Billionaire CEO and White House advisor Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has amassed roughly 30 staffers with the goal of slashing the US government's budget.As it's targeted president Donald Trump's number one bogeyman diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) something ironic is happening: even as it's trying to cut costs across the government, the so-called department's expenses are ballooning.As Business Insider reports, DOGE's spending more than doubled from $6.75 million to $14.4 million between January 30 and February 8, according to its latest financial filings.While that's still quite a bit less than the roughly $60 million the Biden administration set aside for the United States Digital Services last year the department was reincarnated as DOGE it's nonetheless a sign that Musk is quickly racking up bills, despite employing underqualified high school grads, drug sellers, and racist shitposters.Meanwhile, according to DOGE's dubious back-of-the-envelope accounting, the department is purportedly saving the government "approx. $1 billion/day.""A good start, though this number needs to increase to > $3 billion/day," DOGE's official X account tweeted late last month.DOGE has gloated about canceling government subscriptions to news outlets and consulting contracts related to "executive coaching."But considering the mountain of legal complaints filed against the nascent entity, DOGE will likely have some much steeper bills to pay in the upcoming months and possibly years.In just a matter of weeks, Musk's group of young lackeys who have torn through sensitive data at lightning speeds without the necessary clearances have already amassed a litany of lawsuits from district judges, religious groups, teachers' unions, federal worker unions, the American Foreign Service Association, and 22 attorneys general, to name a few.And as plenty of experts have since pointed out, DOGE's indiscriminate combing through sensitive data is likelyillegal.Who will foot the bill for the ensuing legal challenges remains to be seen. Besides, we've already seen the Trump administration bristle at the legal blowback, with Trump accusing judges of "intolerable judicial overreach." If the judicial system will survive Musk's coup is also a hotly contested subject these days; Congress, meanwhile, has mostly sat on the sidelines.Apart from ballooning expenses, DOGE at least won't have to give the richest man in the world a paycheck, as BI points out, since he's a "special government employee."Share This Article

Crypto offers an extremely lucrative way of making money. It's also an easy way to get duped.Case in point: supporters of President Donald Trump who bought his meme coin, $Trump, amid a wave of enthusiasm preceding his inauguration.As , while a few cashed out in time to steal away with huge profits, the vast majority over 810,000 wallets were left holding the bag. Collectively, the unlucky suckers lost more than $2 billion after the price of the coin crashed.That said, just under 700,000 managed to cash out with a profit, fat or slim, totaling $6.6 billion. But a sizable chunk of that, about $699 million, was clinched by just 31 early investors.It appears that the house, as always, has won. According to Chainalysis data cited by the NYT, the Trump family and its partners made out with nearly $100 million in trading fees alone. Currently, the $Trump coin is at around $15, which isn't even a quarter of its $75 peak.Trump has been involved with crypto ventures in the past, like his foundering stablecoin project, World Liberty Financial. But as the NYT notes, this enterprise is the first time that the president and his family directly marketed a new crypto token to investors, with Trump advertising it on his personal X account.That the US President is so nakedly pushing dodgy tokens should be cause for alarm, especially because Trump has signaled his intent to deregulate the blockchain currency industry, vowing to make the US the "crypto capital of the planet." Trump has reportedly directed the Securities and Exchange Commission to ease back on crypto enforcement, while his right-hand man Elon Musk, himself involved in dodgy crypto maneuvering in the past, has mused about putting the US Treasury on the blockchain.If it wasn't clear already that Trump's ripping off his own supporters, an investigation into the $Trump coin transactions conducted by Nansen and Chainalysis at the NYT's request, makes the shady nature of the whole affair pretty clear.The $Trump token was created on the morning of January 17, just days before his inauguration, according to blockchain records, and would not be announced by Trump for another 12 hours.The biggest winner bought around $1.1 million worth of coins when it was priced at just 18 cents. After two days, they cashed out with a profit as high as $109 million. What a stroke of luck, right?Well, it turns out that the account behind that incredible investment was made a mere three hours before Trump launched his coin, which reeks of insider trading."The president is participating in shady crypto schemes that harm investors while at the same time appointing financial regulators who will roll back protections for victims and who may insulate him and his family from enforcement," Corey Frayer, who recently stepped down as crypto adviser to the SEC, told the NYT.Share This Article

