Meet the Artist - Jeff Okun

#33

Funny things that happened on The Last Samurai, or Sphere or Blood Diamond? Hmmmmm. Well then…

Does this one count? It was October 14, my wedding anniversary, and Tom Boland, my vfx producer, and I where in Japan filming The Last Samurai. It was the day that the crew photo was planned. However, I had been trying to track down a period village that I had heard rumor of. On the 13th, our Japanese production office had finally found the place and wrote out the instructions of how to get to it in Japanese and English… well, most of it anyway.

So at 5am we hit the railway station and off we went… on a journey that was supposed to be a few hours each way. Around 2pm after riding 2 bullet trains and one old fashioned deisel train we arrived at what we thought was the destination. Of course, each time we got off a train we thought that as well, but when we showed our instructions to the conductor they would take us to another train. Following our instructions, we hailed a cab for what we hoped would be a very short ride to the Village.

We showed the driver our written instructions. He grew very excited, began making placating hand gestures, then ran off. He returned after several minutes and indicated that we hop into his car and off we went.

Mind you we speak no Japanese and no one we found spoke English.

Our first big clue was that, after he got his tank filled up, he got on the phone and began laughing, pointing at us over his shoulder and so on… to several different people. Call after call. We were stymied. We were confused. And we remembered that we had a Japanese cell phone! With a pre-programmed number to the Japanese production office! So we called. And got only Japanese speaking people. After several attempts we got an English speaker and asked her to speak to the cab driver and find out what was going on.

Via this means we discovered that:

  1. This cab drive was going to cost us $1200 (I think)
  2. We would not be back in time for the last train out of this village, and
  3. We had traveled something like 600 - 1200 miles so far and had another 200 miles or so more to go.

I said it before and I will say it again… What to do?

Well, Tom negotiated with the driver via our cell phone translater to cut the fee to a flat $500. Next, we extracted a promise that no matter what, even if we do not get to our destination, he get us back in time for the last train home.

SO with all deals done, our driver put the peddle to the metal and suddenly we were passing everyone in sight… on a very narrow, long, intensely winding road with a sheer clift on one side, a solid rock mountain on the other side… and on occasion, a tourist bus coming head on at us.

I literally called my wife and said my goodbyes. Tom in the meantime was becomming very car sick. And our driver was having the time of his life!

We eventually arrived and I began taking pictures of textures and so on. I shot exeactly 37 images before the driver grabbed both Tom and I by our collars and literally threw us back in the car and began the return drive down the mountain at crazy speeds, risking life and limb.

We returned to our hotels at 2am. We had to get up at 5am to move to the next location… about halfway back to where we were the day before.

And yes! We sure did use those images in the film! If you look really hard, you can almost see a bit of one in a really wide shot of the Samurai village at night. Yep. It was definitly worth the trip.

Hope you enjoyed our little adventure. And this is the short version.

Thanks,

Jeff

So Tom and I

#34

On Blood Diamond we used 8 different vendors. They ranged from a single individual to bigger shops.

We pick the vendor based on history (mine with them), their artists (the people who are actually doing the work), the vendor’s attitude (they need to be excited about the job), and finally, inevitably, price (needs to be fair for what we are asking them to do). Now that formula changes on each job.

Here is a list of who we used:

Illusion Arts
Rising Sun Pictures
Flash FIlm Works
Pixel Magic
Cos Effects
CIS
Brian Jennings
Look Effects

#35

obvious follow up question :slight_smile: how does one come into consideration ? =)

#36

I build my system using filemaker pro. It grew and changed over the years and I have long since passed it over to people smarter than I am. George Macri at Pixel Magic is one of those guys. Another incarnation of my system is still blossuming with my various past coordinators, Rom Adriano and Jack Geist (who is now producing himself, having won a VES Award for Magnificent Desolation).

It was for sale for several years by a company that has since gone out of business. I would be happy to tell you more privately.

All I can say is good luck and have fun! I had a blast designing and perfecting mine!

#37

Hey Peter! The answer to this one is:

I worry all the time! How can you not wonder if you are making a huge mistake?

