Get to Know | Christopher

In this release, we are pleased to introduce Christopher Stark, Senior Compositor at FOLKS Los Angeles, who finds creative solutions to both artistic and technical challenges.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE AT FOLKS?
I am a Senior VFX Compositor. Being a compositor means you're the one who finishes the shot; you're bringing together all the different elements and making them work as one cohesive piece. What I really enjoy about it is that you get to work across a wide variety of disciplines, from color work to matte painting to problem-solving technical challenges. It keeps things fresh on a daily basis, and there is always a new creative or technical puzzle to solve.

WHO INSPIRED YOU TO PURSUE A CAREER IN VISUAL EFFECTS?
My Dad. He has been an artist all his life, although not in any professional way. Growing up I would watch him sculpt, wood carve, draw, draft. It looked so calming and it looked like it made him happy. We would have all his creations around the house. I guess as a kid I wanted to be happy as well, so I would do the same. He bought me my first computer and first wacom tablet and supported me through being a somewhat odd introvert. Something I learned from him that is still very important to me nowadays, is to enjoy the journey of creating something, over finishing it.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED IN THIS FIELD?
I started in high school as a web developer, using After Effects and Cinema 4D for Flash web design when that was still a thing. To get better quality interfaces, I started dabbling in Cinema 4D modeling. I realized I really liked modeling stuff, so I signed up for an art school! I went to school to study animation, lighting, and modeling at Vancouver Film School. After failing to get a job as a creature modeler at the small list of tentpole companies I applied to, I found my first job as a rotoscope artist at a stereo 3D company. I worked my way up to becoming a paint artist, then an After Effects compositor, and then taught myself Nuke just to get work done faster. Nuke happened to be getting popular at that time, and I've been working in this field ever since.

IF YOU HAD TO NAME A COLLEAGUE WHO INSPIRES YOU, WHO WOULD IT BE?
There are many people who I admire for different reasons, but one who consistently inspires me is Kevin Yuille, who I have worked on with multiple projects. He is exceptionally talented, both technically and artistically, is very organized, both in thought and execution, and has a great attitude.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT LOS ANGELES? IF YOU COULD TRANSFER TO ANOTHER PITCH BLACK LOCATION, WHERE WOULD YOU GO?
There is a lot to like about Southern California. It’s where I was born and raised. My family is here. Sunny days almost everyday. Mild climate. Beautiful beaches. Good food. I have been all over, and I feel blessed to have grown up here. If I could transfer to another location, I think it would be Barcelona. It seems to have a good climate, food, and people.

 WHAT IS SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT PEOPLE MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW?
I once taught compositing and paint in Mumbai, India, for a little over half a year around 14 years ago and, despite the odds, I now work with a lot of my former students through studios here! Small world!

IN WHAT PROJECT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF YOUR WORK?
A recent project I'm proud of is the cruise ship hurricane shots we did on Doctor Odyssey. I got to work with a talented small team, Jason Piccioni, JV Pike and Matthew Rappaport, who are just so pro. Quick, concise, efficient, and talented. We didn't have a lot of time to turn around the shots, but because of our team makeup and experience, the shots really went well quite quickly.