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The latest from Catalyst. From student work and events, to news and think-pieces.

Catalyst news and stories

As part of our NoBerlinale student festival, film director Craig Murray gave a guest session on practical FX for narrative, music, commercial and experimental videos. Find out what fuels his creativity.

As our Film Production students learn from year one in their ‘Microfilm’ assignments, short films are like elevator pitches. You only have a few minutes to ‘sell’ your creative vision, so that the viewer craves to see more after the ride is over. In the case of music videos and commercials, making an impression is more important than ever. In the oversaturated media environment, it’s easy to miss a good artist or product. Connect a compelling visual narrative and you can not only garner attention, but create a sensation. Add hand-crafted visual effects to the picture, and you've got a sure-fire explosion.

Selected work 2008 - 2020

Short form is where film director Craig Murray is in his element. Check out his wow-worthy Vimeo showcase (above), and you’ll get lost in visceral FX-infused music videos, atmospheric analog camera experiments, beautifully macabre hand-drawn pencil animations, and more. His original approach has seen him work with the likes of the post-rock/metal bands Mogwai and Alcest, as well as high-calibre companies like Samsung. Not relying on computer-generated special effects, he works with real elements in order to encourage a greater potential for connection. The visceral, emotive and otherworldly result could galvanise anyone out of content fatigue.

Hosted by our Visual Effects lead Matthieu Schmit, Craig graced our NoBerlinale programme with a guest session on practical FX for narrative, music, commercial and experimental videos. Our NoBerlinale festival was our response to the cancellation of this year's Berlinale in February. With the help of our film team, events and student experience lead Hannah Deans filled our students’ calendars with an exciting line-up of alternative events, from guest sessions to remote filmmaking to exclusive screenings.

Taken away by Craig’s exceptional art, after the session, we asked him what catalyses his creativity. Here’s what he told us.

“If it doesn’t work with their music, it generally doesn’t go in, even though it’s always for another band or client."

“Probably the band Godspeed You! Black Emperor…I build and initially edit most of my films listening to them. If it doesn’t work with their music, it generally doesn’t go in, even though it’s always for another band or client. I guess it creates another layer and tone for me? I also don’t have a dream to work with them. They already have a long-time collaboration with a person who does their live 16mm projections. But perhaps that’s also because in some way I already do work with them.”

As part of Catalyst Berlin's NoBerlinale, short film director and FX artist Craig Murray gave our students a window into his wildly creative world.

A Guest Session on Practical FX With Film Director Craig Murray

Short Film & Practical FX Sensation Craig Murray Shares What Fuels His Creativity

Third-year Film Production student Jayden Bailey talks about his short film ‘Not Olives,’ which was selected for Portugal’s FEST New Directors Film Festival in 2020. 

“Within two weeks of being gifted the olives, I had shot the film.” Sometimes life drops ideas into your lap without you having to lift a finger. For Film Production student Jayden Bailey, the creative serendipity started with the taste of an olive and ended in a witty short film starring said olives, which was subsequently selected for FEST 2020. What’s not to o-love?

For Business Inquiries (EU): jaydenbaileyjab@gmail.com

Logline: Roommates set out for a jar of very special olives, meanwhile their apartment is robbed.

Specifications: Shot on Sony A7s

Featuring || Adam Donald as Thomas, Samantha Lee-Kroll as Marie

Director / Writer / Editor / Sound Design || Jayden Bailey
Producer / Sound Recordist || Agostina Cerdan Niell
Director of Photography || Sidney Mandros
AC / Assistant Editor || Dico Baskoro
AD / Catering / Special Effects / Grip || Matthias Neumeister
Grip || Zac Yeates

Not Olives (2020)

“Not Olives was inspired by the real, on-screen, jar of olives that was gifted to me!” says Jayden, who is now in his final year of the Bachelor course. “I was down in the south of Germany for another film project and, following the shoot's wrap, we went to a friend's cocktail bar. I got to know the owner and I told him he had great olives, which he served with his drinks. Olives at this point were just a hated food of mine, but his olives were a sure winner! Then he surprised me and gave me a whole jar as a gift. As the conversations around me returned back to German, I was left daydreaming... this led me to a film idea, and then the very next day I told him I would make a film about a childish man being picky about a jar of olives. The childish character Thomas, went on to share the same name as the real 'non-childish' bar owner!” 

Screen Acting programme lead Adam Donald and Samantha Lee-Kroll play two spatting roommates who set out for a jar of very special olives. Their relatable dynamic immediately sucks you into the narrative, which wraps humour, tension and surprise into a delectable four and a half minutes. Jayden’s storytelling is as moreish as said olives. That’s why we’re thrilled to hear that he’s planning on upping the game with his next film, which is currently in post-production. Scroll down to find out how you can get involved!

"Little did I know that this would start a chain of unrelated events that gave me many film opportunities."

“FEST 2020 was my first selected short film,” he continues. “I remember it being one of the highlights for me during the COVID lockdown of last year. I was unable to attend the Portugal film festival, which was a real shame, but that's when I decided on the next best thing. I'll direct and write an even better film and go again in the next edition. Little did I know that this would start a chain of unrelated events that gave me many film opportunities. Fast forward to now and my latest film is being edited. It's a story of three friends on a camping trip. The night takes a big turn when the fire starts to spit out memories of the past.” We can’t wait to see it.

Want to get involved in the post-production of the film – editing, music, colour etc.? Don’t be shy! Jayden invites you to contact him at jaydenbaileyjab@gmail.com.

Third-year Film Production student Jayden Bailey talks about his short film ‘Not Olives,’ which was selected for FEST Film Festival in 2020. 

Filmmaker Jayden Bailey on His FEST 2020 Selected Film ‘Not Olives’

Brazilian filmmaker Lillah Halla recently inspired our student community with a guest session on feminist film theory, as part of our very own noBerlinale festival. Find out more about her vision.