Sometimes I see a movie that makes me feel like I should just quit becuase I could never do anything as elegant, smart and good as that. That feeling haunts me each and everytime I take a job on. And no matter how much you think you know, or how much experience you have, you can always screw up. Stuff happens.

But then, history says that so far I have managed to salvage screw-ups, sometimes even turning them into victories.

So everytime I make a choice I am aware that the opportunity for failure is here. And while I never yet been caught short, it does make things exciting and thrilling. And maybe that is why I really love what I do. At least it is never boring.

The process of prepping a show, and then living it while you gather all your plates and shots and measurements, references and so on has nothing to do with feeling confident that you are making the right decision. Things can change so fast on a set and unless you need to protect the shot above and beyond the show, you need to roll with them. However, there are those times when you need to stand your ground. And let me tell you how hard it is to have an entire film crew staring at you waiting for you to say it is okay to shoot and you just cannot say it because there is just no way to make it work like this.

Having a back up plan helps. That and knowing how you can cheat, fake, change, steal, barrow or pitch a new version of the ever evolving plan. You know, just staying focused.

It also helps to know who to call when you think you are in trouble. Getting advice is a wonderful thing… and the VES, I think, has helped foster this exchange of ideas and opinions. Once was the time that we were each protecting our secrets from each other!

So in conclusion, yes, it’s a bit scary, but it is also an amazing rush!

#38

I thought I was one?

If I could be born a second time, I would prefer to be Zak Starkey - the Drummer for the Who and Oasis.

Jeff

#39

I have been told that before… Also, like BIll Mahr too.

#40

True. And this begs the question that maybe we have made what we do to ‘famous’ for our own good. Think about it for a minute. Before we started showing how we did what we do to the public (DVD behind the scenes material & TV Shows such as the now defunct MOVIE MAGIC) we were the only ones who really knew how it all worked.

Now, every director, producer, movie & TV studio executive has read or seen it all. And now they are telling us how to do it, when to do it and why to do it.

If I get asked to just push the “Do it” button one more time… let alone the “do it faster” button or the “Secret button” that will “Just Do it”…
:slight_smile:

#41

Hi Sean!

Thanks for writing. I loved the Avenida by the way, but the Palano was my favorite!

It is much easier to track and match move to higher resolution images. Much.

Also, you are correct about reality vs. fantasy. The issue being that everyone knows what reality looks like, acts like and is like while not a great deal of us have flown in space, confronted aliens, surfed wormholes to new dimentions or driven vehicals through the center of the Earth to discover the Mole people.

But, doing reality is fun too. It is your chance to see if you observe life in a special and fun way that others agree on.

However, doing Sci-Fi and fantasy is the opportunity to create new worlds that maybe no one has ever seen or been to. Opening up minds to new possibilities.

And, you can combine the two into something completely different - real but fantastical.

It’s a great time to be alive!

Be well!

Jeff

#42

Hey Peter! The answer to this one is:

I worry all the time! How can you not wonder if you are making a huge mistake?

Sometimes I see a movie that makes me feel like I should just quit becuase I could never do anything as elegant, smart and good as that. That feeling haunts me each and everytime I take a job on. And no matter how much you think you know, or how much experience you have, you can always screw up. Stuff happens.

ah that’s ‘nice’ to know. You’re right, some times a film comes along where everything has been solved so nicely and elegant that it just works perfectly. Maybe that’s when it can really be defined as art?

So everytime I make a choice I am aware that the opportunity for failure is here. And while I never yet been caught short, it does make things exciting and thrilling. And maybe that is why I really love what I do. At least it is never boring.

hehe, thats good =)

The process of prepping a show, and then living it while you gather all your plates and shots and measurements, references and so on has nothing to do with feeling confident that you are making the right decision. Things can change so fast on a set and unless you need to protect the shot above and beyond the show, you need to roll with them. However, there are those times when you need to stand your ground. And let me tell you how hard it is to have an entire film crew staring at you waiting for you to say it is okay to shoot and you just cannot say it because there is just no way to make it work like this.

Having a back up plan helps. That and knowing how you can cheat, fake, change, steal, barrow or pitch a new version of the ever evolving plan. You know, just staying focused.

It also helps to know who to call when you think you are in trouble. Getting advice is a wonderful thing… and the VES, I think, has helped foster this exchange of ideas and opinions. Once was the time that we were each protecting our secrets from each other!

