Spotlight | Lead FX Artist Umesh Namdev discusses his favourite projects and what it’s like working at our Bangalore studio

Can you talk about the journey that led you into VFX? 

I’ve always been fascinated by movies and games. When I watched ‘Harry Potter’, and ‘Transformers’, I was awestruck and wanted to learn about the process of creating these visual effects. I knew I wanted a creative job, and this felt like the perfect fit for me. I’ve been in the industry for more than 10 years now. I joined The Mill in 2020 and there’s been a whirlwind of projects.  

Out of all the projects you’ve worked on, which one stands out for you? 

The one that continues to stand out for me is Oculus ‘First Steps’. The sheer scale of the FX work on this was unbelievable, and it was a mammoth task to pull together all the different elements with the small team.

What aspect of the project did you work on?  

I was responsible for many of the 3D art elements like the smoke, atmospherics, explosions, and ambient features. We had to create a war-like setting, and that involved a lot of background FX. All the elements that went into that environment made it a very FX heavy job, so it was quite challenging.

What challenges were encountered during production? 

There were teams working at multiple sites on the project and we had to work cohesively while also grappling with the pandemic and working from home. I think the biggest challenge we faced was to send all the data from here to our London team. There was a lot of data being generated by our team in India, and we had to figure out how best to share that with the London team, apart from our regular creative FX work.  

How did the team overcome these challenges?   

We came up with a solution for sharing the data we were creating in the Bangalore studio, by working with the London IT team on this. We were able to eventually ensure the data-sharing happened smoothly, and it really was a testament to how well we work together even though we are in different places across the globe. We worked on this at different sites, but we were well-connected, and the communication was top-notch, so we felt like we were working in one place. 

From a creative perspective, we were a small team and we worked very efficiently, focusing on smart solutions for each of the tasks. That also helped us plan and work better on future projects.  

What are your favourite parts about working at the Bangalore studio?  

It’s a fast-paced environment where we work on many projects but there is also great work-life balance. And each project has its own unique challenges and attractions, which keep my job very interesting. One of the best things is that the hard work we put in is always appreciated and reflected in our career growth.  

Can you tell us about any projects you didn’t get to work on, but you wish you had? 

I would have loved to work on the Destiny 2: The Witch Queen reveal trailer. The art style it had was really amazing, and I’ve spent hundreds of hours playing the game! My inner fan came out when I saw The Mill was working on it.  

Interested in a career at The Mill Bangalore? Apply here.