NBCUni 9.5.23

Behind the Title: VFX Supervisor David Houghton

UK-based visual effects supervisor David Houghton works on projects for film, television and anything else that may require digital manipulation. “I plan then supervise the filming and execution of the visual effects in television or film projects,” he explains. “This involves all elements that are not possible to film, either because they are too fantastical or because they are too expensive or difficult or dangerous to put in front of a camera. Usually, this includes impossible or hard-to-reach environments; fantastical creatures or real creatures doing things that are difficult to choreograph and shoot in the film workspace; any kind of deliberate fluid effects, such as the sea, storms, fires, smoke, rain and fog — things that are too dangerous to expose actors and crew to on a large scale; vast crowds of people that are too costly to organize, clothe, make up and manipulate in the time allotted for filming. These sorts of things.”

The Alienist

Let’s find out more from Houghton.

You have been working in VFX since 1995. How have things changed, for good and bad?
It has changed dramatically. From an industry that catered ostensibly to commercials when I started, it now proliferates all visual mediums. The rise of the 3D discipline has been astronomical.

In the late ‘90s, most things had to be achieved in 2D compositing, with practical models or elements, as 3D was too time-consuming and expensive (especially for animated characters or fluid simulation). Now we achieve most effects with some element of 3D involvement, which has greatly enhanced what is possible. It’s verisimilitude, though, is still achieved through compositing.

A negative aspect of this has been the side-lining of the physical effects industry, which proliferated prior to the advent of digital VFX. And also a reliance on the ability to achieve anything through digital manipulation without careful consideration of the actual desired look of a thing when shooting.

Why do you like being on set for shots. Can you talk about the benefits?
There is a frisson to working on set that you don’t really get in a VFX studio. The uncertainty and pace of shooting is completely different to working in the studio. I like both as it adds variety to my working life.

The Alienist

Did a particular film or TV show inspire you along the path to visual effects work?
Many TV series and films. I’m basically a TV and film addict. Shows like The Avengers, Doctor Who, Blakes 7 and the glut of sci-fi and fantasy shows of the 1960s and ‘70s inspired me as a kid. The films of Ray Harryhausen, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Aliens and Blade Runner.

As I grew up, my film taste matured as I came across filmmakers like David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, Andrei Tarkovsky and their visionary approach to filmmaking.

Did you go to film school?
Yes, I studied film and drama BA Hons at Reading University. It was an academic course that had a practical film and theater element to help inform our analysis. The course introduced me to the whole history of film, the development of the language of cinema from the early days of the Lumiere Brothers and Melies through German Expressionism, Westerns, musicals, Hitchcock, the Nouvelle Vague, British cinema, Ealing studies, Hammer Horror, the Carry On series the rise of the enfant terribles of American cinema in the ‘70s right up to the modern day (which was the 1990s at the time — eek!).

What’s your favorite part of the job?
Initial planning and final finishing! Working collaboratively with many, many different creative people, from directors, DPs, lighting gaffers, makeup artists, costume and designers, to matte painters, 3D modelers, animators and compositors.

Cursed

If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
I started my working life as a silk-screen printer, so probably some art or craft-based work. I also like to think I could have been a photographer of some description or a director in film or theatre. I did quite a bit of acting at university, having not really done any before that, and was in a lot of plays and student films. I really got into it but left it there when I left uni.

Can you name some recent projects that you’ve worked on?
My last project was Cursed for Netflix. Before that I worked on The Alienist.

What project are you most proud of?
It’s always the latest, of course. But I think Doctor Who, which I worked on for six years, is the thing I am most proud of. As a fan of the show since childhood, it really gave me a huge sense of satisfaction to be involved with bringing it back with Russell T. Davies and the rest of the team in 2005. We tried to bring a modern aesthetic while keeping the heart of the show and bringing it to a new audience, which I think we all achieved, as the new iteration of the show has now been running for 15 years.

What tools do you use day to day?
Paper and pencil, a Canon camera (with various lenses), my Fuji X100s, my laptop, Photoshop, Excel spreadsheets, other database software (like Shotgun), a tape measure and disto, an inclinometer, a variety of tracking markers and tape and the obligatory silver ball, but I tend to leave that to the data wrangler these days.

Where do you find inspiration these days?
Real-world places, museums, art, literature, films, TV, the internet, video games and, of course, looking out the window.

How do you de-stress from it all?
Indulge in all the above inspirations, spend time with my family. Try to get out to see old or ancient buildings, sites or places or beautiful landscapes and eat lovely food.

I love photography, too, and take a ridiculous number of photos, most of which sit in some deep dark corner of my computer’s hard drive never to be seen again.

 


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