Pinoy behind Hollywood's stunning visual effects

If you loved the eye-popping visual effects in big Hollywood-made movies since the late 1980s, chances are they are the handiwork of a Filipino. Filipino-American Ariel Velasco Shaw is considered a pioneer of sorts in visual effects, being at the industry’s forefront for more than 25 years. “Before that, I dabbled into still photography, which was my first love," the Manila-born Shaw told the Asian Journal in a recent interview. But he said his world opened when he discovered the wonders of filmmaking. He has since become a leader in the digital production community. To date, he continues to widen his reach as he ventures into 3-D filmmaking. Shaw started his career in 1984 when he joined the New York Institute of Technology, one of the premier computer graphics facilities in the world. “His early research in digital imaging set the foundation for today’s digital imaging production process," the Asian Journal said. Disney In 1989, Shaw was asked to join Walt Disney Feature Animation to help design a digital-imaging department that can complete full-length feature films via computer. His work became the first full-length animated film to be digitally post-produced, according to the report. During his stint as digital imaging supervisor at Walt Disney Feature Animation, he worked on hit classic films as “The Rescuers Down Under," “Beauty and the Beast," “Aladdin," and “The Lion King." The culmination of his Disney career was an Academy Award Nomination in Visual Effects for his breakthrough work on “The Nightmare Before Christmas." “That was quite exciting, and I was very honored. Too bad, we were up against ‘Jurassic Park,’" Shaw said, referring to the nomination. Apart from Disney Shaw left Disney in 1994 and went to Boss Film Studios, where he assisted in the company’s transition to a fully functioning digital effects studio. He supervised the feature films “True Lies," “The Scout," and “Drop Zone." He then went to Warner Digital Studios, where he worked on “Batman Forever," “My Fellow Americans," “Vegas Vacation" and “Contact." At Pacific Title/Mirage, he handled the visual effects for "Lethal Weapon 4," "Armageddon" and "Soldier," while receiving an Emmy Award nomination for Tom Hanks’ HBO series "From the Earth to the Moon." ‘Final Destination 5’ This month, Shaw returns to the “Final Destination" series and his first foray into 3-D filmmaking. “Final Destination" began in 2000 and had sequels in 2003, 2006, and 2009. Shaw will be responsible for many effects in the fifth installment of the popular horror film series, having been part of its first and third installments. As visual effects supervisor of “Final Destination 5," Shaw oversaw the film’s many elaborate special effects, including those used for the terrifying collapse of a suspension bridge. Pioneer Shaw moved to the United States with his family when he was barely four years old. They settled in Brooklyn, New York. Shaw said his dream project is to showcase ghost stories, particularly those from Baguio City. “I am very much fascinated by Filipino myths and ghost stories, particularly in Baguio City. The stories are pretty much unheard of outside the Philippines so it would be nice to showcase that," he said. For now, he looks forward to collaborating with other Filipino-Americans in Hollywood, particularly Matthew Libatique, who was nominated for an Academy Award last year for his cinematography work for “Black Swan." “My sister has worked with him, and I hope I’d be able to work with him someday. That would be a great collaboration and I promise you, it is going to happen," he said. — JE/VS, GMA News