Compositing reel Breakdowns:

Each shot came with its own unique challenges—whether it was integrating visual effects seamlessly, repairing difficult footage,

or enhancing the final look. I enjoy solving these challenges: identifying the problem, designing a clear approach, and delivering a polished result that supports the director’s vision.

Visual effects have always been about problem-solving for me—finding creative ways to make the impossible feel real. These breakdowns highlight not just the results, but the process I enjoy: experimenting, refining, and pushing until every shot feels seamless.

The following pages highlight a selection of my work in compositing, tracking, cleanup, and creative problem-solving

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Shot 1 – "Water for Elephants" - Circus Train Arrives

Problem:

The plate required removal of crew reflections, dust, and scratches. The provided town matte painting needed integration with realistic forced perspective.

Approach:

Cloned and painted out dust, Matchmoved and composited vegetation and reflection elements I painted in Photoshop, added townspeople, dirt and lens effects on car windows, color-matched town to plate, added smoke, dust and steam, color corrected everything.

Result:

Seamless integration of matte painting and live-action elements with fully cleaned and enhanced plate, resulting in a photo real composite.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Syntheyes, Primatte

Shot 2 – "Water for Elephants" – Forested Hills

Problem:

California mountains lacked dense vegetation to look like Tennessee. Town needed to be shown behind train.

Approach:

Matchmoved and composited trees over the mountains, color matched town to plate, added steam and smoke, removed dust and scratches throughout. Roto provided by external team.

Result:

Mountains no longer read as California, Town composited and visually consistent with foreground action.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Syntheyes

Shot 3 – "Water for Elephants" – Smoke and Structures

Problem:

The plate required compositing trees, buildings, smoke, and steam elements. Dust and scratches were present.

Approach:

stabilized and composited background and foreground elements, applied color correction, cleaned dust/scratches.

Result:

Clean, visually rich scene integrating all elements seamlessly.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop

Shot 4 – "The Pacific" - Near Miss

Problem:

Explosions and debris needed to be integrated over the live-action background.

Approach:

Matchmove and roto, added explosions, layers of smoke, and debris.

Result:

Dynamic, realistic combat scene with interactive elements seamlessly integrated.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha

Shot 5 – "The Pacific" - Full Battlefield Build

Problem:

Needed to populate an empty environment with war elements. Far background ships were from a matte painting.

Approach:

Tracked camera, added tanks, smoke, fire, water blasts, body parts, and debris. Integrated existing matte painting of ships.

Result:

Dense, cinematic war scene built through layered multi-element comping.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha, Trapcode Particular

Shot 6 – "A Hometown Holiday" - Snowy Day

Problem:

No snow or seasonal feel in plate.

Approach:

Painted snow and frost in Photoshop, generated tire-responsive drifting snow with Particular. Roto’d and re-applied truck shadow.

Result:

A cozy, winter setting created from scratch with interactive snow detail.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Trapcode Particular

Shot 7 – "Arctic" - Helicopter goes down

Problem:

Full helicopter crash needed in 2D without 3D tools.

Approach:

Designed and animated disintegrating parts and snow impacts. Added smoke and debris.

Result:

A dramatic crash sequence achieved entirely in 2D, selling weight and chaos.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha

Shot 8 – "Dog" - Dog Placement

Problem:

Dog could not be filmed on set with actor; Dog and actor were shot separately without motion control and at different times of day.

Approach:

Stabilized and roto’d dog, recreated motion blur on tail, matched lighting and shadows for new environment. Reintegrated and tracked the dog into scene.

Result:

Seamless integration of dog into live-action plate, matching motion, lighting, and shadow.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha

Shot 9 – "Insidious: The Last Key" - Dusty Prison Road

Problem:

Needed to merge unrelated house and prison elements.

Approach:

Finished incomplete wall, added dead tree for balance, matched lighting and color across elements.

Result:

A creepy, cohesive environment that blends practical and matte elements.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Boujou

Shot 10 – "The Purge: Election Day" - Lincoln Memorial Scene

Problem:

A pristine historical monument needed to appear defiled and chaotic.

Approach:

Tracked and composited graffiti, corpses, fire, smoke, and debris.

Result:

A shocking, gritty tableau that sells the chaos of The Purge.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha

Shot 11 – "Constantine" – Rig Removal & Shirt FX

Problem:

Visible wires and torn shirt.

Approach:

Removed rigging, rebuilt shirt, texture, added subtle wind flap effect for realism.

Result:

Clean action shot with added motion and no visible post artifacts.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop

Shot 12 – "Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome" – Space Battle

Problem:

Multi-pass CG needed full composite integration.

Approach:

Tracked and composited ships over matte-painted nebula. Added lens flares, glows, and evolving visual effects.

Result:

A cinematic space scene with dynamic motion and rich atmospheric effects. Winner: International Academy of Web Television Awards.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha

Shot 13 – "Curve" – Flood Sequence

Problem:

Required full 2D simulation of rising floodwaters.

Approach:

Tracked scene, added rain, lightning, and animated solids for wet look under sections of collaged water footage and extracted highlights. Comped in logs and debris with collision and push.

Result:

A chaotic, believable flood scene executed entirely in 2D.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha

Shot 14 – "Severance" - Crew and Equipment Removal

Problem:

Camera crew reflections and dolly visible in shot.

Approach:

Painted over intrusions, reconstructed walls, reflections, and carpet detail.

Result:

Clean, invisible fix that preserves the integrity of the shot.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop

Shot 15 – "P2" – Indoor Explosion

Problem:

Explosion filmed separately in outdoor location.

