BEN CAMPANARO

Born and raised in southern California, I grew up fascinated by movies that entertain by making the impossible seem plausible. The works of filmmakers including Alfred Hitchcock, Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, and James Cameron have long-inspired me to create. Finding early outlets through hobbies of illustration, writing, and music, I soon gravitated towards using computers as a tool for visual storytelling.

I got my start in computer graphics in the early ‘90s, helping my family’s company produce custom fonts and logos for newspapers. This early experience with digital image manipulation merged with my passion for the cinema, and led to my enrollment in the Multimedia program at California Lutheran University. Studying under a former Disney Imagineer, I evolved my class assignments into real-world projects, connecting with producers at NBC-Universal and development teams at Adobe, JVC, and Microsoft.

I’ve been working professionally in entertainment since 2005, with Artist, Lead, and Supervisor positions at some of the most prolific studios in Los Angeles. The bulk of my career has been as a VFX Compositor for television and fast-turnaround film projects, often mixed with team leadership, project coordination, and pipeline development responsibilities. I’ve also spent a full TV season on set as a VFX Assistant, and have enjoyed opportunities to design film titles and motion graphics sequences.

Lately I’ve been joining teams remotely, broadening my skill set working production-side on tentpole live action and fully-animated feature films.

While I’m of course well-experienced with integrating CG elements and pulling keys, I tend to specialize in the types of compositing tasks that are a little more puzzling. Often they’re the unanticipated shots that come out of editorial: complicated speed ramps and paint-outs, detailed cosmetic work, blending multiple takes, or just simply massive shots or sequences that push the limits of the time and resources available. I’ve also succeeded in many look-dev opportunities, working closely with directors and supervisors to research and visualize important story points that become regular themes throughout a series.

Following my Emmy nomination for CBS's “Ghost Whisperer," I remained an active member in the Television Academy for over a decade. I’ve also occasionally contributed as a writer for Post Magazine with hardware and software reviews, and provided live coverage of events including the Visual Effects Society Awards, VES Production Summit, and SIGGRAPH. Additionally, I've enjoyed mentoring interns and new artists to the field, and discussing working in VFX with classrooms from grade school through post-grad levels.

When I’m not working, I still find myself exploring other “multimedia” experiences of life with friends and family - whether it’s a visit to a theme park, a new restaurant, or a DIY project around the house.