Last October, Washington filmmaker Tim Everitt gave an excellent FMI Happy Hour presentation full of insider tips about how to have great visual effects in an independent movie. If you missed the talk, you can now find it online, thanks to The Seattle Film Institute. Everitt’s presentation focuses on getting that “Hollywood Look” using simple visual FX treatments that every filmmaker should be implementing. At the risk of his own career, he spills the beans on quick and easy ways to polish a film at any budget level, including techniques from his work on big budget productions like The Last Samurai starring Tom Cruise.

Everitt is an award-winning motion picture writer, director, cinematographer, and animator. He has served as a visual effects artist and lead animator on major Hollywood films including Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Collateral Damage, Holes, and many others. Currently he owns Seattle-based Tim Everitt Productions, which is actively creating projects for motion pictures, commercials, and new forms of interactive media. You can learn more about his work here.

Film + Music + Interactive Happy Hours return this month on Wednesday January 29 with ‘What’s All This About Games?’ Brian Schmidt is one of the true pioneers of the game audio industry. The 2008 recipient of the Game Audio Network Guild’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Brian has been creating game music, sounds, and cutting edge technology since 1987 for companies such as Electronic Arts, Microsoft, and Capcom. He will be covering the ways that working on games is different from film/T.V./music, including “interactive sounds,” game music, and the sound business climate. Make sure to join us at the Spitfire in Seattle for this informative, fun, and casual networking event.