Interview with Matt Aitken, VFX supervisor at Weta Digital
RENDERU.COM contacted Weta Digital studio in New Zealand, known for its work on The Lord of the Rings, Avatar, and The Hobbit - and spoke to VFX Supervisor Matt Aitken. He has been working in the studio since 1994 (a year after it was founded), and has thus been with Weta Digital for more than twenty years. Matt Aitken consequently worked on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong, Avatar, I Robot, Iron man 3, The Hobbit, and Independence Day: Resurgence. Seeing as there are so many exciting projects on this list, we chose to speak to Matt Aitken in more general terms about his creative work, and asked for his thoughts on current VFX trends.
RENDERU.COM: What is your favourite project that you have worked on, and why?
Matt Aitken: That's a tough question; they are all great! In many ways, it has to be whatever project I am currently working on – that’s the one that I am the most enthusiastic about. I'm working on an incredible show right now, it's very exciting, but it's too early for me to be able to talk to you about it. I'm sorry!
RENDERU.COM: Perhaps a very predictable question, but we can’t help asking: what was it like working with Peter Jackson?
Matt Aitken: Peter Jackson is an inspiration to work with. The thing that I always find amazing is that even with these incredibly complex, often multi-part film projects that he is working on, he is able to always have the whole movie – or movies – in his head. So whatever the question, he has an answer for it. The other thing about Peter is that he never loses his cool. He is always great to be on set with: enthusiastic and full of energy.
RENDERU.COM: Which profession would you choose to pursue if you were not a digital artist, or if the VFX industry did not exist?
Matt Aitken: That would be very difficult, because working in visual effects is the perfect job for me. I don't know what I would be doing if I wasn't doing this. When I was a student, I studied a wide range of disciplines, all of which I was passionate about: computer science, mathematics, filmmaking, computer graphics, and photography, and then the digital visual effects industry came along, and all my different skills and interests were useful in this one field of work. I've been feeling very fortunate ever since, to be able to work in such a satisfying area – demanding for sure, but always rewarding.
RENDERU.COM: Some specialists say that the Golden Age of the VFX industry has passed. They believe that visual effects are not a miracle anymore. Could you share with us your opinion on these views, as someone who has been working in the industry for such a long time?
Matt Aitken: I'm afraid that I disagree. I believe that we are still right in the middle of the golden age of digital visual effects. Sure, the industry is more mature now than it was – say – 15 years ago, when new developments were happening at a very fast pace, but I think that the work that is happening in visual effects now is the best work that has ever been created. The widespread use of path-tracer renderers like Weta Digital's 'Manuka' mean that the images we are producing are of incredibly high quality. The level of the digital double work that is being produced (like Weta Digital's Paul Walker in Furious 7) is just incredible. The number of movies that are being shot utilising full virtual production techniques (the BFG and The Jungle Book to name just two recent examples), are offering filmmakers incredible levels of creative control. Producing work of the highest quality possible will always be what drives us at Weta Digital. Long may this golden age continue!
RENDERU.COM: Normally big studios are located in North America, Europe, or Asia, and it's pretty unusual to find one in a country like New Zealand. Does the "isolation" influence the studio in any way?
Matt Aitken: The film industry is truly a global industry. The major visual effects facilities are located all around the world, and the directors we work with do all their reviews via video conferencing, so they don't mind where we are at all. Some people may be put off travelling to work in a country as far away as New Zealand, but for many people, New Zealand is a wonderful country to live in, with lots of natural beauty and yet culturally highly developed. You can have a great time both at work, and in your spare time also.
RENDERU.COM: Could you say a few words to inspire CG artists that are dreaming of becoming VFX supervisors for world-famous projects?
Matt Aitken: Keep following your dreams! If you love movies and enjoy working with great people in a field that draws on both your creative and technical skills, then there is simply no better area to be working in.