Laura J Hill

A hit man from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene.

Client: Home Box Office (HBO)
Director: Bill Hader
Executive Producers: Alec Berg, Bill Hader, Aida Rodgers, Art Rusis, John McCracken
Cinematography: Carl Herse

Senior VFX Supervisor: Justin Ball
VFX Supervisor: Laura Hill

VFX Producers, Crafty Apes: Jason Sanford, Molly Pabian, Andrew Kalicki

A hit man from the Midwest moves to Los Angeles and gets caught up in the city's theatre arts scene.

Client: Home Box Office (HBO)
Directors: Alec Berg, Bill Hader
Executive Producers: Alec Berg, Bill Hader, Aida Rodgers, Art Rusis, John McCracken
Cinematography: Carl Herse, Darran Tiernan

Senior VFX Supervisor: Justin Ball
VFX Supervisor: Laura Hill

VFX Producers, Crafty Apes: Jason Sanford, Molly Pabian, Andrew Kalicki

Visual Effect Supervisor
On-Set, Crafty Apes

S5.E3 - Pressure, Okay?!
S5.E6 - Tired, Okay?!
S5.E7 - Chillin, Okay?!
S5.E8 - Choices, Okay?!

Client: Walt Disney Pictures

Director: Anne Fletcher

Client VFX Supervisor : Allan Magled

Crafty Apes VFX Producers: Jason Sanford, Molly Pabian

Crafty Apes VFX Supervisor: Laura Hill

Client: Focus Features / MGM

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

VFX Producers : Jason Sanford, Andrew Kalicki, Crafty Apes

VFX Supervisor: Laura Hill

A cash-strapped documentary maker decides to make his newest documentary about a mollusk shell he finds living in his Airbnb with his friends.

Client: A24 Films

Director: Dean Fleischer Camp

VFX: Allied/Beast
VFX Producer: Gordon T. Whittmann
VFX Supervisor: Darren Orr

Compositing Supervisor (Method Studios): Laura Hill

Client: Paramount          

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Production VFX Supervisor: Ryan Tudhope

Method VFX Supervisor: Seth Hill

In the new :60 spot teasing Bethesda’s highly-anticipated online survival RPG Fallout 76, Method Studios created a stunning visualization of the in-game world of post-apocalyptic Appalachia. Incorporating live action actors into fully CG surroundings, the spot’s hyperreal look artfully showcases gameplay in a way that imagines what a group of friends might experience if they were able to step inside Fallout 76’s West Virginia wasteland.

Led by VFX Supervisor Jesse Bradstreet and Real-Time CG Supervisor Juan Sebastian Gomez, the project tapped Method’s deep VFX and immersive talents and capabilities, using a customized real-time pipeline in combination with traditional VFX techniques to speed creative iteration and achieve a distinct stylized look.

Agency: GNET / Bethesda 

Director: David Moodie

VFX Supervisor: Jesse Bradstreet

Avengers: Infinity War

Anthony Russo, Joe Russo / Marvel Studios

Target The Toycracker: A Mini-Musical Spectacular

This 8-minute holiday extravaganza required detailed animation, lighting, and compositing to bring familiar toys to life in a believable way. A motion capture shoot established the baseline for each toy’s dance movements, and animators then modified each toy’s movements to reflect their personalities – more loose for Elmo but more rigid and mechanical for Iron Man. Artists integrated the CG footage with the human actors and carefully lit the scenes to reflect the physical materials of each toy. Ultimately the spot features 42 CG characters and 168 CG shots.

Director: Andreas Nilsson          

Agency: 72andSunny          

Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks

Senior VFX Supervisor: James Rogers

Animation Supervisor: Daryl Sawchuk

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Target and Trolls: Rock Your True Colors

Agency: 72andSunny

Senior Flame Artist: Chris Bankoff

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL 2

James Gunn / Marvel Studios

CAPTAIN AMERICA : CIVIL WAR
Anthony Russo, Joe Russo / Marvel Studios

In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.  Posted in GLORIOUS Ultra Panavision 70mm (6k!), this film posed unique and "oldschool" challenges.  Our team was primarily responsible for polishing select cabin scenes.