At Catalyst, we believe disappointment is synonymous with innovation. That’s why, when the 2021 Berlinale Festival was cancelled, our events and student experience lead Hannah Deans didn’t settle for a sinking feeling. She and the film team pulled out all the stops to provide an equally enriching and even more engaging online programme of exclusive screenings, remote filmmaking, project presentations, guest sessions, film reviews, and more, to our Film Production students. To top it off, there was even a Zoom screening and awards party!

Trailer MENARCA dir. Lilla Halla

Lillah Halla was one of our noBerlinale special guests. Hosted by a fellow Brazilian filmmaker, BA and MA tutor Leandro Goddinho, Lillah joined us to give a lecture and Q&A on feminist theory. Speaking from her experience of the film, she gave a brief talk on the process of scriptwriting female characters that subvert foundational archetypes and cultural stereotypes, centred around cinema as a tool for subversive perspectives.

Lillah studied Directing and Scriptwriting at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión de Cuba. Her latest short film, Menarca, was one of the ten shorts selected at Semaine de La Critique Cannes 2020, awarded in Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2020. Lillah is also the co-founder of the São Paulo-based film collective Vermelha, a political project for women and queer filmmakers in Brazil.

Lillah Halla presents MENARCA

Menarca is a reinterpretation of the myth of the vagina dentata (“the toothed vagina”), and as film critic Léo SeoSanto wrote at Cannes 2020, a welcome feminist call to arms. “The poison of toxic masculinity threatens Nanã and Mel,” he writes, “who are saved by a fish and a woman: Lillah Halla’s perfect high-wire act between the magic realism of a fairytale and a realistic, stifling atmosphere (ageless, though it echoes present-day Brazil) infers the very essence and turns up the heat before the punk explosion finale.”

“You can choose to look at things differently. You can choose to try to give a voice to people who haven't been heard... I think what we're doing is giving space for reflection and to dream, and to feed the power of imagination, which is the strongest tool we have.” 

Like us, Lillah puts storytelling at the centre of her creative practice. Her use of narratives and symbols probe deep into the subconscious of the viewer to create a truly captivating and influential experience. “You can choose to look at things differently,” she says in the inspiring DW Berlinale Talents feature below. “You can choose to try to give a voice to people who haven't been heard... I think what we're doing is giving space for reflection and to dream, and to feed the power of imagination, which is the strongest tool we have.”

"Menarca is on every level a biting film. It is a reinterpretation of the myth of the vagina dentata ("the toothed vagina") and a welcome feminist call to arms.” written by Léo SeoSanto, Semaine de La Critique Cannes 2020

Lillah Halla is a Brazilian director and screenwriter. She studied Directing and Scriptwriting at the Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión de Cuba.

Her most recent short film, Menarca, is one of the 10 shorts selected at Semaine de La Critique Cannes 2020, awarded in Kurzfilmtage Winterthur 2020.

Lillah is also the co-founder of the São Paulo-based film collective Vermelha, a political project for women / queer filmmakers in Brazil.

“I have quite a trajectory in researching narratives, speaking about female contexts in filmmaking. I have a collective in Brazil called Collegeville Familia, which is a collective of women filmmakers who have been organizing debates, actions, encounters, courses, workshops. And that is, on one hand, that it's beginning when it was more important to talk about representation and just having access to funding, having access to work positions.

(…) This is what we're speaking about, and every word counts. So grammar counts, words count and... And the way we're telling stories not only what we're speaking about, but the way we're telling them is also either reproducing those stereotypes, those archetypes or you're changing them.”

Berlinale Talents 2021: Lillah Halla

Brazilian filmmaker Lillah Halla inspired our Film Production students with a guest session on feminist film theory, as part of our noBerlinale festival.

A Guest Session With 'Menarca' Filmmaker Lillah Halla

'Menarca' Filmmaker & Catalyst NoBerlinale Guest Lillah Halla on Feeding the Power of Imagination 

Our Visual Effects students have full access to a curated selection of over 50 bonus online classes to further unlock their creative potential. Find out more.

If education is a passport to the future, then Visual Effects education will get you there the fastest. Every day at Catalyst, we’re blown away by the skills our specialist tutors share with our students – from ways to model new realities to breathtaking effects. From the first year of study, the knowledge acquired by our students is extensive – allowing graduates to confidently enter the broad and competitive VFX industry with a honed creative mindset and blaze a trail as the next generation of artists. 

Our students’ success is in their own hands. The clue is in the name of our institution – we are only a catalyst to YOUR creative potential. Our course gives students the keys to self-learning, instilling an autonomous mindset which enables them to tread their own path in the creative and technical fields of visual effects. More importantly, these adaptable skills allow them to find out which approach best suits their style, so that they can evaluate the unique requirements of every incoming project.

To reach the top of your game in VFX, it’s all about immersion – taking what you learnt in the classroom and building upon it, further deepening your knowledge through exploration and play. That’s why our Visual Effects students have access to over 50 online classes around every topic approached in our workshops, including membership access to Skillshare’s extended catalogue. This on-demand resource counts as yet another invaluable tool in the bottomless VFX toolbox.  

Illustration for motion design, DSLR photography, Adobe After Effects, sculpting in ZBrush, abstract art in Cinema 4D… the list goes on. The wide selection of online classes includes complete software courses, practical tutorials, tips and tricks – so that you can broaden your skill set from multiple angles and perspectives. 

Live VFX demo: 3D asset texturing with "Substance Painter”

Interested in Visual Effects at Catalyst? Digital artist and tutor Anton Egorov recently streamed a live tutorial on 3D asset texturing using the 3D material creation software Adobe Substance Painter. Over the hour and a half-long, step-by-step, tutorial, Anton broke down how he used Substance Painter to texture the skin and metallic material of his 3D scene I’ll Just Stay at Home Today.

