Meet Christian Manz, the Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor who helped bring the magical world of the Fantastic Beasts films to life. Part of our Making the Magic collection.
I'm Christian Manz and I'm a BAFTA and Oscar-nominated visual effects supervisor.
I always loved television and film and I had a love for, I guess, what I eventually discovered was visual effects, but I had no access to that world because I didn't know anybody so it's only through doing my degree course, my Illustration degree, meeting a tutor who was a BBC graphic designer and doing this job, which is, yeah, I still definitely have Imposter Syndrome.
Before I started my job, I didn't really know what – I kind of knew what visual effects was, I knew VFX stood for visual effects, but I didn't know exactly what it was, you know, I started my job as a runner. I made tea and worked at a VFX facility (Framestore) where I am now to this day and, through seeing all of the jobs that were going on around me, I began to learn what I kind of was interested in and now, as a visual effects supervisor on a film like Fantastic Beasts, visual effects basically is all the stuff that is put into the picture in post-production that is meant to look like it was shot there during the production.
So, often I'm on a film for a couple of years and in that process we're helping to design creatures, helping to design action sequences, helping to work out how to integrate everything, work out what the effects will be, being on set working with, you know, the whole team to get what the director wants on the day and make sure that we can actually do something with the picture and then, when we get into post-production, I'm a leader of many people – about 1,500 artists will be on film like Fantastic Beasts across multiple facilities across the world and I'm working with supervisors and team leaders at all of those places to make sure they're doing what I'm after and, ultimately, obviously what the director's after to be in the finished picture. So it's amazing and to sit at the premiere at the end and see the finished result and hear the audience react hopefully positively to what we've done is, you know, the greatest part of the job really.
I guess when I was at school, the careers advice was very hard for somebody who wanted to go into a creative field and so I could never – I always felt like the person that it was hard to direct as to where to go or what to go and what to do. So, often, I just found out myself through speaking to my teachers, you know, I had a very close relationship with my Art tutor and through that was where I learnt what I wanted to do really and how to progress and then it's really by being, just meeting people, talking to people as I've gone through my academic journey and then into my career now to where to go next to do further what I want to do.
There are not many jobs where you get to see your work plastered all over a cinema screen and all around the world by millions of people. So you do get a lot of satisfaction out of it.
What does your role involve?
As a visual effects supervisor, I head up the visual effects (VFX) team. There can be a lot of people involved in the creation of VFX for a film – we have around 1,500 people for a film like Fantastic Beasts! I keep across all of those different parties, collaborating with them to make sure we have everything we need to bring our vision to life.
When I get a film script, I break it down and work out with the producers what VFX we need. We agree on a budget and then work with storyboard artists and the director to start visualising it. We also begin collaborating with other facilities we've chosen to work on the film. This pre-production stage is very creative – we're creating what you're hopefully going to pull off in filming and production.
What have you worked on?
I worked on some of the Harry Potter films and have gone on to work on the first two Fantastic Beasts films and now the third. Outside the Wizarding World, I've worked on a range of projects, from Dr Who to Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang.
On the Fantastic Beasts films, I worked closely with production designer, Stuart Craig, and concept artist, Dermot Power, to work out how to bring Newt Scamander's magical suitcase to life. Newt has to be able to walk down stairs into the suitcase and enter a magical world concealed within so there was a lot to figure out about how to make that a reality!
How did you get your job?
There was no direct path. In studying Illustration at uni, I was exposed to animation and, via my tutors, began to see a possible path into the world of post-production. Getting my job as a runner at Framestore creative studio was the start to my career. Since then, hard work and the willingness to take on challenges has seen me progress to where I am today.
How have you tackled challenges you've faced?
Life in the VFX and film business is all about challenges and setbacks – much like lots of jobs. I tend to overcome them by collaborating with the teams I’m working with, never being afraid to ask questions and working hard.
What's your career highlight?
As a closet Dr Who nerd, designing the Matt Smith title sequence was pretty cool. Also getting the VFX supervisor gig alongside Tim Burke on the first Fantastic Beasts film – having a creative hand in the start of a new franchise was a fun challenge.
Christian's top tips
- Have a passion for the area of film you want to work in
- Be prepared to learn every day
- Work hard
- Listen lots
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions
I'm a firm believer that you really want to get somewhere, you'll get there.
| Year | Project |
|---|---|
| Present | Fantastic Beasts 3 |
| 2016-2018 | Fantastic Beasts 1&2 |
| 2014 | Dracula Untold |
| 2013 | 47 Ronin |
| 2010 | Doctor Who |
| 2010 | Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang |
| 2007-2009 | Primeval series 1-3 |
| 2004-2010 | Harry Potter 3, 4 & 7 |
Starting out
So how do you get your foot in the door?
Some qualities Christian thinks interviewers will be looking out for are: enthusiasm, willingness to learn, ability to communicate and a love of film and VFX.
We caught up with Christian's colleague, Brooke, to find out how she got into the industry and what she's learnt so far.
- Find out more on the ScreenSkills website about the role of a visual effects supervisor
- Check out Warner Bros. Creative Talent for scholarships, apprenticeships, work and training placements, mentoring and masterclass opportunities.
Making the Magic: Inside jobs in film. collection
Are you spellbound by the Wizarding World films? Meet the people who work in the film industry and make the magic happen.
Making The Magic: From Story To Screen. video
BBC Teach is partnering with the Wizarding World to offer students in the UK an introduction to the myriad of roles and careers available on a film production in an exciting interactive lesson on Wednesday, March 4th, 2020.
