About

I am a Senior 3D Tracking, Layout and Matchmove Artist, freelancing for post-production studios. Recently, I was tracking at Cumulus VFX and Fin Design + Effects in Sydney, and prior to that, a member of the Layout Department at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) in Vancouver.

My experience includes working on a variety of projects from TVCs, streaming service shows, to high-profile feature films.

Experienced in 3D Equalizer™, Maya™, ILM’s Zeno™ and a dash of Nuke™, I enjoy tracking, layout and matchmoving as my primary skills, but am always interested in other areas of visual effects and movie making, such as editing, pipeline development and tool scripting.

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Software Experience:

Autodesk Maya™ | (snr)

3D Equalizer™ | (snr)

SynthEyes™ | (mid)

ILM’s Zeno™ | (mid)

Nuke™ | (jnr)

Python | (jnr)

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Industry Employment:

Current | Flying Bark Productions
2019 | Fin Design + Effects
2018 | Industrial Light and Magic
2016 – 2018
 | Method Studios
2016 | Industrial Light and Magic
2016
 | Iloura
2015 – 2016
 | Industrial Light and Magic
2014 – 2015
 | Iloura
2013
 |  Weta Digital
2012 – 2013 |  Rising Sun Pictures
2012
 |  Weta Digital
2012
 |  Animal Logic
2011 – 2012
 |  Rising Sun Pictures
2010 – 2011
 |  Dr D Studios
2010
 |  Frame, Set, Match
2008 – 2010
 |  Fuel VFX
2008
 |  Flying Bark Productions

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Filmography and Roles:

2019 | “Maya The Bee & The Golden Orb” ~ Technical Animator ~ Flying Bark

2019 | {Projects Currently in Production} ~ Snr Tracking & Layout ~ Cumulus VFX

2019 | “The Eight Hundred” ~ Snr Tracking & Matchmove ~ Fin Design + Effects

2018 | “Captain Marvel” ~ Snr Layout & Matchmove ~ ILM Vancouver

2017 | “Outlaw King” ~ Lead Tracking & Matchmove ~ Method Studios

2017 | “Crazy Rich Asians” ~ Lead Tracking & Matchmove ~ Method Studios

2017 | “Thor: Ragnarok” ~ Snr Tracking & Matchmove ~ Iloura

2017 | “Bright” ~ Snr Tracking & Matchmove ~ Iloura

2017 | “Spiderman: Homecoming” ~ Snr Tracking & Matchmove ~ Iloura

2017 | “Ghost in the Shell” ~ Snr Tracking & Matchmove ~ Iloura

2016 | “John Wick: Chapter 2” ~ Snr Tracking & Matchmove ~ Iloura

2016 | “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” ~ Snr Layout & Matchmove ~ ILM

2016 | “First They Killed My Father” ~ Snr Tracking & Matchmove ~ Iloura

2016 | “Deepwater Horizon” ~ Snr Tracking & Matchmove ~ ILM and Iloura

2016 | “Ghostbusters” ~ Snr Tracking & Matchmove ~ Iloura

2015 | “Captain America: Civil War” ~ Snr Layout & Matchmove ~ ILM

2015 | “Gods Of Egypt” ~ Tracking & Matchmove ~ Iloura

2015 | “Saints and Strangers” ~ Tracking ~ Iloura

2014 | “Mad Max: Fury Road” ~ Tracking & Matchmove ~ Iloura

2013 | “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” ~ Stereo Camera TD ~ Weta Digital

2013 | “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” ~ Stereo Camera TD ~ Weta Digital

2013 | “The Wolverine” ~ Tracking & Matchmove ~ Rising Sun Pictures

2013 | “The Great Gatsby” ~ Stereo Tracking & Matchmove ~ Animal Logic and RSP

2013 | “Man of Steel” ~ Camera TD ~ Weta Digital

2013 | “Walking With Dinosaurs” ~ Stereo Tracking ~ Animal Logic

2012 | “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” ~ Stereo Camera TD ~ Weta Digital

