[FRAMED] VFX Supervisor, Andre Vidal, New York
If you could travel back in time, which film, TV series, advert, or immersive project would you love to have worked on?
It’d be amazing to have worked on The Neverending Story movie and Nike — Good vs Evil commercial. They are quite old, but I remember, at different points in my life, being impressed by them.
Which Framestore character do you feel you’re most like?
Rocket from Guardians of the Galaxy. I love all the layers of his personality; sassy, honest, fearless, determined, funny, sarcastic…
What fictional world or place would you like to visit?
Star Wars world.
Your career highlight to date:
I think it’s when I moved from Brazil to the US, which changed my life completely, and as a first project, I worked in a spot for Hennessy called The Piccards. It was a pretty heavy VFX commercial, and there were so many elements in my mind to make it even harder, like a new life, language and some pressure to show my work and prove myself. The project ended up being a success and extremely awarded.
Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in VFX?
The Matrix. I remember watching the making of and just being stunned.
The DREAM project would entail:
Cinematic, creative, with a nice story and some purpose.
How do you explain what you do to someone who doesn’t work in VFX?
For an “outsider”, what we do is very complex so I basically say we work with special effects for movies and advertisements, like adding someone on the moon or under the ocean, creating dinosaurs and monsters, pretty much the magic from cinema to summarise.
Describe your career journey into the exciting world of VFX.
While in college, I started in a VFX studio as an intern working in the machine room, patching Betacam tapes to the artists and making copies for broadcast, then I started learning VFX just sitting next to artists and taking notes as there wasn’t YouTube and courses back then. Also worked as a junior compositor on the night shift from 8pm to 6am. After 9 years in this company, patiently and growing all the way up to becoming VFX Supervisor, I moved to NY to work at The Mill for 7 more years until joining Framestore in 2023.
What does the day in the life of a VFX Supervisor look like?
Usually, I start the day talking with production and project leads, then dailies with the rest of the team so we can discuss and review the shots, and how to approach and make progress. There is a lot of planning in terms of how to manage and organise the project, for instance, who is going to be assigned to what, giving briefing to different departments and artists, figuring out colour workflow, technical specs of the project, outsourcing etc. We also need to be in contact with clients, directors, colourists and editorial and make sure the wheel keeps spinning smoothly. Last but not least we have to bid out and think about some upcoming projects.
Framestore is, to you, in three words:
Solid, Inspiring and Creative.
Best thing about your work environment?
Working with talented people in a creative, friendly and collaborative company, having all the structure behind is the perfect culture combo every artist is looking for.
Framestore is great at:
Innovation. Always looking for something new.
Favourite artform?
Movies. All the different kinds.
Favourite image?
“Better Out Than In” created by a collaboration between my favourite artists Os Gemeos and Banksy.
What’s your favourite movie/ series/ advert/ immersive experience and why?
I really like Shutter Island from Martin Scorsese. The way it keeps you holding the chair all the time, the music, the story and the twist.
What is the last piece of art (e.g. music, film, TV, writing etc.) that inspired you?
More than any piece of art, my kids have been inspiring me a lot.
How do you unlock your creativity?
Putting on headphones and listening to music, from Ludovico Einaudi to Vintage Culture.
From where do you seek inspiration?
I like to watch everything around me. On my way to drop off my kids at school or for a little walk to the park, I like to see what’s happening in the real world, as we are always trying to match and reference the real world.
Who in the industry do you admire most and why?
I try to follow the steps of my former supervisors who found the perfect balance between delivering beautiful work and having personal time, being always chill, and optimistic and keeping the team happy and motivated. They know who they are.
Share the best piece of advice you’ve ever received:
Make it simple, don’t try to reinvent the wheel for things that don’t need to.
What tech/innovation could you not live without?
Probably today I’d say a smartphone. We have pretty much everything in our hands.
What tech/innovation deserves the hype?
Facetime.
What tech do you need that hasn’t been invented yet?
A laundry folding machine and some virtual reality with the ability to taste and smell it.
Andre Vidal, you’ve been [FRAMED].
