EDB:Tell us your journey from Hyderabad to Double Negative, UK?
Naveen M: As a child I loved drawing; my father was the one who recognised my talent and encouraged me to pursue fine arts.
Like many others, I was awestruck by the visual effects of Jurassic Park and Jumanji and hoped to do something of that scale in my life. But I was not very confident about it then. After completing my schooling in SFS, Nizamabad and Vishwodaya Junior College, I joined JNTU, Hyderabad, to do my Bachelor in Fine Arts (BFA). Alongwith BFA, I also pursued an Advanced Diploma in Multimedia at Arena which helped me get part-time jobs as a web graphic designer. Then I got my first serious break - even before I graduated, the company I was working with sent me to Silicon Valley, US, where I gained hands-on experience for six months. That was the first time I interacted with people in the US and got a glimpse of their style of working, punctuality and discipline. I did return to India and would probably have continued as a web designer, but I wanted more. Then UK happened. I went to Bournemouth University to do my MA in digital effects for films . It was a major jump from web designing, but one that I always wished for. The course was rigorous and I also went through a good share of culture shocks and communication hassles. But a bigger problem was finding a job in UK and converting a student visa to a work permit. My efforts finally materialised when a company, absorbed me as a VFX compositor and I got to work in Pinewood Studios for a digital film Captain Scarlet for BBC. Later i joined MPC, And Double Negative after that.
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| EDB: Can you mention all the Hollywood blockbusters you worked on?
Naveen M. 
Presently working on 2012
Green Zone
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Boat That Rocked
Inkheart
The Dark Knight
10,000 BC
Cloverfield
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Sunshine
Sixty Six
X-Men: The Last Stand.
The Da Vinci Code
Poseidon
"Captain Scarlet" - Instrument of Destruction: Part One (2005) TV episode
(digital compositor) EDB: Can you elaborate on your role as Digital Compositor at DN?
Naveen M. As compositor I have to work with other 50 fellow senior, junior 2d staff and around 50 3d crew depending on the scale of the show, Compositor’s job is to combine 3d elements with 2d blue/green scans seamlessly, it’s a very important part as you will get all the different elements and passes for the
shot and you have to make sure everything on the shot looks good and technically correct. After we finish working on the shot it directly goes on
to the film. EDB: What are the soft wares that you use?
Naveen M. For compositing we use Shake, 3d we use Maya, for fx Houdini and a lot of third party plug-ins.
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EDB: The technique that observed at UK based Vfx houses like MPC and Double Negative, and what Indian VFX houses lacking at the moment?
Naveen M. When I first entered in to these studios I was blown away with the quality of work and amount of fine detail they put in for every shot. I felt I was honored to just be there in the black rooms where shots are discussed with the directors, producers and the vfx supervisors. By a mile we are lacking in the quality and the fine detail in Indian studious but saying that we are improving day by day and I am really proud of what India is producing.
EDB:The qualities that digital compositor should have..
Naveen M. A lot of patience, eye for fine detail, creative, able to guide 3d crew what you need for the shot, good communication skills. |
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| EDB: Can you explain on integrating 3D CG with Live Action footage shot on cameras?
Naveen M. Most of the vfx scans are shot on Blue/ Green screens, keying is the initial and important part and then you get hundreds of cg passes for each shot, you have to judge what goes where and see the black and white levels are matching, color correction, grain, interactive lighting etc. are the key issues. For a complicated vfx shot you might be adding at least 100 other cg and 2d elements. End of the day the shot should look real and color balanced. EDB: Which is your favorite Vfx studio?
Naveen M. Dneg is my favorite vfx studio in EU, ILM and Digital Domain in states.
EDB: Do you have any plans to set up VFX house in India at later stage?
Naveen M. Yes at some point, I always wanted to give back and share my knowledge in India. |