TELEVISION
THE ACTUALLY REALLY
VERY DIFFICULT SHOW
2023-2024
Graphics Artist
200 Episodes
The Actually Really Very Difficult Show (TARVDS for short) was the second brand new show I helped create from the ground up. The format was another children's game show with returning cast and crew from Smashhdown and ESI competing in fun challenges and games with three difficulty modifiers (Actually, Really, Very). The goal was to create a similar show to Smashhdown but on a smaller scale while maintaining the same fun energy. The design for this show was minimal, blocky and colourful with a clear focus on the players and challenges.
Taking much of what I learned from utilizing Adobe Motion Graphics Templates (MOGRTS) on our previous show "Earth Science Investigators", the Graphics workflow for TARVDS was by far our most efficiently made show without any sacrifice to quality. I was able to take elements such as question/answer supers, player lineups, dynamic split screens, score counts and round reveals and build them as templates for Premire Pro with responsive text and interchangeable video tracks that the editors were able to easily configure in their timelines through simple text boxes and drop down selectors. In less than 6 months I was able to complete all of the graphical elements for the first 200 episodes.
EARTH SCIENCE INVESTIGATORS
2023
Graphics Artist
50 Episodes
ESI was a new kids show with a narrative format. I was the sole graphics artist for this show and had incredible freedom in creating the shows aesthetic and contributing to its humor. We made 50 episodes in just over six months. While high for industry standards, this was a far more production time than we had previously had on Smashhdown! and we made the most of it.
The graphics to editing workflow greatly benefited from our editors moving to Premiere Pro which often allowed me to deliver singular Motion Graphics Templates (MOGRTS) instead of supplying numerous video assets for repeated sequences. This meant the show could be packed with previously labor intensive graphics that were easily implemented customized in the edit. The new workflow allowed more of my time to be spent on episode specific graphics and sequences that enhanced the fun and energy of the show.
This was an incredible passion project for all involved. We produced an amazing quantity and quality of episodes with very limited resources and I am very proud and grateful to have been part of it.
SMASHHDOWN!
SEARCH FOR THE G.O.A.T.
2021-2022
Graphics Artist
250 Episodes
Smashhdown is an Australian children's game show on 9Go! featuring sports challenges and trivia to find out which historic figure is the greatest of all time. I was hired on as the shows sole persistent graphics artist for the third season which was a soft reboot with a new format. My role on this production included creating everything from supers and segment titles to keying and compositing actors into animated sequences. Many of the existing graphical assets had to be rebuilt and new ones had to be designed to fit the new direction while also remaining true to the original style. Core assets like Q/A supers, timers, cast supers, scores and winner overlays were created first. I also revamped the shows opener with new sequences using 2D and 3D animation and an environment I built using World Machine.
The real challenge of this show for me was building assets that looked great and could be easily made at scale for the shows incredibly tight turnaround. The show was edited in AVID and all graphical assets were delivered as separate video files. Every five weeks we delivered 25 episodes so I would be required to create an extensive list of assets including: 16 character packages (roughly 30 sec each), 50 freeze frame character reveals, 175 score counts, 25 logo reveals, 25 leader boards as well as various new week/round supers and in episode VFX shots. Some examples of these components are shown below.
This was my first job working in industry and was a crash course in taking an element from design to broadcast television at high volume.
NINE ENTERTAINMENT:
COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION
2022-2023
Graphics Artist ~ Editor ~ Colourist
While working at Nine Entertainment in the Kids TV department I occasionally worked casual shifts in commercial production. I would mostly interact with a producer who would assign a script and VO track. Generally I would have 4-10 hours to make a commercial (including revisions and changes), potentially with multiple end tags for delivery in different regions. I was also responsible for setting key numbers, sending the ad to be reviewed for compliance with advertising rules through ClearAds, and finally deliver the approved commercial to NPC Media or Peach to go to air.
CORPORATE
NATHAN RIVER
RESOURCES
2023
Modelling ~ Rigging ~ Texturing ~ Animation
This was a freelance job I worked on alongside Robert Gilchrist for an Australian mining company. The goal was to create an animated info graphic sequence to demonstrate the "pit to ship" ore mining and exporting process NRR provides for its clients. My work included modelling, rigging, texturing and animating the vehicles and environment tiles. For this project we used Blender to animate as well as After Effects for the editing, titles and lens flares.
CREATIVE
PROJECT CRESCENDO
2021
Editor ~ Colourist ~ VFX
PROJECT CRESCENDO is a photography & video-based multimedia exhibition inspired by five contemporary album concepts. I handled the visual post production process on these five very different videos. The visual effects were made in Adobe After Effects and Editing/Colour was done in Adobe Premiere.
BUSTARD HEAD
2021
Lead Editor ~ Colourist ~ Animator
A documentary about the tragic fate that befell a lighthouse keeper and his family at the Bustard Head lighthouse in 1868. I was in charge of the visual side of post production on this project. I created the various 3D animated compositions in Adobe After Effects using photographic compositing and a variety of plugins for lens flares, particle effects and ocean simulations.
FITTING THE BRIEF
2021
Logo ~ Animated Titles
Fitting the Brief is a Documentary tackling the unrealistic body standards within the dance industry. I worked with the director in pre production to design the logo to her concept and later in post production to animate that logo for the title sequence. I created the Logo in using Adobe Illustrator and later brought it into Adobe After effects to animate the ribbon with the help of Trapcode Particular.
JOURNEY
2020
Editor ~ VFX ~ Sound Design
Journey is a short experimental film. All footage was captured using an external macro lens on an iPhone. These macro shots were composited along with some minor digital effects to create a cosmic composition. The majority of this project was created in Adobe Premiere with minimal use of Adobe After Effects for a black hole.
INSANE
2020
Cinematographer ~ VFX
This project was a music video for the band Cardboard Cutouts. It featured heavy visual effects work and was largely shot in a green screen studio. I planned and storyboarded the visual effects shots in pre production and then composited the footage alongside various digital environments in Adobe After Effects using the plug in Element 3D.
BOOMER TO ZOOMER
2020
Graphics ~ Animator
Boomer to Zoomer was a pilot episode for an intergenerational gameshow between boomers, millennials and zoomers that was judged by children. It was developed as a QUT student film production. My role was working as the graphics artist, creating supers, round graphics and the animated intro sequence.
DEATH UPON A SILVER SCREAM
2020-2021
Writer ~ VFX
Death upon a Silver Scream is my Horror-Comedy (horromedy™) short film screenplay about a young runaway teen who encounters the ghost of a 1940's starlet trapped in a film reel projection.
This project utilises a mix of practical and digital effects in order to effectively present a supernatural protagonist. This production also utilised a digital display wall to create several scene environments in camera using backdrops I created in After Effects. This film has wrapped filming and is currently in the post production process during which I am working as VFX supervisor. My duties in this VFX role include working with the ATL in pre-production, designing the workflow for post and managing the workload between myself and another vfx artist.
LATINO STUDENTS AT QUT
2019
Director ~ Editor ~ Colourist
This short documentary was my first university film project exploring the experience Cynthia Diaz, a Mexican film student in my film cohort along with other Latin students.
ZENITH
2014
Editor ~ Animator
This project is especially close to my heart as it was my first real animated film which inspired me to learn Adobe After Effects.
Zenith was my major work for art in my senior year of high school. It was very successful and was chosen to be a part of Art Express, a program that chooses a small selection of these senior works from NSW high schools for exhibition in several galleries. My film was exhibited in Maitland and Hazelhurst art galleries along with being selected for the Art Gallery of NSW where it played for several months and inspired me to continue developing my film making and animation skills.