Getting To Know The Art Of Visual Effects With Sergio Mishchenko

The fine work of Sergio Mischenko

Hi Sergio, it’s great catching up with you again. Let’s start with your project ‘Spare One’, which won a number of awards, congratulations on that! What award are you most proud of?

Thank you, I’m never proud of anything to be honest. I would say the screening at the TCL Chinese Theatre was quite special. That’s an award in itself.

How did you approach doing visual effects on this project?

Knowing VFX pipeline is quite helpful - I knew how they did it on some feature films, and I knew how I would do it. The rest was just getting it done.

How many people were involved in post-production?

It was just me.

What were some of the challenges of ‘Spare One’?

There were a few. One of them would be not being able to use a wire rig for the actor for one of the shots. So, I just said ‘Whatever, I’ll just photoscan him”. Given how much other work had to be done, I thought it was an easier solution for me, as opposed to sculpting and texturing him from scratch.

How did you come up with this concept?

It came to me back in 2016, but I was only able to film it in early 2018. I always need to have a good concept to justify putting in all the work. I remember doing post-production on it last year, and a real astronaut memory card story happened, which bummed me out, haha.

Besides doing all the visual effects, you also directed and shot this project, which one would you say you prefer more?

I really can’t say because all of the disciplines are interconnected. In a VFX house cinematography skill are invaluable, while cinematography and directing benefit from your knowledge of visual effects - when you know exactly what and how it can be done, but it depends on a project really.

Would you give any advice to people who are just starting out?

Everything has become very accessible in the last decade or so, which has its ups and downs of course, but any technique can be acquired easily these days. At the core of it all, are still many hours of practice. To make it more enjoyable, focus on whatever projects you really want to make.

What are you future plans?

I’m working on a TV show at the moment, and have a few other projects lined up, as always. It never stops!

Thank you for your time Sergio!

Thank you.