Our VFX students have full access to a curated selection of over 50 bonus online classes to further unlock their creative potential. Find out more.

Bonus Visual Effects Online Learning Resources

Binge-Worthy Extras For Our Visual Effects Students

Each semester, we invite an industry specialist to deliver their own exciting perspective on VFX – from audiovisual installations to stop-motion animation with models and miniatures. 

Choose your own reality and then create it. From day one studying Visual Effects at Catalyst, our students are immersed in the endless possibilities of a career in the VFX industry. In the first year, they gain multiple strings to their visionary bow – a broad foundation of skills in everything from digital art to animation to creative coding. In addition to regular workshops with our resident Visual Effects specialists, each semester, we bring in a guest tutor to add their unique perspective to the curriculum. Find out more about our roster of rotating tutors.

Andreas Dahn - VFX Reel

Andreas Dahn joined us in the first semester to teach VFX Supervising. He has worked in both Germany and India as a VFX artist and director. His VFX credits include the Emmy-awarded series Game of Thrones, Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and the Oscar-nominated BBC short The Gruffalo.

Doron Sadja is a regular tutor on all of our music courses – yet his creative practice is not limited to sound. He often combines his compositions and self-designed instruments with visual elements to create extraordinary audiovisual installations and performances. In the first semester, he shared this knowledge in a series of workshops on audiovisual installations.

In the second semester of ‘Practical FX’, we welcome David Lichtenauer, a specialist in models and miniatures. He’ll be delivering his insight on how to make and film miniatures – a time-honoured VFX technique that’s still in use in films such as Harry Potter, Inception and First Man. Finally, the Visual Effects students will film the Screen Acting students in our green screen studio, who they’ll later place into a scene using digital compositing software.

Another wonderful addition to our ‘Practical FX’ module, SFX make-up artist Iryna Suniaieva will be joining us in the second semester. Also a sculptor by trade, she’ll give our students insight on how she sculpts people into otherworldly creatures.

Each semester, we invite an industry specialist to deliver their own perspective on VFX – from stop-motion animation to SFX makeup.

Meet Our Specialist Guest Visual Effects Tutors 

Meet Our Roster of Specialist Guest Visual Effects Tutors 

When creativity escalates: Read all about how Amplify Berlin November resident Phase Fatale’s visit to our music studios resulted in a futuristic Fact Mag live set collaboration between EBM duo Soft Crash, Visual Effects tutor Paulina Greta and some of our Film Production and VFX students.

Patch Notes: Soft Crash ft. Imaginaria

Tools are an extension of the artist’s body. To the painter, the brush is a customisable finger. To the music producer, the wires of the modular synthesizer are nerve endings. Though many of us recoil at the thought of neural chips, the technologised body is ironically human. This blurred line is one of the concepts that inspired the debut EP of Soft Crash, Spritzkrieg, released last year on BITE. 

When the EBM-disco-synthwave duo – Hayden Payne, aka Phase Fatale, and Pablo Bozzi of Imperial Black Unit – were asked by Fact Magazine to perform a hardware live set, they decided to give their sonic aesthetic a visual mirror by commissioning VFX artist and Catalyst tutor Paulina Greta, aka Imaginaria. 

“I got my main inspiration from the wires and the modular synths aesthetic,” Paulina explains. “I focused first on the character design and then on the materiality of the textures. I wanted to recreate a network of wiring cables that almost fed my characters throughout their body. The metallic body would then reflect hardware firmness. The character design was entirely sculpted in virtual reality. It is the third project I am completing in a virtual environment and I believe there is a palpable change in my aesthetics because of that. Almost all the other softwares I used in the pipeline are for real-time 3D: Substance Painter for textures and TouchDesigner for the generative abstract parts.”

In fact, it seemed an invisible force was drawing Phase Fatale to Catalyst. As part of our live stream collaboration with Amplify Berlin, the November residency mentor had recently visited our K4 studio for an interview about his creative process. He fell in love with our Funkhaus facilities and asked our events and student experience lead Hannah Deans if he could collaborate with our students on the Fact video.

Amplify x Catalyst presents Phase Fatale with Isabassi

“It seemed like fate,” Hannah tells us. “Alfredo La Corte, who has been creating the Amplify live streams with me, came on board to direct the live footage for Phase Fatale, helping plan the location and the look and feel.” Fellow third-year Film Production students Dico Baskoro and Jur Kunaver pitched in as the director of photography and the camera assistant respectively. Meanwhile, second-year Visual Effects student Freddy Gutierrez assisted Paulina. 

“The entire Catalyst collaboration worked towards a common goal, without any external pressure, which often collides with the creative vision.”

“The work with the Film and VFX students during the first step of the shoots was a great experience,” Paulina continues. “Hannah was guiding all the production and taking care of the schedule. There was a constant interaction during the filming of the live-set between our VFX team and the Film team. I was assisted by Freddy Gutierrez, from the second year, in the use of the Azure Kinect. This technology is often used to capture depth data from a room or a subject and with that data I could recreate Hayden’s and Pablo’s 3D portraits. Alfredo La Corte, Dico Baskoro and Jur Kunaver from the film department were supportive and creative in finding the right lights and camera shots to fit well with the VFX. The entire Catalyst collaboration worked towards a common goal, without any external pressure to collide with the creative vision.”

“It made me aware of the endless possibilities that one single technology can offer by just applying a bit of creativity and enthusiasm.”

As VFX assistant, Freddy helped Paulina to set up the software networks as well as the Kinect camera in order to capture 3D data of the scene to be processed and finalised later. “It was a very instructive process for me,” he reveals. “It made me aware of the endless possibilities that one single technology can offer by just applying a bit of creativity and enthusiasm. It was also very exciting being able to take part and collaborate in a project with different departments where there is always something new you can learn.”

