Visual Effects Artist

So I finally finished setting up my demo reel!  The first reel I’ve ever officially put together.  Check it out at the aptly named “Reel” page of this site, and actually go to Vimeo to watch it in HD if you want to see the details.  It probably will change soon, there are some more shots I want to add/substitute and I’m waiting on some professional feedback too.

I am currently on my spring break, a break which hopefully allow me time to revamp this site and update it with a bunch of work that I have been involved with.  Elysium is still progressing, slowly but surely, it’ll get there.  That bug in Blender that I mentioned in my last post got fixed literally a few days ago which makes my life insanely easier.  Andrew and I released a second trailer a few weeks ago, hopefully improving upon the previous one.  There are really no new effects shots, however it is much shorter, has a new voiceover, and give the audience a bit more information.  Check it out at the Elysium web site.

My name is Mark Sniffen, and I co-wrote and am co-directing a film titled “Elysium,” with my friend Andrew.  It is my goal to populate this blog with news and information regarding my experiences throughout the entire process of creating this film.  The film is a science fiction space epic, and as it might seem, requires a hefty amount of 3D animation and compositing.  As a film student focusing on those two areas of study, I will be creating and compositing close to 100% of the visual effects that will appear in the film.

Currently the film is in the post-production state.  Andrew and I started writing the script early in the summer of ‘08.  Preproduction, which included casting, some CG modeling, set construction, etc, started in that fall and lasted until the end of February ‘09.  Almost all of the principle photography was shot during my 10 week spring semester, and thankfully we had to push only one shoot into the summer.  Andrew and I started editing soon after the last shoot, which also involved me creating CG animatics for the scenes that take place in space.

The story revolves around a man, a fighter pilot, who must face a great evil that lurks in space.  That is all I will say at the moment.  Check out the film’s website: www.elysiumthefilm.com for the awesome teaser and a slightly better description.

Since I am going to be working solely on the visual effects, I will be using this blog as an outlet for any interesting problems, solutions, or techniques that I come across during the creating of this film.  I will probably drop some random treats from time to time, set photos, a humorous clip from on set, and I might even make some guides or tutorials for specific problems that I overcome.

It is my hope that this will become more than a place for me to archive the process of creating this film, so be sure to comment, critique or ask questions as you wish!

-mark