Today we’d like to introduce you to Yanni He.
Hi Yanni, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hello, I am Yanni He from China. I left my hometown at the age of 18 to pursue studies in Animation Design at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. My time in Australia was enriching, and it was there that I discovered the allure of VFX and procedural art. After graduating, I decided to continue my studies in the visual effects field at SCAD in the United States. Since childhood, I have had a deep fascination with the universe, the sky, and mountains—grand and beautiful landscapes. Sci-fi movies became the dream-making machine of my childhood and were a crucial factor that drew me into this field.
The reality didn’t quite match the ideal, as I hadn’t systematically studied drawing or design before the age of 18. The initial phase of learning animation design was challenging for me. It wasn’t until I delved into visual effects that I found a sense of achievement and joy. In my eyes, being a visual effects artist is a profession that combines logic and art, requiring the construction of visual magic through both reasoning and emotion. I enjoy the process of breaking down challenges and logically sorting through them.
Guided by the kind professors at SCAD, I started learning from the basics of Python, gradually acquiring a foundation in programming and stepping into the world of professional visual effects. I love my current major, absorbing new knowledge and concepts every day. Especially in this era of rapid technological advancement, mastering core skills is a crucial topic for visual effects students. In my daily life, I also enjoy watching technical discussions to see how top artists in the industry are pushing the development of processes and technologies. These insights often bring a new mind, and delving into specific topics of interest can always significantly enhance efficiency in both work and learning.
Most of my works involve procedural techniques, but I also insist on enhancing aesthetics because, beyond technology, having eyes that can appreciate and feel beauty is crucial. Without infusing emotion and vision into the creative process, the final visual output may end up feeling cold.
I would like to express that SCAD is truly an amazing creative community, with many dedicated and professional professors, as well as like-minded and friendly fellow students. This atmosphere has brought about significant changes in me. Six years ago, I would never have imagined that one day I could use programming to create artistic effects. However, today, I am filled with a lot of confidence and courage for the future. If I were to describe my work and life in the United States with one word, it would be “belief.” I believe in my ability to achieve any goal and in facing upcoming challenges without fear. Everything I encountered here has given me courage and confidence. Although I will continue to face various difficult and complex challenges in the future, I believe they will be overcome.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In reality, each project is a new challenge, requiring extensive learning of new knowledge in the early stages and then transforming it into my own skills for creative output. Especially considering my background as an art student during my undergraduate studies, I had no knowledge of programming before coming to the United States. So I needed to invest more time to catch up with the progress and standards. I faced numerous failures when I initially ventured into these areas. Time management has proven to be my biggest challenge. Balancing work and life is genuinely difficult, and figuring out how to prioritize tasks and adjust my mindset is something I am still actively working on.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Now, as a soon-to-be graduate from SCAD, I am actively working on preparing a graduation project in the field of visual effects. I specialize in effects simulation and procedural landscape construction in Houdini. Additionally, as a personal interest and hobby, I occasionally create procedural materials using Substance Designer. I am still striving to advance my skills in VFX, aiming to explore broader areas because there is no end to learning in the field of visual effects.
As a visual effects artist, I always prioritize the final visual output, even though I thoroughly enjoy overcoming various technical challenges throughout the production process. I believe that creating something visually appealing is more important than the difficulties encountered during the creation process.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, I believe that the visual effects industry may undergo significant changes in the future. In the realm of AI-generated art, we can witness many renowned artists and tech leaders within the industry actively contributing. I am eager to see where the continually evolving technology will lead us. I am particularly interested in the developments in the pipeline. Current technologies such as USD workflows and virtual production have undeniably transformed the efficiency of artists’ work and removed certain creative limitations. It is acknowledged that visual effects result from the collision of technology and creativity. As visual effects artists, our task is to maximize and efficiently utilize existing tools to bring our creative ideas to life. For example, I sometimes use ChatGPT to write VEX code, saving me a lot of time searching and organizing information and allowing me more space to unleash my creativity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.yannihe.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nina_neeartwork/
