Filmmaking has evolved at a staggering pace thanks to technological advances driven by the art of storytelling and the power of imagination!

Suraj Nayak, our next pathbreaker, CG Supervisor at Toybox (Auckland), creates visual effects for TV shows, movies, commercials, etc and resolves technical problems in the CG/VFX pipeline.

Suraj talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about how his work is at the intersection of creativity and technology, and helps people visualise/dream things that might not be currently possible.

For students, always aim to be a student of life, constantly learning from everything/everyone around you. Eventually you will end up becoming a master

Suraj, can you share your background with our young readers?

My name is Suraj Nayak and I am a Lead CG/VFX Technical Director and Supervisor. I was born and raised in Mumbai-India and spent the later half of my life in New Zealand. 

My dad was a banker and my mom was a housewife. They decided to migrate overseas when I was 14 to give me and my siblings better future prospects. I started learning 3D/VFX in 2009 and I have worked with some of the best studios in the industry. With more than a decade’s worth of experience in Visual Effects and a strong will to never give up when faced with adversity, I have garnered a lot of respect in my industry and have developed very strong connections that help me grow further.

As a child, I always loved drawing and painting. In high school, I was an average student in most subjects but I was always fascinated by new technology, science, sci-fi and art.

My parents fueled these passions by encouraging me and enrolling me into various art competitions, buying books/resources, etc which kept that fire burning. I always loved watching cartoons and reading comics. I’d say, these were the early indications of where my interests lay.

Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of working on feature films, TV series, some high end commercials and award winning short films. In my spare time, I work on my own small projects to develop my skills even further. My hobbies include Photography, which is a plus if you are in this field since it can teach you a lot about light, composition and colours. To make 3D scenes look real needs an understanding of how a photo looks and the small details that make it look the way it does. 

I also enjoy Archery, MMA and Spanish dancing in my spare time. Most importantly I enjoy learning new things.

What did you do for graduation/post graduation?

I have studied the principles of Character Animation and fundamentals in Traditional Animation techniques at Animation College NZ. Then I pursued the degree in Bachelor of Art and Design – Animation & VFX at Media Design School. There, I also developed a keen interest in specialised areas of CG Lighting, Rendering and Modelling.

Can you share with us some of the key influences that led you to such an offbeat, unconventional, and unique career in VFX?

I always loved watching cartoons as a kid, I also had an interest in drawing and painting from very early on. Credit goes to my parents for noticing these things early and to providing me the right support, resources and time to help develop my interest in these areas.

I had a lot of people to look up to and mentor me throughout my life. I also believe you can learn something from everyone you meet in your life, it doesn’t matter if they are younger than you, less experienced than you or are doing something totally unrelated to your interests. This key philosophy has made me a great learner, which is an important skill you need to develop if you ever want to be successful in anything you do.

My key influences were:

-My grandfather(Mother’s side) Mukund Vijayakar, who was an Architect, a famed Painter and the Dean of a very prestigious Fine Arts College in Mumbai called Sir J. J. School of Arts.

-My university lecturers were amazing at solving problems and using critical thinking. I learned how to be methodical in my approach to solving creative problems from them.

-My work colleagues who I sat with and watched as they worked.

-Many more people outside my industry who I admired for their work ethics and tenacity.

In high school, we used to have careers expos where different colleges from different industries would come and showcase/talk about their careers. This is where I first came across 3D/VFX and remember thinking – “I already love drawing, watching cartoons, sci-fi etc and there is a job that would pay me to do what I love!”

How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path

After going to the careers expo in 2005, I started researching about it and what subjects I would need to get into a VFX college. Then I took those elective subjects in high school like photography, graphics design, and art. I Continued working on my personal art on the side and created a portfolio to apply with to the VFX college once I graduated high school.

This was my unique experience, but your experience will be different. You might not know what you like yet. This is ok and it’s very common, you just need to observe yourself over time. Start with asking yourself questions such as what am I naturally good at? What do I like doing so much that once I start, I lose track of time? etc 

I graduated from my university in 2013 and it was during a very rough time in my industry and as such I had a difficult year finding work. After doing a few short VFX projects for a small studio, because of the lack of work and my financial responsibilities, I had to get an odd job at a local call centre. Honestly, I hated working there but it was something I had to do. While working at the call centre, I would work on my personal VFX projects during my free time and I would keep applying at studios every week. Eventually, the small studio I had previously worked for landed a big project and since they liked my work, they wanted to offer me a permanent position and a chance to get back in my industry. That was the start of my VFX career and since then I’ve been very grateful for being able to continue down this path.

The biggest projects that I have worked on have always been feature films as they take years to make. One of my favourite films I’ve worked on was Dolittle (2019). It had a lot of animals that needed to be created fully in CG and had to look real. I was the Senior Lighting Artist on that project and I was in charge of managing a team of about 12 artists. My job was to create the main light rig template for a sequence of shots that my team could then use to light each individual shot. My goal was to make the CG animals seem like they actually exist in the shot footage. I had to diagnose any errors, guide and give feedback to the artists, make sure the shots rendered beautifully and to make sure I communicate with the other departments and Supervisors to ensure smooth flow of shots through all departments. This role taught me a lot about being a good leader and how to understand and handle people well enough to get the work done to the highest standard possible. 

