INTERVIEW ABHIMANYU TANWAR

My name is Abhimanyu Tanwar
I’m freelance compositor based in India, and currently tutor at Digital Tutors
e-mail: abhitnwr@gmail.com
website: http://abhitnwr.wix.com/abhimanyutanwar
linkedin: https://in.linkedin.com/in/abhimanyutanwar

What is Visual effects for you ?

Visual effects is just another tool of storytelling for filmmakers. End of the day we’re creating images and those images create an illusion around the audience so, an audience can see and feel the story director wants to tell.

What is to be a digital compositor and visual effects artists?

To be a compositor or VFX artist, it’s an art you have a power to influence people and how far you can share those creative ideas in a visual way.

What the steps influence on your decision to choice for working in effects industry? How did you start your career in the visual effects industry?

When I was a kid most of the time watch Hollywood films like Terminator-2, Jurassic park, The Mummy, King Kong name of few. But they never influenced me towards VFX, because VFX were done so well and there are no visual effects for me, it’s just a story being told through visuals which are never seen before. Fast forward to 2009 I saw a film called AVATAR by James Cameron and those stunning visuals and immersive environment stunned me. I started figuring out how those images were created and I found term VFX and spend around 6 months into that. Theni joined a VFX institute for 2 years and most importantly, self-taught then created a roto reel and got my first job at Prime Focus.

Your working as roto-artists in earlier films and for now you became a digital compositor, artist. Could you share with our reader of your evolution on your professional path?

I was View-D roto artist at Prime Focus. View-D roto is completely different from VFX roto. In VFX roto, you isolate character for composite or grading. But View-D is a stereo conversion proprietary pipeline of Prime Focus. In that, you have to roto out character facial features and everything goes in different roto shape. So, View-D depth artist can assign depth to those shapes and create a 3d volume into the shot, its lot of roto work. I did that for a year then start freelancing as a roto artist and get into removing rigs slowly into compositing.

What the project was the first film experience on your path?

I started with World War Z and it was a great experience. Just because of team and team leader. The team was very polite and always want to guide you towards the right way. I learned a lot from my team not only technical skills also how to work in the collaborative environment.

Did you have an extraordinary or a funny situation in your job? If yes: How did you solve them?

There are a lot of back breaking situations. I remember working on Edge of Tomorrow there is shot where Tom cruise and other soldiers are running in a row before going to mission, and that shot assigned to our team and I’m isolating right side foreground characters hands and side by side talking to my teammate and suddenly completely lost attention to work and did a really big mistake I forgot to take precise edge on shoulder end that almost screwed me and that shot have to go on the same day for next process of conversion. Now I don’t have time to fix that only one way to fix that is talk to team leader about that. Now you can imagine how my team praise me for that. But I learned a lesson talking is good but a lot of talking at work may be detrimental.

You were working on many Hollywood blockbusters and had a great experience. Do you have a couple of films in your filmography that you could proud them like of your masterpieces?

I got a chance to work with really talented directors. And Hasraf Dulull is one of them who is the director of SYNC. He understands every aspect of visual effects because he is a VFX supervisor himself. He knew very well what the right way of doing VFX from script to screen. I composite around 12 shots for his film and he have really strong eye about what looks real what not. So, yes that film really improved my compositing skills.

What is the favorite part of the workflow in your job?

I discussed that part really deep into my teaching. Freelancers like one man company already dealing with lot things like bidding projects, management and keep your focus on artistic side so you can deliver high-quality work. I always try to automate technical things like the folder structure, naming conventions and deliverables. So, I can focus on an artistic side like is that comp looking real or not if not so why. Because sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint what is missing. Something is missing but what you don’t know.I like that part integrating.

Each artist has a project of his dream. For someone is a Jurassic Park for others is the Matrix.
What the project of your dream?

For me I want to work with those industry pioneers who created first CG walk cycle, who invented software like Photoshop and created characters like Gollum, I want to work under supervision of those industry pioneers who influenced me towards VFX, with great artists for great artists that's the dream.

What is an etalon for you when you are working on some new projects?

Most of the time director vision is director want to use VFX for story telling or sake of VFX. You can judge that by seeing shots and realize how much pre-production work is done for that project. It’s always better to work with directors who have a specific vision for a shot.

Could you give any advice for our readers?

Observation, you must shoot film or stills with your camera, so you can mimic those mannerisms into visual effects. That way you can make big effects more invisible. And as I said work hard and share what you learnt with talented artists around the world.