David Michan

Artist Spotlight

David Michan

Compositor | Lost Boys Alumni 2019

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anything on the image can be changed and manipulated.

- David Michan

What inspired you to pursue VFX/Compositing?

Before coming to study at LBS, I was directing TV Series for NBC Universal-Telemundo Network, and most of our productions required a certain level of complex shots that went from building big stages to high action scenes. Most of the time, we spent a lot of money building this big scenario and doing all the practical special effects on set, which are sometimes very time-consuming, expensive, and when it fails, you have to do it again.

So after digging in and doing some research about “invisible VFX,” I got blown away by all the movies and series that would be used to achieve awe-inspiring shots. Obviously, I knew about VFX, but I mainly thought it was used only in Sci-Fi and Super Hero movies. Still, when I saw that famous Mexican directors like Alfonso Cuaron and Iñarittu used much VFX for the most acclaimed movies and that audiences couldn’t notice that it was done with VFX, that’s when I realized that I needed to upgrade my skills and specialize in the VFX world because that’s the future of filmmaking.

What was the scariest or most challenging part of learning Compositing?

Trying to learn to do full-body roto. I have a BA in Communication Science and Film Directing which have a very free thinking and unstructured methods. In VFX Compositing you have to be very organized, structured, and creative to conquer the solution. So changing your way of thinking was not that easy for me.

What was unique about your experience with Lost Boys in comparison to your previous education?

A unique experience was making friends with people from all continents and ages. The diversity of the school is magical. Learning, sharing, and exchanging the culture of so many countries enriched my knowledge in so many ways. It doesn’t matter how young, old, or experienced you are; every type of person is in this field. I always would have something to teach and to learn from the rest of the group because our backgrounds are so different. And because of the small number of students per class, you become so close to each other that you get the feeling of being part of a family.

What is something you wish people knew more about VFX/VFX Artists or Compositors/Compositing?

VFX is used in almost every movie or TV show nowadays, and the work done behind all those projects is done by hundreds of artists that work hard and long hours to achieve the vision of the director and the DOP. I wish in the future it could be more recognizable by audiences.

What is visual effects to you?

VFX is like a magic wand to create anything that you can imagine to narrate a visual story, but as Ganz always repeated Stan Lee’s words, “With great power, comes great responsibility,” meaning that the abuse of these tools can harm very much the movie-making essence that is “Telling stories” and not a “Catalogue of all the tricks in a magic show.”

Thank you, David! Check out his demo reel.

Cordell Briggs

Artist Spotlight

Cordell Briggs

Compositor | Lost Boys Alumni 2018

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I have always been drawn to the impossible. The incredible thing, when it comes to VFX and Compositing specifically, is that you’re put in the driver's seat of making the impossible: plausible.

- Cordell Briggs

What is visual effects to you?

Visual effects to me is a lens in which to appreciate the natural world around me, to actively observe details in my daily life that I’d otherwise never pay attention to. Visual Effects is a lens in which the impossible is realized, something I get to share for a brief moment with whoever views my shots, where the impossible manifests itself real in the viewers eyes and that magic moment of wonder happens.

What was the scariest or most challenging part of learning Compositing?

The most challenging part of learning Compositing wasn’t the technical aspects, or the program knowledge, but the fundamental concepts that are necessary to learn for a great composite. I did not come from a traditional artist’s background, so I struggled a bit there. But persistence and “stick-to-it-tivness” will see anyone through. (Also it helps to have great instructors who are willing to put the time into making sure you have the concepts down.)

What was unique about your experience with Lost Boys in comparison to your previous education?

I can say with full honesty that my year at Lost Boys was one of the best years in my life. I got to pursue my passion and make it my career. Also, I got to make lasting bonds with people who will be my peers in this industry moving forward. (We still text with each other to this day.)

What is something you wish people knew more about VFX/VFX Artists or Compositors/Compositing?

