Visual effects creative studio JAMM has added commercial and feature Flame artist Brian Hajek to its roster.
After graduating from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Hajek began working in the commercial field before crossing over to feature films. His extensive experience includes compositing shots for movies like The Avengers, Life of Pi, Avatar, Snow White and the Huntsman, American Sniper, Moonrise Kingdom, Guardians of the Galaxy and many more.
Hajek’s skill for making the fantastic feel tangible led to a VES Award for Outstanding Compositing in a Feature Motion Picture, for his role in helping to create “Skinny Steve Rogers” for the movie Captain America: The First Avenger. The shrunk-down version of the superhero played by Chris Evans was so believable, many viewers assumed it to be footage of a doppelganger actor. After working on over 50 feature titles, Hajek is returning to advertising.
After working with JAMM as a freelancer, Hajek is glad to jump on board in a greater capacity, saying, “It’s an incredible opportunity to be part of JAMM’s creative team. I had the chance to work on the Toyota ‘Discovery Machine’ campaign here, and it was immediately clear that this was a place I’d like to stay.”
Stop Motion Starts Up Again: “Wallace & Gromit” Return For A Feature Film
The cheese-loving English inventor Wallace and his loyal dog Gromit have been stars since the beginning.
In the 35 years since Nick Park introduced the world to his stop-motion creations and their eccentric, unapologetically British existence, they've won Oscars, appeared in commercials, video games, animated series and even the occasional bit of (unofficial) protest art. Feature films, however, have been few and far between. Part of the reason is the difficulty: Even a 30-minute short can take upward of two years. Besides, why mess with a formula that's produced only classics?
After working on the pair's first feature, "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," which was released in 2005 and won an Oscar, and "Early Man," Park even doubted that he'd dabble in the form again. But sometimes inspiration requires a little more breathing room: That's how the second "Wallace & Gromit" feature film, "Vengeance Most Fowl," came to be. It debuts on Netflix worldwide, except in the U.K., on Friday.
The seed of an idea
Gnomes have always been part of Wallace and Gromit's world. After "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," Park started kicking around an idea about a smart gnome, Norbot, built to help Gromit in the garden.
"There was something a bit missing," Park said. "We tinkered around with the story on and off for years and it seemed to be lacking the more sinister element that's often in 'Wallace & Gromit.' Why do the gnomes go wrong? Who was the motivated villain?"
Five years ago, the solution came to them: Feathers McGraw, the conniving penguin with a penchant for heists and simple disguises, who turned their lives to chaos in "The Wrong Trousers."
"He was the answer to everything," Park... Read More