22-Year-Old Filmmaker Gets First Big Break with IMMORTALS

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Category: Interviews

Created: Friday, 18 November 2011 00:04

Published: Friday, 18 November 2011 00:04

Written by Lupe Haas

Q:  What was your role in IMMORTALS?
I'm a digital composer. We basically integrated elements into the scenes that weren't shot --mostly scenes that had green screen. We inserted scenery into those blank areas.

Q:  What percentage of the film was shot on a green screen?
It was a great percentage of green screen. We worked on about approximately over 130 scenes of which 50% had green screen. This was a big job for us especially for a studio like us which didn't have too much history with Hollywood. Personally, working on so many scenes with green screen and creating environments for it was the biggest job ever.

Q:  Did Tarsem Singh come to the studio in Vancouver to supervise the work?
We had a lot of contact with him. He obviously had to supervise all of the scenes. For personal reason, he decided to do so from on location which was in Los Angeles. We were always in touch with him. Thankfully with all the tools available now a days through the internet, we were able to be in constant contact. We send him all our work on a daily basis. He was able to watch our progress and give us direction to what he wanted to achieve --  a look close to his vision.
Q:  Did that include Skyping with the director?
Yes, we communicated with something similar to Skype in which we could send our renderings and he would give us his feedback. From there we took direction from his notes, but it is always difficult explaining visual elements from words alone, so it took quite some time to achieve the look he wanted.

Q:  Tarsem Singh is called a visionary director because of his use of colorful palettes and unique look. Did that come into play here?
His color selection is very interesting...from his reference drawings and his previous films. You can see he uses specifics tones and color palettes.  We also proposed a look that he would be happy with and in line with the universe he imagined. In the end, the colors were a good chunk of creating all of this.

Q:  How many in the team?
It was a large team.  In total, it was close to 50 people working on the special effects and I can tell you it was a large group who worked approximately over one year.

Q:  Which scenes were the most difficult?
The most difficult were the green screen shots which required creating the background.  For example, the sky and ocean you see in the trailer were all scenes shot on green screen.  Later it was our job to add those elements, but it wasn't as simple as bringing the elements together rather achieving the specific look. There were scenes that seemed simple, but they ended up being complicated once we removed the green screen portions. And I think that was the most difficult.

Q:  How did you end up in Vancouver from Mexico City?
I arrived here when I was about 17-years-old to study cinema.  While I was studying cinema, I discovered the department of Visual Effects and it interested me as a way to get into the industry as a first step.  And then I ended up here in special effects as a consequence of studying film.

Q:  So they discovered you in school?
Yes, here in Vancouver with my final project for school...my short film. Image Engine contracted me to work on Immortals which was already a big project. So yes, they gave me my first shot to work in visual effects with this film.

Q:  Most newbies start out small when they first land a job, but you started with a potential blockbuster.
Yes, it's true. I got a great opportunity with a blockbuster film that's a pretty good start for a career.

Q:  How many years have you been living in Vancouver?
Five years.

Q:  Wow!  You are very young if you arrived at 17.
Yes, it's true.  You do the math.

Q:  You're working on Battleship next.  What are you working on for that?
Yes, we are working on that one.  We are doing a couple of scenes from the film.  A trailer exists for the film on the internet but we haven't worked on one scene yet since we have more than a year to go for that film. But it looks to be another interesting film too.

Q:  For that movie, you'll be working on creating oceans and sky too.
Yes, we'll be creating all the elements that don't exist in real life which is what we do.  And we'll also work on what will be the creatures and whatever else required for that movie. We are just starting work on that project.

Q:  What kind of films do you watch on your personal time?
Interesting because I really don't like special effect films. I like films that are more natural.  It's not that I don't like special effects film, but I like cinema in general.  I like classic and modern cinema and films from all genres, but if I had to choose I would choose drama.

Q:   Since you started out as a filmmaker, would you like to work on your own project?
Yes, I'd love too.  It's something that I've always thought of doing.  Hopefully soon I can start a personal project with all the things I've learned. Since I started working at this studio, it has helped define what I'd like to do next as a personal project.

Q:   Would you like to come to Hollywood or take your skills back to Mexico City?
Those are some good options. I'd like very much to be in the United States working because that's the mecca for cinema.  In Mexico, they are also doing some interesting and cool things.  So the two locations are places I would love to work  in sometime in the future.

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