That’s a Wrap!

And that is a wrap on season 1 of Archive 81!

Seven months ago I was lucky enough to get an interview with Adam Chazen and Ariel Velasco-Shaw, the VFX Producer and VFX Supervisor of Archive 81 season one, to talk about joining their team as a VFX Production Assistant. I was honest right off the bat and told them that I knew next to nothing about Visual Effects but that I was eager and willing to learn.

Shortly after that interview, I was offered the job. They loved joking that a big reason I got the job was because I sat on hold for twenty minutes and waited for them to jump off of their other call.

In these seven months I learned so much about Visual Effects and about myself. I learned about the importance of tracking markers, ball passes, and HDRIs, texture photography and photogrammetry (something I never quite mastered), and Lidar and Artec scanning. I got to witness the hard work and passion in each of my coworkers; three of whom will be continuing to work in LA on this show until October. And I somehow ended up with so many new nicknames that I’m sure I won’t live down once I see my team again.

I met so many talented people. So many filmmakers who are recently in the business like myself, and people who have been working in the film and television industry for 20+ years. Filmmakers from Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, and lots of places in between. People that weren’t in the department they wanted to be in, but still showing up everyday doing their absolute best so that this show can be the absolute best it can be. And people honing their crafts day in and day out. Five days a week I was surrounded by passion and it fed my soul.

This was my first full-time gig (that I got to see all the way until the end of production). I finally got to see all of the effort it takes to create something longer than 12 minutes. I am ecstatic that my first experience was working for Netflix, who took sweeping efforts every day to ensure our safety during this insane time.

I have a greater appreciation for all of the crew on every movie and show that I have watched. And a true, deeper understanding and appreciation for the preparation and skill it takes to get the information that post will need for each VFX shot (there’s more than you’ll ever know).

And finally, one last huge thank you to my team for taking the time to teach me and help me understand the art of Visual Effects. I will always remember this experience and will always remember to give my VFX team their due time after each setup to get those ball passes and HDRIs. One last apology too for the brutal winter I assured you probably wouldn’t happen...again to be fair it hasn‘t happened in five years.

This week and next I will be wrapping up the office and helping to tie up any loose ends. My team has all left Pittsburgh and have travelled back to LA and New Mexico. Seven months have come and gone and it’s incredible to me that it is over already.

Looking ahead, I am hoping that with the connections that I made on Archive 81 , I will be jumping onto another project very soon.

In the meantime, I am still revising my short script and my feature. I had plans of directing my short this summer, but there have been a few hiccups so that is currently on hold. If it doesn’t happen this summer, someday I will make New Tables, of that I am certain.

I also have a laundry list of movie recommendations to watch (Ariel, I promise I will watch The Godfather and Goodfellas and let you know which I preferred) and a pile of books waiting for me.

Please enjoy the slideshow below of my coworkers and I tackling COVID and an 8 episode series.

In the first picture, from left to right: Me, Adam Chazen (VFX Producer), Evan Hage (VFX Coordinator), Jonas Huerta (VFX Data Wrangler), and Ariel Velasco-Shaw (VFX Supervisor).

As always, thank you for reading and following along with my adventures and goals!