[FRAMED] Lighting Lead, Jordan Koler, Melbourne

If you could travel back in time, which film, TV series, advert, or immersive project would you love to have worked on?

I’m a ’90s kid, so Jurassic Park had a massive impact on me — like it has for a lot of artists I’ve met.

Which Framestore character do you feel you’re most like?

I would say probably Ted.

What fictional world or place would you like to visit?

Look, if they opened up Jurassic Park in real life, I would probably still go. There aren’t a lot of fictional places where something isn’t trying to eat you. (So kind of like Australia)

Your career highlight to date:

Battle of the Bastards in Game of Thrones (episode 6) was my first show here, and it’s still a highlight. Christopher Robin was another really fun one. On the more gruesome side, working on the spiderhead in It: Chapter Two was a blast — aside from keyframing torches frame by frame, day after day 😀.

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in VFX?

Pixar films were everything to me as a kid. I remember watching the special features on The Incredibles DVD, where a camera followed someone into what looked like an artist’s den. On the screen was Frozone’s ice effect, and my little brain couldn’t comprehend how it was made — but I knew right then that I wanted to do it.

The DREAM project would entail:

If you’d asked me 10 years ago, I would’ve said Star Wars or a Marvel project. These days, not so much — though Thunderbolts was a pretty great time! I recently saw some of the Prehistoric Planet work-in-progress reels, and they blew me away. Working on that would be a dream. (Is anyone else noticing the running dinosaur theme here?)

How do you explain what you do to someone who doesn’t work in VFX?

“I spend months pressing endless buttons until they turn into moving pictures you’ll hopefully never notice were there.”

Describe your career journey into the exciting world of VFX.

I started out as an apprentice boilermaker, working in installation after school. A few years later, I came across a CGI course at my local TAFE and decided to take the leap. Before long, I was spending 15-hour days in the classroom, soaking up everything I could. After a year on the cours,e I landed a junior role at RSP in Adelaide, followed by an internship at Iloura the next year — and I’ve been here ever since!

What does a day in the life of a Lighting Lead look like?

It’s a mix of a lot of things, probably one too many to hit the word count. Beyond supporting artists, I focus on building efficient setups to keep workflows simple. At the end of the day, it’s about delivering the best images we can within the time constraints while keeping the team as happy as possible.

Framestore is, to you, in three words:

Top Tier VFX.

Best thing about your work environment?

100% the Lighting Team!

Framestore is great at:

The character work out of Framestore, I think, is unmatched!

Favorite artform?

I’m biased, CGI!

Favorite image?

Pretty much every frame of Spirited Away.

What’s your favourite movie/ series/ advert/ immersive experience and why?

I don’t think I have one single favourite, but I always find myself returning to Spirited Away and The Mummy. For series, I can’t recommend Dark on Netflix enough, and Twin Peaks definitely left its mark on me (RIP Mr. Lynch)

What is the last piece of art that inspired you?

Dune: Part Two

How do you unlock your creativity?

Sleep deprivation and coffee.

From where do you seek inspiration?

Mostly just looking around outside and paying attention to the little things

Who in the industry do you admire most and why?

There are a few key people still working with us who are hugely responsible for mentoring me early on.

Share the best piece of advice you’ve ever received:

“Keep it simple, stupid!”

What tech/innovation could you not live without?

Path tracing.

What tech/innovation deserves the hype?

The easy answer is AI. I don’t think it really deserves all the hype, but it does have some interesting implications and applications for our field.

What tech do you need that hasn’t been invented yet?

A personal device that could stretch time and space so I’d have room to watch more movies.

Jordan Koler, you’ve been [FRAMED].