2012
Chasing Ice (Documentary) (look development: Bloom Animation)
Initial development on motion graphics sequences to explain ice core drilling
2006
Pulse (digital artist: The Orphanage)
Freelance Technical Director, lighting, compositing and creature effects
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (digital effects artist)
Lighting, Look Development and Technical Direction on Kraken tentacles, lighting on henchmen battle sequences
2005
The Island (digital effects artist)
Lighting and Look Development on Scarlett Johanssen and Ewan McGregor digital doubles
Herbie Fully Loaded (digital effects artist)
Lighting and Look Development on photorealistic CGI NASCAR vehicles
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (digital effects artist)Lighting and particle effects work on Mustafar Light Sabre battle sequence
Son of the Mask (sequence supervisor)
Sequence Supervisor: Digital CGI baby in yellow outfit, area lighting development, skin and cotton cloth shader development
2004
Van Helsing (digital effects artist)
Lighting and Technical Direction on various Vampire Bride and Werewolf shots; digital lightning effects for Frankenstein’s lab and vampire eggsacks; facial acid-melting effects for vampire bride; digital jaw replacement for Dracula black and white sequence.
2003
Dreamcatcher (CG artist: ILM)
Various red mist particle effects, dreamcatcher symbol appearing in smoke effects
2002
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (computer graphics artist: ILM)
Set decoration, fake radiosity lighting and particle effects for digital quidditch “trench” sequence. Entire trench surrounding the quidditch pitch was synthetic. Fake radiosity technique developed by Kevin Sprout.
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (sequence supervisor and development lead: ILM)
Developed lighting and supervised other Technical Directors on Anakin and Amidala shots on the conveyor belts and in other Droid Factory environments. Developed lighting and supervised other Technical Directors on shots in the End Battle sequence.
2001
Planet of the Apes (computer graphic artist: ILM)
Helped develop “space anomaly” effect and created three shots in the sequence. Director Tim Burton finalled my master shot on its first take, the only time that’s ever happened to me!
The Mummy Returns (sequence supervisor)
Sequence Supervisor: Look Development on jungle being uprooted and sucked into the pyramid. Look Development on volumetric black smoke with face. Converted original shaders to use new Ambient Occlusion technique for lighting Imhotep creature. Particle sand and leaf effects for pyramid destruction sequence. (Ambient Occlusion developed by Hayden Landis for Pearl Harbor.)
2000
The Perfect Storm (digital effects artist)
Every TD did research and development on their own shots based on specifics of wave height and sequence action. Every shot involved multiple shaders, simulations, and particle render passes, and various degrees of compositing live-action elements. One of my shots was the “killer” 200 foot wave the first time the doomed crew see it!
1999
Galaxy Quest (sequence supervisor)
Best project ever! Sequence Supervisor on creating the Rock Monster. Developed particle techniques for emitting dust, sand and rock chips based on magnitude of internal collision of boulders making up his body, developed technique of cracking desert floor from the impact of his footsteps. Supervised team of lighting and particle effects TD’s for consistency across various shots in the sequence.
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (digital effects artist: ILM)
Uh-oh. Lighting and compositing of digital Jar Jar Binks into plates from the set. One shot shows Jar Jar sleeping with feet up on the table while Amidala walks around him.
The Mummy (CG sequence supervisor: ILM)
Sequence Supervisor: Look Development and Lighting of Scarab beetles. Developed particle techniques and rules for swarming of scarabs without interpenetration. Modified shaders to create iridescence effect for shells of the bugs. Spec code for creating specific effects and orienting bugs properly on surfaces. Lit, rendered and composited key shots in the sequence. Supervised development of technique for bugs appearing under the skin of live-action characters. (TD and coding help from Indira Guerrierri and Erik Krumrey)
1998
Deep Impact (digital effects artist: ILM)
Look Development for Comet Explosion shots to save the Earth. Multiple texture mapping and particle-based techniques for blowing up the rock and emitting gasses in layers from the comet vapor. (Technical Direction assistance from Joel Aron.)
1997
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (digital effects artist)
Lighting and particle effects on T-Rex shots in residential San Diego near swimming pool. Lighting and rack-focus effects on shots where mama T-Rex teaches baby T-Rex how to kill the bad guy lawyer.
1996
101 Dalmatians (digital artist: ILM)
Digital snow and slush effects done with particles interacting with CGI dogs. Lighting and compositing on shot in library featuring more than 20 CGI dogs interacting seamlessly with more than 30 real live-action dogs.
Twister (digital effects artist)
Various digital F-5 tornado shots, various debris shots, including sequence where CGI antenna tower crashes through the windshield of the bad guy’s car.
1995
Jumanji (computer graphics artist: ILM)
Look Development, lighting and compositing on the digital monkeys in the kitchen establishing shot. Lighting, compositing and some animating on the shot where a vine comes out of the woods, crushes the police car and drags it away.
1994
Stargate (digital effects artist – uncredited)
Look Development and creation of morphing technique for the Horus and Anubis helmet morph shots. Helped crew the production, decide on software and hardware, and set up the physical office and production facility, helped recover the facility following the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Trained crew to use Elastic Reality software for helmet morph shots. Kleiser/Walczak Productions.
1993
Secrets of the Luxor Pyramid (visual effects artist)
Visual Effects Supervisor for one of three futuristic film venues for the Luxor Hotel when it opened in October 1993. Supervised VFX shots for VistaVision venue with camera mounted sideways to create 70 foot tall vertical screen. Rendered sideways at 4K resolution at 48 fps. Wrote code for skinning models with nurbs patches. Look Development on numerous flying vehicles, particle smoke trails, and miniature digital humans used to populate the practical set model. Kleiser/Walczak Productions for legendary filmmaker and visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull.