I’m a Senior Texture Painter & Look-Development Artist at Double Negative in London and have been with them for the past few years. My previous experiences include MPC, Dr. D Studios and other studios around the world. My filmography includes major productions like Iron Man, Godzilla, Prometheus, Exodus Gods and Kings, Dark Shadows, Wrath of the Titans, and Happy Feet among others.

I’m originally from Spain but I’ve been working abroad for many years now so I think I’m more of a global citizen! :)

The hardest part was definitely the compromise on my personal life and the “forever moving countries” scenario – you gotta be ready for that. There was a lot of sacrifice and adjusting my family and I had to do it in order to make the most of the opportunities that were coming my way but totally worth it. Would do it all over again.

Keep it simple. If you are a student, don’t make it longer than one minute. Include only one good project, something very very good. If you are already a professional don’t bother going over two minutes! You have to go straight to the target, showing your most impressive works first and even cutting minor or older projects. If needed, add explanations about the shot on the footer to make things easier to the person watching.

VFX Supervisors have seen hundreds or thousands of reels, so make it short, high impact and memorable if you want to be remembered…and hired!

I study a lot at home and I’m constantly trying new stuff – software, techniques, wherever I feel that I can learn from and find inspiration, I’m there. There’s a lot of online research, Cinefex is always a good reference to see what our colleagues are doing but I try to find knowledge and inspiration in non-FX related sources as well, like exhibitions, every day life, and travel.

I’m always looking for short courses and other kind of training to be enrolled.

Dark Shadows is a favorite. I’ve always been a big Tim Burton fan and he was very happy with our work, so that made me really proud. There were technically and artistically challenging shots but I can say working on this movie was a joy.

Interstellar blew my mind! Or maybe it was not only the VFX? :) Now seriously, the VFX were extremely complex, it’s so rich that it’s one of those movies you have to watch it again to be sure you didn’t miss anything. I especially like the combination of visual storytelling and science in this movie.

I realized there was a gap in the market for HDRI photography. There’s not much out there in information and products, that’s how the idea started. Photography has always been a favorite topic and hobby for me so building a business around two things I love – VFX and photos – was a natural thing.

We developed our products a lot during 2014 and now we want to focus on expanding business in 2015. Partnering with studios and schools is our focus for the near future. We want to be the reference for HDRI photography, not only for our products, but we want to be also a knowledge and inspiration source.

Be flexible. This profession requires sacrifice, working long hours and willing to relocate to where the next project is. You need to be ready to embrace the lifestyle fully if you want better opportunities and work for the top studios in the world.

I’m currently working on Mission Impossible 5, but I can’t share much with you guys, sorry. But it’s gonna be awesome!

Never accommodate, guys! This career requires being constantly studying, researching, practicing. You need to dive in! Also, raise your profile among the VFX community – participate in forums, blogs, let your work be known. That will certainly give you a hand for that dream job, and some recognition too!