This bite-sized interview features a conversation with Sean Konrad, the Visual FX Supervisor for Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, a new action-packed drama set in the Warner Bros. Monsterverse featuring the iconic monsters Godzilla, King Kong and the Titans.
Sean chats with us about his transition from a digital compositor to VFX Supervisor, collaborating with other departments to bring the director and showrunner’s vision to life, and how new technology has allowed filmmakers to put the monsters front and center as opposed to “clouded in atmospherics and at night”.
“That first movie was really tricky because we didn’t know what it was gonna be. We didn’t know how Godzilla moved,” Konrad explains. “The Monsterverse really tried to have a grounding to its action. It still gets over the top and fun and bombastic but in that first movie it was a very somber movie and deliberate. The way that Godzilla moves reflects that. He’s not slow but there’s a lot of momentum and follow through. It’s like when an elephant can move really fast but it needs to get up to speed, and when it stops it takes a bit,” he laughed.
Sean has been involved with the franchise since 2014’s Godzilla as a digital compositor and since rised through the ranks over the years, working on a number of projects including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2., Deadpool 2, Loki and Ms. Marvel.
“I have a friend who has this philosophy that when Visual FX supervisors come from comp, they’re best suited for the jobe because they understand how all the pieces fit together. Sometimes in the pipeline, you’ll become the person who chases things a bit,” he explained. “That transition was not easy for me but I had that background of chasing things down. I also have a technology background so I understand things like simulations. The trickiest thing is talent-driven tasks like animation. That’s a craft you should study for years and years before you direct it. You really rely on the talent of people around you to drive that.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters debuts its first two episodes November 17th on Apple TV+ with new episodes every Friday through January 12th.
