Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexander Smith.
Hi Alexander, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always had an interest in visual effects as a child. My parents kept a box set of the six Star Wars movies (Prequels and Original trilogy). I vividly remember growing up in awe of the movie magic George Lucas and team seemingly created out of thin air. Since then, I have been hooked on making similar magic in any way I could. What started as a middle school hobby of creating videos using trial versions of Sony Vegas eventually became a graduate-level study of visual effects a decade later.
Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian released to significant critical acclaim in my first year as a graduate student. Not only had the show revitalized an iconic franchise, it was using bleeding-edge technology to do so. I’ve heard of the term virtual production before, James Cameron’s Avatar (2008) and later in Jon Favreau’s Jungle Book (2016) both used similar technology. However, neither film used the scale that Jon Favreau and his team accomplished with The Mandalorian.
From the instant I saw ILM showcase the StageCraft Volume, I was instantly sold. From that day, I researched everything relating to virtual production, watched the behind-the-scenes, and taught myself any tech-adjacent program I could get my hands on. Eventually, Meptik noticed my drive for knowledge in the space and hired me as an intern. Meptik is a small creative studio in Atlanta specializing in virtual production and bleeding-edge innovative technology in broadcast, film, and live events.
Meptik would, later on, hire me part-time shortly after my internship ended. Finally, after I completed my graduate degree, they hired me full-time in my current role as a Junior XR Specialist.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not been a smooth road at all. I considered myself on the path to becoming an engineer throughout high school, as I excelled in math and sciences. I applied and was accepted into the engineering technology program at Purdue University. My first two years in that program were academically and mentally demanding. After some soul-searching and evaluating my priorities, I decided to transfer to the computer graphics program to work in a field aligned with what I enjoy doing.
Hitting the ground running, I instantly knew the area of computer graphics and visual effects suited me better. After graduating on time, I wanted more time to explore the field and refine my skills. I applied for graduate school at Savannah College of Art and Design and was promptly denied. With the help of a long-time SCAD professor, Stuart Robertson, I gave myself one quarter as an undergraduate to convince the Chair of Visual Effects that I belonged in their graduate program. Through countless hours and a month-long examination process where I submitted dailies of my ongoing student work and side projects directly to the Chair, I was granted admission into the graduate program at the end of the first quarter.
Once in the graduate program, I became obsessed with virtual production; however, since the technology is so new to the industry, I built my training regimen and taught myself as much as possible about virtual production. In addition, I was immersing myself in programs such as Unreal Engine, which is not a part of a traditional visual effects curriculum. The experience my internship provided me dwarfed any self-training I could put myself through. Essentially learning from the ground up again, the knowledge gained from on-site operation and installation of virtual production projects gave me precious insights. Unfortunately, that path of the bleeding edge and innovation is never smooth, but I have come to enjoy it as I help Meptik trailblaze the future of virtual experiences.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am an XR Specialist; my primary job is integrating and installing VP/XR solutions across the US and internationally. Integrating content onto an LED Volume can sometimes take time and effort, as we frequently run into unknown bugs and errors, which are natural for such new technology. We also do the installation for our clients who wish to own a functional LED volume for themselves. Our projects have included:
Building two XR stages for Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah and Atlanta campuses).
Installing Turner Studio’s NHL set.
XR operation for the Karate Combat event series.
XR operation for NBA 2k.
I’m most proud of the team and Meptik as a whole. I’ve worked plenty of side jobs through high school and college, from a grocery store cart wrangler to bartending for boutique hotels, and Meptik has been by far the best employer of the bunch. Not only do they engage in high-quality work, but there is a level of care and personal relations that can be difficult to find nowadays. Not only do our specialties set us apart from others as an end-to-end solution for XR and virtual production, but the tier of consideration and willingness to help puts us apart from other companies in general.
What matters most to you? Why?
Family, friends, and life experiences. As we venture through our current digital age, it is vital to continue to maintain human connections face to face. Not only should we continue to upkeep our physical relationships, but also our relationship with nature. It is easy to become disconnected as our virtual lives become more ever-present through social media, etc. So, it will become even more critical to strike a healthy balance between the virtual and physical.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meptik.com/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asmithvfx/
Image Credits
Meptik
