MICHAEL MANZA

EXPERIENCE

Lead Lighting / Lookdev

SPIN VFX

June 2015 – Present (1 year)Toronto, Canada Area

The Night Before - Feature Film
Miracles from Heaven - Feature Film
Beauty and the Beast - Television
Dominion - Television
The Expanse - Television
Heroes Reborn - Television

Softwares used: Katana, Nuke, Renderman

VFX / Animation - Senior Lighter and Compositor

Freelance

March 2014 – June 2015 (1 year 4 months)

Lighting, Compositing and Photography

iPhoneography One-Day Workshop Instructor

Vancouver Photography Workshops

January 2014 – March 2014 (3 months)Vancouver, British Columbia

Taught students how to set-up their mobile phones and applications correctly in order to achieve the highest photo resolution possible. Demonstrated the best apps to use in the creative process of iPhoneography to help create stunning works of art. Explained the benefits of proper workflow through app stacking techniques. Included was a in-house studio photo session.

Lighting TD

Pixar Canada

September 2010 – September 2013 (3 years 1 month)Vancouver, Canada Area

Lighting and Compositing

Various Animated Shorts

Shorty Shorts (Hiccups)
Partysaurus Rex
Time Travel Mater
Small Fry
Air Mater

Softwares used: Pixar Proprietary software, Shake, Renderman

Lead Lighter and Compositor

Dreamworks Animation

October 2003 – August 2010 (6 years 11 months)Greater Los Angeles Area

How To Train Your Dragon DVD
Shrek Forever After
Monsters vs Aliens
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Bee Movie
Flushed Away
Over the Hedge
Madagascar
Shrek 2
Shark Tale
Various Commercials and Trailers

Softwares used: DreamWorks Proprietary software (PDI), Maya, Shake

Lighting Technical Director and an FX Technical Director

Weta Digital

January 2000 – October 2003 (3 years 10 months)New Zealand

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Softwares used: Maya, Houdini, Shake, Proprietary software, 3D Equalizer

3D Animation Artist

Command Post/ToyBox

January 1997 – January 2000 (3 years 1 month)Toronto, Canada Area

Fight Club
Happy Face Murders
eXistenZ
Bride of Chucky
The Planet of Junior Brown
"Lexx: The Dark Zone"
Various Commercials

Softwares used: Houdini, Prisms and Power Animator / Maya, Flame, Quantel
Domino and Henry Suite

EDUCATION

Centennial College - Bell Center for Creative Communications - Digital Animation

Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts - Commercial Art