GHS (’88) graduate, Eric Saindon, will be hobnobbing with film royalty in London and LA when James Cameron’s long-anticipated new movie, “Avatar: The Way of Water” premiers on Dec. 16th. The film is the first of a planned trilogy to be released over the next six years.
Saindon is a visual effects supervisor at Wētā FX, a giant in the field of animated films such as the “Lord of the Rings” series, “King Kong,” “Battle Angel Alita” and of course the original 2016 groundbreaking animated 3D film, “Avatar.” This blockbuster is still the world’s highest-grossing film. Wētā FX is based in Wellington, New Zealand where it has grown from about 30 employees at the time Saindon was hired in 1999 to about 1800 artists from all over the world.
As visual effects (VFX) supervisor, Saindon watches over every aspect of the teams who design the environments, special characters, effects, and lighting that make an animated world come alive. Without getting too technical, they create and manipulate on-screen images that do not physically exist in the real world. VFX allows filmmakers to create environments, objects, creatures, and even people that would otherwise be impractical or impossible to capture in a live-action shot. Simply put, Saindon and his team make the magic happen.
Photo credit: Lila SaindonEric Saindon and his wife at the BAFTA’s, (British Academy of Film Awards) in London.
Saindon’s team was responsible for the animated scenes of Golum in the “Lord of the Rings” movies. Humbly, he said, “We had a lot of help on that from John Howe and Allen Lee, who are world-renowned Tolkien artists.”
As for the new “Avatar” trilogy, Saindon was limited about what he could share, but said, “Avatar: The Way of Water” continues the saga of Netyri and handicapped Army Veteran, Jake Sully, some 15 years later.” He added, “The new film is even more stunningly beautiful and the story is engaging.” Filmed in real 3D, it is also easier to watch as the big movements (which in the original film could cause some dizziness) have been slowed down to 48 frames per second to minimize visual disorientation.
Saindon is well-respected in the world of Visual Effects. Films that he and his teams have worked on have been nominated for two Academy Awards and three BAFTA’s (British Academy of Film Awards) and have won four Visual Effects Society Awards. He is an active member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Like many young people, it took Saindon some trial and error to find his true career path. After high school, he took classes at a local college and worked in construction. He then received a degree in Architecture at Washington State University. The architectural work was not as satisfying as he had hoped, but he did pick up some animation software skills. He attended the Royal Danish School of Architecture and continued to hone his animation skills. He began sending out demo reels of his work, until he was hired by an animation company based in Santa Barbara, California. In 1999 he joined Wētā FX and moved to New Zealand to work on films.
Saindon shared advice for students interested in working in the VFX industry. Since there are many different areas of VFX, he encourages students to work on related skills in the areas they want to pursue to become a well-rounded candidate. He said, “If you want to be a lighter, take photography classes to learn about lighting and composition. Knowing basic coding languages like Python is helpful, as are acting classes if you want to be an animator. The best animators understand motion and emotion.”
Saindon believes that his Maine roots definitely contribute to his success. He said, “Mainers just dig in and work hard to get the job done. That’s good advice, no matter what field you decide to pursue.”
Saindon also finds many similarities between Maine and his home near Wellington, New Zealand. Both places provide great outdoor opportunities and remind him of the freedom he had growing up in Gorham, where he and his brother roamed Gorham’s fields, trails, and beyond on their three-wheelers.
Saindon and his wife, Beth Arko, a former Wētā FX animator, have four children: Waverly, age 18, Hunter, age 16, Juliet, age 13 and Reider, age 9 plus two dogs and half a dozen chickens. Saindon likes to spend his free time outside (away from his computer) hiking, fishing, and doing woodworking projects.
He is the son of Joe and Lila Saindon and sibling of Mike Saindon and Tara Saindon-Picard.