I think it’d be nice to have more recognition for the roles VFX artists play in Film and TV. I mean, we touch almost every shot in a film or TV show nowadays, and our painstaking work goes by in a matter of seconds, sometimes unnoticed or under appreciated.

If there is one piece of advice you can give to people who want to pursue a career in visual effects, what would it be?

Don’t give up. Stick to your guns, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’re spending longer than 15 minutes on something and you’re at a loss, don’t get frustrated, get a different set of eyes. Visual effects isn’t an individual’s game, it’s a team effort. So leverage your team and their experience to your benefit!

Visual effects is such a diverse field with problems and solutions that change depending on the shot. Every day is another opportunity to overcome a new challenge and that’s the most exciting thing for me.

Thank you, Cordell! Connect with him now!

Andrew Barrie

Artist Spotlight

Andrew Barrie

Compositor | Lost Boys Alumni 2015

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What inspired you to pursue VFX/Compositing?

What inspired me to pursue VFX wasn’t actually any Hollywood blockbusters or Oscar-Winning VFX productions from a major studio. It was actually two videos on YouTube. The first, a lightsaber fight done by two fans called “Ryan VS Dorkman”, which inspired me to download an absolutely awful piece of software called LSMaker and do my own Lightsaber effects for a school project. Later, I saw one of the first action shorts by Freddie Wong and Brandon Laatsch called “Chrono Trigger: Short Action Scene.” I was amazed at how cool it all looked, and after going through their other videos I realized that people were creating incredible looking VFX shorts at home. That’s when I finally bought After Effects and started my proper VFX journey.

What was the scariest or most challenging part of learning Compositing?

I think the scariest part of learning compositing is when you’re faced with a completely new kind of shot you’ve never tackled before, and a deadline. A lot of times I’ll be looking at the previs for a shot and think to myself “How am I going to do this?”. Once you’ve done a lot of shots, you generally know how to tackle things, even if you’re not 100% on the details, but every so often a shot will sneak up on you and you can feel completely lost. You’ve then got to jump in and start trying things, piecing it together bit by bit, seeing what works and what doesn’t, and eventually it will come together. There can be a lot of trial and error, and sometimes the shot won’t look even remotely right until a certain point when it just “clicks” and everything seems to fall into place.

What was unique about your experience with Lost Boys in comparison to your previous education?

Lost Boys was unlike any previous educational experience I’d had before. There were only a dozen of us, from all corners of the globe, with a passion for the same thing. It was never a case of go in to school, do work for 8 hours, then go home back to your actual life. It was friends coming together each day, helping each other, learning, collaborating, and often times then hanging out afterwords with board games, movie nights, or going out for meals. Working in a VFX studio is a very unique atmosphere compared to a lot of jobs, and I think the structure of Lost Boys really captures that feeling well. Because we were all working on the same shots, we could help each other when we discovered a neat trick or a useful technique. On projects like the Ethereal Effects, everyone had such wonderfully unique visions for their shots that it was a great source of inspiration seeing the different approaches during weekly review. There was room to explore, take risks, and try new things with the shots. There’s very rarely only one way to do something in VFX, and the projects never felt like “Here is exactly how you do this shot, go recreate this”. Our instructor, Ganz, would give us all the tools we needed, guide us when we needed it, but ultimately let us find our own paths to the final shot.

What is something you wish more people knew more about VFX/VFX Artists or Compositors/Compositing?

I wish more people realized the complexity and artistry that goes into modern visual effects. There is certainly something magical about older movies full of handcrafted miniatures and clever tricks to overcome technical limitations, but just because the work has moved to the computer hasn’t made it any less of an art form. If modern VFX artists could “push a button” and get a photo-real render that integrates into the live action scene perfectly, I wouldn’t have a job. A single two second shot is a huge undertaking for the collaborative effort of half a dozen artists requiring countless revisions at all stages of the pipeline.

What do you enjoy most about working in visual effects?

