Director

ADAM THE SERPENT & EVE - In Development - TBA

       Animated feature film.

DESERT COMMUNITIES UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN VIDEO - 2007

        PSA fundraising video

DESERT COMMUNITIES UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN VIDEO - 2005

         PSA fundraising video

THE LEGION OF NOAH - 1992

NOAH AND THE BURNING FOREST

NOAH AND THE KILLERS OF THE SERENGETTI

     Three films presented in the 70mm Showscan format in Nagasaki, Japan  

Visual Effects

Freelance – Visual Effects - 2008

Walden Media

Consulted and implemented visual effects for CITY OF EMBER. During pre-production I broke down the script and evaluated, selected and managed all visual effect vendors. 

Consulted on visual effects for THE TORTOISE AND THE HIPPO, for Walden Media.

Freelance – Visual Effects - 2000 to 2005

Visual Effects Supervisor, Designer and Director of Photography

•Visual effects supervisor for Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary presentation.

Supervised the filming and blue-screen stunt shoot for Walt Disney’s Theme Park Productions using high definition digital cameras. 

•Supervised blue screen filming of principal actors for THE STEPFORD WIVES.

•Served as the Aerial Unit VSFX Director/DP on TERMINATOR 3 RISE OF THE MACHINES Texas unit.  Consulted on the finishing, color timing and compositing for a series of digital blue screen process shots. 

•Handled the initial script breakdown during pre-production to determine visual effects shots and budgets.

•Supervised the filming and post-production for a series of commercials promoting Walt Disney’s release of TREASURE PLANET.  This included the complete artistic supervision of the compositing, lighting and timing of all the shots.  Worked with the producer to get the best competitive bids from different vendors outside the Disney Company.

•Performed crises management for Warner Brothers Studio for the feature film SCOOBY DOO.   In eight weeks, turned around a digital facility that had spent one year on the project with no results.  Set up the approval pipeline that provided a speedy, uniform standard so that the color, contrast, and compositing could be approved for final film recording.  Supervised the 3D shader development, the look of the digital characters, their lighting and compositing.

•As Adjunct Professor, San Diego State University, I lectured at the International Film School in Havana Cuba, on Visual Effects Production in the Digital Age.

Visual Effects Supervisor - 1996 to 2000

Supervised and designed the visual effects for Walt Disney’s DINOSAUR

During this monumental project, designed the digital studio, production pipeline and the procedures used to produce 80 minutes of photo-real 3D computer animation.  This animation was combined with the live film backgrounds shot on locations around the world. 

Integrated the separate worlds of live action photo based filmmaking, state of the art digital post-production and traditional animation.  Supervised the selection and filming of all location backgrounds as well as the digital post-production look that was applied to them before compositing and final film out.  Conceived and helped design Dino-Cam the world’s first computer controlled cable mounted camera system. This camera system was the key to capturing the unique footage needed for this project.

Supervised the look and lighting of all digital characters in the film and provided oversight for film production and digital creation of several thousand visual effects elements for this film.

Staff Visual Effects Supervisor - 1983 to 1996

Boss Film Studio

Part of the core group of people who built and ran this ground breaking visual effects facility. Boss Film pioneered the use of 65 mm film as an effects format.  In 1993 the studio was totally rebuilt to become a modern digital visual effects production studio.

Duties included supervising the production of matte paintings, the filming of miniatures, approving optical and digital composites and the photography of locations and stage sets.  Worked with outside vendors in the production of equipment, computer animation and development of the digital production standards for the company’s new digital pipeline.  Broke down all film scripts to accurately bid effects work. 

Wrote, directed and photographed three films which were presented in the 70mm Showscan format in Nagasaki, Japan.  These three films required filming in locations as diverse as the Serengeti Plains of Africa, the Rainforests of South America and the canals of Holland.

Animation

Layout Artist - 2010 to 2011

Rhythm & Hues

Performed camera layout on several sequences for the feature HOP.

Layout Artist - 2009

Walt Disney Feature Animation

Performed layout on a number of sequences for the feature BOLT.  Utilized Maya and a variety of other commercial and proprietary software programs running on Linux.

Lighting & Compositing - 2005 to 2007

Walt Disney Feature Animation

Performed lighting and compositing on Walt Disney feature film MEET THE ROBINSON’S using a variety of commercial and proprietary software programs running on Linux to light and composite characters and backgrounds. The commercial software programs used were:  Maya, Shake, Photoshop and other Disney proprietary lighting, file management and support programs.  

Matte Photography  & Equipment Design

Matte Department Supervisor - 1979 to 1983

Industrial Light and Magic

Helped build this multi-award winning effects studio for the second Star Wars film, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.  Supervised the production of all the matte painting film elements and composites.  Streamlined production through the development of two unique compositing systems for matte paintings.  The first system used front projected and camera bi-pack B&W separations to composite background footage with the matte painting. 

The second system used rear projection, multi-plane paintings and motion control to produce the most complex matte painting composites of the time, all with camera moves.

Supervised the matte painting department on all films that ILM  produced visual effects on during this period. These films include RADERS OF THE LOST ARK, ET, RETURN OF THE JEDI, and DARK CRYSTAL among others.

Professional Memberships:

The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Awards

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for 2010.

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for CLIFFHANGER