Work completed with Method Studios, under the amazing supervision of Dan Glass and sequence supervisor Troy Moore.

The world may have been miniature, but the work was certainly not!  Our team was primarily responsible for the training sequence, creating ants and environment within fully CG tunnels -- a unique (and fun!!) challenge.

Work completed with Method Studios, under the fantastic supervision of Greg Steele and sequence supervisors Chris Kenny, Brandon Nelson.

Compiled utilizing content 2012-2015.  © Copyright Laura J. Hill and Respective Owners: Method Studios, Marvel Studios, Most/Rice Films, Samsung, Gravity, BMW, Zoic Studios, Sony Playstation, Blistex, Valspar, Vanguard, The Flash, Imaginarium.

A stealth bomber, among other unique aircrafts, is illuminated in an empty hangar. The next innovation in stealth aviation is slowly unveiled to the pilot. Northrop Grumman innovates unmanned flight.

Ad shown during Superbowl XLIX  Work completed at Logan NY.  Creative director Alan Bibby / Art Director Kenji Yamashita / Producers Madison Brigode, Christos Mountzouros.  Compositing under the stellar supervision of Salar Saleh.

http://www.logan.tv/ / mcgarrybowen

Work completed with Nice Shoes.  Creative Director Harry Dorrington, Producer Nancy Giandomenico

http://www.niceshoes.com/

On-Set VFX Supervisor

Lost Planet / Black Hole / Radical Media
Cognizant "Can your Business Deliver?"

(Episodes 07 "Power Outage" / Episode 08 "Flash vs. Arrow)

Work completed at Zoic Studios (Culver City, CA)

Work completed at Zoic Studios  :  Executive Creative Director Chris Jones, Producer Georgina Poushkine, VFX Supervisor Paulus Bannink, 2d Supervisor Andrew Bardusk.  [http://www.zoicstudios.com/work/sample/playstation-friendly-competition-spot/]

Worked primarily on the Destiny Sequence, focusing on Shots 02, 05, 06, 08 and the final shot.  Also pitched in on the beginning basketball court sequence.  Compositing, elemental & CG pass assembly.

A comedian tries to make it as a serious actor when his reality-TV star fiancé talks him into broadcasting their wedding on her TV show.

Again with visual effects house East Side Effects, I was responsible for look dev'ing & compositing a number of invisible effects -- including paint work, alteration & many, many greenscreens.   ☺   Bulk of work included the night & tunnel car sequences.

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Compositing, Chroma/Luma key, Tracking, Paint work.  Alexa Workflow, NukeX, Mocha Pro, Feature Pipeline.

A journalist is detained in Iran for more than 100 days and brutally interrogated in prison.  Directed by Jon Stewart, official selection at the Toronto Film Festival.

Through visual effects house East Side Effects, I was responsible for compositing a number of invisible effects, including paint work, alteration, greenscreen & elemental effects.  Process spanned from initial look dev to final composite.  VFX Supervisors Michael Huber, Alex Lemke -- always an amazing, creative experience with those guys.  :)

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Compositing, Chroma/Luma key, Matchmoving, Paint work, Elemental compositing.  Alexa Workflow, NukeX, Mocha Pro, Feature Pipeline.

[ READ FULL ARTICLE ]

Method Team : Director Douglas Luka, CG Supe Andreu Lucio Archs, Lead Compositor Ryan Leonard, Producers Christos Mountzouros & Lindsay Myers

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Compositing, Live action & still integration, tracking, paint work, roto, element & CG pass assembly.  NukeX, Commercial Pipeline.

A dejected music business executive forms a bond with a young singer-songwriter new to Manhattan.   [IMDB]

Through visual effects house Gravity (previously RhinoFX), I was responsible for overseeing prep work & lead compositing the instrumental sequence.  Also completed various misc shots including greenscreen & paint work. 

