Special effects and finishing boutique Arsenal FX has brought senior VFX artist Terry Silberman and CG lead Eli Guerron on board. They join a roster that also consists of owner/artist Mark Leiss, and Joseph Grosso, who’s been promoted to senior Flame artist.
A 20-year industry vet, Silberman was previously on staff at Solid. His credits span such clients as Honda (the “Eyes” spot for agency RPA), Monster.com (“Slots” directed by Frank Budgen of Gorgeous Enterprises and Anonymous Content for BBDO New York), Nike (“Spider” for Wieden+Kennedy, Tokyo), K-Swiss (for agency The Gale Group) and Mitsubishi (BBDO L.A.).
Silberman is adept on Autodesk platforms. His expertise spans Flint, Flame, Inferno, Smoke, Combustion, Nuke, PC, Mac, Photoshop and even Jaleo.
Guerron
While he briefly attended El Camino College in Torrance, Calif., Guerron found the VFX program lacking so he hoped for on-the-job experience. He went the internship route and apprenticed for established artists. This approach paid off as Guerron worked his way up the industry ladder, eventually becoming a CG lead and associate creative director at Blissium in Santa Monica, working on campaigns for SpikeTV and TV series such as CSI. Working alongside director Eric Bute and exec producer Jim Rutherford, Guerron oversaw the launch of SpikeTV Original TV’s series Blade and The Killpoint.
After two years with Blissium, Guerron gained broad experience freelancing for Transistor, Logan, Psyop, Imaginary Forces, and Yu+Co, among others. He had some of his most notable collaborations with directors (Frank Budgen, Lance Acord) while freelancing at a52.
Arsenal exec producer Ashley Hydrick said that Guerron’s hire allows the company to pursue more work in modeling, texture, lighting, titles and 3D.
At Arsenal, Guerron has wrapped Cadillac’s “Gallery,” a Yoplait spot directed by Ronnie Koff at Imaginary Forces, and a project for an undisclosed client entailing a collaboration with Richard Taylor, VFX supervisor on the original Tron film.
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More