Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Guardians of the Galaxy… These are just the tip of the iceberg for VFX artist Christopher M. Anthony. Having been immersed in filmmaking from a young age, he built up his knowledge, and eventually managed to be a part of some of Hollywood’s biggest franchises, including X-Men 3 (where he developed his ‘atomization’ technique), Bohemian Rhapsody and, most recently, The King’s Man. Alongside his collection of visual effects awards, in 2016, his team won both a BAFTA and an Oscar for their work on the live action movie The Jungle Book. From secretly watching Goodfellas in his father’s video rental shop, to appearing on Hollywood’s red carpets, we share his thoughts on his impressive career…

1. How did you become interested in films and visual effects?

I was brought up by my mother in England, but my father lived in Nigeria where one his businesses was running a video rental place out of the back of his house. This was all before Nollywood was the third biggest film industry in the world and getting content out there wasn’t entirely legal. But it meant that I was always surrounded by films. Especially when I spent holidays there and I was too young to go out with my brother and sister, so I would stay in and watch films back-to-back all day and night. I was given completely unrestricted access to what I could watch and I think that gave me a very broad experience of film. I had a penchant for kung-fu movies: George Formby, Laurel and Hardy and John Hughes. But really I watched everything. I recall watching Full Metal Jacket when I was about 5 or 6. And Goodfellas. Not entirely appropriate for my age but still….

It was great to be exposed to Kubrick so early. I recall being taken to the cinema early and seeing Return of the Jedi on the big screen (I was 3, I guess), and becoming obsessed with how films were made. I particularly followed the early pioneers like Phil Tippett and Dennis Muren as ‘behind-the-scenes’ footage was starting to be broadcast. I was particularly interested in seeing impossible things. A few years later, I was given a book on magic by my uncle and I think there’s a huge connection between magic and film. Film is essentially a magic trick. Not just visual and special effects but the editing, the fact that your bedroom set only has three walls, the performances – it’s all misdirection and performance. Knowing the secret of a magic trick doesn’t mean you can perform it and engage an audience and that’s a difference between successful and unsuccessful filmmakers. But as with magic, it takes practice and knowing your art thoroughly.

Film is essentially a magic trick… But as with magic, it takes practice and knowing your art thoroughly.

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As I got older, animatronics became bigger and we were seeing more impossible things like Ninja Turtles performing with no wires or bluescreens or anything. My plan was to get into animatronics and I was lucky my cousin used to babysit for the head of Jim Henson’s mould shop. A little after Jim passed, I was allowed to visit. I stayed in touch and pestered like mad. But Jurassic Park was happening and it changed everything. CGI was something I could potentially do at home with rudimentary tools and I didn’t have to be an expert in mould making and electronics and so on. I could also make things as big as I wanted to without needing a hangar that 12 year old kids don’t really have access to.

My mother worked at what is now the The Bournemouth Arts University and I spent many a summer holiday in the library reading up on their books on CG and art. Some of the students gave me copies of higher end software and spoke to me about techniques and gradually I taught myself. This was just as Henson’s was opening up a CG department. I hassled them to do work experience there and continued teaching myself. Bringing that work into my Art class at school. I think I was lucky and pushy and tried to surround myself with films and creative people and that’s really how I got into it.

2. Who/what inspires you?

I’m inspired by almost everything. There’s inspiration to be found everywhere. I can be inspired by something as little as the shape a headphone wire falls in that makes me see something else. On the whole, though, I’m mostly inspired by other creatives both past and present. I look back to old masters. I look around at the concept artists that are working today, the directors, the art departments. I look at contemporary artists. I look at nature, architecture, photography. I am my most creative on personal projects when I am working on other projects because I’m surrounded by other people at the top of their jobs, working hard and producing stunning work. I am incredibly jealous of people’s abilities and I think it really drives me to be better. Mostly though, I’m inspired by great directors and writers that really surprise me.

3. Four years ago, your film company, Kayfabe Films Ltd., won an Academy Award for ‘The Jungle Book’. Does the Oscars differ much from what you see on TV?