I think the best part of working in VFX for me is comparing your final shot to the raw plate, and seeing just how much it’s been transformed. You can spend days or weeks fiddling with tiny details, making incremental changes, not really noticing the shot progress, but when you compare it to where it started it’s a really amazing feeling. Audiences will usually never get to know how far that shot came, how much work went into it, but you do, and it’s incredibly rewarding.

Thank you, Andrew! Connect with him now!

Matt Spence

Artist Spotlight

Matt Spence

Compositor | Lost Boys Alumni 2019

Demo Reel

What is visual effects to you?

Visual effects is a craft. I consider myself an artist, but more specifically, a craftsman. I’ve always respected how craftspeople dedicate themselves to making and perfecting specialized items like leather shoes or pottery. They put a lot of love into what they do and they get joy from creating high-quality products for their customers. This is how I like to think about my role, but instead of crafting physical objects, I make shots. It gives me a sense of satisfaction to know that I am contributing to a piece of art that will be enjoyed by thousands of people. Each morning I’m excited to sit at my desk and sometimes it’s difficult to tear myself away in the evening.

What was the scariest or most challenging part of learning Compositing?

I came to VFX in a roundabout way, through music. I’ve always loved writing songs and doing home recordings. I could sit and tweak knobs in a program like Ableton Live for hours and just get lost in it. A few years ago I started experimenting with Adobe Suite (making music videos and short films) and it scratched the same itch for me as recording music did. I spent hours adjusting all the different parameters, having a blast. The more I got into making videos, the more I became interested in visual effects. I learned that there was this job called Compositing. As I came to understand what compositors did, the job seemed like a great fit for me.

What inspired you to pursue VFX/Compositing?

What is something you wish people knew more about VFX/VFX Artists or Compositors/Compositing?

A lot of people think that VFX artists work with supercomputers that miraculously create the lovely images they see displayed on their televisions. They don’t understand how lo-tech a lot of the work is. It doesn’t take a great computer to run a program like Nuke, and there isn’t some AI program doing the heavy lifting. Most of the work happens in a very human way… just artists working with basic digital tools, finessing images for hours until it’s finished.

Thank you, Matt! Connect with him now!

Stephanie Gadsden

Artist Spotlight

Stephanie Gadsden

Compositor | Lost Boys Alumni 2018

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Visual Effects for me is illusion. From George Méliès to James Cameron and so on. Visual Effects makes every story come to life, every single thing you can imagine can be accomplished and that is magical.

- Stephanie Gadsden

What inspired you to pursue VFX/Compositing?

At the beginning I wasn’t sure if I wanted to pursue Compositing, but I clearly had a passion for photorealism and visual effects in general. I wanted to make the impossible happen on a screen and make it believable. When I discovered there was a specific department that was in charge of blending two different worlds together, I knew I wanted to be part of it! I wanted to be the one creating the illusion of a dragon flying in our sky or a spaceship landing on our planet.

What was the scariest or most challenging part of learning Compositing?

I was never scared, but the most challenging part was learning how tools work in mathematical terms. No matter how hard you try to get away from math, it will always be there, and it will make your life easier as an artist! Understanding how a camera works, and how math affects the pixels on your image is definitely confusing in the beginning, especially if you have never worked with cameras or VFX software before, but once you get through it, it becomes second nature! I am glad I had Ganz Ramalingam as a teacher, he was always there to help and explain all these aspects in detail.

What I enjoy the most about Compositing is the process of it. I love every single step. I love the process of receiving my first elements to start comping a shot to when I see it on the big screen, and everything in between. Seeing the final result is very satisfying.

What was unique about your experience with Lost Boys in comparison to your previous education?

The most unique experience I had with Lost Boys was the fact that it felt like a studio! I wasn’t sure if a studio was really like that, but once I got my first job after school I could definitely tell that the transition was smooth. Reviews (dailies) were almost the same, project deadlines were the same, everything was very studio-like. That is very helpful and appreciated as a junior artist who is nervous on his/her first industry job. It leaves you energy to focus on your performance and be less stressed in general.