We are seeking an experienced Senior Full Stack Software Engineer to join our engineering team. In this role, you will be instrumental in developing and enhancing our browser-based home design system, working across the entire technology stack to deliver powerful features that serve both designers and builders.Role OverviewWe are seeking an experienced Senior Full Stack Software Engineer to join our engineering team. In this role, you will be instrumental in developing and enhancing our browser-based home design system, working across the entire technology stack to deliver powerful features that serve both designers and builders.Core ResponsibilitiesArchitect and implement comprehensive product features using our modern technology stack (React, TypeScript, Node.js, Next.js, PostgreSQL)Drive technical development of key platform components, including:Advancing modeling capabilities for our browser-based CAD systemSophisticated product configuration tools for our sales platformProject management and coordination featuresCollaborate closely with product designers, architects, and CAD specialists to create intuitive and powerful solutionsEstablish and maintain high code quality standards through comprehensive testingProvide technical mentorship to junior engineers and contribute to team development initiativesRequired QualificationsProven track record of building and deploying consumer-facing web applicationsDeep expertise in TypeScript/JavaScript and proficiency with our technical stackDemonstrated ability to own features from conception through successful deploymentStrong communication skills with experience in remote work environmentsPortfolio of relevant projects demonstrating technical capabilities (via GitHub, personal website, or equivalent)Commitment to continuous learning and technical growthHigharc has been remote-first since our founding in 2018. We offer flexible hours so that you do your best work without missing out on life. Higharc offers competitive salaries with significant equity in a fast-growing, well-funded company. Personal healthiness is an important value for us - we provide comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with unlimited PTO, and meaningful maternity/paternity leave. You'll also have access to other big-company benefits like short and long-term disability plans and a 401k. Haven't worked remotely before? We provide a stipend to help you create the ideal home-office.Apply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now

It looks like a government watchdog may have been put on a chain, and some experts are worried what this could mean for financial protections.The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a government agency that oversees consumer financial services and products, was ordered to stop all work-related activities. Newly appointed acting director, Russell Vought, cut off the agency's funding and sent an email this weekend telling the staff not to issue any new rules and to cease all investigations.The website's homepage at consumerfinance.gov displayed a 404 error message. The agency's presence on social media was deleted after the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, gained access to the CFPB systems.In the past, President Donald Trump has been publicly critical of the CFPB and sought to limit the agency's power in his first term.The bureau was initially created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis with the mission of "enforcing federal consumer financial laws and protecting consumers." As of December 2024, the CFPB reported it had recovered up to $21 billion in compensation, debt cancellation and other forms of relief for American consumers.Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, one of the founders of CFPB, warned in a press release that because the agency was created by an act of Congress, the Trump administration can not legally eliminate it.But with funding strangled and the staff not allowed to work, the CFPB is essentially dismantled. What could that mean for consumers?"In the short term, the CFPB has a mechanism for submitting complaints about financial products or services, and companies would typically respond in 15 days," said credit card and personal finance expert Jason Steele. "But now it's unclear if this mechanism is still functioning. In the long term, it's also unclear how companies will respond without oversight or supervision."We'll break down how the bureau's dismantling could impact you and your finances.Why does the CFPB exist?The CFPB launched in 2011 as an independent financial regulatory enforcement and watchdog agency. Authorized by the DoddFrank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Congress established the independent bureau to address financial regulatory failures that were blamed for leading to the subprime mortgage crisis and subsequent 2008 Great Recession.In addition to overseeing adherence to financial regulations, the CFPB investigates consumer complaints into unfair or deceptive financial products or services and offers public-facing financial education and resources.Over the course of its 14-year history as an independent agency, the CFPB had often drawn the ire of Republican politicians and the financial industry who challenged the enforcement power of the bureau in court. In June 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the president could remove the CFPB director without cause, but that the agency and its funding were protected by laws that could only be rescinded by the legislative branch. A 2024 Supreme Court ruling upheld the constitutionality of the bureau's funding structure.What happens if the CFPB is eliminated?Even if the CFPB can't be legally eliminated, hampering the bureau's work could still have an impact on consumers who rely on the agency to protect them from fraud, financial abuse and predatory lenders.Rich Dubois, executive director of the National Consumer Law Center, decried the Trump administration's decision to impede the work of the CFPB."Financial companies have shown time and time again that they cannot police themselves," Dubois said in a recent press release. He cited several pending investigations affected by the shutdown, including a lawsuit alleging Zelle skipped safety features in its person-to-person payment service and a lawsuit against the credit bureau Experian over credit report errors.Relaxing regulations on banking industries could become important as the field grows more crowded. Buy now, pay later apps have grown in popularity, as have peer-to-peer payment services. Social media platform X, which is owned by Musk, recently announced it was partnering with Visa to create a payment platform.Is Trump targeting the FDIC next?There has been speculation that as part of its agenda to remove regulations, DOGE could undermine or dismantle the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation too. A recent government hiring freeze affected new hires at the FDIC, according to a Washington Post report.Created in the aftermath of the Great Depression to reassure Americans that banks were safe, the FDIC uses an industry-funded pool of money to cover losses in case of bank failures. Each depositor to a bank or credit union supported by the FDIC has their money insured up to $250,000 and this promise is backed by the US government."Unlike the CFPB, the FDIC has its own statutory power," said Bill Issac, former FDIC chairman. "It has a board of directors and its own funding from the banking industry. It would not be easy at all to dismantle the FDIC. And it would be a horrible move."Financial experts have warned that eliminating the FDIC could cause widespread disruption to the banking industry, potentially affecting not only consumer trust in financial institutions but also the value of the US dollar."If the FDIC is dismantled, all money in our banks would be at risk," Steele said.However, experts point out that for now, the FDIC remains in place, so bank deposits remain insured up to $250,000. If you bank with a federally insured credit union, your deposits are covered by the National Credit Union Administration.Related articlesHow Safe Are Banking Apps, Really?What Is FDIC Insurance and How Does It Work?Watch Out for These Devious Banking Scams

Looking for the most recent Strands answer?Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.I just love today's NYTStrandspuzzle, but then I am a child of the 1980s, and that's my music. Viewers of the infamous Sopranos series finale should also be able to ace this puzzle. If you need hints and answers, read on.I go into depth about therules for Strands in this story.If you're looking for today's Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visitCNET's NYT puzzle hints page.Read more:NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So FarHint for today's Strands puzzleToday's Strands theme is:Don't stop believin'If that doesn't help you, here's a clue: There is no South Detroit, but...Clue words to unlock in-game hintsYour goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle's theme. If you're stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:LONE, ROOK, DONE, MALL, TOLE, DOLL, NIGHT, TALL, TOLL, RAIN, ROLE, RONE, JOYSAnswers for today's Strands puzzleThese are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you've got all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:SMALL, TOWN, GIRL, TOOK, MIDNIGHT, TRAIN, LONELY, WORLDToday's Strands spangramToday's Strands spangram isJOURNEY.To find it, start with the J that's four letters down on the far-right row, and wind across. The completed NYT Strands puzzle for Feb. 12, 2025, #346. NYT/Screenshot by CNET

Alls fair in love andinterior design? For designers like Alvin Wayne, the two arent so different. Design is a lot like love, he says. It takes compromise, communication, and a shared vision to truly succeed.Of course, success is predicated on trust, which is why finding the right client is so akin to courtship. Working with couples often only augments this perception. That sparkjust like in the beginning of a romantic relationshipshould be there, says Rachel Sherman, founder and principal of Rachel Sloane Interiors. Both parties should be excited to meet, talk, and embark on the journey that is designing a home. (After all, as Nadia Conners stated in her recent AD home tour feature, Design and art are two of the great love languages.)Whether its a renovation or new build, flared emotions are pretty much guaranteed on residential projects. Luckily, designers are as versed in conflict resolution as they are in Revit. Its like 90% of my job, says Nicole Ficano, interior design director for AD PRO Directory firm Workshop/APD, especially with couples. Luckily, pros we spoke with were more than willing to share their advice for navigating thorny conversationsheres what they had to say.Adopt the Socratic methodMoney is a headache in any project, but simple functionality often ignites the most heated spats in home design. In terms of spatial layouts and how theyre going to live in a space, Ficano adds, thats typically where we find the most contention. Giselle Loor-Sugerman, cofounder of B+G Design in Miami, concurs. Most clients really have a hard time identifying their specific wants and needs because how can they know something they havent lived? she says. I try to help them and guide them by making decisions and prompting questions to help them think and communicate