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Compositing, Chroma/Luma key, Matchmoving, Paint work, Elemental compositing.  Alexa, NukeX, Mocha Pro, Feature Pipeline.

The Scout tells the tale of a group of Raider Scouts on a "snipe hunt" who encounter a giant creature in the woods. Part of the anthology film, The Penny Dreadful Picture Show, Origin Releasing.

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On-set supervision, Compositing, Chroma/Luma key, Matchmoving, 3d multi-pass & elemental compositing.  RED RAW 2K, V-Ray, NukeX, Linear Pipeline, 13 CG Shots, 29 total

A series of vignettes for Vanguard Investments, featuring a cg ticker.  Directed by Harry Dorrington & supervised / led by Alex Lemke, the project asks, "What are we really investing for?"

I was allowed to take the comp on Shot 01 : Murthy's, Shot 01, 02 : Susie Esposito, Shot 01, 03 of Guerra, Shot 03 : James Esposito, Shot 01 : Sam Gooch, Shot 02 : Karen Wagner.  I provided roto, luma keys & reflection work on additional shots.  Ticker & reflections approached in Nuke.

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Compositing, Chroma / Luma key, Matchmoving, Cards & simple geo, Distortion, Paint work, Roto, Roto, ROTO.  :)

Quick project under the supervision of Yuval Levy -- amidst Hurricane Sandy, no less.  :) Prepped in Nuke, finished in Flame.  

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Time remap, Plate prep, Roto & paint, Graphic transition prep.

Cheeky & fun project with artist Cheyenne Jackson & director Nick Everhart, culminating in a choreographed dance sequence through the streets of NYC.

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On-set supervision, Compositing, Matte painting, Set extension, Matchmoving, Animation, Roto & Paint, NukeX

Motion test under the supervision of Yuval Levy, Gravity NYC.  

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Compositing, 3d multi-pass assembly, Paint work, Animation (luminance animation of flushing color), Nuke.

Inspired by the 60s monster TV shows & classic cinema of the 30s, 40s & 50s, "Before You" is a tribute to the Golden Age of Hollywood.  In collaboration with artist Cheyenne Jackson & director Nick Everhart, the project utilized everything from miniature & forced perspective sets to green screen & hand animation.

The guys really let me go all out on this one.  Beyond compositing, I had the opportunity to design & pitch initial concepts, work closely with the practical modelers & supervise on-set.  Mimicking the old driving projections & Tim Burton kookiness was harder to pinpoint than you'd think!  At one point, all of the shots were approved sans one.  The director kept sending it back... something just wasn't right.  I'd factored it to be an easy one  -- the lightning bolt insert.  At the end of the day, I decided to hand animate a bolt based on one of my favorite scenes in Young Frankenstein.  BINGO!   :)  Challenging?  Sure... but AWESOME to be held to such a strong creative vision.

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On-set supervision, Concept sketches, Compositing, Matchmoving, Chroma/Luma key, Particles & Elements, Matte painting, Backplate manipulation, Retiming, Digital makeup, Sky Replacement, Hand animation, Roto & Paint, RED RAW 2K, NukeX, AE, 28 shots total

[www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPNbIehzPxw]

Digital Makeup & Retouching

On-set supervision, Compositing, Roto & Paint (cyke cleanup, c-stand & flag removal), Retouching, Color & grading.

Director Yuval Levy, Gravity NYC.  

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Compositing, 3d multi-pass assembly, Roto & Paint, Text animation, Nuke.

Short car demo put together from the end tags & breakdowns completed under the creative direction of Yuval Levy, KBS+P & Gravity NYC.  This was a challenging project that consisted of 11 fully-cg end tags, including simulation/elemental assets in an abbreviated schedule.  A basic comp was built, enabling freelance & junior compers to sectionally tweak the basic car shading & 65+ specific areas of the car.  There was also close collaboration between tech & 3d to write scripts automating the process.

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Lead Compositing, Comp build & script automation, 3d multi-pass assembly, Elements, Paint & Roto, Basic keyframe animation, NukeX.
 

