Conference Tools of Tomorrow Lighting & Rendering
ON SITE Meidinger-Saal Wednesday, April 24, 17:00

Invisible Effects: Lighting & Rendering of Water in the Dramatic Context

Wētā FX’s award-winning VFX Supervisor Chris White has been focused on water quite a bit in recent years. Starting with his pivotal role in developing the company’s water pipeline for "Avatar: The Way of Water", then on "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever", White has taken this unique element of VFX to new depths on back-to-back Netflix projects "Nyad" and “Ripley”. These two very different stories shared a common tableau: the ocean as a backdrop for the plot’s dramatic events. How the water looks, moves, and behaves is crucial in conveying the drama and suspense of each film, and the key to giving it the nuance and depth required, was the lightning and rendering. In this talk, White will share his experiences with the aesthetic principals of water and the important role that lighting and rendering has in creating these amazing 'invisible effects’.

Chris White

Chris White, Visual Effects Supervisor, Wētā FX

Chris White is a Visual Effects Supervisor with over 25 years’ experience creating compelling digital environments, creatures, and effects. His work has been recognized with multiple awards from the Visual Effects Society, along with Academy Award®, BAFTA, and Emmy nominations.   Chris has played a pivotal role in developing Wētā FX’s new water pipeline for Avatar: The Way of Water and its upcoming sequels, bringing technical and artistic expertise to cutting-edge technology that is setting new industry standards in digital water creation. Chris leveraged and further explored water in visual effects,  supervising on some of Wētā FX's latest shows including Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Nyad and the upcoming Ripley.   Chris joined Wētā FX in 2002 for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. He orchestrated the complex destruction of the Black Gates environment for the epic conclusion of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and continued his environment work in Peter Jackson’s King Kong. Chris developed the procedural system that built the film’s digital 1930s New York City, and later expanded this expertise for the Maze Runner films. Previous creature supervision includes Rise of the Planet of the Apes, where his leadership in creating the chimpanzees, orangutans, and gorillas garnered him Academy Award® and BAFTA nominations.