ALEX FRENKLAKH

PDF FORMAT RESUME: (click here)

alex.frenklakh@gmail.com  www.linkedin.com/in/alexfrenklakh  

PROFILE

Experienced Visual Effects Artist working in animated films, commercials and live action. Adept at creating VFX solutions and rigs. Strong at applying technical knowledge and artistic sense to solve challenging visual problems. Passionate team player with excellent communication skills and ability to translate complex creative VFX solutions to simple concepts.

SKILLS

Software: Houdini, Maya, Blender,Nuke, Real Flow, After Effects, Adobe Photoshop CC, Premiere

Languages: VEX, Hscript, Python, PyQT, tcsh, C/C++

EXPERIENCE

CraftyApes, NYC

FX Artist/Lead (Sept 2024-Oct 2025)

As a VFX artist worked on various episodic TV episodes. Second half of the contract was a show-lead responsible for a team of several artist on a large film 

  • Shows: WalkingDead: Dead City, Better Sister, Earth Abides, Equalizer, Nobody 2 , Undisclosed Film
  • Created effects, often executing fx in houdini, and lighting and rendering in Mantra or Karma renderers
  • Executed wide array of effects:  pyro explosions, earth digging grains, vellum grass, procedural water, pyro cloud simulations
  • As lead 
    • Kept show continuity, onboarding new artists and assuring consistency of effects
    • Jumped into brainstorming sessions with artists to solve problems
    • Documented setups in internal wiki
    • Followed up on issues with Pipeline via tickets/and in person
    • Kept track of issues across many shots.

FuseFX, NYC

FX Lead (Aug 2022-May 2024)

Responsible for a team of artists in generating effects for film and episodic TV. Created setups and helped alleviate technical work stoppages. Offered creative and technical leadership. Conducted dailies/rounds.

  • Shows:  “The Changeling”, “Mr. And Mrs. Smith”, “The Diplomat”, “American Primeval”
  • Worked with a global team to deliver a series-opening ocean sequences for “The Changeling”, “The Diplomat”
  • Created stadium crowd system setups in houdini for an in-development project working alongside FX team.
  • Responsible for setup of ship rigging/sails system using Vellum in houdini.
  • Worked with houdini’s ocean tools and assisted RND department in identifying new features for a brand new Arnold Ocean Shader plugin, as well as tested each new implementationPerformed hands-on shotwork and implemented cross-department workflows.

Method Studios, BC

Senior FX Artist (Oct 2021-Aug 2022)

Contract Senior VFX artist working on “Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods”, “Outer Range”

  • Generated heavily art-directed statue destruction effects, “Shazam 2”
  • Created for photoreal effects for “Outer Range”.


Rocket Science VFX, Toronto

FX Artist (Apr 2021-Oct 2021)

Contract VFX artist, generating VFX for season 6 of “The Expanse” (AmazonPrime)

  • Created futuristic weapon plasma effects, Explosions/destruction shots using RBD/Pyro.
  • Improved department workflows using scripting

Blue Sky Studios 2008-2021

FX Artist (2020-2021)

Delivered effects for an undisclosed studio project. Created rigs, performed shot work under tight deadlines.

  • As sequence representative, facilitated implementation of stylized fire effects for “Nimona”: unblocked work stoppages, problem-solved pipeline issues
  • Liaised with other departments on FX team’s progress and issues related to “Nimona” fire effects
  • Developed rig and a variety of assets for generating hero and background dust impacts
  • Implemented setups for placing/altering elements using Houdini’s LOPs context and USD variants.
  • Accelerated ability to meet deadlines by leveraging assets from existing department effects library created on earlier shows.
  • Completed shatter shots using newly-developed proprietary HDA in Houdini.

As sequence representative, facilitated implementation of stylized fire effects for “Nimona” (unreleased feature film). This work was in-progress at the time of Blue Sky Studios’ closing.

  • Unblocked work stoppages, problem-solved pipeline issues
  • Kept other departments updated about the team’s progress and any issues
  • Brainstormed strategies for adapting early development work to Nimona shots

Visual Effects Technical Director (2010-2020)

Integral member of the Visual Effects department responsible for developing and implementing visual effects for Blue Sky Studios films: “Rio”, “Ice Age 4: Continental Drift”,”Rio 2”, “Epic”, “Peanuts”, “Ice Age 5: Collision Course”, “Ferdinand”, “Spies in Disguise” unreleased: “Nimona”, “Anubis”

  • Houdini rig development for use by FX TDs in shotwork (e.g.: Custom Pyro Clustering solutions, Solar Flare rigs, “Nimona” Stylized fire tools look development).
  • Custom Houdini Pyro Clustering setup that enabled simulation of a ‘lake of fire’ effect
  • Built department “effects library” HDA tools: import tool for easy search, loading of effects from a repository and export tool for committing elements. Element renders, thumbnails and indexing scheme automatically generated upon committing of a new element.
  • Generated a variety of forest Fire and Smoke Assets for Ice Age: Collision Course
  • Performed final compositing fixes on “Ferdinand” using Nuke.
  • Spies in Disguise Effects work chosen to be part of Blue Sky’s Annie submission.


Lighting Technical Assistant (2008-2010)

Responsible for maintaining, debugging of Blue Sky Studios’ rendering pipeline for the film  “Ice Age 3: Dawn of The Dinosaurs”

  • Created temporary shot lighting using proprietary CGI Studio raytracer
  • Implemented a shot work assignments query system to improve workflow.
  • Converted rough pre-viz sets to proprietary CGI Studio format using MEL scripts
  • Executed effects shots on “Ice Age 3: Dawn of The Dinosaurs” for the effects department

Freelance 2018-Present

Created visual FX for various clients using Houdini, Nuke, and 3D Studio Max

  • Meister.tv “TAR” - Created high resolution viscous FLIP simulations for a company promo.
  • Adidas “Here To Create” - Shockwave effect for an adidas golf shoe commercial. (Simulation/Rendering/Tracking/Compositing)
  • Adidas “Code Chaos” - Animated a female golfer doing a golf swing in 3D Studio Max
  • Associated Bank, “Money Tubes” - Created Clouds in Houdini, match-moved camera
  • D.I.Y. or Die Productions, “Bakemono” - Created a character smoke disintegration effect for a short film (All Aspects)


PUBLICATIONS

SIGGRAPH 2020 (Talk):  Segmented Control of A Closeup Chemical Reaction Effect https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3388767.3407378

TEACHING

School of Visual Arts, MFA (2011)
 Introduction to 3d Modeling and Animation

EDUCATION

M.F.A, Computer Art (2008)
School of Visual Arts, New York NY
* Recipient - Paula Rhodes Memorial Award for Excellence (SVA) for thesis short “Big Commission”

Drawing / Painting Classes (2003 - 2007)
Art Students League, New York, NY

B.S., Computer Science (2000)
Stevens Institute Of Technology, Hoboken, NJ