So in conclusion, yes, it’s a bit scary, but it is also an amazing rush!

I like the term ‘living’ the show. Maybe it’s the only way to be involved enough to make sure you get what you need and cover everything.

I’ve always found that the people who don’t want to share their ‘secrets’ are the people who are above average, but not extremely good. Where as people who rest in the fact that they are really good at what they do, and know that they can come up with new solutions if needed, are really nice about sharing and helping!

thanks for all your input… it’s greatly appreciated!

Peter

#43

This is Diana Huang from Tom Leeser’s Senior Thesis class at Otis College of Art and Design. Thank you again for coming to my class to talk about this movie. This is really a fantastic movie and the article here is absolutely interesting on all levels. I am so glad your team was able to give some aid to people and help out the community with projects like rebuilding roads and furnishing the schools. It is too sad to think about at times but this stuff needs to be known so people can take action. Well when I have the money I’m going to do a whole bunch of stuff like the Kiva.org micro loan program. Thanks for doing this! Happy to have met you!

#44

splendid works, Jeff,
very inspiring !!

#45

The issues you raise seem all about desire and not at all about ability.

So my advice to you is to really look inside yourself and see what you really want to do with your life. And when you discover what it is… Now is the time to do it. Do not wait. Do not hesitate.

Why? I am going to share with you a hard fact of life that I learned. When it was explained to me I did not get it. But now I do. I hope you fare better.

When you are younger, not married, no children, no real responsibilities, you are free to experiment, learn, suffer, live deeply, and still survive. As you grow older, you become more ‘involved’ and ‘responsible’ and before you know it, burdened with the task of providing a more stable life for yourself and your loved ones.

So the time to dive into something, give it your 200% effort, live, eat and sleep it is NOW. Because now you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Now you can make those bold experiments. Now you can afford to fail. And only in so doing will you find your true calling in life. And that true calling will provide you with everything you need for the rest of your life.

For me, I slept on the floor of an editing room for months on end - never going home because from 8:30am - 5:30pm I was a gofer at a graphic design firm that also happened to be making a short film. From 5:30pm - 5:30am I was the assistant editor’s “whatever” guy - I emptied film bins, got them coffee and food, took their clothes in for dry cleaning, baby-sat their kids, whatever they wanted, in exchange for the valuable lessons I was getting by just being allowed to witness the process and ask questions. They drove me hard, but to me, it was a fantastic period of squalor and grace, of personal growth and understanding, of learning fantastic new things!

That kind of test and discovery led me into VFX and what I do now. And I love what I do more than any other work I have ever done or can think of doing. This is my joy and my love in life.

Now I have a beautiful and wonderful wife and two kids who are 13 & 17. A mortgage, bills and so on. So if the opportunity came my way now, there is just no way I could afford to do what I did.

And you know what?! I had no idea that it would all lead to this! I wanted to be a photographer, a musician, then a music producer, then a stand-up, then I was just confused.

The next bit is about concentration. IT wounds to me like you see but do not concentrate. That you are in a hurry and look but do not commit what you see. You are solving problems that haven’t been asked and then you come upon answers so easily that you just don’t remember them because you didn’t ‘earn’ them.

The solution to this is to give yourself some rules and limits - challenge yourself to do something specific within a given deadline and have at it. It doesn’t have to be complex or very difficult to start with.

An example, one of the people I ended up mentoring contacted me and asked if I would give them a vfx task to complete within 48 hours. Then, when they sent it to me, would I critique it.

I sent them an image from a film I had done and asked them to recreate the frame with all original stills. What they sent me was horrible but showed effort. The next one was better and before long they were sending me QT movies of little sequences I had dreamed up for them.

I am suggesting that you do that for yourself.

As a final note on this, I will share with you one of my great failures. Ever hear of the 48 hour film festival? It started at one of the vendor companies I used and I was intriqued by it. So I entered. When it was my turn to make a complete film in 48 hours I made this truely horrible thing called Flush.

Everything went wrong from being chased out of my locations to the actress I had cast not having the correct evening wear. I tried like crazy to rescue it - but only made it worse. The only good thing about it was the main title sequence - which I shot in a bathroom in the Sherman Oaks Galleria while they were tearing ti down. It is online somewhere - have a look if you dare.