Like any great director, Alfredo focused on how best to bring out the story – which, in this case, wasn’t a fictional narrative, but a convergence of performer and location. “My work for Fact Magazine was very much centered around the environment in which we shot them: a beautiful room inside a Funkhaus studio,” he says. “Once I saw the location, I thought the best way to shoot the performance would be to light the space with heavy textured shadows and to use wide lenses in order to see as much of the room as possible. Sometimes when you have a good location and good performers you just have to show them properly. It was a great surprise to be asked to direct a video for Fact Magazine, I'll tell you that!”

Dico, who worked as the DOP agrees: “It was spontaneous. Alfredo contacted me maybe two days before shooting and gave me a short brief. I decided to shoot with three static cameras with lenses of varying sizes and one with a gimbal – sometimes handheld to create movement or dance vibes. There was a wide shot to capture the artists and the stunning Funkhaus studio with cool lights and detailed shots of their musical equipment. It was really really fun and enjoyable since I also love techno music and it was my first time working with VFX people on a live session.”

Visual Effects tutor Paulina Greta, aka Imaginaria, collaborates with Catalyst Berlin film students on Soft Crash Fact Mag live set. Read all about it.

Imaginaria Creates VFX For Soft Crash Fact Mag Live Set

Soft Crash Collaborate With VFX Tutor Imaginaria & Students on a Fact Mag Live Set

In our second live online VFX demo, digital artist and Catalyst Visual Effects tutor Anton Egorov showed us some pro tips on 3D asset texturing using 3D material creation software Substance Painter.⁠ Learn more and watch the full demo.

A software with substance: Adobe Substance Painter is the leading programme for 3D digital materials. Like Photoshop, but with a whole extra dimension of tools, Substance Painter allows digital artists, animators, game designers and the like to take their skills beyond the 2D canvas and expand their creative potential. For this reason, it’s a VFX industry standard – an essential skill we teach to our Visual Effects students. 

If you’ve never designed in 3D, where do you begin? Digital artist and Catalyst tutor Anton Egorov’s recent live demo on the software is the perfect introduction. Over the hour and a half-long, step-by-step, tutorial, Anton broke down how he used Substance Painter to texture the skin and metallic material of his 3D scene I’ll Just Stay at Home Today. 

“I took different 3D models from other projects and decided to dump them into this sci-fi looking room,” Anton says. “This guy is probably quarantined, so the only thing he can do is sit around naked, smoke cigarettes and watch my demos on his little laptop!” 

The striking image is a fantastic demonstration of the immersive scenes and, by extension, realistic worlds that you can create when painting in full 3D. As Lucas Granito, Senior Technical Artist at Ubisoft tells 3D Artist magazine, “[The video game Rainbow Six Siege] demanded realism because it took place in contemporary environments, so we couldn't stylize the game. We really wanted to create that immersion by getting realistic results. We found that traditional software was limiting us in our ability to go full PBR [Physically Based Rendering], which means that it was very difficult to get a consistent result between different artists. Substance allowed us to create the most advanced PBR project to date in Ubisoft's history.”

The software can be used not only to paint full textures, but also to paint masks which can then be used in other tools. On large-scale projects with many similar textures, Substance Painter can save designers a huge amount of time – ideal if you’re working within typically tight deadlines.

Get started with Substance Painter. Watch Anton’s full demo below.

Substance Painter tutorial. Visual Effects tutor Anton Egorov demonstrates the VFX industry standard 3D painting software.

Substance Painter 3D Asset Texturing Demo With Anton Egorov

VFX Tools & Techniques /// Substance Painter 3D Asset Texturing With Anton Egorov

See yourself as a visionary of the future? The visual effects industry is one of the best places to make it happen. Here’s our rundown of the VFX jobs you can enter from one year of study at Catalyst.

Want to help shape the future? You’re in the right place at the right time. Ask someone in the 1980s what we’d be doing in 2020 and they’d probably reply, ‘flying cars,’ ‘living with robots,’ or ‘holidaying in space.’ They weren’t wrong. Because, though we’ll still have to wait for a personal robot to pour our cornflakes, we can do all of those things and a million more in the virtual world. In fact, since the pandemic stunted real-world activities, the demand has never been greater for all things computer generated. Enter visual effects. 

Cutting-edge visual effects tools are rapidly maturing. You could even say it’s the start of a new VFX era. Think abstract computer-generated worlds, real-time motion capture, hyper-realistic digital humans and AI, and 360-degree virtual reality. The development of technological arts now applies to fields as diverse as culture, entertainment and science. 

But it’s not all about technology. Today’s hyper-aware consumer base is demanding an equal innovation in artistry. Whether they’re watching movies or playing video games, they want to inhabit worlds that are not only believable, but breathtaking. Since the early days of matte painting, visual effects artists have been the architects of our dreams.

But what exactly does it mean to be a VFX artist? And if you want to work in the visual effects industry, where in the universe do you begin? Read on for our overview of the employment opportunities you can expect from one year of studying Visual Effects at Catalyst.

Make the impossible become real with the creative tools of tomorrow. Learn cutting edge industry  practices from on-set visual effects to computer wizardry...then smash the standards and pioneer new ways forward. Immerse yourself in our unique creative laboratory to explore this unmapped frontier through hands-on learning, collaborative projects and real-world challenges. 

Learn in English, live in Berlin, become a Visual Effects Artist.

Find out more about our 1 and 3-year Visual Effects course www.catalyst-berlin.com

Study Visual Effects at Catalyst Film

‘Visual effects artist’ is an umbrella term. There is, in fact, a whole credit list of specialisations within the vast discipline – which also depend on the area of the industry you’re working in. 

