OMPA Members in Focus: VFX Artist, Adam C. Sager

The Oregon film & media industry is full of impressive talent as this video series reveals, one member at a time.

The opportunity to feature VFX Artist Adam C. Sager emerged after I learned about his involvement on the impossibly darling stop-motion animated short film, Two Balloons, directed by Mark Smith. I was so intrigued by their team (50% amateur, 50% expert) and the painstaking, ever-so-slight movement to tell a story that was so VFX heavy--that I had to know more about visual effects. Adam began to send me all sorts of fun material highlighting his slingshot career into the art of what helps us lose ourselves in these types of stories.

Another short film Adam worked on, Lesson's Learned, also made use of his impressive skills. "There aren't really words to describe what it was like working with the Babe with the Power," he said of his experience on set with Toby Froud, the baby in the striped pajamas from Labyrinth. "We got to use some practical effects on Lessons Learned, like paint in the water for clouds. It was truly a magical experience."

Speaking of magic, of course I had to involve him in his own VFX for this episode. I'm a sucker for collaboration and testing what is possible on any given production. The answer to that: anything is possible, so long as you involve the VFX Supervisor from day one (and a thoughtful budget). "Hiring someone in VFX even during your pre-production planning can save you time and money. Oftentimes we're in pre-production meetings and on set making sure everything is lit well and shot correctly so we can make the best use of all of it in post. Hiring someone ahead of time can make it so your budget isn't used on making shots work, but on making them look great."

Adam has also worked on Grimm, The Librarians, Scandal and Portlandia, to name a few.

Thanks to Island Station Media Lab, Digital One, Chroma Color & Koerner Camera Systems for supporting this series.

Please enjoy this months Members in Focus video. For more information on how you can join our community, visit ompa.org/join.