This is part of a series of articles that we’re calling “How I got here.” We are talking to McGill alums in their twenties and thirties about their careers and how their time at McGill played a role in what they’re doing today.
When Stephen Spielberg’s Jurassic Park wowed audiences in 1993, it contained a record-setting 63 computer-generated imagery (CGI) shots. Many of today’s Hollywood blockbusters contain thousands of such shots. With so much CGI on screens, visual effects have never been more crucial to the film industry.
As a senior visual effects compositor at Wētā FX in Vancouver, Jordan Catracchia, BSc’11, is responsible for making sure those effects are flawless.
“[Audiences] want to be transported to another world,” he explains. Over the past 14 years, he has worked on films like Avengers: Endgame and Avatar: Fire & Ash, which recently earned an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. He was also part of the special effects team for Avatar: The Way of Water, another Oscar winner for its visual effects.
We caught up with Catracchia to discuss what led him to his career – and what today’s students can learn from his path.
When did you become interested in visual effects (VFX)?
I remember being trundled into the theatrical release for Jurassic Park at the age of four. And I think it started from there, really. Then discovering movies like Star Wars, or even full CG animated movies like Toy Story, it just really set the direction for me early on.
What exactly was it that you found so interesting about those movies?
When you’re watching the film, you’re just transported into that world. And you’re no longer thinking to yourself, ‘Oh, I’m looking at the effects of blue screen imagery.’ You’re being transported to Tatooine or Pandora. I had a fascination with how to tell a story with CGI and make it fully immersive. I was like, ‘What kind of job is that? And how can I apply?’ So, I started very early.
And how did you pursue that?
In the late ‘90s and early 2000s, there wasn’t really a roadmap for how to get into that line of the film industry. I like forging my own educational trajectory, both from a technical and creative standpoint. That’s why McGill Computer Science was really interesting [to me] at that time.
What was it about computer science at McGill that seemed like the right match?
The reason why I chose McGill was because of the curriculum – learning about computer graphics from Professor Paul Kry and also learning about the latest in AI technologies from Professor Joelle Pineau. I’m also a third-gen McGill alum, so going to McGill was a bit of a no-brainer.
What do you remember most from your time at McGill?
A lot of my memorable moments were taking place at [the Trottier Building] where most of the computer science courses were. And I was really fortunate to be surrounded by a group of ambitious students who had very clear career goals from the start. When you’re around that kind of energy, it creates a really cool creative think tank, and you can’t help feeling motivated. We had a lot of fun pushing each other’s ideas forward. I remember a lot of late nights fuelled by food from Basha and a constant drip of Tim Hortons.
I also remember my summer breaks were basically me and a couple of my friends in comp sci and software engineering shooting film for a 24-hour film competition, where you’re given an idea and you literally have 24 hours to write a script, go out there, shoot, film, edit and then submit it. Everyone had a blast.
Were any of your classmates interested in VFX as a career?
I was the only one. Other people wanted to join Ubisoft or Microsoft or do cybersecurity for the Canadian government.
So why start with computer science and not a more artistic field of study?
As artists, we use the software and the tools to create the imagery from a creative standpoint. But at that time, you didn’t see a lot of artists understanding why we are using those tools or how to even make those tools. So, it’s kind of like, The Wizard of Oz – you’re pulling aside the curtain to reveal the wizard.
“At the end of the day, visual effects are there to help tell the story, not to overpower the story.”
Jordan Catracchia, senior visual effects compositor
You’ve worked on many big movies. Can you tell us exactly how VFX are done in a major Hollywood production?
With visual effects, it is a multi-tiered process. It starts with CG assets that are modelled and textured. Then you have animators moving them, and cloth and simulation being applied. You have effects, which is like adding water, fire, atmospherics. Then you have lighting. And then it comes to us, the compositors, and we’re kind of the last cog of this [long process]. My responsibility is collating all these [contributions] and integrating them into a photorealistic image that is honouring the director’s vision.
For you, what defines good VFX?
It is when the audience isn’t thinking about the technology behind it, or the fact that they’re looking at visual effects, they’re just simply immersed in the story. I remember [Avatar creator] James Cameron talking often about how visual effects ultimately serve the narrative, and that philosophy definitely resonates strongly with me.
Any advice for current McGill students looking to follow in your footsteps?
It’s very easy to just focus on the software. But there are many other components that people who are interested in going into visual effects should be studying, like lighting, photography, life drawing, the animation process. It’s good to be well rounded in that respect because at the end of the day, visual effects are there to help tell the story, not to overpower the story.