Matte painters create incredible photo-realistic landscapes or environments that you can’t get on a real set. Digital Compositors deal with a complex combination of images in order to ensure all the visual elements of a film are seamlessly rendered. Animators can create everything from spaceships to believable motion-capture characters. The list goes on. If it takes a village to raise a child, to create a special-effects film, it takes a village-sized studio. Of course, the career possibilities aren’t limited to the likes of film or video games. You might also decide to go in a more graphic direction as a motion designer, for example. As we continue to move our lives into the virtual space, digital artistry can never be underestimated. 

Here are some of the entry-level VFX positions you can access after studying the one-year Visual Effects HE Certificate course at Catalyst.

Positions in large scale visual effects studios:

General jobs in small and mid level productions (music video, short films, artistic installations, etc)

Programme lead Matthieu Schmit advises that this list of positions is far from exhaustive. “There is an endless catalogue of entry-level or trainee positions in the various industries concerned with visual effects and animation,” he says, “and more new positions are created every day. From there, the only limit is that of your determination and grit.”

When our VFX students stepped into our creative laboratory in September 2020, they opened the door to a whole world of visual possibilities. 

From day one on our Visual Effects crash course, they've been harnessing cutting-edge tools and techniques to make the impossible a reality.

We proudly present this original showreel of work made in just one semester by our first-year VFX students. 

Follow their social links below to keep up with their journey.

Ethan Ho - behance.net/e10ho 
Savina Janssen - www.linkedin.com/in/savina-j-522504197/
Tommaso Capruzzi
Oguz Karakose

https://catalyst-berlin.com/film/topic/visual-effects-courses

Visual Effects 2020 - Student Showreel (Semester 1)

That’s a lot of career prospects from just one year of studying VFX. Indeed, the aim of the first year at Catalyst is gaining a broad enough foundation of skills to prepare for the sheer diversity of the industry. Visual Effects HE Certificate students explore 3D animation, matte painting, digital compositing, practical FX, visual storytelling, filmmaking, production, directing, cinematography, editing, special effects, motion design, digital compositing, video media and visual design. They collaborate with filmmakers and direct actors for VFX shots, produce weekly personal works following creative and industry briefs, and discover the key to learning a variety of VFX and image creation software.

It’s no wonder we liken the one-year course to a boot camp. The programme is all about getting your hands dirty with heaps of hands-on projects – a ‘brain gym’ of collective problem solving and critical thinking and a celebration of creative independence and entrepreneurship. All of this is supported by a deeply individualised learning process that develops your interests and unique talents. Ultimately, Certificate students come away with a wealth of skills that will be valued everywhere, including: 

A perfect eye for composition, colour and lighting

The ability to multitask, prioritise and problem solve

Organization, communication and interpersonal skills

Eagerness to learn and motivation to pursue professional development

Proven ability in working with clients in order to create their vision

A working knowledge of the overall VFX pipeline

Ability to work in a team of creatives towards a common goal

Organisational skills and proven ability to prioritise conflicting tasks

Ability to work autonomously and work with deadlines

A drive to improve and constantly learn new skills

Flexibility in approach and ability to remain calm and confident in a fast-paced environment

What does a 3D asset class look like? Here's a sneak-peak at what goes on in our Lightroom, a space dedicated to Visual Effects production, with high powered PC’s with 10 bit displays, drawing tablets, and a suite of industry standard software for professional VFX work. 

Find out more about our VFX courses and facilities at Catalyst in Berlin. 
https://catalyst-berlin.com/film/topic/visual-effects-courses

Video shot and edited by the talented Dico Baskoro (https://www.dicobaskoro.com/)

Step into the Lightroom - VFX 3D assets class

Want to hone your visual effects specialism before entering the industry? Stay on at Catalyst for a further two years to complete our Visual Effects Bachelor degree, and we’ll get you there. 

In the second year of study, you’ll go deeper into the art of visual effects and visual creation with workshops in VFX supervision and advanced compositing, mechanics and dynamics, creative coding and technological arts. You’ll learn new tools and interfaces, but also take time to explore other formats, spaces and realities – as well as the crucial development of your creative voice. In the third year, you’ll craft the final project that’ll train you up in your chosen specialism and make you a visual effects artist in your own right. What’s more, you’ll be equipped with the industry knowledge to start making valuable connections. Whether you get a job at a studio or forge your own path, the possibilities from here are as limitless as your imagination.

During our second live online VFX workshop, tutor Anton Egorov demonstrated Substance Painter, a 3D painting software that students get familiar with in their first year of study. Watch the demo below to get a taster.

The future is now. Here’s our rundown of creative and technological visual effects careers and VFX jobs you can enter from study at Catalyst.

Shape the Future of Digital Arts With These VFX Careers

How much can you learn in just three months of studying Visual Effects at Catalyst? This Semester 1 showreel by our first-year students is a great example.

VFX is a vast and often complex discipline. From whatever angle you wish to enter the industry, a broad foundation of skills combined with a honed creative eye will do well to set you ahead of the competition. That’s why our Visual Effects HE Certificate course – which doubles up as the first year of the Bachelor degree – provides a taste of every subject, from classic techniques to cutting-edge digital and physical working environments. 

“The teachers were so inspiring and interesting and all the techniques we learnt still amaze me!”

When our first-year Visual Effects students stepped into Catalyst's creative laboratory in September 2020, they opened the door to a whole world of visual possibilities. “I think this first semester was very interesting and full of good surprises,” says student Savina Janssen. “The teachers were so inspiring and interesting and all the techniques we learnt still amaze me!”

From day one on the crash course, they've been harnessing the tools and techniques to make the impossible a reality. And talking of near-impossible feats, you won’t believe what they achieved in just three months of study. 

We proudly present the first showreel of work by our hard-working first-year students: Ethan Ho, Savina Janssen, Tommaso Capruzzi and Oguz Karakose.