as a couple and as a family.The vision of a dream home is illustrated through some personal questions. When things get a little too personal, shifting from manager to intermediary requires quick thinking. Weve had clients flat out screaming and arguing in front of us, B+G cofounder Brett Sugerman says. There are times to step in and there are times to step back. For Loor-Sugerman, a decisive choice is sometimes all it takes to lower the heat. Ill be like, Well, you know what? If shes getting this, then you can have that, she adds.Lean into the power of listeningQuestions that lead you into trouble can also lead you out, but like any relationship, sometimes just being heard makes all the difference. Its almost like couples therapy, where youre trying to ask specific questions and hopefully get the same answer, Ficano says. A lot of it is just listening and hearing what each of them are saying and then offering a solution that will appease both of them.Seek out creative compromisesSensitivity to existing roles in the relationship can also be a simple shortcut toward making everybody happy. You can quickly assess the power dynamics at the core of the relationship and learn how to guide them together, says interior designer and master stager Jason Saft. One of the most valuable lessons in love Ive learned from navigating couples through the design process is the art of compromise.Middle ground is the best place to land after a lovers quarrel, but it can be just as rewarding for designers to arrive there too. Wayne recalls a disagreement he not only stewarded to compromise but turned into a novel design resolution. A couple just couldnt agree on light fixtures for the parlor level of their brownstone. We went through option after option, but there was always a divide: One preferred brass, the other was drawn to glass, he says. I proposed a solution: a fixture that combined both materials. To unify the space, I suggested we use the same fixture in the kitchen and living area. They loved it.And just like the most successful dynamics, it was a true partnership. Collaboration and a willingness to meet in the middle can create something truly beautiful, Wayne adds, whether in design or in love.APPLY NOWGrow your business with the AD PRO DirectoryArrow

Tech EXCLUSIVE: Hackers leak cop manuals for departments nationwide after breaching major provider Critics accuse the company of wielding outsized private influence on public policing. (Licensed)Hackers leaked thousands of files from Lexipol, a Texas-based company that develops policy manuals, training bulletins, and consulting services for first responders.Featured VideoThe manuals, which are crafted by Lexipols team of public sector attorneys, practitioners, and subject-matter experts, are customized to align with the specific needs and local legal requirements of agencies across the country.But the firm also faces criticism for its blanket approach to police policies and pushback on reforms.The data, a sample of which was given to the Daily Dot by a group referring to itself as the puppygirl hacker polycule, includes approximately 8,543 files related to training, procedural, and policy manuals, as well as customer records that contain names, usernames, agency names, hashed passwords, physical addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers.AdvertisementAmong the manuals seen by the Daily Dot, agencies include police departments, fire departments, sheriffs offices, and narcotics units. Lexipol says on its website that it also provides services to private and public EMS, district and states attorneys, city jails, probation departments, juvenile detention facilities, campus law enforcement, tribal police, risk management associations, state regulatory agencies, and more.The full dataset was provided by the hackers to DDoSecrets, the non-profit journalist and data leak hosting collective, which notes that Lexipol retains copyright over all manuals which it creates despite the public nature of its work.There is little transparency on how decisions are made to draft their policies, the non-profit said, which have an oversized influence on policing in the United States.AdvertisementSome departments proactively publish their policy manuals online, while others keep them hidden from public view. One of the leaked manuals seen by the Daily Dot from the Orville Police Department in Ohio, for example, was not available online. Yet a nearly identical manual from Ohios Beachwood Police Department can be found on the citys website.The manuals cover matters ranging from the use of force and non-lethal alternatives to rules surrounding confidential informants and high-speed chases. Given Lexipols status as a private company, the widespread adoption of such manuals has led to concerns over its influence on public policing policies. The centralization, critics argue, could result in standardized policies that do not accurately represent the needs or values of local communities.As noted by the Texas Law Review, although there are other private, nonprofit, and government entities that draft police policies, Lexipol is now a dominant force in police policymaking across the country.AdvertisementLexipol has also been criticized for its resistance to police reform. The companys manuals often exclude reform proposals such as requiring de-escalation and prohibitions on chokeholds.In remarks to the Daily Dot, a hacker from the puppygirl hacker polycule said the group targeted Lexipol because there arent enough hacks against the police.So we took matters into our own paws, the hacker said.Founded by two former police officers-turned-lawyers in 2003, Lexipol has increased its customer base significantly over the years. The company has also caught the attention of civil liberties groups that have accused Lexipol of helping violent officers evade justice by crafting policies that provide broad discretion in use-of-force situations.AdvertisementThe company has been accused of discriminatory profiling as well. In 2017, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sent a letter to Lexipol demanding that it eliminate illegal and unclear directives that can lead to racial profiling and harassment of immigrants.The policies include guidelines that are unconstitutional and otherwise illegal, and can lead to improper detentions and erroneous arrests, the ACLU said at the time, highlighting directives Lexipol issued cops that indicated they had more leeway to arrest immigrants than the law allowed.The following year, the ACLU of Washington asserted that Lexipols policies led an officer in the city of Spokane to unlawfully detain and hold the victim of a car wreck to be questioned by immigration authorities.The Daily Dot reached out to Lexipol to inquire about the breach but did not receive a reply by press time.AdvertisementInternet culture is chaoticbut well break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dots web_crawlr newsletterhere. Youll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.

More than 100 current and former federal workers have sued Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency agency he runs for allegedly accessing highly sensitive personnel records without proper vetting or authorization, according to a new federal lawsuit filed Tuesday. The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York by 104 workers along with various unions representing government workers. The plaintiffs are asking for the governments main HR agency, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), to cut off access to DOGE and its agents.OPM Defendants gave DOGE Defendants and DOGEs agents many of whom are under the age of 25 and are or were until recently employees of Musks private companies administrative access to OPM computer systems, without undergoing any normal, rigorous national-security vetting, the lawsuit reads.The complaint names Elon Musk, DOGE, the OPM, and current OPM director Charles Ezell as defendants. The lawsuit alleges that DOGE obtaining OPM records violated the Privacy Act, which prohibits improper access to personal data, including across federal agencies.The Privacy Act makes it unlawful for OPM Defendants to hand over access to OPMs millions of personnel records to DOGE Defendants, who lack a lawful and legitimate need for such access, the complaint alleges. No exception to the Privacy Act covers DOGE Defendants access to records held by OPM.The lawsuit says DOGEs agents were not government employees at the time they received access to OPM computer networks. It calls out 19-year-old DOGE worker Edward Coristine, who reportedly went by Big Balls online, for being fired from a cybersecurity firm after an internal probe into data leaks during his employment.The suit also alleges that DOGEs access to federal worker data could spark harmful professional consequences for them, noting that Musk and President Trump have threatened to fire employees viewed as disloyal. Disclosure of their financial data could also expose the workers to hacking by criminals and foreign actors, the complaint says.The lawsuit comes amid growing controversy over DOGEs access to sensitive government data as the agency begins instituting mass layoffs and other reforms across the federal government.The lawsuit is focused on getting an injunction to cut off that access, but is just phase one before a class action lawsuit, a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Victoria Noble, told WIRED.DOGE, Musk, and OPM did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Founders Fund is on track to conclude fundraising of its third growth fund at the end of March, according to people close to the firm. The Peter Thiel-founded outfit is raising $3 billion, a source told TechCrunch and Axios also reported. The fund, which is intended primarily for additional investments in its successful late-stage portfolio companies, is expected to be significantly oversubscribed.Founders Funds previous $3.4 billion growth fund closed in early 2022 and is fully invested in companies like Rippling, which raised $200 million in April. Founders Fund is also leading Andurils newest raise, on track to be an up to $2.5 billion round at a valuation of $28 billion, CNBC reported. Sources confirmed to TechCrunch that its share will be the largest check Founders Fund has ever written. Its unclear whether the firms reported $1 billion investment in Anduril would be out of that 2022 $3.4 billion fund.The firm will not be raising a ninth core fund for early-stage companies because it was essentially already raised three years ago. Founders Fund reportedly slashed the size of its eighth venture capital fund of about $1.8 billion in half in 2023, Axios reported. The remaining $900 million was pushed into the firms core ninth fund.Thats one reason why theres so much excitement for this new growth fund. While most multi-stage venture firms are raising larger funds, or at least trying to maintain their peak ZIRP-era sizes, Founders Fund is limiting its fund sizes.Investors have reason to want in. Founders Fund has an enviable portfolio of growth companies which not only includes Anduril and SpaceX but Stripe, OpenAI, and Figma.Founders Fund declined to comment.

