Interview with Dominic Alderson

How did you get interested in cg?

The early years of my life were spent growing up in what was then a young Dubai, before all the skyscrapers started appearing. Back then, there was only one English TV channel, so when I wasn’t playing outside with my brothers, I’d head down to the local video rental store on my bike and flick through a catalogue of available films most of which had been recorded from TV. There were no age restrictions (although most films were censored), so before I’d even hit 13 I’d already seen Jaws, Terminator and many horror films including Pet Cemetery and Class Of 1999. It was during this time that I started to become fascinated with effects work: the living breathing creatures, animatronics, and prosthetics would often leave me wanting more. This fascination would continue to interest me but it wasn’t till I first saw Jurassic Park that I started to take it more seriously. CG was wowing audiences and I wanted to be a part of that. I ended up seeing Jurassic Park four times at the cinema, the effects work was amazing and even to this day it’s astonishing what ILM achieved, given no one had attempted anything like it before. This was also around the same time that my mum brought home our first personal computer - I believe it was a 386 – and in no time I had pulled it apart, rebuilt it and found a bunch of cheap ‘paint’ programs to play with. I remember boasting that my computer had a zoom tool so I could track in on a face just like the crime labs! I own boxes full of books and publications that delve into effects magic, I have numerous maquettes of my favourite film characters and to this day I’m a bit of an addict when it comes to sourcing the internet for information on how the visuals were achieved in films. Visual Effects have become an integral part of my life, I can’t get enough!

Where did you study?

After leaving College with A-Levels in Maths, Theatre Studies and Film Studies I knew I wanted to pursue my passion so I started out by enrolling on an Art Foundation year at Portsmouth University. I am so glad I did this; it gave me a great insight into the mechanics of creating art, although, as always, it was the film segment that interested me the most. After achieving a Distinction, I stayed at Portsmouth University and began the newly established Computer Animation degree. By 2005 I had a first class BA degree in Computer Animation. I was one of the few students who showed an interest in visual effects rather than game design, so this meant a lot of self study as the teaching didn’t really cover this subject in enough detail. This would lead me to build up skills in multiple disciplines, so that I could attempt to create my own visual effects shots; modelling, texturing, some animation and lots of time lighting and rendering. It was a great course. As students we were given a great deal of freedom to learn the tools at our disposal whilst the lecturers provided us with guidance from a more traditional art perspective. The best of both worlds.

What aspect of vfx do you enjoy the most?

I spend a lot of time modelling as it’s an integral part of the process and it also happens to be the area I find most rewarding. It takes me back to the days doing pottery at the local arts centre; I love to be able to showcase something that I have made from scratch that just wasn’t there at the start of the day. There’s something very special about that, however, I realise this is a very competitive area in visual effects and there are some amazing artists out there. I hope to learn from them if I get the chance.

What area of visual effects are you most interested in working on?

reel. My attitude has always been to apply myself 100% to any project I’ve been given and to master the skills I need to complete the project successfully. However, as I mentioned already, modelling is definitely something I would look to specialise in, but I would be happy to discuss my skill set with potential employers to see where I would be of most use within a specific pipeline. I understand there are many routes to your goal. As long as I’m working in a fun and challenging environment, I’d be fulfilling a dream.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

I’m driven by the desire to create realistic and believable work. Visual effects that are invisible to the audience, which blend seamlessly and reinforce the story. However I’m not referring to set extensions, props or digital explosions. For me, the most interesting thing is the fabrication of digital characters. Jurassic Park aside, I notice that a lot of digital films today fail to make an emotional connection with their audiences because their digital character just don’t feel real enough; they’re rarely as threatening or vulnerable or ‘physical’ as the story needs them to be. Years ago, when a huge prosthetic monster was right there on the set, everything was captured on film dust and you really felt the tension in the scene. I think this is an area in digital effects which still has room for improvement and it’s something that excites me very much. I would love to end up supervising a team trying to tackle this very challenge.

For for more information on Dominic check out his website here
dominic@cgfolio.co.uk