During our second online VFX workshop, tutor Anton Egorov will be demonstrating the 3D painting software Substance Painter. Click the YouTube video below to set a reminder.

Watch this impressive showreel of work created by Catalyst Berlin Visual Effects HE Certificate students in their first semester.

Here's What You Can Achieve in Just 3 Months of Studying VFX

Watch the First Semester of Work by Our Visual Effects Students

We chat to director, producer and Film Production HE Certificate alumna Li Wallis about her journey to shooting a six-part mystery thriller series, NothingMan, with a team of Catalyst students and alumni. Photos by Dico Baskoro.

Li Wallis is a creative whirlwind. As soon as her feet touched the ground at Catalyst in 2019, we knew that she’d take our Film Production HE Certificate course by storm. The former documentary photographer knew what she wanted out of the one-year programme, and she took every opportunity to fast track her dream of becoming a TV series showrunner.

Li wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of her ambition – not least a pandemic. In fact, it was during the first lockdown period that she laid all of her creative chips on the table. Li decided that she wasn’t going to start her filmmaking career by creating a short film or even a feature film, but a whole six-part mystery thriller series: NothingMan. 

Daring? Yes. Crazy? Well, once you see what Li and her talented cast and crew (of predominantly Catalyst students and alumni) have already accomplished, you’ll think again. Besides, when you’ve come through the Catalyst filmmaking boot camp, shooting a whopping 17 short films with your fellow students in just one year, creating six hour-long episodes no longer seems like such a reach.

NothingMan is about a group of strangers who find their lives upended when a series of unexplained deaths take its toll on the psyche of the residents of Berlin. As the city slowly loses its mind, alliances are forged when warring entities, hellbent on exploiting the environment and profiting from the unfolding disaster, emerge from the shadows.

Following the release of the first NothingMan trailer and the launch of the Patreon and Gofundme campaign, we caught up with Li to learn more about the exciting project and the extraordinary people behind it. 

NOTHINGMAN - TRAILER 1: The Watchers

A lot of people would say that directing an entire series is extremely ambitious for a recent graduate. When did you first get the idea and what was the moment you decided to go for it? 

Yes, I would definitely say it’s ambitious. I had the inspiration in March, during the first lockdown. I couldn’t go to school, so I was really thinking about different ideas. NothingMan started out as a very simple story with just a few characters and a little mystery at the end. It got a little bit bigger and a little bit bigger as time went on and the pandemic kept going. I’m kind of an obsessive worker, so I can’t just sit at home and be bored; I have to work. So the situation forced me to just think a lot and knock around ideas. 

I would meet a few friends individually to share ideas on things and I asked them if they wanted to work on something like this. Then, after the lockdown, when things started opening up, we realised that we could do it. I started gathering my crew and main actors in April. That’s when I was thinking about a lot of the people that I knew from school that I could trust and collaborate with, that were also extremely talented.  

I guess I’ve always felt like a bit of an outsider in the film world, because my main ambition is to be a showrunner for TV series. I’m very much somebody who appreciates series where you can get to know characters over time, with a plot that changes and morphs. At Catalyst, I was very gung ho about series. I kept saying it’s not just the future, it’s now. Look at the pandemic and what happened. You can’t really go to cinemas. It’s all about streaming.

When I went to the Berlinale, I spent most of my time at the Berlinale Series, which was at the Zoo Palast. That was an extraordinary week. I got to go to tonnes of panels and see head people from Netflix and HBO, as well as different streaming services from Europe, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. They were debuting shows and they had panellists, writers, directors, showrunners... The majority of them were women, so that was very inspiring. That, to me, opened up a world of the future potential of series. It felt more optimistic than the film side.

“There’s no way anyone is going to hire me if I just say it. I’ve got to do it, I’ve got to prove it, and this is the way I’m doing it. It’s ambitious, but that’s me.”

So, that’s why I decided to go in this direction. It made me very passionate about series and confirmed that I was on the right career path. That is something I would talk about in my class and everybody thought I was crazy. But now I’m doing it. I feel like if I want to be a showrunner in my life, I have to have a show. There’s no way anyone is going to hire me if I just say it. I’ve got to do it, I’ve got to prove it, and this is the way I’m doing it. It’s ambitious, but that’s me [laughs]. 

5 reasons why you shouldn't ignore the NOTHINGMAN webseries

Your team recently released a great teaser video for the pilot episode. What do you hope to achieve from this promotional effort?

Yes! I have to give huge kudos to my cast and crew. I think they are the people that make this show, by far. I think each person is amazing, dynamic and fantastic. In a way, it’s like its own show behind the show. Every single one of us has our own real-life characters. There’s been a lot of behind-the-scenes footage, photographs and other things to tell our story. The teaser video, on YouTube, is a long video. Originally we wanted to make it about three to five minutes long, but it went to seven minutes. But I thought it was a great way to show some of the main characters. For example, Zed, Astrid and Shauna. The video features those three main characters with little flashes of some of the others: Esther, Jack and Osman. There are also behind-the-scenes clips which show some of the crew. I just love it. 

I also wanted to show the love and passion we put into NothingMan through this teaser. Like I said, I’ve been working on this since March and April. I’m still working on it. It’s literally my full-time job; that’s all I do. We have filmed it on a shoestring budget. I’ve given everything to it, and I know a lot of the others have, as we all work for free. We’ve put all of our passion and dedication into this, whether it’s through acting, working on camera, working on sound… 

It’s a passion project, but we’re trying to also deliver something that’s super professional. Yes we have worked for free, but it is a high-quality product. I do believe that ultimately, when this pilot episode is finished, it is something you’d see on a streaming service, like Netflix, Stars or HBO. We’re really doing what we love – every single person working on this is doing what they want to do as a profession. As the creator and director, this is my dream job. Oliver Rotter, our fantastic director of photography, wants to specialise in this area for the rest of his life. And it’s the same for Lawrence Bolton, who is our amazing sound recordist and sound designer. 

