Avatar - Lead, Virtual Art Department

The Virtual Art Department on Avatar was the first of its kind. Low resolution virtual environments were created in 3d using Lightwave, Maya, and Motion Builder to allow the director to shoot with the actors in real time inside of a completely 3d world.

II led a team of three to create fully realized environments for real time use on the shooting stage. Sometimes the environments were inspired by concept art and sometimes only by brief director sketches. A few environments that I am especially proud of include the Thanator chase and the floating moutains approach where Jake first rides his banshee.

Working on set meant close interaction with the director, James Cameron, and the ability to adapt sets under pressure with extreme deadlines.

Director's Layout (DLO) TD Supervisor

In many motion capture films the director works on the soundstage with the actors, locks in a great performance, and then can return later to create amazing camera work. This is one of the huge benefits of the medium. This step, at ImageMovers Digital, is called Director's Layout.

As supervisor of the DLO TDs, I led a team of eight to integrate sets and motion capture data into a form where the director could create his vision. Working inside MotionBuilder the shots can be sculpted in any way the director chooses, performances adjusted, sets redesigned, and effects designed. Once the vision is complete the camera team can pick up the files and shoot real-time cameras with the director using the Intersense system.

I was also responsible for writing a MotionBuilder render farm and for writing various tools in Python to help the entire Layout team become more efficient.

A Christmas Carol - Director's Layout TD

As a Director's Layout TD on A Christmas Carol I created scenes for use in Motion Builder, combining motion capture performances with low resolution sets. I worked very closely with Robert Zemeckis to help create his vision. Emphasis was placed on speed and ability to understand the director's vision.

Working closely with the Director's Layout Artists and the Director of Photography gave me a greater understanding of the process of filmmaking.

II worked on almost every shot in the movie in some capacity. You can view the trailer below.

The Guardian - Water Effects Artist

For The Guardian I created water effects using both Lightwave and RealFlow. The neverending and unquiet seas of both the fishing boat and cargo boat sequences were created by the team at Flash Film Works and I was very happy to have been a part of that team.

In Lightwave we used animated texture displacements and procedurals to create the mounding waves. RealFlow was also used to create surface splashes and interactions with the boats.

Much of my work can be seen in the trailer below.

Fusion CIS - Real Flow Artist

II worked with the team at Fusion CIS to create a series of commercials for Campbell's soups. This was where I first began to learn Python scripting. RealFlow was used to create liquid surfaces as well as splashes as the noodles played around in their broth.