This blog is part of our series, A Conversation WITH. As a media organization, we want to highlight members of our team - past and present - that have done awesome work with Wide Angle, while also pursuing their own creative goals.

Chris Holloway - he/his pronouns - specializes in editing, 2D and 3D visual effects, and graphic design for film, commercial, tv, and games. He recently returned to Baltimore after training at Full Sail University and a year of working on visual effects for feature films (like Catz!) in Montreal. Chris was first introduced to media making in Wide Angle’s Baltimore Speaks Out (BSO) program at Cherry Hill when he was 12 years old. Before Covid-19 hit the US, he was working for Outlook VFX, a new startup visual effects studio started by Trevor Price, a retired Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos linebacker. Outlook VFX is working to put Maryland on the map for visual effects. 

We interviewed Chris before the full weight of the coronavirus pandemic forced him to lose his job in the creative industry. See his vlog reflection on what its impact has been on him (and so many others working in the freelance/gig economy, and media sectors).

Current read: A script for a new film

Song on repeat: Songs by Marshmello

Favorite spot in Baltimore: Fed Hill (for all the dogs)

You mentioned that you are a Lighting Artist and Compositor. Can you explain what that means?

A lighting artist takes the area in which principal photography was shot and analyzes all the light sources in order to recreate that entire area of principal photography in 3D. That way anything that is CGI (computer-generated imagery) - like a fairy or even another human - matches the color, lighting, exposure, and all that. Compositing is simply the process of layering one element on top of another. Lighting and Compositing are very synonymous tasks. You basically can’t do lighting without compositing. It’s also towards the end of the end of the film pipeline. We make sure it’s all well integrated so you can’t tell where the 3D starts and where the real life ends. 

How has working in media impacted you?

I wanted to join the industry to create those one of a kind, breathtaking, shock and awe moments that you get in the theaters. I wanted to have a role in bringing those kinds of memories to people. I would like to - this is going to sound really cheesy as a lighting artist - illuminate the communities with these kinds of moments in order to bring them closer to the brands that they love seeing in theaters.

What do you want people to know about media?

The knowledge that you gain from YouTube or any type of free resources you can find online can teach you everything you need to know. The only difference between the industry and what you learn on YouTube is simply proprietary company pipelines - their process for making films. You don’t necessarily need to go to $150,000 schools in order to gain the knowledge that we know. You can learn anything on YouTube. If you want to take it a little more premium you can pay for online courses like LinkedIn Learning and Pluralsight. For really premium, top-of-the-line courses, you can go to CGMA (Computer Graphics Master Academy). You don’t have to pay a ridiculous amount of money that puts you in a lot of debt for art. I don’t know if I’m going to get in trouble for saying that. Other than that, network. So many of us want to talk about what we do. People think that we’re unapproachable - No! Send messages out, look up your favorite studio, and ask them. I want people to know that we’re approachable. 

When are you the most creative and why do you think that is?

I’m the most creative at night and it annoys everybody. That’s when it’s the most quiet. During the day I have kids and my wife doing all their things, by the time they all fall asleep my brain can hear itself again. At night I’ll come up with all these awesome ideas at like 3 AM.

What is your dream project?

Working on something for Marvel, I never got a chance to. I’d like to work on any of them. 

Who are the people in your life who have shaped you and your work?

That’s easy, that’s the wife and kids! I have three daughters: a 13 year old, an eight year old, and a four year old; and I have a wife. I’ve dragged them everywhere that I’ve been in the industry, from Florida to Canada, all up and down the East Coast. Everything about the industry is very volatile so we can bounce all over the place. The fact that they are just ready and willing to go no matter where it is makes all the difference. My kids are just like, “Hey, go for your dream daddy!” They have been super supportive which is why in Canada I made the decision to come back home and stay. I don’t want to keep uprooting them. It’s going to hurt them socially. So as champion as they are about this, I want to give back to them. That’s why they are the number one, absolute top people that have molded me into the person I am today. Just being transparent - I had my 13 year old when I was 13. It’s a different maturity level and mentality that I had to develop and I am completely different from the way I used to be. I have to attribute all that to my kids and my wife. Girl squad!

Is there anything else you want to share?

Besides anything cliche, like ‘go for your dreams’.... My focus is on Maryland. I wanted to bring my experience in VFX to my home, somewhere where it’s not established. I didn’t learn about the visual effects industry until I was 25 and that’s really late. The one thing I want to do is wake up the kids and the young adults - you do have an opportunity to do more than just the normal. You can do things that are much more creative and feed that creative urge without worrying about not getting paid. Being creative is a very successful venture, you just have to know the right people and what questions to ask. I want to bring to light that there are people out there that are from here that have made it in the industry and you can make it just as well.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Hannah Shaw is the Communications Specialist at WAYM. She is a multidisciplinary designer and received her BS in Marketing from UMD and MA in Social Design from MICA.