What is something you wish people knew more about VFX/VFX Artists or Compositors/Compositing?

VFX is a passion-driven profession, of course there’s people with more passion than others but I doubt there’s people in there working on this because they had no other choice. The good thing is you will find people with the same passions and interests as you; this will help you to create deep friendships and build projects outside of work if you want. On the other hand, you will also spend a lot of time with your colleagues at work, you will get along well with some of them and some others you won’t. It is human nature and there’s nothing wrong with it. VFX is a very small industry so it is important that you maintain a good and respectful attitude, be cordial, and keep a smile!

If there is one piece of advice you can give to people who want to pursue a career in visual effects, what would it be?

I would say go for it, it is nuts that you can have a job on something like this and actually make a living! If you are passionate, you’re going to enjoy every single step! Just keep in mind that it is an endless journey of learning, you will never stop learning, don’t assume you know everything because you don’t! Ask, be curious, and explore. Also be on the look for new technologies and try to learn things that will make you a better future artist!

Thank you, Stephanie! Connect with her now!

Kosuke Iwasaki

Artist Spotlight

Kosuke Iwasaki

Compositor | Lost Boys Alumni 2019

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To me, VFX is my work and my hobby. I am truly grateful that I am living off what I love.

- Kosuke Iwasaki

What inspired you to pursue VFX/Compositing?

I actually don’t have specific films that motivated me. I was inspired by some indie fan films of blockbuster movies on YouTube when I was just entering high school. For me, Hollywood blockbusters were so overwhelming that I never imagined myself working for that industry. However, when I watched those random people making cool videos, I was shocked that you can in fact make awesome shots with consumer software. It made me believe that I can do it too. Then, as all those kids out there did, I started copying all of the VFX tutorials on YouTube, which is too horrible to look back on, but after all, I enjoyed doing it. When I reached a point where I could start making a little cash with it, then I started dreaming about learning and working at the best place in the world. Vancouver is one of the best places to pursue a VFX career, with a lot of talented people from across the globe. So I would say my motivation has been gradually elevated over the years.

What is something you wish people knew more about VFX/VFX Artists or Compositors/Compositing?

It’s already been said many times but I would like to emphasize that there is an insane amount of work put into every VFX shot before it is delivered and you cannot even see it. But that’s normal. I believe really well-done VFX should not be distracting, but support the storytelling. You would be surprised how many shots are actually not filmed on the location but shot on green screen or in completely different locations, or it was not even filmed at all. Also, it’s absolutely just a common scene to, in post, zoom in as much as you can to fix any mistakes pixel by pixel and frame by frame. Those are usually the last 20% of the entire work process but that in fact takes the longest amount of time. People find it cumbersome and tend to neglect it. But that’s what differentiates the great from the rest, and that’s why we are here to support the filmmakers.

What do you enjoy most about working in visual effects?

VFX is so deep when it comes to trying to master every aspect of it, in other words, there is so
much to learn! The more I know the more I realize how illiterate I am, but that is what drives me to go forward. I am so grateful that I am surrounded by a lot of inspiring artists and friends that I can learn from. At the end of the day, I am still a guy who dreamed about making an awesome shot. It is such a joy to discover more knowledge and apply that to your own work.

What was unique about your experience with Lost Boys in comparison to your previous education?

The program that I participated in at Lost Boys was the most practical and production-ready education for such a short amount of time. Learning at Lost Boys does not make you feel that you are at a school, but rather at an actual studio. Nowadays, you can access VFX educational resources anywhere online. However, they don’t teach you the same things as Lost Boys or have the pressure of presenting your work in front of supervisors or everybody on a huge screen every week. I had the opportunity to collaborate with other departments and senior artists to deliver a shot on time and even learned how to communicate with Leads and Supervisors. By attending Lost Boys, you will dip your toe in the industry and by the time you graduate, you are more than ready to start working without even worrying about anything. And remember, when in doubt, _________! (You have to find out about the next part by yourself!)