Besides box office glory, the next best thing for studios is awards season recognition, which explains why as soon as voting begins, contributions from VFX supervisors, animation supervisors, and all manner of digital artists are no longer kept hidden in dark closets; breakdown reels magically appear online. In 2024, most media soothsayers didnt register the latest version of a famous kaiju on their radar, let alone as a serious contender for anything except puzzled eyebrows. But their clairvoyant skills took a serious radioactive heat ray blast when Godzilla Minus One took home the Best Visual Effects Oscar, the first non-English film to win the award and only the second time a director was honored as a member of the visual effects team. This year, the five nominees for VFX Oscar gold at the 97th Annual Academy Awards are all in the hunt; any could win without too much hand wringing. However, one surprising omission was Ridley Scotts epic, Gladiator II, which among its digital trickery cleverly utilized SPMTs (Self-Propelled Modular Transporter) on naval battles to transport and choreograph ships on land before later adding CG water.Heres this years breakdown congrats to all the nominees: Every year theres always an outlier; this time its Better Man, which reimagines British popstar Robbie Willliams as a chimpanzee dealing with the pitfalls of fame and struggles to overcome mental illness. Alien: Romulus is the latest entry in the Academy Award-winning Alien franchise. Fede lvarezs sci-fi horror thriller bridges the narrative gap between the revered contributions of Scott and James Cameron. Another film hoping to achieve its predecessors awards success is Denis Villeneuves Dune: Part Two, which amps up the action sequences and adapts the signature sandworm-riding moment from Frank Herberts seminal book. Given that there are only two human characters cast against an impressive lineup of CG primates all delivering spoken dialogue in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, one wonders if the moment has finally arrived to reward the latest prequel in the venerable franchise. However, there is the distinct possibility that a song and dance routine will take center stage March 2 at the Dolby Theatre as Jon M. Chus juggernaut Wicked has everything from talking CG creatures to immense fantasy landscapes and epic musical numbers.To get a better understanding of what captured the attention of the voting members of the Visual Effects Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, here are work summaries for each of the nominees. Alien: RomulusEric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane MahanNarratively set between Alien and Aliens, the nineth installment of the sci-fi franchise took advantage of miniatures, animatronics, stop-motion animation and digital effects. The mantra was to capture as much in-camera so to embody the spirit of the first two films. However, thats not to say that CG was in short supply, especially when dealing with zero-G, multiple facehuggers running along spaceship floors, and plenty of rampaging xenomorphs. Machine learning was used to recreate actor Ian Holm, who played a generic android science officer in the original film. One major action sequence that brought all the departments together happens inside of an elevator shaft, where practical sets and CG atmospherics sold the idea of a zero-G environment while several shots involved shifting between live-action Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) to CG Carradine and CG xenomorph back to the live-action Carradine. Miniatures were used in depicting the exterior Corbelan IV spaceship and probe shots as they informed the painting and finishing details of the CG versions. One of the most complicated effects to achieve were the planetary rings of LV-410; the rings of Saturn were used as reference. https://www.facebook.com/ILMVFX/videos/alien-romulus-breakdown/861440499302460/ - (couldnt get it to play nice with our article) Better ManLuke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter StubbsSole vendor Wt FX has established an international reputation for producing photorealistic and believable digital primates. But in this case, rather than translating a human performance into its animalistic equivalent, it was more about having a chimpanzee act like a human. Robbie Williamss physical traits were incorporated into his ape persona, such as his peroxide blonde dyed hair that was also shaved to create tattoos. In the end, three different aged versions of the popstar had to be created, using motion capture as a starting point, ultimately attired in 226 costumes and had 50 different hair styles. Several complex musical numbers were choreographed; the most complicated involved two separate locations, five digital costume changes, and 500 dancers for a oner that stitched together 5,334 frames. 