In preparation for Skynet's apocalyptic assault--the opening of Terminator Salvation on May 21--Fast Company is preparing its own onslaught of exclusive material, starting with this clip of director McG and Special Effects Supervisor John Rosengrant. In it, McG talks about what he shares in common with Shaun White, Seth MacFarlane, the Google founders and Bill Gates.

Stay tuned in the weeks ahead as we reveal McG's formula for creating believable digital effects (it's not all about the pixels), detail how FX legend Stan Winston managed to extend his life beyond his death in June, and show the real world inspiration for the movie's cruel, relentless steel death bots. We're still trying to figure out the animatronic head shown in this photo, though. What is it? Leave your ideas in the comments below.