Michael LaFave

Work History

• 

  Senior Houdini VFX Artist

  id Software

  June 2022 - Present
• 

  FX Artist (remote Temporary)

  Company 3

  July 2021 - May 2022

  Houdini 18.5 commercial + episodic lighting & fx dev : Method & PHVFX

  

  

  

  
• 

  FX Artist (remote Temporary)

  Chicken Bone VFX (CBFX)

  April 2021 - July 2021

  Houdini 18.5 episodic series Pyro FX
• 

  FX Artist (remote Temporary)

  Method Studios

  March 2021 - April 2021

  Houdini 18.5 corporate video FX-animation & Lighting
• 

  FX Artist (remote Temporary)

  MPC

  February 2021 - March 2021

  Houdini 18.5 FX R&D for commercials
• 

  FX Artist (on-site & remote work)

  The Mill

  January 2020 - March 2020

  Los Angeles

  Houdini 17.5 FX work for 2020 national TV commercial spots (w/ Ftrack asset mgr on Linux PCs)
  
• 

  FX Animator

  Stargate Studios

  September 2019 - September 2019

  Los Angeles, CA

  Houdini 17.5 FX for theatrical release
• 

  Sr. FX Artist

  Griffith Observatory

  January 2019 - June 2019

  Los Angeles, CA

  Houdini FX for planetarium show at the Griffith Observatory
  with Friends of the Observatory (FOTO)

  
• 

  Houdini artist

  Electric Theatre Collective

  September 2018 - September 2018

  Santa Monica, CA

  Redshift 2.5 lighting in Houdini 16.5
• 

  Houdini FX artist

  Double Negative

  July 2018 - August 2018

  Los Angeles, CA
• 

  FX Artist

  Barnstorm VFX

  December 2017 - June 2018

  Los Angeles, CA
• 

  FX Artist

  Gradient Effects

  September 2017 - October 2017

  Los Angeles, CA

  Houdini 16 particle & volumetric fx
• 

  FX Artist

  Pixomondo

  January 2017 - July 2017

  Los Angeles, CA
• 

  Houdini FX artist

  Rhythm & Hues Studios

  July 2016 - November 2016

  Los Angeles, CA

  episodic TV series VFX particle dynamics, using Houdini 14 on Linux PCs

  
• 

  temporary Houdini FX Artist

  Prologue Films

  June 2016 - July 2016

  Los Angeles, CA

  Houdini Mantra FX elements for multiple shots
• 

  FX Artist

  Mirada Studios

  May 2016 - June 2016

  Los Angeles, CA

  Houdini procedural FX animation for a TV commercial
• 

  FX Artist

  Method Studios

  May 2016 - May 2016

  Los Angeles, CA

  Houdini FX on a music video segment for an episodic TV show
• 

  show hire Houdini FX Artist

  Rhythm & Hues Studios

  April 2016 - May 2016

  Los Angeles, CA

  Game of Thrones, Season 6
• 

  temporary Houdini FX Artist

  Zoic Studios

  March 2016 - April 2016

  Culver City

  Houdini 15 particle/pyro sims from procedural fx on 1 foreign TV commercial and 1 DC Comics Superhero TV episode (Win7 PCs)
• 

  show hire Houdini FX Artist

  Comen VFX

  February 2016 - April 2016

  Los Angeles

  feature film fx: Houdini 13 particle/pyro sims w/multi-sample blur & sub-shutter lifespans (Apple OS-X)
• 

  show hire Houdini FX Artist

  Rhythm & Hues Studios

  December 2015 - January 2016

  Los Angeles

  theme park ride film and TV series VFX particle dynamics using Houdini 14 on Linux PCs
• 

  Sr. 3D Dynamics Artist

  Stargate Studios

  September 2015 - October 2015

  South Pasadena (L.A.), CA

  epic large scale Dust FX using Houdini 15 pyro-solver for TV VFX on Windows 7 PCs
• 

  Destruction/Dynamics (Technical) Artist

  343 Industries

  June 2014 - May 2015

  Kirkland, WA

  Destruction of Environment Geometry using Houdini Rigid Body Dynamics, Cloth Sims, and Procedural Animation on major Microsoft Game, "HALO 5 : GUARDIANS", Outstanding Real-Time VFX Award Nominee -- V.E.S. 2016
• 

  Houdini FX artist

  Look Effects

  July 2013 - February 2014

  Houdini 12.5 3D animating geometry, simulated/evolving grass growth, and multi-layer Mantra lighting for several timelapse river shots in "Noah" (Paramount 3/28/'14), all on Windows 7 PCs

  
• 

  freelance FX Artist

  Logan

  April 2013 - June 2013

  Houdini 3D CG FX artist
• 

  freelance FX Artist

  Method Studios

  January 2013 - February 2013

  Houdini 3D CG FX artist
• 

  vfx artist

  Stereo D

  October 2012 - December 2012

  Softimage XSI particle fx and Nuke compositing, all on Windows 7 PCs
• 

  Fx TD : Commercial Projects division

  Digital Domain

  August 2012 - September 2012

  Maya nParticle fx, music video
• 

  Sr. Fx TD

  Sony Pictures Imageworks

  October 2006 - July 2012

  Houdini, Maya, Massive, Katana, Renderman, Arnold, Shake, Nuke 3D CG FX / Crowd artist

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
• 

  Houdini Fx TD

  CIS Hollywood

  2009 - 2009

  Houdini, Shake, Python, Linux C-shell 3D CG render pipeline / lighter
• 

  Sr. Fx TD

  Rhythm & Hues Studios

  March 1999 - October 2006

  procedural fx, cloth & hair sims, rigid body dynamics, non-character animation, lighting

  

  

  
• 

  Sr. Fx TD

  20th Century Fox - VIFX

  August 1996 - March 1999

  Los Angeles, CA

  PRISMS/Houdini, Alias/Maya, Renderman, Chalice
• 

  Sr. Animator

  Atomix, Inc.

  May 1992 - July 1996

  Los Angeles, CA

  Wavefront / Prisms 3D CG generalist
• 

  Sr. Animator

  ReZn8

  1988 - April 1992

  Wavefront / TDi 3D CG generalist
• 

  Designer Encoder (modeler)

  Digital Productions

  December 1984 - May 1987

  Los Angeles, CA

  Modeling, Witness Point Camera Tracking, 3-Space digitizing, Scripting
• 

  Production Artist/Assistant Director

  Klasky Csupo

  March 1983 - December 1984

  Hollywood

  Animation Camera, Shot Instruction Sheets, Artwork