Award-winning character-effects firm MASTERSFX (MFX) has named longtime VFX Producer Scott Coulter as its new Vice President & Executive Producer of Visual Effects. The announcement was made by Todd Masters, Founder, President and Chief Monster-Maker, MFX.
"Scott is a rare sort – his knowledge is diverse and his skill set is truly unmatched. We're really excited to welcome him back to MFX," said Masters, noting that the two have had a lengthy working relationship over a couple of decades. "Scott and I worked together more than fifteen-years ago on early MFX projects such as Demon Knight, Dark Skies and Mortal Kombat. Back then we were using puppets and prosthetics – only! And Scott was there, coming up with great tricks, even then. But it was all practical FX, and long before the birth of digital."
As a company, MASTERSFX has evolved with the times, and today combines both Practical and Digital techniques- to create one-of-a-kind effects. The company calls its unique process of blending both artforms 'dMFX.' Practical and Visual FX work from MASTERSFX can currently be seen on Spring, Hemlock Grove, The Flash, Arrow, iZombie, and Falling Skies, soon to be ending its five-year run on TNT. Additionally, MASTERSFX is currently prepping a new Underworld movie, a television pilot, and a soon-to-be-announced feature film project with Guardians of the Galaxy director, James Gunn.
"Because we've changed many of the ways we approach FX these days, both Scott and I did a bit of an adjustment over these past many, many years – just working from separate locations and with slightly separate disciplines," adds Masters. "Most recently, I've been helping develop and supervise the art-side of our advanced FX methodologies, while Scott's been evolving himself into this amazingly creative and experienced, worldwide VFX executive. He's one of the few FX executives I know of who has seen it all and done it all, from numerous vantage points. He can really talk the walk he's walked."
Coulter is already overseeing day-to-day operations on Visual Effects at MFX's Los Angeles headquarters, and is spearheading character and creature design work for their current slate of projects.
"The merging of Practical and Visual Effects is the future of visual design in media – and MASTERSFX is a world-class company, leading in this space," Coulter says. "The blending of these disciplines is the greatest challenge moving forward, and this company is the place to perfect this blending and really make it happen. On top of that, the idea of working in LA again after many years based in Bulgaria also appealed to me."
About SCOTT COULTER
Fueled by a lifelong interest in special effects work, noted Visual Effects Producer Scott Coulter has over three decades of experience in this field, having worked on more than 200 films which have integrated nearly every conceivable aspect of Special and Visual Effects. His credits span across numerous feature films, including The Expendables, Conan the Barbarian, Dogma, My Favorite Martian, The Crow, and many others.
Coulter began his career as a production assistant on George Romero's genre-classic, Creepshow. Since his first love was special effects makeup and monsters, he quickly moved up the ranks, becoming a makeup FX Supervisor. He developed his skills, creating animatronics and practical blood gags. While working on The Crow, Coulter saw Jurassic Park, and was amazed by the power of the groundbreaking digital visual effects. After that, he took a six-month sabbatical from his role as a Makeup FX Artist to learn everything he could about computer animation.
In 2001, Coulter, as VFX Executive Producer, founded and launched Worldwide FX, headquartered in Bulgaria, to meet the visual effects needs of NuImage/Millennium Films – Millennium Films owns Worldwide FX. He eventually expanded the facility, even opening a second facility in Shreveport, Louisiana. To date, Worldwide FX has created VFX for more than 140 films.
About MASTERSFX
Founded in 1987 by Emmy®Award winner Todd Masters, MASTERSFX is a multi-award winning character and special FX house with studios in Vancouver, British Colombia, and Los Angeles. MASTERSFX's creative teams produce a unique blend of practical and digital makeup and special FX, prosthetics and animatronics, through a process called dMFX, for hundreds of hit feature films, TV shows, and commercials.
Founded in 1987 by Emmy®Award winner Todd Masters, MASTERSFX is a multi-award winning character and special FX house with studios in Vancouver, British Colombia, and Los Angeles. MASTERSFX's creative teams produce a unique blend of practical and digital makeup and special FX, prosthetics and animatronics, through a process called dMFX, for hundreds of hit feature films, TV shows, and commercials.
Included among the TV projects to which MASTERSFX has contributed its work are True Blood, Six Feet Under, Tales from the Crypt and Fringe. Among the company's film credits are RoboCop, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Haunting in Connecticut, Star Trek: First Contact, The Horse Whisperer, Slither, Snakes on a Plane, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Look Who's Talking, and many more.
Todd Masters won an Emmy® Award in 2003 for the 2001/2002 Season of Six Feet Under in the category "Best Special Effects Makeup." MASTERSFX is also the winner of a 2006 "Saturn Award" for "Best MakeUp FX" for its work on the film Slither.
See more at: www.mastersfx.com
