Mattia Ghidotti 2024
Mattia Ghidotti, Junior FX Artist
Mattia Ghidotti is a Junior VFX Artist based in Milan, Italy, with a strong foundation in visual effects gained through his Master from Event Horizon School in Milan. Passionate about artistic expression and constantly driven to learn new skills, Mattia's enthusiasm for the craft is evident throughout this interview.
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CAN YOU GIVE US SOME DETAILS ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND?
I have always been passionate about films, TV shows, and videogames, and as a child, I spent my free time doing 3D modeling. However, at the age of 18, I began studying marketing at university. It didn't take long for me to realize it wasn't the right fit, so I left and started working to pay for my studies in the field of VFX.
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WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A VFX ARTIST?
I have a relative who works in VFX, and every time I watch the films he’s worked on with my family, they fill us with a sense of wonder and amazement. I aspire to be the one who creates that same “WOW” effect.
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CAN YOU EXPLAIN YOUR STARTING DAYS IN THE HOUDINI WORLD?
​In 2022, I began a Master’s in Visual Effects at the Event Horizon School in Milan, where I learned how to use Maya, Houdini and Nuke. Here, my professor Filippo Casale shared his deep passion for Houdini, a software with limitless possibilities that can virtually recreate entire realities. His enthusiasm inspired me to delve deeper into Houdini, despite it being one of the most challenging programs to master.
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WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT COMPOSITING?
I love compositing, which led me to further my studies in Nuke, allowing me to fully finalize my shots. I enjoy the challenge of being ingenious in order to find solutions to the various image and CG problems that arise. I think that the combination of VFX and compositing gives the most satisfying results. I also want to thank my professor Michele Zelioli, for introducing me to the excitement of crafting the final image.
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YOUR WORK: Event Tsunami
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WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE THIS PROJECT?
For my final project at Event Horizon School, I aimed to create a shot featuring as many simulations as possible. I thought that a tsunami would be the perfect protagonist for this ambitious project. I was helped by one of my peers with the construction of the buildings, while I focused on simulating the water. Although I had previously worked with Flip and White Water Solver, managing such a large-scale simulation was incredibly challenging and required a lot of studying and research behind the screen. I added the simulations of Crowd, Vellum, Cusp and Ocean later on to give a cinematographic look to the shot.
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SOME WORDS ABOUT THE RENDERING AND THE TOOLS USED?
The buildings have been rendered in Houdini with Karma in Solaris Enviroment. The remaining renders have been rendered in Houdini whit Mantra. ​
The tools used: Houdini and Nuke.
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CAN YOU GIVE SOME DETAILS OF THE WATER SIMULATION?
The water simulation was the most challenging taskI have faced on my journey so far. It required the use of 12 solvers to get the final result, and involved a significant amount of of optimization: the final render caches amounted 880 Gb. Finally to manage the complexity, I split the simulations into Mist and WhiteWater, giving a total of 200 million points in the most detailed frames.
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HOW DID YOU FIND GRIDMARKETS? WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE?
My professor recommended using GridMarkets once we realized the scale of the project. Rendering everything on my computer would have been impossible. This was my first experience with an online rendering service, and I found it to be incredibly convenient and fast. I was even able to monitor the progress of the render on my phone while working as a waiter.
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WHAT'S NEXT? WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? ANY OPPORTUNITIES? WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS?
I’ve been fortunate to work on a film set for release in 2025 and on an advertisement, and these experiences have confirmed my passion for this job.
In the coming years, I would like to be part of a Studio, so that I can contribute to major projects, starting from the ground up, of course! I also aspire to travel the world and meet new people who can inspire me and help me continue to experience that "WOW" effect in my work..
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