When Star Trek Into Darkness hit wide release yesterday, it was a chance to dive back into J.J. Abrams’ reinvigorated world of tricorders and Vulcans.

For all of us here at VFS, it’s also a chance to do what we love most – stick around through the credits and applaud the artists and technicians who helped to realize entire galaxies, saving us from two hours of papier-mâché boulders.

Among them are VFS 3D Animation & Visual Effects alumni like Animator Stephen King, Compositors Denny Ertanto, Santhoshi Balasubramanian, and Moises Flores Cabrera, Modeler Ted Moowon Kim, and Digital Artist Srikalyan Tallapragada. Typical of our global age, they worked on the film as far afield as California and Singapore, at studios like ILM and Pixomondo. Can’t wait to see your handiwork, guys!

Oblivion, the new sci-fi action adventure film starring Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman, is in theatres today. Helping to paint the bleak portrait of the Earth you see on screen were three of our very own 3D Animation & Visual Effects grads.

Congrats to Denny Ertanto (Compositor), Jamie Bowers (Texture Artist), and Nicholas Markel (Previsualization Supervisor) for their work on the film!

Check out the trailer below:

Elysium, written and directed by Oscar nominee and VFS alum Neill Blomkamp, is set to hit theatres August 9. And today it finally got a trailer. A very, very good trailer. Behold:

(Link for the embed-impaired.)

Yeah. We’ll be in our bunk.

Stay tuned – considering the many dozens of VFS alumni who helped make Elysium a reality, this won’t be the last you hear about it here!

Jeremy Ezekiel‘s trajectory from his year in 3D Animation & Visual Effects to professional compositor has already landed his work on the cover of the preeminent visual effects magazine Cinefex.

The latest issue (#133, April 2013) features Jeremy’s compositing handiwork – alongside that of his fellow artists – in a shot of the two-headed Fallon from Jack the Giant Slayer.

Now at Method Studios, Jeremy worked on Jack out of Digital Domain – his first gig and first released credit after graduating from VFS in 2011. Look for more of his work on the big screen later this year in White House Down and Ender’s Game.

Check your finer newsstands for issue #133 of Cinefex or order it online here. In the meantime, Jeremy took a few moments out of his hectic work schedule to talk about his career – and the shot you see above.

You’re at Method Studios now, but let’s hear the story of your first job out of VFS. How did you land the gig at Digital Domain?

Jeremy: When I was at VFS, I used to work a lot on one-off projects on the side. I posted some of them on YouTube and Vimeo to get feedback from friends. Then, in Term 4 [of 6], I got invited to a party by a good friend and a recruiter from DD happened to be there. I jumped on the occasion to give her a link to my work. No later than two weeks after, I received a phone call from her telling me the Compositing Supervisor wanted to interview me for a Comp Intern Position. So I polished whatever reel I had at that point and was lucky enough to get a lot of support and advice from my main teacher, Brent Greening.

When I got there, everything went very well. I was complimented for my good eye for detail but nothing more. And about a week later, I got a phone call telling me I was hired. I remember being in front of Marianne [O'Reilly] at that time, stressed out like never before, when I saw the number on my phone.

Working at DD was a fantastic experience. It was pretty scary at first because I was thrown in the production world without any training. VFS prepared me well for the technical aspect of the work, but you can’t learn politics and studio dynamics at school. It was truly eye-opening, and I was lucky enough to be surrounded by immensely talented, and patient, coworkers.

When did you first develop an interest in visual effects?

Jeremy: I know it’s gonna sound very stereotypical, but I swear it’s true – I decided to do visual effects when I first saw the Matrix Trilogy. Since I was a kid, I always wanted to make movies, but when the trilogy from the Wachowski Brothers came out, I became completely fascinated by the world of special effects and visual effects. What I really want to do is to make images that can transport people and suspend their disbelief, images that will stay in their memory for a long time and hopefully inspire them.

Were you working with any fellow VFS grads at Digital Domain? If so, what was that like?

Jeremy: I did work with a good friend and classmate on Ender’s Game. We were lucky enough to be teamed up together – he was lighting shots that I was comping. It was very rewarding because we received many compliments from the director and the VFS supervisor.

What’s it like to see your handiwork on the cover of Cinefex? How does it compare to seeing your work up on the big screen?

Jeremy:  The modelers, texture artists, layout artists, animators, and lighters played a huge part in doing this shot. I just took everybody’s work and added the finish touch. So I am very grateful to have worked for such an amazing team.

When I first heard from my lead that my shot was going to be on the cover of Cinefex, I though he was joking. When I actually saw it on Cinefex.com, I couldn’t believe it. I was extremely happy that our movie was on the cover, and thrilled that I happened to be the one comping this specific shot. Of course, seeing your work on the big screen is quite a sight the first time, but having your shot printed on paper and sent around the world is something different, more tangible and real.

What’s something cool about that shot  that the untrained eye would probably miss?

Jeremy: One thing I learned in this shot specifically is the importance of getting the eyes right. This is the facial feature the human brain will recognize first, and if it is successfully made, the viewers should connect directly with the character. All the emotions are driven by the eyes, so as a compositing artist, you must make sure the brightness, colour, contrast, and vibrance are perfectly balanced and as close as possible to real human eyes.

Now that you’ve had a couple of years in the industry, what would you say is the single most important trait for a rookie visual effects artist?

Jeremy: The eye for detail. Definitely. The more little details you add in your work, the more your supervisor will appreciate your work and give you more artistically challenging shots. Most of the compositors need to have supervisors and clients to tell them to add this and that, but the “rockstar” compositors are always a step ahead, adding details before they are asked to. And also, a good sense of politics will go a long way in developing good relationships with your coworkers.

You come back to VFS from time to time to tutor students. Why do you do it?

Jeremy: I enjoy teaching as much as I enjoy being taught. I learned so much from my leads and supervisor, and I just feel it’s natural to transfer my knowledge to others. I do it only for that reason. I teach them only very simple things and fundamental concepts of compositing. The real reward for me is when I see them start thinking about other applications and other ways of doing things and discovering all the different possibilities they could achieve with the tools they already have.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra had its good points, but for anyone looking to relive their backyard 3 3/4″ swivel-arm battle grip childhood action, it didn’t quite nail that 1980s feeling.

This week’s long-awaited release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation looks to turn all that around, with The Rock as fan-favourite Roadblock, HISS tanks rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue, a chrome-plated Cobra Commander, and – our favourite – Rome‘s Titus Pullo as Cobra saboteur Firefly.

VFS 3D Animation & Visual Effects alumni were behind the scenes, including 3D artists Jose A. Yapor and Eric (Anthony) Gabas and compositor Farhad Mohasseb. Not that we needed more reasons to see it – let’s get the blockbuster season started! – but it’ll make us stick around through the credits. Congrats!

Here we go. Now we know 2013′s gotten started. BioShock Infinite finally Sky-Hooks from Irrational Games to shelves today. “A stunning original world of retro-sci-fi technology and gorgeous scenery,” says IGN. It’s rave reviews across the board.

And yes, some VFS grads were there to help bring this retro-future 1912 universe to life, including Character Artist Adam Bolton and Concept Artist Chelsea Douglas. They each graduated from 3D Animation & Visual Effects in 2007, and – among other things – both reportedly had a hand in the creation of Elizabeth, one of the game’s key characters!