PROJECTS
Intercept
A high-tech thief and his companion, a robotic canine, attempt a dangerous heist.
Intercept is a sci-fi short film that I have been working on as an independent project. I developed the concept for the short, then planned and executed the principal photography with a small group of student volunteer crew and actors. I am responsible for virtually all aspects of production and VFX work.
One of the primary focuses of the VFX is the Dog. As a fully CG character being integrated in live action, this required a high level of detail and fidelity.
The Dog is a stealth and reconnaissance robot, recovered and repaired by the Thief. The goal of the design was to create a model that felt sufficiently complex as to seem realistically functional while conveying the visually recognizable characteristics of a Siberian Husky. I worked through numerous iterations of the various mechanical structures to flesh out the character design, then modeled, rigged, and textured the final asset.
A goal of this project was also to create a practical context for exploring a variety of effects. These range from physically-based simulations, such as smoke, pyrotechnics, destruction, and cloth, to more artistically-motivated stylized FX, such as energy-based weapons and shields, holographic projections, and a teleportation portal.
In addition I’ve worked on animation, lighting, rendering, and compositing in order to realistically integrate the VFX work with the live-action footage. On the technical side, I’ve developed workflow/pipeline tools and plugins for managing assets, rendering, and various other tasks.
Intercept is currently in post-production.
Fall Nights In China Grove
Directed by Horace PriesterA teenager finds new friends in a small town, while trying to escape a life of crime.
I was responsible for simulated effects, such as environmental dirt and dust, to augment setpieces. I performed screen replacement for a drive-in theater scene, as well as for minor elements such as cell phone displays. For two football game scenes I tracked shots and generated crowd elements to populate the stands. Additionally I completed assorted compositing tasks such as procedural color correction to match bruising makeup between scenes, adding carved names to the surface of a prop, and covering up equipment that was accidentally visible in frame.
rats
Competition leads to disaster for two rats left alone in space.
This project was a student studio, small-team production of a short animated scene, with a goal of photoreal art design and a concise narrative. It was accomplished under constraints of a tight timeframe and limited resources.
I was the lead artist for look development, layout, animation, and compositing. I also contributed to story design, character and prop modeling, rigging, shading, lighting, and rendering. In addition to artistic work, I developed custom workflow and pipeline tools (both as scripts and plugins), and provided technical support.
The Letters That Guided Us
Directed by Horace PriesterA short film about a young soldier returning from war, and the events that shaped his relationship with his father.
I was responsible for numerous VFX tasks on this project, such as an assortment of effects for a combat scene, sky replacement, various background alterations involving tracking and replacement, and miscellaneous cleanup.
For a more detailed overview of my work on this project, check out the breakdown on my reels page.
Rift
Immersed in VR, a gamer battles his way through different video game genres.
This project was a live-action VFX short production by a small student team. While I was primarily responsible for motion graphics, compositing, and editing some sequences, I was also involved in many other tasks, as the entire production involved tight collaboration across all areas.
Tia
Directed by Horace PriesterA young woman double-crosses a criminal organization in search of her mother.
For this short film, I was responsible for various compositing tasks including screen replacement, chroma key work, and assorted background alterations and cleanup.
Other Projects
Design, motion graphics, animation, and effects for short infographic & promotional work.