If there is one piece of advice you can give to people who want to pursue a career in visual effects, what would it be?

These days, technological advancement has become exponentially crazier with A.I., Machine Learning, Deep Fakes, Real-time Rendering, LED Screens, just to name a few. I used to fear being replaced by new technology. You should not be afraid and fight with new technology. Because they are just the tools to help you with your job.

For example, let’s say I just want to make a cool shot. So cutting down the time for rendering and rotoscoping or painting out allows me to focus more on art directing. Even if your job is submitting the roto, then A.I. rotobot or advanced tracking technology is awesome in that it gives you 80% of roto completed. So you, as a roto artist with eyes for fine details, can focus on finessing the consistency of edges or hair details, and submit work faster and take on more work. Tesla’s AI driving technology will eventually replace the need of driving on a daily basis because you don’t always want to drive: you simply want to go from place A to B. But I don’t think we are going to watch AI-driven Autopilot Formula 1 racing unless we prefer it. Keep in mind, in order to take advantage of the technology, it is always important to not neglect the foundations. I believe studying those “cumbersome” processes will train your eyes to notice details, which is essential to be professional. I still have a lot to learn as well.

Thank you, Kosuke! Check out his demo reel.

David Koss

Artist Spotlight

David Koss

Compositor | Lost Boys Alumni 2020

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I've come to think of visual effects like a really good magic trick. It's about making people believe that what they are seeing on screen was filmed in camera, even if they know it's not possible. It's all about getting people to suspend their disbelief.

- David Koss

What inspired you to pursue VFX/Compositing?

What really inspired me to pursue Compositing was watching the amazing content that people like FreddieW and Andrew Kramer could make on their own, without access to special software. Of course it’s also because of the amazing VFX I saw in all the movies I watched growing up, but I never really made the connection that what I was seeing on screen was something that was within my reach. When I saw a small creator on YouTube making their own cool VFX content, or maybe just a clever edit of a well-known movie, it made me realize that maybe this was something I could do too.

What was the scariest or most challenging part of learning Compositing?

There was a point at school where I really wasn’t sure if I could learn and understand everything that I needed to. It felt like too much information too fast, and I was really worried I wasn’t improving at all. But then one day things just started to make sense to me, and I realized that I had been learning that whole time.

I really enjoy the creative problem solving that is inherently part of the job. No two shots are the same, so I always have to be thinking of new solutions for new problems. It's really great because I'm always learning, and every trick I learn is something I could use on my own projects in the future.

What was unique about your experience with Lost Boys in comparison to your previous education?

Looking back at Lost Boys, the thing that stood out the most to me about the whole experience was that everyone who was there wanted to be there. In my previous education, I never got the sense that the students or the teachers wouldn’t rather have been doing something else with their time and energy. It’s really great getting to spend a whole year surrounded by people who love learning and what they are doing.

What is something you wish people knew more about VFX/VFX Artists or Compositors/Compositing?

It’s tough to explain to people exactly what Compositing is. If you are an FX artist, you can say that you make the explosions, but the compositor would have to say they integrate the explosions. It’s easy to imagine the shot without the FX, but it’s tricky to understand what it would look like without any compositing done to make them fit into the shot. Oftentimes if the compositor does a good job, you won’t know that anything was done to the shot at all. This is especially true in the case of paintouts or removing objects, and the work that goes into them can be under appreciated.

If there is one piece of advice you can give to people who want to pursue a career in visual effects, what would it be?

Be as specific as possible with your goals. Decide on a discipline, and don’t just try to learn “visual effects”. It would be impossible to become a master of every aspect of visual effects, so don’t waste your time trying. It’s better to find one part of it that fascinates you, or that you really enjoy doing, and focus the vast majority of your effort into pursuing that as a career.

Thank you, David! Check out his demo reel.

Alex Greenberg

Artist Spotlight

Alex Greenberg

Compositor | Lost Boys Alumni 2015

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In one word? Magic. Seriously, when I tell my friends that are not in the industry what was done in a specific scene on a show they have watched, they can’t believe it, and if they believed it, mission accomplished.

