[FRAMED] VFX Supervisor, Glenn Melenhorst, Melbourne
If you could travel back in time, which film, TV series, advert, or immersive project would you love to have worked on?
Like asking what’s your favourite film, it has a lot to do with who you were at the time. Thinking back to films that blew my socks off, I’d have to say either Back to the Future or Close Encounters.
Which Framestore character do you feel you’re most like?
I really don’t know. I feel like I see myself in small parts of lots of them, and not much of myself in others.
What fictional world or place would you like to visit?
Retirement. HAHAH!
No, seriously, I think some place peaceful, with a little magic. I don’t know if anybody has seen Alchemy of Souls (Korean TV) but a place like that–if I was nobility, of course. Or somewhere amazing, like the Tower of Babel in Senlin Ascends (a bit obscure perhaps).
Your career highlight to date:
Possibly our Game of Thrones work, but the current work on How to Train Your Dragon is up there. Often it’s not just the work, but the people on both sides of production you make it with. Some of my career highlights have been on pretty unforgettable films :)
Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in VFX?
Coming from traditional media, I loved reading Cinefex and learning about special effects, stop motion and the like. I remember how computer graphics began as a footnote at the back of the magazine, and how it grew so quickly to overtake the industry. I bought an Amiga 1000 and jumped into computer graphics, leaving 2D animation behind, with no idea what a ride it was going to be!
The DREAM project would entail:
Supervising character work, spending my day discussing acting and performance rather than the displacement map on a fingernail.
How do you explain what you do to someone who doesn’t work in VFX?
I tell people that being a VFX Sup is like conducting an orchestra. There are many jobs and skills that I need to understand how to direct without knowing how to do it myself.
Describe your career journey into the exciting world of VFX.
My role didn’t exist when I started my career. I did graphic design, then post-grad animation (film and TV) here in Melbourne. I worked as a 2D animator for a company called Mickey Duck. Then, in 1988, I made the leap to CGI, working on commercials, when the industry was in its infancy. Around 1992, I started my own company, which I eventually sold to Iloura in 1999. This became the VFX department inside Iloura and not long after that we jumped from TV commercials to VFX for Film starting with Charlotte’s Web. Zoom forward a bunch of years and Iloura was sold to Framestore. Now here I am. :)
What does a day in the life of a VFX Supervisor look like?
My morning is spent catching up on e-mails, reading through director notes, and then talking–all day–without stopping–the talking never ends. It’s back-to-back meetings across the whole pipeline which I absolutely love. It’s keeping a whole show in your head — knowing what each shot needs, and in what department it is parked.
It’s understanding the flow of a sequence and how each shot contributes to the story and how it fits with its neighbours.
There’s a bunch of learning to do as well, as we as VFX sups are expected to land in any review and sound like we know what we are talking about. You need to know a little about everyone’s department and how to ask for what you need.
It can leave your head swimming!
Framestore is, to you, in three words:
Creative, artistic, peak.
Best thing about your work environment?
I love our team. I love the energy of the place. Also, many of the people I work with have been there for ages–we are a genuine family. I also love the new talent. I enjoy working with a younger, energetic crowd as it keeps me feeling young. I learn a lot from everyone.
Framestore is great at:
Invisible film-making and recruiting awesome talent. It’s also good at looking forward to emerging technologies.
Favorite artform?
2D animation. Watching pencil tests still seems like utter magic to me.
Favorite image?
I’ll give you one that immediately makes me tear up!
It’s one image that tells such a powerful story of motherhood. Every time I see it, I immediately love it and hate it.
I also love this image — Such energy and expressiveness it exudes.
What’s your favourite movie/ series/ advert/ immersive experience and why?
My Neighbor Totoro. It’s my perfect movie. Nothing really happens and I love it.
What is the last piece of art that inspired you?
I’ve been getting into real-time puppetry in Unreal Engine. There’s a guy on LinkedIn whose little tests are just terrific and they’re really motivating me to keep learning.
How do you unlock your creativity?
I don’t feel like I can shut it up. I’m always tinkering with something.
From where do you seek inspiration?
I really like seeing the art posted on the personal projects chat at work. I also watch a lot of YouTube artists and makers.
Who in the industry do you admire most and why?
Del Toro and Seth Macfarlane for the same reason. They know what they like when they see it and are succinct with reasons for what they don’t like. They are singularly decisive in their vision.
Share the best piece of advice you’ve ever received:
‘Trust your instincts, but be prepared to explain them.’
That’s not anything someone told me, but what I learned from working with a particularly hard-headed person when I was starting out. It’s one thing to have a creative opinion, but you need to be able to back it up with why.
What tech/innovation could you not live without?
The internet. Without it, I would have never been able to work in the global film industry. I would probably be still making commercials.
What tech/innovation deserves the hype?
That’s a complex question because technology can be both incredibly impressive and intimidating at the same time. AI and machine learning are fascinating to me, but I understand how frightening they must seem for people starting out on their VFX journey. That stuff deserves the hype they’ve attracted because they will bring a true seismic shift to filmmaking, but I get the reaction against it all.
What tech do you need that hasn’t been invented yet?
Capturing accurate deep and transparent information in camera. Any technology to allow us to never have to key a blue-screen again.
Glenn Melenhorst, you’ve been [FRAMED].