How did you get your first break?

After graduating, while I was searching for a job, one of my tutors sent me a job posting for Photoshopping 1000 images for a small VFX studio. Though it wasn’t exactly the ideal task, when you are starting out you have to pounce on such opportunities even when the job might not be to your liking, as that is the best way to get your foot in the door. I used this opportunity to do the best job I could and to develop a good connection with the studio owners. During our casual conversations, I would mention my showreel and use it as a chance to show it to them so they could see the other skills I had. This actually led me to doing many more jobs with that studio and eventually getting a permanent role with them.

What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?

I graduated during a low economic growth environment and as such had a very difficult time finding consistent work. This was quite tough financially as well as for my morale. But I am very stubborn when it comes to the things I want for myself in my life, so I never gave up and continued making the most of my situation. I found an odd job to help me financially and kept working on developing my showreel on the side so I could showcase my skills to the studios, I also made sure to apply to about 10-15 studios a week. This way I was slowly stacking the odds in my favour.

When I finally got my first job, the company also required the artists to have their own laptops or machines. I didn’t have my own laptop so I had to figure out how to secure a laptop in an effort to get the job. I ended up borrowing my friend’s laptop just so I could get the opportunity of working with the studio. This helped me learn the importance of being resourceful, proactive and not shying away from seeking the help of others in order to get ahead in life.

Where do you work now? Tell us about your current role

I work with a local VFX studio in New Zealand called Toybox NZ. They create visual effects for TV shows, movies, commercials, etc. I lead the CG department as their supervisor and I’m incharge of making things look beautiful and resolving technical problems in the CG/VFX pipeline.

What are the skills required for your role?? How did you acquire them?

Skills that are beneficial for my role include:

Eagerness to learn / Curious about new technology

Persistence

Proactiveness

Colour theory

Fundamental knowledge of lighting principles and composition

Understanding of human and animal anatomy

Film making

Understanding of traditional Art and Photography

People skills

Leadership skills

The best way to acquire these skills is to actually start working in the industry as soon as possible. It takes a long time to master any skill and it’s a lifelong process, this is why the most important trait to have is curiosity and the willingness to learn. One of my mentors used to say, “Always aim to be a student of life, constantly learning from everything around you. Eventually you will end up becoming a master”

Whats a typical day like?

A typical day for me is when I come into work around 10am, and make my coffee, greet my coworkers, socialise for a bit, and then look at all my tasks for the day. I make a note of what needs to happen, then check-in with the team to see how things went the previous day. Once all this is done, I usually prefer working on my tasks uninterrupted until about 1pm. Then I have my lunch, socialise a bit more and then get back to the tasks till 5pm. Then I go for a walk with a coworker to end the day.

The thing I love the most about my job is that I get to solve problems everyday. I enjoy stimulating my mind with creative and technical challenges and thrive in coming up with solutions for those challenges. I love expressing my creative thoughts in the form of CGI and bringing them to life for the world to enjoy.

How does your work benefit the society? 

It inspires creativity and helps people visualise/dream things that might not be currently possible. We humans have evolved and achieved staggering technological advances up until this point and I attribute it largely to the art of storytelling and the power of imagination which have passed down from one generation to the other since ancient times. The work I do is a form of visual storytelling and it inspires the imagination of people today so that they may one day help advance humanity further. 

Tell us an example of a specific memorable work you did that is very close to you!

I once worked on a peculiar Steinlager Beer commercial. It had a lot of CG characters that were made out of inanimate objects. This is still one of my favourites and one of the most memorable projects I have worked on. I learned a lot of my technical know-how on this project as I got to work with a great bunch of talented artists who were highly experienced and generous with sharing their methods.

In my industry, it’s a common practice to do a lot of overtime with tight deadlines and this project was no different. What was different about it was the fact that we all were really passionate about creating great work and didn’t mind working extra long hours on this. I did a lot of long hours on this project and even though it was tough, I have fond memories of those sleepless nights with a bunch of fun individuals working on the things we love.

Your advice to students based on your experience?

Always be a learner, the moment you stop learning is the moment you stop growing.

You all are very young and so now is the best time to try a lot of different things, this way you will gain a general understanding of a lot of things and in the process it will help you find out what you really like doing. When you enter the job market, you’ll notice that for a junior position, companies value those who have a strong general understanding of a lot of things more than someone who specialises in just one thing.

Later on in your career, as you find the thing you really enjoy doing, try to stick to that one thing and practise it daily and be consistent. Inevitably, over time you will become really good at it. This will ensure that you are always sought after by companies, as people value specialisation later down the track for senior roles. This also opens the door for you to start your own business if that’s what you desire.

Future Plans?

My plan is to continue growing/creating amazing work and to mentor and pass on the knowledge I have acquired thus far. I wish you all a very successful road ahead as you all go on your own journeys.

My VFX showreel link: https://vimeo.com/395873361