In order to release the next five episodes, we really have to raise money. What we’re asking for isn’t huge. Consider that there are series like The Crown, where one episode costs millions. We’re just trying to fundraise ten thousand euros per episode, which is fifty thousand euros in total. Technically, that’s not a lot, but for us, it’s a lot. That’s why we did the fundraising video as kind of a teaser. It’s something for people to pass around and hopefully it gets the word out. 

You can support us monthly on Patreon or you can make a one-time donation on our gofundme page. On Patreon, there are three tiers: five euros, ten euros or 25 euros. 

Our cast and crew have filmed individual videos where they tell their stories and talk about their interests, passions and what they did on the set, as well as some funny stories. All of this is going to be exclusive content for Patreon supporters. 

Five euros is the cost of two beers [laughs]. We really appreciate it, because that money will enable us to do what we’ve all gone to school for, what we’ve invested our time in. 

We love how much of your promotion focuses on the characters, so that we can get to know a bit about their personalities and motivations before the story unfolds. What inspired you to present the series in a ‘whodunit’ format?

During the summer, most of the other five episodes were planned out. There were a few of us getting together in a writers’ room. Now it’s mostly me and my flatmate John Dooley who write it. The show started so small and now the plot has become a battle between two main sides. You have The Revered, which is this extremist environmental group, and The White Brigade, which is a mysterious band of misfits. The pilot is going to be split into two chapters. I really want to play on what is good and evil. Is it obvious? Or does it change over time? Then you think, ‘ooh they were bad, but actually they might be good.’ The plan is really to confuse and change the audience’s expectations. 

Every single character will go through extreme changes in development. We have our six lead characters, which are highlighted on the website. The other characters are also going to be quite instrumental in the way the story goes. I find that fascinating and super exciting. The pilot is just the introduction, so wait till you see the other episodes!

Again, that’s why I love the format of series, because you can’t do this in film. You have around two hours to tell a full story; it’s just a window into something. But with a series, you can go into one season, two seasons, three seasons. It’s mind blowing. 

“The very cool thing is that everybody, except for about six people, went to Catalyst. If it weren’t for Catalyst, I wouldn’t have met them.”

How did you select the cast and crew? Tell us about a few of the key members.

Oh my, I wish you could interview all thirty people! We have just over thirty people who’ve been involved. The very cool thing is that everybody, except for about six people, went to Catalyst. If it weren’t for Catalyst, I wouldn’t have met them. 

As for the main people, I think I’ve got to give it to my guys. Oliver Rotter, who did not go to Catalyst, is someone I’ve known for a year. He’s my DoP. He’s amazing. He’s somebody who’s so easy to work with and is a real visionary. We plan our shots together. He’s super creative and has an eye for detail. I don’t think I could have chosen somebody any better than him. He’s my right-hand man and one of my partners.

Lawrence Bolton, a Catalyst graduate, specialises in all things sound. Not only does he record the sound. He’s also doing the post editing, cleaning up the dialogue. He’s working on the design of it, including foleys. He’s giving it real ambience and atmosphere. Just like Oliver, his eye for detail is extraordinary.

And Jayden Bailey. Jayden is a director in his own right, but he is our head gaffer. I’ve learnt so much about lights from him. Wow. And he’s just an overall amazing team member and cheerleader of this whole show. 

And John Dooley. John did not go to Catalyst. He’s my flatmate and my best friend, and he’s also one of the main characters. He plays Jack, the ornithologist, the birdman. John has also done some writing on this show.

Those guys have been with me from the very beginning when this whole thing was just a blip, and they’re the ones who’ve put so much time and effort into it. I could go on and on about everybody else.

You’re collaborating with Electronic Music Production & Performance student Francisco Morel on the score, who also created the music for your previous film Logan’s Will. What is your combined vision for the sound this time?

The famous Francisco. He has also been with me since the beginning. He knows my passion for thrillers, for things that are very dark, for suspense, for the supernatural. He gets that; that’s his music. So, for NothingMan, what we’re working on is something very haunting. It’s a bit ethereal, it’s disturbing, but it can also be beautiful. It echoes the visual look. It’s meant to be eye candy, while going down a dark path. 

// Beyønd The Darkness by mørel //

Above: Francisco Morel's sound palette for Logan's Will

Linn Hege Langrekken – who graduated last year from Catalyst Music – is doing a lot of the vocals for this and some of her compositions. And, oh my god, you just wait till you hear that. So the first trailer track is Francisco’s. Our second trailer, which will hopefully come out in a few weeks, will have Linn’s music. Man, you just wait. 

We couldn’t help but notice the parallels between the mystery disease in NothingMan and the pandemic. Is the storyline a commentary on COVID-19?

No [laughs], thankfully. It was inspired by the pandemic – the virus is sort of a catalyst into this world. But, ultimately, it’s about the destruction of the environment and the illegal animal trade, with some supernatural elements thrown in. So, yeah, as the series develops, it’s definitely more on the environmental side. There’s nothing about COVID in there. I think we’re living through enough of it. 

Prior to studying the Film Production HE Certificate at Catalyst, you worked as a documentary photographer. What drew you to fiction? And how did our one-year filmmaking crash course catalyse your journey as a director? 

Yes, I had enough of documentary photography, and I wanted to work in series for quite a while. I decided to make the leap last year. I definitely prefer fiction, and for me, it’s also important to build worlds. That’s what I want to do; I want to build whole worlds and characters, with crazy stuff happening. I am inspired by truth – I’m a big consumer of news – but I want to create something that’s brand new and original. 

"Catalyst is different in that it offers many artistic courses under one roof – as opposed to just a film school or just a music school. That's why I chose to go there."

