this is the discussion ongoing right now (2PM, 4.20.2012) on Talk of the Nation (NPR). This program can be heard via webstream at kqed.org

I know this segment is about movie effects, but I've seen some similar effects (like monsters armies) on TV. How much difference is there in achieving these effects in movies & on TV?

Great guest!

can the good doctor explain the technique used with the recent Tupac performance last week at Coachella?

It was reported that his company did the production/ special effects

A fascinating and well-spoken guest.

Dr Roble needs a sequel on your show. Please.

What are the current developments in immersive 3D? When these are written into an original script, who are the individuals in the industry at the forefront of developing and introducing new SFX technologies? The old model of a director going to look for money and then contracting the SFX seems counter-productive, given how long it takes to network scripts and directors and initial financing. Do the artists in your industry get excited and involved with original scripts enough to get the packaging together instead?

Doctor Roble is a Old Geek Girl's rockstar. Great interview!

Wasn't the blue skin of the "Avatar" characters chosen to help hide some problems with realistic human skin - and - when does the guest think a full human character might finally make it through a whole film?

can your guest talk about software use: how much of a dialogue is there between the artists and the studio's software developers during a typical production?

For special effects that include water, e.g., tidal waves, is CFD (computational fluid dynamics) used? If so, is a prepackaged code used?

Can I have a job? : )

What a great guest! Clear, humble, enthusiastic and great at explaining the technology for those of us not in the know.

The Mill: City Harvest "Apples" Breakdown - YouTube

CGI shown being made in your NYC subway, in a commercial many have seen...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SALSn9E1fkc

Can you see this threatening jobs for actors/actresses, or their pay?

What kind of software is used? Is it expense?
I ask because the company that does the effects on fringe really does a super realistic recreation of the world trade center and I wonder how they get stuff like that done...
I thought it might be a matte painting, but there is light and all other elements that convince me otherwise....

Sometimes it very obvious that computer effects were used and sometimes it's seamless. Does this come down to the effects budget, short deadlines, inexperience of the effects team, or a combination of these?

How much of the CGI software that you use is available to the general public (and how much can it cost)? Is most of it kept 'secret', in your company only?

How are background shots, especially in urban settings, altered to reflect the landscape of a certain time period? For example: A scene that calls for 1970's Time Square or The World Trade Center?