"Careful not to step on the green," my visual effects teacher warned as he awkwardly unlocked the door with a key that was attached to a VHS tape.
What lingered behind that door was a dark and frigid room, complete with a faint smell of industrial paint. My teacher rounded a corner and disappeared into darkness. Click, click, click. I heard switches flip and seconds later I was greeted by one of the most exciting views that I'd ever seen. With a slight buzzing sound from the Kino banks, I took in my surroundings. The room was much bigger than I'd expected; two walls and most of the floor filled with a reflective green paint complete with cyclorama lining it all.
"This, ladies and gents, is where we'll be spending most of our time this semester," he said.
I was so excited and I could barely contain myself. And at that moment, I knew that this was my destiny, to be a part of the world of visual effects and film making.
I'm a visual effects artist and filmmaker. My passion for design and video production began while attending high school at The American School in Switzerland. Before graduation, I attended a summer program at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York which solidified my interest in the field. After high school, I enrolled in San Francisco's Academy of Art University where I was introduced to the intricacies of video production, visual effects, animation, and photography.
While studying at the Academy, I began my freelance work as a videographer and photographer, shooting music videos, concerts and various music events around California under the alias: Vizual Jockey. 'Vizual Jockey', started as a self-developed internship, created to gain early exposure, experience and competitive edge before graduation.
The most rewarding aspect I find with film is the sense of both accomplishment and pride of a finished piece I have worked on and the inspiring images others create to evoke that wow factor. This addicting facet of the medium is what drives me to strive to learn more. Throughout my studies and experiences, I have found that the more I learn and grow, the greater my love for film becomes. It just never gets old. With the traveling, be it state to state or country to country, there is always a new horizon to conquer.
My interest in film and visual effects lays heavily on both the acoustic aspect of storytelling along with the visual impact one can create through manipulating footage in a way that is either more believable or extraordinary. Whether through commercials, a television series, or a simple short story, I find film to be an incredibly versatile medium in which an artist can stimulate a multitude of emotions to bring an understanding of their message.
As of today, I have worked with a multitude of companies and music artists from across the globe, gaining experience through my practical application of skills acquired through years of field work and study.