Julianna Kolakis began her career as a painter, but after a spell as an illustrator and graphic designer she attended the Vancouver Film School. After graduating she moved onto a successful career within the film and entertainment industry, working as both a 3D artist and concept artist with a dedication to character design.

3DTotal: From looking at your website and list of credits it is clear that you have achieved a lot since your career began. Can you tell us a little about your rise to success and what prompted the jump into 3D?
Julianna: Having studied art my whole life, I aimed for a job as a concept artist in the video game industry which proved to be extremely difficult after high school. I knew I needed to improve the overall quality of my portfolio, so I looked into advanced illustration and design courses to learn more.  When industry professionals suggested learning 3D, I realized how valuable diversification would be. I took my time researching art institutions that offered 3D programs and found Vancouver Film School’s 3D Animation and Visual Effects course the most interesting. Within a year I dropped everything to move to Vancouver and pursue my passion. There was an enormous amount of talent at VFS and fellow students became a huge source of inspiration. We pushed ourselves to learn quickly, completing six terms in one school year while devoting the final six months to our demo reels.

  
    I had no idea how integral forums and CG communities would be to my career, so I'm glad I was encouraged by others to share my artwork online. My first freelance gigs were through websites, which is how the Aaron Sims Company also contacted me. I finally had the opportunity to contribute to big projects and work for visual effects studios in Vancouver. My flexibility allowed me to work as a modeler, texture artist, and concept artist for characters. It's interesting to see how an alternate path led me to the very thing I wanted to do.
3DTotal: CG seems to becoming more and more integral to the film industry even if the subject does not overtly fit into the fantasy or sci-fi category. Do you feel that this is changing the nature of film production and the audience’s expectations?
Julianna: Visual effects are definitely making it easier for filmmakers to create a variety of environments and scenes that aren't necessarily practical to shoot without the use of CG elements. Digital doubles, props, set extensions, explosions, fluid and particle simulations are some examples of seamless CG integration that appears to be non-existent to the audience. As this becomes the norm, viewers may become more accustomed to VFX and expect to see the same sort of visual treatment in all films.  Film productions will incorporate 3D regardless; it’s just a matter of how minor or significant a role it plays. Ultimately it depends on the type of story, the director, cost efficiency and budget.
   
 
3DTotal: Which have been your most challenging projects to date?
Julianna: Every project has some kind of challenge, whether it’s articulating a complex design, meeting a tight deadline or developing a more efficient workflow. When I was working on District 9, we needed to finish a substantial amount of work in a short amount of time. There were numerous texture variations for different aliens such as patterns, colors, wounds, stickers, and war paint. Clothing modifications were also used to help differentiate between them all. I first conceptualized different alien variations and then set up a procedural workflow for creating an assortment of textures.

There were challenges with the materials and deciding what references should be used to create an overall believable life-like character. We started to nail one part of the alien at a time, but dealt with ongoing changes like a new face design, new skin materials, and perfecting the look of the shell. It came together near the end, but it took a very dedicated and hard-working team.
    
     
 
Page 1
   Page 2  
     
 
 
 
Your rating:  
  Rating: 4.43, Votes: 21 
Mandie on Thu, 31 March 2011 11:47pm

Very inspiring.
Jason S on Fri, 01 April 2011 1:03am

The inspiration that drives us and challenges us makes us great and unbeatable. The worlds we create and live in make us gods, we control the universe.

The imagination is the most powerful thing and you definitely have the skill to use it.

Thank you for helping to inspire the next generation of artists.
Sysgrunge on Mon, 04 April 2011 9:15pm

All Julianna's work looks amazing, congratulations.

Add your comment