Approach:

Tracked explosion into parking structure, collaged fire elements, simulated interactive lighting as fire rolls around pipes and ceiling.

Result:

Convincing explosion scene that feels naturally lit and timed.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop

Shot 16 – "Crouching Tiger: Sword of Destiny" - Editorial Temp

Problem:

Visible rigging and motion blur challenges during harness and wirework.

Approach:

Painted out thick ropes and harnesses, recreated trees and background details to match high-speed motion blur.

Result:

A clean and seamless action moment preserving grace and realism. I include this temp as an indicator of the quality of my work even though it's a temporary version.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop

Shot 17 – "Westworld" – Parallax Cards

Problem:

Actors need to freeze and hold position. Needed to simulate depth and parallax in 2D plate with minimal CG.

Approach:

Tracked foreground actors, broke them into 3D-layered cards with isolated limbs for parallax motion.

Result:

A stylized, dimensional shot with enhanced spatial realism.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha

Shot 18 – "Westworld" – Freeze & Interface Comp

Problem:

Transition from frozen to live characters and sci-fi UI integration.

Approach:

Unfroze selected characters while maintaining others as cards, added interactive light and composited tracked device interface.

Result:

A fluid and immersive tech moment with believable effects.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha

Shot 19 – "Severance" – Talking Skull Interface

Problem:

Needed realistic live internal x-ray animation with detailed throat and tongue articulation that matched sound bite.

Approach:

Tracked and animated skull photo from profile reference, added brain implant, interface graphics and textures, and mouth and tongue movement created with animated solids.

Result:

A surreal and visually engaging comp blending anatomy and UI design.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha Pro

Shot 20 – "Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian" – Rhythm & Hues

Problem:

Multi-pass character composites in proprietary Linux-based system.

Approach:

Used R&H IC node-based compositor, subscribed to required elements, performed roto and shadow pass integration.

Result:

Clean, high-end character integration in stylized VFX setting.

Software:

R&H's IC (proprietary), Linux

Shot 21 – "Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian" – Lincoln Walks

Problem:

Several shots from this sequence needed to be done in proprietary Linux-based system that I was just learning.

Approach:

Used R&H IC node-based compositor, composited actors, added shadows, glows to lights, color correction.

Result:

Sequence delivered on schedule, Color graded and composited professionally.

Software:

R&H's IC (proprietary), Linux

Shot 22 – "The Pacific" – Enhanced Explosion

Problem:

On-set dust cannon explosion lacked scale and impact.

Approach:

Amplified dust with Trapcode Particular, added additional smoke, blood, hits, and debris layers.

Result:

A heavy, cinematic battlefield explosion with layered destruction.

Software:

After Effects, Trapcode Particular, Mocha

Shot 23 – "End of the Spear" – Environmental Cleanup

Problem:

Human presence is supposed to be untouched in jungle and the plane is landing there for the first time. Items to remove: tire tracks, barns and trailers.

Approach:

Conducted long-shot tracking, removed modern elements and repainted terrain and trees in Photoshop.

Result:

A convincingly restored, pristine wilderness environment

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Boujou

Shot 24 – "Westworld" – Gunshot FX

Problem:

Enhance realism with gunfire and lighting interaction.

Approach:

Added gunfire, smoke bursts, and practical-style interactive light to match the plate.

Result:

A convincing gunshot moment that blends effortlessly.

Software:

After Effects

Shot 25 – "Westworld" – Blood Hits

Problem:

Needed visible, stylized impact violence.

Approach:

Tracked and timed blood hits to character movements and weapon action.

Result:

An intense and visceral effect that heightens dramatic impact.

Software:

After Effects

Shot 26 – "12 Strong" – Blades and Fire Integration

Problem:

Blur from chopper blades had prevented clean roto; set needed digital fire.

Approach:

Painted and animated blurred blades, removed background crew/trailers, matched new fire and smoke to practical plate.

Result:

Realistic and cohesive action shot with seamless integration of fire and roto fixes.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha

Shot 27 – "Waco" – Burning Scene

Problem:

Required dramatic, believable blaze.

Approach:

Tracked and composited multiple collaged fire elements matching color to practical fire, added retimed drifting embers, interactive lighting, and environmental reflections.

Result:

A fiery and immersive visual full of movement and atmosphere.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha

Shot 28 – "Water for Elephants" – Townscape Replacement

Problem:

Original background mountains and town required replacement.

Approach:

Comped in new matte-painted town and mountains, animated in sections to match light and flare timing. Some of the extras were greenscreen, keyed, comped and timed to reveal certain actions, like the boys playing catch, visible through foreground legs.

Result:

A lush and seamless landscape extension with careful light integration.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha

Shot 29 – "11.22.63" – Window Composite and gunfire

Problem:

Bluescreen window shot needed background integration, gunfire.

Approach:

Tracked and composited full BG into window, added muzzle flash and reactive lighting.

Result:

Clean, believable composite selling location and action in one shot.

Software:

After Effects, Photoshop, Mocha

Shot 30 – "The Chronicles of Narnia" – Mr. Tumnus Takes a Breath

Problem:

The character needed a visible breath to emphasize the icy cold of Narnia.

Approach:

As a junior artist, I added a subtle cold breath element to Mr. Tumnus using tracked and composited breath vapor. The shot was simple, but required restraint to keep it natural and in line with the tone of the scene.

Result:

A small but memorable enhancement to a quiet, iconic moment. This was one of my earliest shots in feature VFX — a modest contribution to a massive world. I include it here not for technical complexity, but as a marker of where I began, and how far I’ve grown.

Software:

Shake

Thank you for taking the time to look through my work. I look forward to bringing this same energy, detail, and commitment to future projects.