGI” isn’t unionized,’ they’re unwittingly giving ammunition to studios who are arguing that unionization would be bad for the industry (it’s not).

2024-11-15 18:06:23 UTC

My current list of future films under a Full Media Blackout™:
🕷️ Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
🛌 Mickey 17
👽 Predator: Badlands 🆕
🚫 zero trailers, posters or articles, in order to see the film with fresh eyes for the first time

2024-11-12 22:44:29 UTC

dumb question of the day: is there any harm in converting my physical SIM to an eSIM?
And, the benefit is easier transfer of service from phone-to-phone, right? (I have an iPhone 12, soon to get an iPhone 16)

2024-11-06 21:09:02 UTC

i still haven't watch one minute of any election coverage on TV

2024-10-29 21:05:12 UTC

cool
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/392/740/513/649/415/original/4de5cdc46272ff36.jpeg

2024-10-29 13:45:17 UTC

I’m very happy The NYTimes is getting into the game of busting movie myths. Here they are dispelling the “actors didn’t know” myth from “Seven”.
(a spoiler-filled article, duh)
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/10/25/movies/scary-movie-it-alien-smile.html
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/391/010/907/349/049/original/173561f5c6d692b2.jpeg

2024-10-25 04:26:20 UTC

I use Siri on my Apple Watch several times a day to set timers, send texts, create reminders, etc. and every time I press and hold the crown while talking into my watch I think of Michael Knight.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/366/163/806/474/331/original/3ef5638a72a79a87.jpeg

2024-10-17 17:27:00 UTC

I wrote about one of my favorite shots from David Fincher's "Seven", which turned into an essay about telephoto lenses and getting a myth about the movie debunked.
http://fxrant.blogspot.com/2024/10/this-shot-from-seven-is-not-visual.html
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/323/934/758/355/095/original/16a65d9dcd0cc23e.mp4

2024-09-11 02:42:15 UTC

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holy shit an actual question about climate change

2024-09-11 01:48:06 UTC

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the moderators are doing a good job… how is this possible

2024-09-11 01:26:55 UTC

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okay some of these are pretty good

2024-09-10 23:52:28 UTC

i'll wager nearly everything that nearly every debate "question" will be stupid

2024-09-04 03:39:25 UTC

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LOOK IT’S EPISODE 1
https://www.ilm.com/lighterdarker/s1e1-the-premiere/

2024-08-27 21:50:12 UTC

what the—
We are pleased to announce Lighter Darker: The ILM Podcast, where we focus on the creative process of filmmaking and the art of visual storytelling. Hosted by ILM Chief Creative Officer Rob Bredow and ILM Compositing Supervisor Todd Vaziri, we share behind-the-scenes stories that illustrate the many crafts that come together to create a motion picture, TV series, or special venue project.
https://www.ilm.com/lighter-darker-the-ilm-podcast-launching-september-3-2024/

2024-08-08 22:46:43 UTC

In hindsight, what was the most misguided piece of career advice you ever got from a trusted figure?
(No need to name names.)