The VFX Process Podcast #68 | Making an animated film solo with no prior Blender experience, Dave Brain shares his journey, challenges, and how he’s learning by doing. WANT EXCLUSIVE CONTENT? BECOME A MEMBER: TVFXP NEWSLETTER - If you enjoyed this video, check out the latest episodes of The VFX Process Podcast: The VFX Process... Getting Intimate With Your Industry! Subscribe for more behind-the-scenes looks at the world of animation, VFX and filmmaking. Don't forget to like, share, and leave your questions and comments below! @thevfxprocess?sub_confirmation=1 🎙️ EXTENDED VERSION AVAILABLE AS A PODCAST: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In this inspiring interview, we sit down with Dave Brain — a hospital administrator and freelance VFX artist diving headfirst into Blender filmmaking with his incredibly ambitious animated short, Kosmic Kidnap. With zero prior experience in Blender, Dave created his first character five years ago, then decided to go all in on the film two years ago, working on it in his spare time. Kosmic Kidnap is a sci-fi adventure being created entirely in Blender, and Dave is doing it all solo — writing, animating, editing, and rendering — learning as he goes. Six months ago, he started sharing his progress across platforms under the name "Dave Makes a Movie", documenting every step of the process and offering valuable insights for anyone curious about how to make a film in Blender. Whether you're a Blender beginner, a solo creator, or just fascinated by indie animation, this interview is packed with real talk about the challenges, tools, mindset, and breakthroughs of making a movie from scratch. 📌 Topics Covered: How Dave Brain started making a movie with no animation experience The tools and workflow behind Kosmic Kidnap The reality of solo animated filmmaking using Blender Growing an online audience by sharing the filmmaking journey Advice for beginners who want to make their first animated film KOSMIC KIDNAP TRAILER: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONNECT & SUPPORT DAVE: @davebrainvfx ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH US: @thevfxprocess ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ⏰TIMECODES⏰ 00:00 - INTRO TO DAVE 03:10 - PROJECT: KOSMIC KIDNAP 06:12 - PLANNING A PROJECT SOLO 09:10 - ADVANTAGES OF BLENDER AS A FIRST TIME USER 10:19 - WHY I'M ANIMATING THE BORING STUFF FIRST 12:55 - SOLO FILMMAKING & IMPOSTER SYNDROME 18:32 - ANIMATION & RIGGING 19:52 - WHY THE VISUAL STYLE CHANGES THROUGHOUT 21:46 - FILE & PROJECT MANAGEMENT IS IMPORTANT 23:39 - SUPPORT DAVE'S JOURNEY 25:25 - HOW TO FIND THE TIME TO START AN ANIMATED FILM 29:15 - QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MUSIC: Motion Array - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🎥 Check out our recommended PODCAST GEAR here: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is NOT sponsored. some product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we will receive a small commission. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- #blender #filmmaking #vfx #animation #film #visualisation #vfxpodcast #animationpodcast #b3d #blendercommunity #thevfxprocess #3dartist #preproduction #filmindustry #3dshorts #blenderworkflow #blender3d