The one-year crash course at Catalyst allowed me to collaborate with a wide range of fellow students studying in different areas – like music production, sound engineering and acting. From the outset, I knew I wanted to bring people together to work on a large project. And I was able to meet lots of people from different years to make this happen. Catalyst is different in that it offers many artistic courses under one roof – as opposed to just a film school or just a music school. That's why I chose to go there.

When can we expect to see the first episode? 

Yes, when? [laughs] I am doing the work of about ten people at the moment. I’m editing, and I will continue to edit forever! No, our first trailer has just been publicly released. Currently, we’re working on the post production – so we’re doing our sound design, our scoring, our visual editing. Zac Yeates, another Catalyst student, is also doing amazing work on our opening credits. So, whenever people see opening credits and they think, ‘oh this is really artistic,’ that’s what Zac is doing. Oh, and don’t forget colour grading. We get to do that soon too.

The first episode will be just over an hour and ready at the beginning of the new year. We are deciding on distribution at the moment. Of course, we would love to find a production company, which could take it on and help us with the following episodes, or maybe do a season two with the full budget. Who knows? But we will find a way to distribute it, even if it ends up on YouTube or spreading via word of mouth. 

For now, we just need to film the next five episodes, just so we can have a complete series. My aim is to have the whole series finished by the beginning of next summer.

We chat to Catalyst Berlin Film Production alumna Li Wallis about her journey to creating the upcoming mystery thriller series NothingMan.

Interview With NothingMan Series Creator Li Wallis

NothingMan Creator Li Wallis on Realising Her Series Ambition

In our first live online VFX demo, digital artist and Catalyst Visual Effects tutor Anton Egorov showed us some pro tips on matte painting – a classic technique to extend film sets or create backgrounds and concept art. Here’s our recap.

What is matte painting? The good news is that it’s much more exciting than what you’ll find at the hardware store. In the magical world of VFX, matte painting is one of the oldest tricks in the book. Ever wondered how the original Star Wars movies of the ‘70s and ‘80s managed to create otherworldly film sets using only analog technology? That’s matte painting. Mary Poppins flying over London with her umbrella in 1964? That, too, was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious matte painting work. 

Industrial Light & Magic - Traditional Matte Paintings (rare footage)

Since 1907, filmmakers have used the technique to create an illusion of an environment that is not present at the filming location. Before digital technology, artists painted effects on a glass panel to superimpose over live-action material. Anything that would otherwise be impossible or too expensive to film would be matte painted – from elaborate fantasy landscapes to legions of extras. Today, the only thing that’s changed is that, now the film and painting tools are digital, matte painting can efficiently create even more sophisticated and seamless effects. 

Though, that doesn’t mean it’s any easier. As digital artist and Visual Effects tutor Anton Egorov explained in his live matte painting demo, the research and idea development process is the most time-consuming part of the job. Anton estimated that the The River’s Castle painting that he demonstrated took him 12 hours to complete – 10 of which he spent on planning.

Sven Sauer, Senior Matte Painting artist at Game of Thrones, echoes the importance of research in this behind the scenes look at the series’ stunning imagery. “The series leads us to places which had to be built arduously. This process took several months to be completed,” he says. “Perhaps the most important law is: nothing in our world exists without a past! Our environment is always peppered with details of past events. These details make the world tangible and authentic. This is exactly what pertains to our pictures. A good matte painting is full of memories, telling stories about the past."

A 30 second time-lapse from our last Visual Effects online demo session on "matte painting". 

For each live VFX session, we ask a Catalyst tutor to walk us through a specific Visual Effects technique. For Matte Painting, Anton Egorov shared some insights on his approach to composition, the usage of masks and different effects to combine different images into one focusing on lights, shadows and blending options. 

Interested in joining our next live VFX demo? Check out our events calendars for this, Virtual Open Days and more.

https://catalyst-berlin.com/about/events

Timelapse of "Matte Painting" from live VFX demo with Anton Egorov (19.11.20)

Anton Egorov teaches VFX, 2D and 3D assets, mechanics and dynamics, and analysis to our first and second-year Visual Effects students. He has worked as a freelancer for over 14 years, on projects big and small, from music videos and feature films to VFX art and animation. In his one and a half hour long step-by-step demo, we gained some of his invaluable expert insight into the matte painting process.

Anton showed us how to use Photoshop and an array of stock images to compose a beautifully moody castle landscape reminiscent of Game of Thrones set pieces. He revealed his approach to composition, plus the usage of masks and effects to combine multiple images into one – focusing on light, shadow and blending options.

“The best part of my role is seeing my students start with zero knowledge and learn how to make their imagination come to life” 

The breathtaking finished image is a testament to just what can be achieved when you combine creativity with the right technique and technology. This is exactly what it means to study Visual Effects at Catalyst. “The best part of my role is seeing my students start with zero knowledge and learn how to make their imagination come to life,” Anton says.

Read all about Catalyst Berlin Visual Effects Tutor and digital artist Anton Egorov's live workshop on the classic matte painting VFX technique.

Digital Artist Anton Egorov Demonstrates Matte Painting

VFX Tools & Techniques /// Matte Painting with Anton Egorov

This year, our Visual Effects teaching team burgeoned with five additional industry specialists. Meet Tamar Moshkovitz, Thiago Moyses, Paulina Greta, Anton Egorov and Ray Wassef.

Visual Effects programme lead Matthieu Schmit had big plans for VFX at Catalyst when he kicked off our cutting-edge HE Certificate and Bachelor courses in 2018. “I feel we have the opportunity to go far beyond traditional education,” he told us, “and create a playground where we can truly explore and experiment.” 

This year, Catalyst Berlin's innovative Visual Effects course gained 5 new tutors! Get to know the VFX team.

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