I hope I have somehow managed to answer some portion of your question.

Good luck,

Jeff

#46

Hi Diana!

I so enjoyed seeing you guys and the amazing work you all are doing. You can ask Tom, I was really impressed with what I saw.

And your suggestions on how to help and who to do it with are a great beginning. But just understanding that it all really and truely is out there and needs the help is quite the thing right now.

Thanks!

Jeff

#47

Hi Lev,

First off, the ASC and the VES are both “Honory Professional Societies” as opposed to the DGA & IATSE - which are a guild and a union.

A guild or Union does what you are asking about - they involve themselves in acts of “Collective Bargaining” dealing with salaries, pensions and health benefits for their members.

An Honory Society is not allowed to do those things. They are only for gathering together professions to share, talk, challenge and push forward the barriars of their art. They can set standards, but only as suggestions as they do not have the power to enforce them.

Therefore, yes, we should be thinking of how to become a Union or Guild - however the VES, just like the ASC, can never become one. To do so, by law, they would have to be completely disolved and restart from scratch, following the laws and rules as set forth by both the State and Federal Governments and whichever group theywould be wishing to become.

I will write to you privately and fill you in on my past efforts in this area.

Thanks for asking,

Jeff

#48

Hey man, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions

heres a few more for you :wink: :

I don’t have the slightest clue how to look for a school for visual effects or even how to research it online to find tutorials so i can learn a little bit at home… how would i go abouts doing this?

also, I love playin around with cg programs (im not good in anyway) but im pretty sure this is what I want to do when I get older as my career (i just turned 18, but i love cg stuff and the idea of visual effects intrigue’s me.) what programs do you need to do visual effects ?

last one, what are some of the main skills you need to become a successfull creator of VFX.

Thank you very much for your time
-gale

#49

Easy! You send me a real and some info on the company, the artists and the goals!

Jeff

#50

Hi Gale!

I would contact the Gnomon School of Visual Effects. They are fantastic. Even if you do not choose to join them, you can see what kinds of stuff you should be looking for.

Of course there are the USC and UCLA film schools and their VFX Clubs that could help you as well.

I would also ask around on these forums for advice on what are good schools or ways to learn or get a foot in the doer.

And then there is always that old tested chestnut, working for free at a VFX company when you can spare the time in exchange for some training.

The programs you need to know depend entirely upon what it is you are trying to accomplish. Loads of programs = loads of solutions. I would not worry about that right now though as it changes as you decide what you want to do… you may want to be a shader writer or a compositor or lighter or do it all… so just start talking to people, like in this forum for example, sharing what you want to do and they can guide you to the right programs to use.

And for you last question, well, what a great way to get me to summarize my whole overview!

I feel that you need to learn to see. You need to learn to problem solve. You need to learn how to think on your feet. To not be afraid to experiment. To be able to hold the ideal of the end product in your head so you can see the bits and pieces that you need when they show themselves to you or what you have to create. You need to love what you are doing so that you derive joy from doing it! You need to really be a fan so that you can ask about it, study it, and never stop learning how to do it! Remember: Always be thristing for more because that is growth! The joy is in the jouney…

Those are the tools that I think you need to be a successfull supervisor! Oh, and one more thing: The ability to create! Think large, think where no one has gone before, do not acknowledge the limiations and just do it!

Thanks,

Jeff

#51

Jeff,

Thank you so much for the response to my questions. I think your last post delves at the core of what a VFX artist is all about; from the sacrifices you put in, to the learning of the ‘fundamentals.’

I think any profession one chooses will have it’s tough goings; but it’s loving what you do that gets you through the rough patches.

Continue the great work!

#52

Hi Jeff,

First I want to thank you for your time…

Well I entered VFX field almost 2 yrs ago, I work in Lebanon(Middle East).

The field is evolving here but still not as professional as what u guys do. I’m really eager to learn and improve in this field more. I would like to ask you, is it in any way possible for me to do training in one of the post production companies in the US, or is it definitely out of the question? If yes how, if not then what’s your advice for me in order to improve and reach the pro level…