Ford.  :)  I'm not going to say that the wrinkles on my face are nicknamed according to the spots... only that each time they air at my favorite sports bar, I smile thinking of the team that pulled it off.  All titans of the industry, I've never been more proud to call myself a part of a team.  Though simplistic in appearance, these spots were tremendously challenging, managing numerous assets & tricky timing.

Fun fact : My very first task was to spline animate the lips of the talking head, based on a reference video of my producer.  Think about that!

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Compositing, Matchmoving, Time Remap, Live action plate prep, 3d multi-pass assembly, Matte painting & set extension, 2d anim & keyframing, Roto & paint, NukeX, AE.

Ford.  :)  I'm not going to say that the wrinkles on my face are nicknamed according to the spots... only that each time they air at my favorite sports bar, I smile thinking of the team that pulled it off.  All titans of the industry, I've never been more proud to call myself a part of a team.  Though simplistic in appearance, these spots were tremendously challenging, managing numerous assets & tricky timing.  

Sidenote : Not sure why, but "Own It" is my favorite spot.  Perhaps because my baby was the shot of the truck jumping around in the dirt... the nailgun scene... or because torque gets the cap off my beer.  ;)

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Compositing, Matchmoving, Time Remap, Live action plate prep, 3d multi-pass assembly, Matte painting & set extension, 2d anim & keyframing, Roto & paint, NukeX, AE.

Ford.  :)  I'm not going to say that the wrinkles on my face are nicknamed according to the spots... only that each time they air at my favorite sports bar, I smile thinking of the team that pulled it off.  All titans of the industry, I've never been more proud to call myself a part of a team.  Though simplistic in appearance, these spots were tremendously challenging, managing numerous assets & tricky timing.

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Lead compositing, Matchmoving, Time Remap, Live action plate prep, 3d multi-pass assembly, Matte painting & set extension, 2d anim & keyframing, Roto & paint, NukeX, AE.

Ford.  :)  I'm not going to say that the wrinkles on my face are nicknamed according to the spots... only that each time they air at my favorite sports bar, I smile thinking of the team that pulled it off.  All titans of the industry, I've never been more proud to call myself a part of a team.  Though simplistic in appearance, these spots were tremendously challenging, managing numerous assets & tricky timing. 

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Compositing, Matchmoving, Time Remap, Live action plate prep, 3d multi-pass assembly, Matte painting & set extension, 2d anim & keyframing, Roto & paint, NukeX, AE.

Digital Makeup & Retouching

A beautiful short directed by Mauricio Baiocchi, narration by Stephen Fry.  The moment I saw a still of this stop motion project, I knew I wanted to help.  Freelancing through Atomic Fiction & supervised by David Philogene, I helped to prep the plate, key, paint & rotoscope.  Such a wonderful experience.

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Prep composite, cleanup, chroma/luma key, roto & paint.  

This project was bloody disgusting... and TONS of fun.  From concept sketches to composite, our practical & digital teams collaborated to design exactly the effects director Nick Everhart envisioned.  With the help of creature & MU artist Krystal Phillips, tests were done to decide where makeup ended & visual effects began.  Let's just say the final effect incorporated everything from an exercise ball to fish guts.  Cool.  :)

Apparently the horror world thought so, too.  Selected by Eli Roth as a finalist at the Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights Film Competition, AMC Theatres Kansas City FilmFest, Chicago's 2012 Indie Horror Film Festival, Tri-Cities International Fantastic Film Festival, London Super Shorts International Film Festival, this little slasher "cleaned up quick".  Pun intended.

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On-set supervision, Elemental direction, Compositing, Chroma/Luma key, Matchmoving, Particles, Plate manipulation, Basic animation, Roto & paint, Nuke, AE.

 © Copyright Laura J. Hill and Respective Owners: Aweso Entertainment, Imaginarium, Most/Rice Films, Palace/Imaginarium, LLC., Penny Dreadful, LLC.