Superheroes of Ai VFX

I had the pleasure to work with these amazing artists during their tenure at Art Institutes International, MN. I can take very little credit for the excellence in their fields, but hopefully only pushed them down the path, and possibly helped them believe in themselves. Many of them worked on my no-budget projects and have since gone on to much bigger things, and as such I am glad to have provided the most embarrassing line item on their resumes!

Brandon Kachel: A guy who is an equally great matte painter, rock drummer, and independent pro wrestler. No kidding. How does that happen? Hard work, baby. Kachel on IMDB, Kachel’s website.
Zach Mandt: Zach was so good at 3D work he got stuck in it for a while, before he broke out and became the matte painter he wanted to be. Zach’s IMDB credits, website, and check out his reel below.
Mat Gilson: He was an ace before I got to him, but I had a blast working with him and maybe snuck in a thing or two. Hard working guy, a total pro, and a sweet guy. Gilson’s IMDB credit list and website will blow you away.
James Waterson: Add James to the list of hard working good guys, he and Jared have found a home at Luma Pictures since graduation and have compiled a credit list of diverse movies. At IMDB and his portfolio site.
Jared Simeth: One of the quiet masters of his art, Jared has gotten great exposure recently with the publication of his own digital matte painting tutorial entry from Gnomon Workshop. IMDB, Website.
Bethany Onstad: Super paint and roto woman. Working her way up the ranks in compositing at shops like Digital Domain and ILM, she’s my hero! Check out her IMDB, and her reel below.
Eric Schulist: Brilliant designer, a real pro. Always pushing beyond his comfort zone, but never breaking a sweat. Eric’s website.

TERROR REPORT:

In 2006, about a dozen AiM VFX students participated in the creation of a feature-length film. Employing a mix of professional actors and student volunteers, the group converged on a major sports stadium and filmed an 80-minute action thriller, complete with extensive visual effects work. Writing, shooting, directing, and editing chores were all accomplished by the students. Oh, and they did this on their summer break, completing principle photography in about a week and wrapping the arena in only two days. Here’s Jason Bergman’s great trailer for the project.

13 HOURS IN A WAREHOUSE:

In 2008, some of my students remained at school during a quarter break and helped out my filmmaker buddy Dav Kaufman in the completion of FX for his low-budget spookhouse movie. We would revisit this relationship for his feature-length documentary HERPERS, in which the students provided various graphics and animations to illustrate some of the program’s more obtuse concepts

TRANSYLVANIA TELEVISION REAL MEANIN OF HALLOWEEN SPECIAL SHOW:

2010 We once again prove that the best time to get stuff done is the break between quarters, a select group of intermediate and advanced level students donate their time to the FX work on the one-hour special, which is aired on a local station that month and screened publicly at the University of MN and elicits personal praise from the event’s host, Mystery Science Theater’s Trace Beaulieu.