We won both a BAFTA and an Oscar for that film. I attended the BAFTAs, not the Oscar ceremony that year. But they are very similar, other than the jetlag and occasional rain. It’s one of the highlights of my year, mostly because I get to see a lot of old colleagues on the red carpet and at the dinner and after parties – people I’ve worked with up to 25 years ago. People I’ve been through a lot with. Also it’s nice to cheer on old friends who are nominated and actually I find it great for reinforcing relationships. We’re all in a good mood regardless of the weather or the wins. And especially once we’re fed. The ceremony itself is pretty much as it is on TV but it is longer by an hour or two and so you don’t get to dinner until about 11pm. I learnt early to sneak some carbs in with me. It’s also a great way to make friends when you pull some biscuits and flapjacks out of your pocket and start sharing them around the audience!

4. Which visual effect work are you most proud of?

That’s a tough one and can be answered many ways. Jungle Book won us an Oscar, Prisoner of Azkaban changed the vfx and film industry in the UK, Guardians of the Galaxy was important to me as I had stepped away from film for a couple of years and got myself into some trouble. The disintegrating effect on X-Men 3 was pretty unique at the time and copied over many years (such as Thanos’ snap in Avengers Endgame) but we were arguably the first to do it, using very old tools. That was also a lot of late nights but with a really nice team. The first Harry Potter was small but special because of what the franchise became. I was really unaware of the reach of those books and films when I started on it. And Indiana Jones was special as I got to work at Industrial Light and Magic with some of the people who inspired me to get into the industry in the first place. More recent projects have seen me really changing direction and starting to develop and pioneer some new filmmaking methods that we will hopefully see roll out in the next year or so. I’m doing a lot of work to try and bridge departments together in how they work.

The first Harry Potter was small but special because of what the franchise became. I was really unaware of the reach of those books and films when I started on it.

5. What is the most difficult CGI work you have done?

In terms of the effect itself? Hmm… not sure. Everything ends up having a solution. Pre-2005 the tools were really still being developed. Some of the tools we have now would be able to zip through what we were doing then. That made it harder. I still think the disintegration (atomization) on X-Men 3: The Last Stand went through a lot of revisions. It originated as a melting chocolate effect by Olivier Junquet, for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but was rewritten from the ground up and massively extended and enhanced. It stood the test of time in that it was reused on a number of projects including Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2, where it was used to kill Voldemort (ironically I had also worked on the first VFX shot of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone putting the scar on Baby Harry’s head!). Other jobs were hard because of time constrains or physical constraints. The King’s Man was a tough but massively fulfilling and innovative project which I can’t talk about but it was a very cold and windy and rainy and exhausting shoot!

6. Aside from filming, what do you do in your free time?

I work on personal projects. I do some analogue medium format photography. I occasionally paint concept art for my projects. I write a bit. But socially I lift weights regularly and I train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Roger Gracie and Mauricio Gomes. I used to be an MMA fighter, but I’m now riddled with injury so I don’t box or kickbox so much. I still wrestle a bit. And I love riding motorbikes! Of course my greatest love is watching films, ideally on the big screen.

Observe art. Go to exhibitions – contemporary and traditional. Learn how Rembrandt lit his subjects.

7. What advice would you give to aspiring visual effects artists?

Observe! Observe! Observe! There’s no excuse not to. From the moment your eyes are open in the morning, you are looking. But make sure you are truly seeing. When you go for a walk, look at how the light reflects off surfaces. Try to understand why something looks real. How does the light change as you walk around things? This leads into being observant within your job. You have to be able to not only be self-motivated but you have to be able to take instruction. It’s not always about your vision. It’s a collaborative field. Listening is another important form of observation. Do art. Do photography. Watch films. Understand filmmaking. Understand camera moves and limits on the grips (the things cameras are attached to – drones, cranes, jibs, dollies etc). Why does that shot look like that? Why does a drone shoot look different to a wirecam or a helicopter shot? Understanding traditional filmmaking is becoming a lost art in VFX. And that’s a problem. Know the difference between a contrazoom and a dolly. Understand that film looks how it does because of restrictions.

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Observe art. Go to exhibitions – contemporary and traditional. Learn how Rembrandt lit his subjects. Learn how David Hockney conveys depth through the broadest of brushstrokes. Learn how form and shape work. How negative space works. Sure you can learn the software – it’s easier than ever and there’s countless tutorials, but do you want to be a technician or an artist? There’s room for either but this business is really a little about both. Keep practicing. Keep making art. The world needs artists more than ever..

This interview was not paid. All images come directly from Christopher M. Anthony’s Instagram page: @c_m_anthony