Jon Anastasiades
Lead compositing instructor | VANCOUVER
"When a student unlocks some idea, some project they've always wanted to do, I just find that really, really rewarding."
I used to watch classic Star Trek with my mom. She loves sci-fi and I have early memories of me maybe being five or six years old and watching the original Captain Kirk Star Trek and wondering how they did the transporters and the phasers and the spaceship. It blew my mind back then and it really sparked a curiosity on how do they do that kind of thing. I would go to the library and take out every book on special effects. I was sort of fascinated by it.
Now I have worked on over 60 films and television shows for about 25 years; probably a dozen big commercials, some music videos, art installations and projection mapping for artists. Everything from small independent stuff with no budget to some of the biggest budget Hollywood films to ever come out.
I’ve got pretty fresh technical and hands-on studio know-how. I know what studios expect. I want to share that with students so that they know not just the technical skills, but the soft skills, focusing on the most practical ones that will get you work.
Lost Boys School has a really good reputation. I want students to continue to elevate the reputation here by having all this great practical knowledge that we can bring to the workforce.
Do you have any advice for people pursuing a career in Visual Effects?
A lot of the times you’re going to do things that seem like menial tasks. There’s a lot of repetition, not everything is blowing up the Death Star. You might touch shots like that a few times in your career. You’re going to do a lot of basic stuff, but you can find a beauty in it and passion in it and creativity in even the smallest thing.
And if you demonstrate that, and you bring that even on your small, easy shots, in no time, you’re going to be awarded bigger and better work. So try and do your best, even with the smallest thing, treat it like it’s the biggest thing and people will notice that and you’ll go further.
Animism VFX Comp. Reel 2022
25+ years of experience...
I have a lot of practical and current industry experience in compositing both from an artist and a supervisor perspective, so I’m ready to share my knowledge and insights of “why,” as well as “how”. On top of my technical expertise of compositing with the latest industry standards, I have a lot to share when it comes to the soft skills and cultural nuance. This holistic approach when paired with the studio environment that Lost Boys has created, will give our students a distinct advantage when they integrate into a real production. These are the key factors that you just can’t get from online tutorials.