18th July 2022
Welcome back to Milk Mondays…
Where we get to show off our lovely lot and share a little bit of their wisdom, what makes them tick and what they get up to when they’re not making VFX ?
This week, we’re delving into the Nuke superstar that is Jorge Oliva. We got together over an English breakfast tea (no milk, no sugar) to chat about his favourite Milk projects, how he became the amazing supe he is today, and his obsession with snowboarding…
Read on to find out more!
How long have you been working at milk?
I started working at Milk in 2014…
I had just finished a project at Framestore and actually didn’t know the guys at Milk at the time, but I joined as a Nuke Compositor and thank god I did! I really liked what I found, especially the sense of family and how fast I felt I belonged here, surrounded by a really talented, fun and creative bunch of people.
What do you like about working here?
As I mentioned before, you feel like you belong to this little family of incredibly talented artists from minute one, and the culture of the company and the precedent set by its co-founders encourages you to be creative and always set the bar a bit higher with your work.
We’re always glad we go that extra mile to deliver the most amazing work possible.
Did you always want to be a 2D Supervisor?
I’ve always been involved in creative stuff, since I was a teenager when I wanted to be a director. I still direct music videos and short stuff now and then, but the VFX was always my favourite part, so being a Comp Supervisor is a job that I love and really enjoy.
How did you get into 2D?
I studied Audiovisual Communications at the University of Málaga (where I’m from), and did a Visual Arts Masters degree afterward at Trazos School of Arts in Madrid. I started my VFX career in Spain as an editor and later as a motion graphics artist and realised along that way that I always had more fun when there was 2D compositing involved in the job. I worked as a Compositor in Madrid for 2 years until I was offered a job at MPC in London. Before coming to Milk I worked both and MPC and Framestore and haven’t looked back since! 🙂
Do you have a favourite kind of 2D work? (why?) and what’s the best bit of your job?
I really get excited about projects that feature holograms or graphic elements, probably because of my days as a motion graphics artist. The truth is though, I like to comp everything, from set extensions to creatures etc…
What’s been the most exciting project you’ve worked on in the last year?
Intergalactic was an amazing project, and I had the chance to do loads of crazy stuff like holograms… interfaces…glitches…It was really fun. To see it nominated for a BAFTA Craft Award was so rewarding!
Your favourite project at Milk and why?
The Doctor Who Christmas Special we did in 2016 called ‘The Return of Doctor Mysterio’ will always have a special place in my heart as it was one of the first projects I did as a 2D Supervisor.
What does your typical day look like?
My typical day starts with a cup of tea (and some scrambled eggs if I have time) before my millions of zoom calls, emails and a bit of nuke at the end of the day! Like most of us VFX people, I usually finish up by laying on my sofa binge watching a TV show – most recently Euphoria (I highly recommend it!!)
Your top 3 key ingredient/s for creating amazing work?
1 Use the real world as a reference
2 The best effect is always the one that blends something real and something artificial
3 Avoid magenta (inside joke for my fellow Milkians ;))
What do you love about working in VFX?
You never get bored doing the same thing, every project is different and has its own unique challenges.
Advice to your younger self (when starting out in the industry)
Be patient and a bit more kind with yourself.
What’s the secret of your success?
Tenacity (some may call it stubbornness haha) – I do not give up.. there’s always a solution!
Your top tip for those stepping up into HOD roles? What’s the secret to being a good team leader?
Listen to your team, be nice and respectful and try to motivate them to always push themselves and go a bit further with their work.
What do you like doing when you’re not supervising/working?
Travelling as much as I can (which has obviously been quite difficult in the past couple years). After lots of staycations, I finally went to Tignes last March to do some snowboarding with some other VFX friends, but my favourite trip I’ve done was when I spent a month travelling around Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Tell us something that might surprise us about you?
I’m crazy about snowboarding!! Can’t get enough of it…always watching videos..buying equipment etc..
And just for fun..
What’s the one thing you always keep on your desk?
A can of coke zero (everyone working in the studio at Milk knows this)
Pets?
Sadly I’m allergic, but I do have loads of plants 🙂
Last present you bought yourself?
A VR set
What would be your superpower?
Tenacity (stubbornness haha) again!
What are you learning at the moment?
I’m really interested in AI generated images and ways to implement it in our industry
Bonus question:
Tea or coffee ? one sugar or two?
Tea, I don’t like coffee…I always start the day with a cuppa of black English tea 🙂
Add anything else you’d like to tell us?!
No matter what, always try to have fun doing what you do!
Thank you Jorge ?