Vaughn and I were on a Cruise Trek in Hawaii in 2004. I had picked up a small electric ukulele in Honolulu and showed it to Vaughn. He talked me into performing with him on the cruise. We spent some time in our stateroom practicing and played for the cruise trek fans one night. We had a good time. I think Vaughn started putting the band together after that and asked me to join. It has been a blast.

When and how did you learn to play the guitar?

I started playing guitar when I was in high school many years ago. In California Surfing was really big at the time and surf music was very popular locally. I picked up my first guitar and have been playing in from then on. Mostly surf but some other stuff too. I have only played to entertain myself and don't claim to be a great musician. Just something I like to have fun with. Oh, and I love guitars, I own many. Some would say I have GAS. (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome)

You obviously love Surf music, who are your influences?

There are many great surf guitarists. For me Dick Dale was the greatest influence. Dick influenced many artists that went on to become quite famous. Jimi Hendrix to name only one. Dick is a left-hander like Hendrix and he plays a right-handed guitar, which makes the strings upside down. There are others such as Paul Johnson and Ron Eglett. And groups like Surfaris, Chantays, Astronauts and many more. More modern groups like the Blue Hawaiians and Red Elvises. Check them out. Oh, and I managed to get two Dick Dale songs into an episode of Voyager.

Can you describe the process of creating special effects?

Big question. Basically, it starts when I am given a script. I read the script figure out what I think the effects are and figure out ways I could do them. Then I would meet with the director and producers, and anyone else that might be involved such as stunts, art director etc. We would lock down what will be the effects and I will budget them out. More meeting where they say it costs too much and we will go back and fourth for a while finally settling on a number. Then I will figure out how I can do it for the money they are going to give me. The next step is being on the set while they are shooting effects shots. Usually the money the producers have giving me will determine what can be done when shooting. Something that seems simple like moving a camera a certain way can make a shot cost many times more. It would be my job to see that they get the best shot they can for the money. Of course I always want to give the director what he wants and will do all I can to make it happen. After shooting the show is edited and I will work with the editor on the effects sequences because sometimes they are complex due to many elements and they don't always look right at that point. Finally, I will work with artists to see that all the parts come together as planned or better.

How did you get into Special Effects?

I got my degree in motion picture production and also studied electronics and video. I was working in electronics in San Diego making television cameras when I decided it was time to do what I had always wanted to do so I found a job in Hollywood driving for a visual effects company and managed to work my way up from there. I was employed by Paramount during the Trek years and have worked for many different facilities over the years. Dan Curry, one of the most talented artists I have knows, and I had a corporation for a while were we did work on commercials, TV shows a Michael Jackson music video and some other things.

And you have won five Emmy Awards for Visual and Special effects?

It is important to know that as a VFX supervisor, I get credited with a lot of really cool work but really there are many people that make it work. We have always tried to take as many with us as possible to get Emmys and the like but always many get left out. It is to all these people that I owe so much to and wish could share all the good things that have come out of the work.

Who have been your favourite people to work with?

Some of the artists I have worked with have really been the best. Most you wouldn't know but people like Dan Curry and Paul Hill just to name a couple have made my life easier and much more fun. There have been actors that have really made a difference it doing what I do. LeVar, Wil, Michael Dorn, Scott, George Takei were more than just people I work with but very special people I consider friends and would do anything for them. This is not to say there were not others, I worked with some very talented people and have enjoyed working with them, but these have gone above and beyond.

What has been your most challenging projects to date, and why?

Challenging goes with rewarding. Mine was 'The Boy Who Could Fly'. It was a fun movie to work. I was working at BOSS films run by Richard Edlund and after working on 'Ghostbusters' and '2010', I moved into the position of Visual Effects Editor. Boy was one of my first in this position and was challenging due to the large amount of cloud tank photography that was done for one of the flying sequences. I had a lot of creative input to the show and the art direction was a dream to work with. The director and producers were really super and with time, I was really proud of the final product.

How do you see the future of the visual effects industry?

CGI has taken the industry by storm. It has changed everything. I feel that perhaps it has good beyond where it is needed and become the major factor in most motion pictures and in television. I hope that it will return to being just another tool and more attention will be given to some of the older processes that can still add much to a picture. I see some films and feel just over run with the CG work. It almost always stands out as such and it can grow tiresome. Of course, it is going to continue as a major tool but I hope that in the future we see it used where it is needed and traditional effects used more where they work best.

You worked on Star Trek for many years - what are your strongest memories of that time?

Many years. 18, but who is counting? My strongest memories will be the fine people I worked with. There were quite a few people that worked with me for the entire run. We were a family and I miss them more than you can know. Of course, the casts were great but we had several casts. The crew is my family. Every time I run into them it is like a reunion. Working at Warner Brothers on both Rush Hour 3 and Moonlight was amazing. I could not believe how many of the Trek people I ran into. Actors, Directors, Producers and other crew members. It was really great. On top of that, Warners has always been one of my favorite studios. Probably because I visited there a number of times while I was in school.

You have done the Visual Effects for the fan-based Star Trek project, New Voyages. Can you tell us more about this, and what made you want to get involved?

Funny, just before I got to this question I was on the phone with James Cawley who plays Kirk in the New Voyages episodes. He is putting the final touches on Blood and Fire, which is in post production. I hope to help them out with this. Great episode. I say some of the early shows and was amazed at what they were doing with no money. I know some people that were involved and expressed an interest in helping. When the episode came along with George Takei, I had to be involved. I think so much of George and wanted to work with him again. Sadly, I couldn't do as much for them as I would have liked but I did what I could. Blood and Fire is a two-part episode! And if you haven't seen 'World Enough and Time' you really must, I think it is an excellent episode.

What projects are you currently working on?

Thank you so much to Ron for these fascinating answers. Enjoy Hawaii!