The Quiet Power of Showing Up: Oscar VFX Shortlist
When the shortlist for the 2025 Best Visual Effects Oscar was announced, I did what most VFX artists do. I scanned the list out of curiosity, admiration, and a little professional pride.
This year was a little exciting to read.
Among the twenty films in the running, two of them were projects I had the privilege of contributing to: Thunderbolts and How to Train Your Dragon.
Seeing those titles appear on a list usually reserved for the biggest, boldest technical achievements in cinema was humbling. It was also a reminder of something far more important than accolades or recognition. It reminded me why we show up. Why the remarkable is never as far away as it feels.
At the time of working on these films, it was just each day trying to do the best work we could. Capturing the vision as it traveled through the Chinese whispers from director to supervisors to leads to us.
VFX: Where Magic Is Built One Frame at a Time
Visual effects often look effortless on screen. Dragons soaring, cities bending, heroes unleashing impossible forces. But behind every moment of spectacle sits an army of artists, technicians, dreamers, and problem-solvers.
VFX is not glamorous from the inside. It’s patient, painstaking work. Iteration after iteration, revision after revision, not always seeing improvements.
But when it all comes together, when a dragon blinks just right, when a character cartwheels down a room that’s shattering around her, that’s when you remember that art and engineering share the same heartbeat.
I wasn’t sure we needed a live-action How to Train Your Dragon. But as we were seeing it come together, when the final renders of the advertising scenes ran through the review screenings, there was a feeling that this could be a magic moment.
A Long Road: From Inspiration to Contribution
My journey into this world wasn’t a straight line. When I started a creative career, I was targeting animation. I wanted to learn how to make cartoons because Warner Brothers cartoons were my childhood, and I didn’t know if I could ever work on something like that.
Starting wasn’t easy. I was in a city the games industry had just left, and animation was so small. Nothing was getting made, so I had to chase the work. At the time I wasn’t tied down to anything, so traveling around the country was part of getting the experience to generate a start in the career. There were no guarantees. A contract ran from a couple weeks to a month.
But every day I showed up. Every day I built the tiniest piece of momentum. And over time, those tiny pieces added up. Now I have what you can call a career, built one day at a time.
Thunderbolts: A Major Role in a Massive Machine
Working on Thunderbolts was one of those rare opportunities where the work felt both challenging and creatively energizing. Being part of a Marvel production means contributing to a cinematic universe that millions of people care deeply about, and that comes with a sense of responsibility and excitement in equal measure. It was my first time on a Marvel project, so it was very exciting.
On films of this scale, no single person ever makes a shot. The beauty of VFX is that it’s the sum of hundreds of people pulling in the same direction. Animators, compositors, modelers, FX artists, supervisors, TDs, coordinators, and everyone in between.
Working in Layout, there are sometimes occasions where the director says we need something added and we don’t have previs. Can you put something together? I love previs. It’s where I love to play and create, so to get a chance to pitch a key sequence in a Marvel movie is a special occasion.
Ultimately, a sequence is built and added upon. The magic comes from collaboration. Where that sequence started and where it ended up came from everyone’s contribution.
How to Train Your Dragon: A Smaller Contribution, A Big Lesson
My input on How to Train Your Dragon was much smaller, but no less meaningful.
It was more a matter of being at the right place at the right time. The rest of the team were drowning in technical issues and working on overwhelming complexity, and we needed someone to keep some of the more straightforward shots turning over.
DreamWorks’ approach to animated worlds is rich, textured, deeply character-driven. Even a small contribution becomes part of something emotionally resonant, so getting to work on emotional shots that slid into the trailer was rewarding to see come together.
Small roles matter. They build foundations. They shape careers in ways you don’t always see at the time.
The Humbling Moment in the Credits
People imagine that seeing your name in the credits is a triumphant, emotional moment. Sometimes it is, but more often it’s surprisingly quiet. Your name flashes by for a second or two, surrounded by hundreds of others. More often than not, most people have left the cinema by the time the VFX crew scroll past.
But having my son sit next to me and spotting my name as it flies past? That’s rewarding.
The beauty of it is that what matters isn’t that the credit exists. It’s what that credit represents. The refinements no one will ever notice. The compromises, breakthroughs, revisions, teamwork, problem-solving, and creative grit that turned ideas into images. Bringing the magic of what the actor has done and combining it with an emotional digital character. The craft is rewarding.
The Real Reward: The People, Not the Prestige
Being connected to a film in the Oscar conversation is surreal, but awards aren’t what stick with you.
What stays with you are the people. The artists who inspire you. The supervisors who challenge you. The technical wizards who make the impossible possible.
Films are not made by individuals. They are made by teams of people who bring their craft, passion, and individuality to the table every single day.
A Message to Creatives: Keep Showing Up
If there’s one message I want this story to convey, it’s this: the remarkable is achievable. Not instantly. Not without sacrifice. But absolutely within reach with focus and perseverance.
You don’t get onto Oscar-listed films by luck. You get there by showing up, day after day, even when it’s exhausting, intimidating, or uncertain.
Preparation creates opportunity. Consistency creates talent. Perseverance creates momentum, and momentum creates moments you once believed were out of reach.
If a kid who grew up on a remote farm can help bring fantasy fight sequences and flying dragons to life, then anything is possible.
Closing Reflection: Bringing the Fantastical to Life
Being part of projects that have found their way into the Oscar conversation is an honor. But more than anything, it’s a reminder of the extraordinary privilege of doing work that helps bring magic to life.
We build worlds that don’t exist. We give breath to creatures that never lived. We help audiences believe in the impossible, and we do it one frame at a time.
If you’re a creative reading this, keep going. Keep learning. Keep showing up. You never know—someday you might see your work on a list like this too.
And when you do, you’ll realize it wasn’t magic after all. It was perseverance, and we’ll celebrate all the work that led you to that point.