[FRAMED]: Thibault Deloof, Lead Lighting Technical Director, MTL

[FRAMED] exists to shine light on Framestore’s most fascinating cast of characters: its people. Presented with a probing list of questions and a demandingly short deadline, this feature puts the hopes, dreams, and desktops of our MVPs on the digital wall, for all to see. Welcome to [FRAMED].

What are you guilty of?

Going to bed too late.

What was your last brush with danger?

Driving during a winter storm in Quebec.

Your last brush with greatness?

Watching the sky through a telescope in the Atacama desert in Chile.

Your worst character fault?

I give too much to others, sometimes at my own expense.

Your most shining quality?

Humility, so I don't like to shine too much.

You’re on the run from the law, where are you headed?

Bangkok; it's easy to hide in the chaos of the city, and the food is amazing.

Who’s your partner-in-crime?

My partner in life, Eleonore, she's very reliable.

What’s your favorite movie/TV show and why?

‘The Salt of the Earth.’ The images are stunning and it tells us a lot about our world.

Your greatest achievement?

I’ve lived in different areas of the world with very different people, and I’ve learned a lot from all of them.

Most valuable skill?

I can learn about anything. I like to know how to make things myself.

Go on, say something bragging:

I did my first CG renders in 1996, using 3d Studio (not 3dsMax but its ancestor). It came on 32 floppy disks.

Name your pet peeve?

I get annoyed by badly designed softwares.

The DREAM project would entail:

Nice challenges, a great team, and a comfortable schedule.

Your career highlight to date:

More than a year of working on Army of the Dead and I didn't turn into a zombie.

This week I learnt that:

End of April is not too late for snow in Montreal.

What’s your current view?

If I turn my head I see a tree blossoming. Green leaves are starting to come out — maybe winter is finally over?

Give us a desk tour

Screen and keyboard on a standing mount (my back is terrible), laptop on the side, jar of water and glass, shelf with books and sketchbooks, a bit of random mess, on my right a door to a small balcony.

What do you need to work, on the daily?

Coffee, and I'm very nerdy about the subject.

Framestore is, to you, in three words:

Talents, skills, organisation.

Best thing about your work environment?

It's quiet, and I can take short breaks on my terrace and watch my plants grow.

Framestore is great at:

Innovating and evolving in a solid manner by building strong foundations.

Favourite artform?

Photography.

Favourite image?

Hard to choose just one... maybe this one, I like the strong composition in Fan Ho's photos:

Fictional character you’d like to hang with?

Totoro. He's not very talkative, me neither, so we should get on well.

Happiness looks like

Waking up to the sound of nature.

If not here, then where?

Japan.

What do you think of too often?

Work.

And not enough?

Drinking water to stay hydrated.

Couldn’t live without:

Nature.

If you ruled the world:

Weekends would be at least 3 days, kids would have to learn about ecology and gardening at school, and it would be more important than mathematics.

How are you staying inspired by working remotely?

If I have good coffee, I should be alright.

How are you spending your weekends?

I'm a DIYer, I always have dozens of ongoing projects, from simple to very challenging.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about yourself during quarantine?

I have good instincts, I saw it coming very early.

Include a pic of your work station:

Thibault Deloof, you’ve been [FRAMED].