- Alex Greenberg

What inspired you to pursue VFX/Compositing?

In the early days, movies like Starship Troopers, Armageddon, and Independence Day got me interested in the VFX idea. Who doesn’t like a super real looking explosions and space battles? I was always interested and started slowly exploring the variety of software out there to create them, like Maya 3.0 (even though I didn’t know what the hell I was doing), Bryce, and Poser. With VFX evolving every year and getting better and better, it got me more and more interested to understand the behind the scenes and VFX creation process. That’s what led me to enroll into 3D animation school first.

What is something you wish people knew more about VFX/VFX Artists or Compositors/Compositing?

I think most people think that VFX is only CG, robots, explosions, and destruction, but a compositor has an important role in that as well, layering all the elements in a shot, live action, CG renders, FX, and blending them all seamlessly to create a photorealistic final shot. Other than that, a lot of VFX is done only by compositors in 2D, for example, replacing an image on a monitor, changing a billboard, removing objects and even people from footage, making actors look younger or even things that might seem like 3D but are actually done in comp.

Getting a final approval on a shot after working on it for awhile is definitely something I enjoy from working in visual effects.

What was unique about your experience with Lost Boys in comparison to your previous education?

I came to Lost Boys with almost zero knowledge in Compositing and had some doubts that changed fast after diving into the program. Right at the beginning I saw the dedication of all of the staff to help, teach, and guide me through the program. Lost Boys is not your usual school. They have small class sizes with more focus on students. From day one, the environment is like you are an artist in a studio and not a student in school, with a strict studio workflow, dailies, and shot assignments. The great staff is there to teach, help you troubleshoot, and guide you towards success with an excellent curriculum and smooth transition from practicum to your job.

If there is one piece of advice you can give to people who want to pursue a career in visual effects, what would it be?

Your demo reel is the most important thing you need to think about when trying to break into the industry. When somebody tells you that your portfolio needs to stand out, it’s not only with crazy shots but even the smallest task, like sign replacement, make sure the work you did is seamless and perfect. Bad things pop out immediately to the eye of the person that is reviewing your reel and will ruin your chance to get the desired job, so take some time to polish your reel and after you are done and have rendered it out, don’t upload it to YouTube. Use Vimeo.

Thank you, Alex! Check out his demo reel.

Kate T. Lin

Artist Spotlight

Kate T. Lin

Compositor | Lost Boys Alumni 2019

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What inspired you to pursue VFX/Compositing?

My path to becoming a VFX artist was a long and gradual process. When I was growing up, I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to watch movies and learn how they were made. So I was never inspired by any movies; I actually didn’t know what VFX was until I graduated from college. My journey started when life took a turn, and I stumbled across the film industry and got my first job as a Production Assistant. It wasn’t an exciting start, but I am thankful for my career journey, because I discovered my passion and talents through it.

What is visual effects to you?

To me, VFX is multiple things. VFX is like a school that pushes me to constantly learn new things, a job that pays my bills, a social connection that has introduced me to many like-minded artists whom I’m close friends with, and a passion that I absolutely love. The key thing is that it never feels like work when I’m working!

What do you enjoy most about working in visual effects?

I love that VFX changes constantly. This constant flow forces me to learn and challenge myself everyday. I am never bored with it because there is always something new to learn, and there is always room to grow and improve. Every time you think you have mastered a skill, two weeks later you will realize you have only learned the tip of the iceberg. And that thought is invigorating.

If there is one piece of advice you can give to people who want to pursue a career in visual effects, what would it be?

Be humble to everyone and do not be a jerk. This is a very very small industry, and the junior artists sitting behind you might be the ones interviewing you in 5 years. The PA taking your lunch orders now might be your supervisor one day. So be respectful and keep an open-mind. You will never know what cool tricks you can learn from people around you, and what bridges you have burned from being too cocky.

Thank you, Kate! Check out her demo reel.