2011 | “Prometheus” ~ Stereo Tracking ~ Rising Sun Pictures

2011 | “The Hunger Games” ~ Tracking & Matchmove ~ Rising Sun Pictures

2011 | “Happy Feet 2” ~ Mocap & Crowd Motion Editor ~ Dr D Studios

2010 | “Tomorrow When The War Began” ~ Tracking, jnr Modeling ~ Fuel VFX

2010 | “Iron Man II” ~ Tracking, jnr Modeling ~ Fuel VFX

2008 | “Australia” – Visual Effects Production Assistant ~ Fuel VFX

2008 | “Zigby” – Junior Layout Artist ~ Flying Bark Productions

(Please see my IMDB page for full filmography.)

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Interests and Goals:

– Film, digital and practical visual effects, editing, writing, scripting, publishing and martial arts.

– Stage work, set and prop building, model making, painting and sculpting.

– I have been a passionate reader for many years, and I am currently working on writing my first novel.

– One major life goal is to actually work on the visual effects of a major feature film which is based upon a novel that I wrote.

– I practice scripting in MEL and Python, usually when I have a Maya problem to solve.

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Additional Achievements:

2009 | I won the final writing stage of the “Ink-Write-Win” competition held by Blunty and Wacom.

I wrote the winning entry of speech bubbles to a supplied 5 cell comic, winning first prize, which was a Bamboo Wacom tablet. This comic was later made into an amusing motion comic.

2007 | I earned my 1st Dan Black Belt rank in Taekwondo.

2006 | “Bubble Trouble”  ~ My Cert IV animation short film, won 2nd place at the 2006 TAFE inter-college Digital Animation Festival.

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Education:

2012 | Short course: Foundations of Nuke delivered at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS)

2007 | Diploma 3D Animation and Digital Effects                         | Distinction

2006 | Certificate IV in 3D Animation and Digital Effects            | Credit

For my full CV and references, please feel free to contact me:

email: nicolegashford@gmail.com

mob: +61 425 220 368

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Personal:

My attention to detail and precise nature are a perfect fit for technical digital roles. Luckily I discovered early on that my calling was film and visual effects. Some of the moments and feelings I remember best in my life are centered around storytelling in books and films. Tamora Pierce’s Alanna series introduced me to the Fantasy genre of books.

I fell in love with Prof. Indiana Jones, and was fascinated by The Mummy; I was blown away by The Fifth Element, and I willed the Fellowship on in the Lord of the Rings books and films.

 I grew up with the Star Wars trilogy, wishing I could use the Force and fly my very own X-Wing. I watched and re-watched my mum’s Special Edition collection on VHS so many times, I’m sure the tapes are worn thin. This VHS box set truly was special because it included a mini documentary of how the films were made – specifically how they filmed the attack on the Death Star battle sequence. When I saw that there was a real job where grown-ups got to play all day at building models onto ping pong tables set out in a car park, then shoot it with a camera and blow it up, I knew that was the job for me!

Practical effects and set building held my interest throughout high school, where I was an enthusiastic member of the Rock Eisteddfod stage crew; building and painting sets and striking and moving them about on stage during the performance. I loved it!

Then I discovered you can make computers do the work for you!

Digital visual effects were knocking at my door. So I knocked on the Enmore Design Centre’s door, and studied there for 2 years, gaining valuable technical skills and insight from their incredible teachers.

So far I have been lucky enough to work at some of the best VFX studios in the world, including Animal Logic, Rising Sun Pictures, Weta Digital, and Industrial Light and Magic, but I am far from finished in this amazing industry. It only makes me set the bar higher, and even more determined to work hard, work smart and be the best.

I can happily say that I am currently working in my dream career, helping stories be told, and I intend to do so for many years (and projects) to come.

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