2,000 extras were augmented with 108,000 crowd agents for the reenactment of the Knebworth Park concert, followed by full CG shots that take place underwater where he battles 110,000 past versions of himself. New technology was developed that allowed the visual effects pipeline to receive data files from concert stage lightboards so that the lighting setup could be accurately emulated digitally. Dune: Part TwoPaul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd NefzerThe overall mantra on the film was to treat the visuals individually when deciding what techniques should be deployed to achieve them. For three months, a splinter unit was devoted to executing the maiden sandworm ride of Paul Atreides (Timothe Chalamet); this iconic moment from the book had to live-up to fan expectations. And when weather conditions hampered shooting, that same splinter unit was also responsible for capturing footage that involved CG blood flows combined with a prosthetic baby in a tank to create Alia Atreides, who had been genetically impacted by her mother drinking the Water of Life. Another signature element were the Fremen characters blue eyes, courtesy of their spice consumption. Machine learning improved efficiency of the effect, allowing it to be applied to more shots.To help ensure proper lighting conditions that could be copied in post-production, sand-colored and black screens were used provide the correct bounce light and shading conditions for sequences such the Harvester Attack. For the nuclear explosion, creating the desired background mayhem meant a substantial amount of digital crowd running had to be motion captured and simulated. A 35-second all-digital sequence required motion capture performances of Fremen and Harkonnen fighting each other, concluding with a live-action shot of Chani (Zendaya) turning to watch the Imperial Tent explode. Kingdom of the Planet of the ApesErik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney BurkeThis storied franchise has come a long way since the days of Charleton Heston and Roddy MacDowell. Building off their technical achievements on Avatar: The Way of Water, Wt FX made good use of stereo facial cameras to create a 3D depth mesh of an actors face, which better captures their facial nuances. The other element taken from the Avatar sequel were the water simulations that play a pivotal role in several key action set within a river and a flooded silo. The film upped the VFX difficulty by significantly increasing the amount of dialogue spoken by the digital primates; the orangutan Raka (Peter Macon) was quite the chatterbox.There are only two human characters in the film; most of the principal cast consists of CG creatures. A Simulcam system was developed that enabled live playback of the motion capture actors as simple 3D apes, which guided the framing and composition of shots. Unreal Engine assisted in mapping out scenes and environments. Decommissioned coal factories and power plants were turned into ruined structures nearly engulfed by Mother Nature. Even though production employed a greenery department, the vegetative overgrowth had to be digitally augmented and extended to achieve the desired scope. Other animals enjoying significant screen time were the iconic birds of the Eagle Clan. Producing the majestic raptors pushed the studios feather system to the limits. The protagonist Noa (Owen Teague) originally resembled Caesar, so the actors motion-captured asymmetric physical traits were emulated as well as his mannerisms, like way he moved his limps to indicate frustration or apprehension. WickedPablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul CorbouldEmbracing the Old Hollywood tradition of massive physical sets was critical to the design and execution of the films complicated musical numbers. Multiple numbers required hundreds of performers onstage together. Among the films many practical accomplishments were Emerald City, Emerald City Express, a rotating library, a mechanical head representing the Wizard of Oz, and 9 million tulips. However, numerous CG set extensions were still needed to help sell the desired scope and scale for environments. One of the films major challenges was to make magic elements, like a glowing book, look fantastical without appearing cartoony. Everything had to grounded in something that look realistic. When it came to the flying monkeys or the goat professor, Doctor Dillamond, nuanced motion capture performances had to be retained while not breaking away from the fact that the characters were CG animals, not humans.One of the films signature moments is when Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) flies in the Defying Gravity sequence. Visual effects worked closely with the stunt department to get the right center of gravity, proper lighting, and actor movements. Elphabas green prosthetic make-up was digitally enhanced to ensure continuity from shot to shot. And when it came to showing the origin of the Tin Man and Scarecrow, character transformations employed a combination of prosthetic and digital effects. Trevor Hogg is a freelance video editor and writer best known for composing in-depth filmmaker and movie profiles for VFX Voice, Animation Magazine, and British Cinematographer.