Julien Brami is creative director/VFX supervisor at Zoic Studios in Los Angeles. Launched in 2002 and targeting television, film, commercials and video games, Zoic’s episodic team has earned 19 Emmy nominations for VFX work on series such as Netflix’s Sweet Tooth, ABC’s Once Upon a Time and TNT’s Falling Skies, as well as Arrow, The 100, The Flash, Mad Men, True Blood and Firefly.

We reached out to Brami to find out more about his studio, his role and his workflow…

What does being a creative director/VFX supervisor entail?
While I do sometimes handle both roles, I primarily function as a creative director at Zoic. That role entails getting a concept or idea from a client or agency; developing the look, workflow, time frame and budget; then driving the internal creative and technical to reach the original goal. It’s about transforming the concept and idea into a reality by creating a system internally to marry the creative and technical process to reach the vision.

There is a more technical approach for a VFX supervisor. Within this role, you define workflows then work with every production and post production department, on-set and in post, to get what you need to execute those VFX. Back at the studio, you develop workflows for your team. Additionally, it is your role to translate the process for the client, explaining what goes into making the magic and how we achieve things.

What would surprise people the most about what falls under that title?
How vital the human aspect of it is. It can be pretty challenging not to let your ego get in the way. Everybody has an opinion, and it can be difficult to get the right one for the job. I find that I am constantly challenged through this process, figuring out when to let go and when to hold on to a particular decision.

The nuances of each project really depend on the team in front of you and the client that you are working with. It’s sometimes straightforward and other times complex. When someone new enters the equation, it can change the whole concept behind it, which has massive ripple effects down the entire pipeline.

Paper Girls

What’s your favorite part of the job?
I love solving the puzzle. On the first phone call, a client has a wild idea or concept that they reference and don’t know if it is doable. This “Version 1” of finding the soul for the project and getting the client excited is my favorite, especially when they start to see it coming to life. It’s exciting because it is the main point of the collaboration for me.

As humans, it’s so amazing that we can have a picture in our minds and then work with someone else to bring that image to reality. They try to explain what they want and feel, and then I’m able to put pure technical and creative words to guide a first look. It’s an existing connection from their mind to reality.

What’s your least favorite?
As a creative, what hurts the creative exploration is always the budget and timeline, which is why I like to bring my executive producer in to handle that stuff. I can get really down when pitching something really exciting that either gets killed or scaled back due to budget or timeline.

What is your most productive time of the day?
Before everyone is awake. I wake up pretty early — around 5am or 5:30am — and start working at 7am-ish, which means I’m able to work two to three hours before the team gets online.

How did the COVID shutdown affect the way your studio went about its business?
We were able to make a quick transition to a fully remote workflow, and in 2021 we officially became a remote work-first company. As technology continues to evolve, it continues to be more seamless for us to collaborate with our clients and team from all over the country — and the world.

So this type of workflow is here to stay?
We have been able to collaborate remotely successfully, but given the nature of production, we will always have an in-person element, which I still find important for the creative process. I think remote collaboration is here to stay, but we will be in a hybrid environment for quite some time as well.

If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
I think this is it for me. I would somehow find a way to do this job. If there was no longer this industry or role available, I would probably be a developer. I code a lot. But I love the industry that I am in.

How early on did you know this would be your path?
Since I was a kid, I have wanted to work for Disney and create cartoons. I was always fascinated with seeing things moving that didn’t exist in reality. Watching movies like Willow and RoboCop really made me wonder, “How do they make this happen?” The tricks of it all intrigued me and drove me to want to understand the logic behind film magic.

My family wanted me to pursue something a bit more practical, so I started out studying computer science. When I was old enough to make my own moves, I jumped at the opportunity to study VFX — the perfect blend of computer, science and art — at the newly opened Georges Melies School, which is now one of the top animation schools in France.

Carolina Panthers

Can you name some recent projects you have worked on?
We partnered with The Famous Group to create an exciting mixed reality experience for Carolina Panthers fans that brought their mascot into the stadium. Our team designed and animated the panther to match the look and feel of the iconic statues outside the Bank of America Stadium. It was a really fun and unique project.

Another one I really enjoyed was working on a Pernod Ricard installation in Vegas featuring LED screens.

I enjoyed collaborating with Frost Giant Studios on the cinematic announcement trailer for Stormgate. The trailer was directed by Zoic co-founder Chris Jones and was crafted entirely with real-time filmmaking techniques in Unreal Engine. It was a long but really exciting collaboration with the team at Frost Giant, working months ahead of the launch date to come up with the characters and work on building the world of Stormgate.

Stormgate

I work primarily on the commercials side of Zoic, but I also work on some of our episodic projects when they need more creative direction, one of the latest being Paper Girls. Defining the look and feel of the show with VFX supervisor Lou Pecora was a really fun challenge to be a part of.

Name three pieces of technology you can’t live without.
Teradici PCoIP because it allows us the ability to all work from home with no impact whatsoever just by plugging in a box at home. Being able to remote in that way truly blows my mind.

GPU-based software, which allows us to create and iterate faster.

My other favorite is my iPad Pro. Each time I use it, I am blown away by all that it can do. From taking notes and sketching concept art to lidar, photogrammetry and 3D sculpting/rendering — it can handle it all!

What social media channels do you follow?
I mostly only follow people that I know in real life on social media, but I do find that LinkedIn is more catered to my social media needs, and I use that a lot more. I also am active on Discord; there are a lot of Discord channels on software development that I’ve found extremely valuable.

Do you listen to music while you work? Care to share your favorite music to work to?
It really depends on the mood. I love silence sometimes. When I do listen to music, my taste is rather eclectic, so it can run the gamut. I can listen to old French ‘60s pop, heavy metal, ‘90s hip-hop and lo-fi music — it depends on the day. I have trouble with classical and jazz because I find them a bit too complex and more appropriate for active listening.

What do you do to de-stress from it all?
I don’t think I de-stress 100%; that never happens for sure. Even with vacation, I will still have some stress, but I think that is normal. I work out every morning before everyone wakes up to keep that time sacred. I also try to be outdoors, whether riding dirt bikes or 4x4s, usually with my wife and friends. Anywhere far from a cell tower is nice. Daily, I like to play music: guitar, piano or electronic. I’m also a real gearhead, so if there is anything with wheels and a motor, I’m going to be on it.

Any tips for others who are just starting out?
First, forget your ego. You are not an artist. We are operators who have an artistic sensibility. We are supposed to deliver a product that is not ours. When you work, you have a task, and you can be an artist on your own time. You also need to learn how to take criticism and understand that you don’t have to know everything. Instead, rely on your teams and collaborators.

Don’t think you know any software 100% or are an expert. All software evolves so fast, and there is something different every year, so you have to be learning constantly. Not being open to this evolution restricts your ability to be a strong and experienced worker.

Always keep learning; never think that you are done. As a creative, you have zero downtime. Going to a museum or seeing a film — or any other exposure you can get to culture and the arts — allows you to continue trying new things and expanding your horizon.

Finally, would you have done anything different along your path?
I wouldn’t have done anything differently since all of my decisions brought me here today. Even with the mistakes, I wouldn’t change a thing.

It’s also important to learn and embrace traditional fine arts. A core understanding of the fundamentals is extremely helpful for everything