Erwan Muro

Artist Spotlight

Erwan Muro

Compositor | Lost Boys Alumni 2020

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Visual Effects is modern magic to me. It is an incredible tool that allow us to create the never-seen before, ridiculous, crazy, and awesome ideas. They bring concepts to life in a way you might have never imagined before, and in a way you sometimes can't explain! It is pure magic.

- Erwan Muro

What inspired you to pursue VFX/Compositing?

As far as I can remember, I always had an interest in film and illustration. I used to draw a lot, and as soon as I got my hands on a camera I started doing little videos here and there. It was just a matter of time before I discovered visual effects. I knew it was something big, something like I have never imagined before, and I instantly wanted to know more about it. Learning about VFX was somewhat of a ride, because I had to play around with Zbrush, Maya, After Effects, Cinema4D, Mocha and other programs before deciding that Nuke and compositing was “my thing”. It was like a world of endless possibilities and a chance to work on fantastic movies by bringing ideas to life, no matter how crazy they might sound. This is why I finally came to Lost Boys, where I knew I would definitely step up my game. And it has been the best choice of my life so far.

What is something you wish people knew more about VFX/VFX Artists or Compositors/Compositing?

I think many people don’t actually know what VFX implies, as well as all the different layers of work you can find in a single shot. That said, I understand it is a relatively recent line of work and it might be difficult to comprehend or estimate the amount of work put in there. It is hard to understand VFX for a delicate reason: by the end of the day, the shot has to look good, believable, amusing and entertaining in a way that the audience can watch and enjoy without even taking the time to stop and think of the work behind it. If our goal is to make it enjoyable and help the story, it is perfectly normal to “hide” the work process.

Now, I believe we’re having a democratization of visual effects. Breakdowns are more and more common, there is some increasing popularity on YouTube about Visual Effects and I believe that, very soon, I will not have to explain again to my parents the difference between compositing, rigging, modelling, animating, etc..

What do you enjoy most about working in visual effects?

If my work helps to create and tell a story, then I’m happy. You get to see tons of ideas and stories, meet talented people, and work towards the realization of a project. As I mentioned before, it is such a rewarding feeling! Knowing that you’ve been part of something that might inspire others, or make them laugh or cry… It means everything to me. Besides, there’s no formula to compositing, there are always different ways to tackle a challenge, or to represent or draw something. By the end of the day, you completed a shot and you helped in your own way, with your vision and your talent. It is hard to describe how awesome this feeling is.

What was unique about your experience with Lost Boys in comparison to your previous education?

Everything was unique. Lost Boys takes the concept of teaching to a whole new level. Of course, when we came in the first day we are all supposed to like VFX, and compositing, and we’re here because we wanted to be in the first place, but the never-ending impulse of wanting to learn more, this is very unique. And Lost Boys has this magic approach to teaching that is just surreal.

You have this feeling of being part of a family, not only by the kindness and the generosity of the teachers and other members of the staff, but by learning alongside other students just like you. Teachers were accessible nearly all the time, honest and helpful, considerate and humble. The atmosphere is so optimistic, so healthy and positive that you are constantly surrounded by the eagerness and enthusiasm of learning. At this point, it doesn’t feel like a classic teaching/learning process. It feels like something else. Something more.

As a final note, I’d like to say there was no competition, no jealousy and no envy, but genuine love and care towards other students, because we all worked for each other success: it was always heartwarming to see someone succeed.

If there is one piece of advice you can give to people who want to pursue a career in visual effects, what would it be?

I believe that visual effects are a never-ending learning process, and that might sound exciting for some and scary for others. In both cases, I’d go with the classic “never give up” message, because it might take some time to reach your expectations. But getting there is as fulfilling as the whole voyage you made to do so. There are hundreds of thousands of visual effects artists in the world but I have the feeling that we’re part of a small community, focused not-only in telling stories but also in helping each other. Ask away, practice, expose yourself to critics, keep up the good work, and you won’t regret it.