Demystifying the secrets of visual effects

Pictured (above): The Ogrodzieniec Castle, Poland, was the one of the sets for the Netflix Original Series, The Witcher. Using his skills, Conrad was able to turn the current look of the castle (top) into a medieval scene for the TV show (bottom) (right) Conrad Allan.

CASSIE TWEMLOW

publications officer

Visit Conrad here: Have you ever watched films like Tarzan or Power Rangers and marvelled over the special effects employed to create scenes, costumes and other visual tricks? Conrad Allan (2004) is a Visual Effects artist who worked on both films and does this on a daily basis. After graduating from St Peters, Conrad was unsure what he wanted to pursue so he enlisted in the Australian Army. His time there didn’t last long.

“I found my VFX calling,” he shared—and he’s never looked back.

Starting as a structure modeler for Brisbanebased architects, Vee Design, in 2006, Conrad went on to obtain a Bachelor of Interactive Entertainment (Animation). He’s since found his niche in matte painting and, over the last 10 years, has worked as an animation artist and matte painter for broadcast media and film in Asia, Europe and Canada. Four years ago, Conrad wanted to harness is specific skill set. To do so, he founded MattePaint, an industry leader in reference photography for film and games. Through MattePaint, Conrad has contributed to a variety of major titles for film, games, and television shows, including the critically acclaimed Game of Thrones series.

“One highlight of my career was working on the environments in Season 7 of Game of Thrones. Another is that, as CEO of MattePaint, we provide the photography to most of the blockbuster films of the year such as 1917 and Terminator,” Conrad explains.

Conrad’s passion for his vocation is evident in his work and he is a respected artist, teacher and entrepreneur.

“I think the current [St Peters] students will get a kick out of seeing what I do. I have to thank Simeon Milner for being such a fun-loving (Math) teacher and Chris Chapman—his enthusiasm was infectious.”