Dhananjay Kumar

Tell me a little about your background in VFX? 

I am originally from Bihar (Begusarai), India. I did my professional diploma in 3d animation from MAAC in 2011. I started in the industry as a Junior Rigging Artist. Then I moved to Mumbai and worked at a couple of studios. They were working specifically on TV commercials and AR/VR.

After that I decided to move into CG and joined Prana Studios in 2017. The following year I joined The Moving Picture Company (MPC) in Bengaluru and got a chance to work on some great movies. I worked there for more than 5 years from Rigging Key Artist to Rigging Supervisor. Now I’ve joined Ghost VFX as Rigging Supervisor.

In your own words how would you describe what you do at Ghost VFX? 

My main task here is to coordinate with Animation/CG Supervisors and Production to deliver what they need. Also planning to make sure we have the right people in our team who can help us to develop the necessary rigging systems here at Ghost VFX. I also coordinate with the Modelling, Animation, and Production teams to deliver the projects on time.

What part of the job are you most passionate about? 

I enjoy working with animators and the VFX/CG Supervisors to help bring our characters to life. The job is technical and creative, and you will learn new things everyday while working on a project. I love to work on the deformation of characters and creatures. Once you see the final output of your work on-screen it will make you feel proud.

Is there a particular project that you’re proud of that you worked on in your career that you can discuss? If so, what was the project and what was the work you contributed? 

I have been fortunate to work on some fantastic projects, The One and Only Ivan was my first project where I got a chance to work on a couple of hero characters from start to end and I learned a lot.

I worked as a Rigging Lead on Prehistoric Planet, which made me proud after seeing the characters look photo real on screen. I also worked on Pinocchio and was fortunate to collaborate with a highly skilled team of artists. 

Any advice to others looking to break into VFX? 

It’s a competitive field and you must stay focused and determined to learn and improve, waiting to grab your opportunity. No one will help you unless you are willing to help yourself by being your worst critic and constantly focusing on improving yourself and never being afraid to ask questions.  

Where do you see the VFX industry headed in the next 5 years? What excites you about the future?

I think VFX is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, especially in India. We can see a lot of companies with work coming in the last few years and I think it will keep growing. There are so many interesting developments going on that will affect how we work in the coming future. I’ve been excited to see machine learning and its VFX applications. I think there are some exciting things to be done with new technology. 

Is there anything else you’d like to mention or add? 

If you want to see your work on screen for an audience to appreciate you should consider a career in VFX. You will work with talented people around the world and get to help tell stories.

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