Ran Sariel

#2021 938 Smithe St.

Vancouver, BC

Canada V6Z 3H8

Email. ran.sariel@gmail.com

OBJECTIVE

To work in a challenging environment that would best utilize my skills. Create high end visuals for the feature and broadcast industries as a part of highly creative team.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

Proficient in Maya – modeling, animation, rigging and dynamics

Proficient in Mel Scripts

Proficient in C++ /Maya API

Coding experience in python

WORK EXPERIENCE

2007-2008            Technical Director

Space Chimps Vanguard animation– Vancouver BC , Canada

· Tools creation and maintenance for the lighting/rendering pipeline.

· Technical support for the lighters.

· Problem solving for shots.

2006 – 2007 Character Setup Supervisor

Outlander ( Ascendant Pictures film) – Toronto , Canada

· Designed and scripted the character pipeline.

· Designed and created animation rigs for alien creatures as well as digital doubles.

· Developed tools for the animation team, scripted an automated caching process on the render farm.

· Designed and implemented a fast and controllable character simulation process, using a skin sliding/bulging plugin that I wrote.

2006 Lead Technical Director

The Faeries of Blackheath Woods– (short Film)

As part of SuperPrevis, I was called to help create The Faeries of Blackheath Woods a short film.

· Responsible for designing the pipeline for the animated assets, character rigging and Renderman shading networks.

2006 3D supervisor and Co –Creator

TaeKwonDo 3D

After the success of Aikido 3D we started to create TaeKwonDo 3D an interactive learning aid for the martial art Tae Kwon Do.

· Responsible for the pipeline design, overseeing the motion capture and R&D for the project.

· Supervised a team of 6 artists who executed the modeling, texturing, rigging and animation fixes.

2005-2006 Supervising TD

Locomotion DE - Düsseldorf, Germany

At this commercials production facility I set the work methods and pipeline for 3D commercials. Tasks included: job assessment, pipeline design for the jobs, working with clients, managing the work supplied by outsourcing, layout, modeling, animating, texturing, Renderman shaders, and lighting

2004-2005 Character TD Supervisor

“Happily N’Ever After” CG Feature Film -BFC – Berliner Film Company

BFC brought me to Berlin to continue working on “Happily N’Ever After” which I had started at DPSI (Israel), as Character TD Supervisor.

At BFC I managed five separate teams working in different locations around the world. In this position I developed and designed a standardized creature Rig for animation, keeping in mind a tight schedule and 99 characters that had to be shared amongst these five teams.

The standardized rig creation was scripted to minimize time for rigging process, maintain creative control over the rig for specific characters, and have standard animation controls making it easier to get familiar with the tools as well as switching between the different characters.

I also designed a modular approach for the animation rigs which allowed collaborative work done on the same rig among the different rigging teams.

2003-2004 3D supervisor and Co –Creator

Aikido 3D

Aikido3D is a unique, interactive 3D training aide, designed to offer innovative ways to explore Aikido techniques and form.

· Designed and modeled the 3D characters; supervised the motion capture sessions, rigged the characters and provided extra animation and corrections to the motion capture data Designed and executed a scripted approach to the creation and export process to real-time 3D technology, allowing the team to collaborate from different parts of the world throughout the creation of the product.

· Aikido 3D is sold via the dedicated web site www.aikido3d.com to Aikido enthusiasts from all over the world.

2003-2004 Lead Technical Director

“Happily N’Ever After”CG Feature Film DPSI - part of IDT Entertainment

As Lead Technical Director my role was to assist on all aspects of the digital production, modeling, character rigging, Mel scripting to enhance workflow, particle effects and dynamics, rendering and implementing a production pipeline flexible enough to accommodate changes in design and story.

2002-2003 Senior Modeler / Animator

Gravity Post Production - Israel’s largest post production facility

· Created commercials for major companies such as Coca Cola, Osem, Cellular network companies, The Weizman Institute, and Government companies.

· Tasks included: job estimates, working with clients, modeling, animating, texturing, and lighting

2001–2002 Senior 3D animation specialist – freelance

· Worked with a range of clients, providing high-end 3D animation to be integrated in commercials and advertising campaigns.

· Designed and animated 5 CG commercials for Corona Beer, to be broadcasted on television and in movie theaters

· Designed and animated program packaging for a talk show titled “limousine”, to be aired on Israeli cable channel, “channel 10”.

· Designed and animated a game for the Bloomfield Science Museum, Jerusalem “House on Mars” exhibition.

2000-2001 Senior 3D Animation Specialist

Suny.com

Suny.com is one of Israel’s largest Internet companies. It operated www.tapuz.co.il/, one of the three major internet portals as well as www.gonext.co.il/ , Israel’s first cellular portal.

Icity.com is an international effort to create a virtual 3d world incorporating high level of social structure, as well as commercial aspects. The project was designed as a case study to observe users identification with virtual assets as well as explore the possibilities of enhancing web experience through the use of the 3d interface.

I was hired during the first stages of the project to explore and test evolving real time 3D technologies to be incorporated in the project for the commercial stage.

· Helped design the information architecture and social aspects of the 3d world.

· Supervised two teams of content creation (modeling, animation and programming) located in Germany and in Russia.

  · Attended 3D VRML conference in Monterey, CA and 3D design conference in Santa Clara, CA as a part of the research program

1999-2000 Head of 3D Department

ShortCut Films. LTD – Tel Aviv Israel

ShortCut Films is one of Israel’s leading Broadcast design companies, creating graphic packaging to TV channels like “YTV”,” Keshet”,” Telemania”, “Ego” “Bip”, as well as numerous program IDs and commercials.

As a part of the creative team of ShortCut Films, I was involved in all aspects of in house projects from the initial concept, through storyboarding, including technical supervision of shooting, 3d animation, and supervising the compositing stage.

Created and animated commercials for “Sakal electronics”, “Dr. Fisher” ,” Straus”, ” Regbba”, “ Arutzei Zahav”, “Matav”.” Noga”, and ”Keshet”.

1996–1998 Freelance 3D animator, Graphic Artist

· Created animations and design for TV commercials and promos for Arutzei Zahav, and Tevel (Two of the three cable companies in Israel), as well as for Keshet broadcasting Company, Noga communications and the Israeli Broadcasting Association (IBA).

· 3D animations and content creation for the Moon Company. (Multimedia CD’s and web content both on the Israeli market as well as international clients)

Projects include:

MainXchange – a stock market simulation game for the Web.

Orange – modeling and animation of cellular phones to be used on “Getting Started” CDs provided to cellular company customers.

Web authoring for the Radcom and Bank Hapoalim sites.

MainXchange Guided Tour - Authored an introduction CD for the MainXchange web game.

1995 –1996 Music composer and animation supervisor

Baron Technologies, Haifa, Israel

As part of the creative team of Baron Technologies in charge of developing a multimedia game with following responsibilities:

· Writing, performing, and recording the music score and sound effects for the game.

· Supervising a team of 2 animators coordinating the animation to the music written.

· Helped design the content for the game.

1994-1995 Freelance 3D/Graphic artist

· Created Multimedia presentations for architects helping them to convey their architectural design to potential clients.

· Served as graphic designer at various ad agencies. Services included photo retouching and compositing for print ads and billboards.

· Served as the technical administrator of the graphic design studio for advertising agency Biletzki Armoni

· Responsible for all technical aspects of the computerized studio: configuration, network, software and hardware purchases and set up.

Education

2002 Gave one-semester course at Ascola Design Academy titled -

“Presentation and Animation - using visual and movie techniques to communicate ideas”.

1985–1988 Graduated at Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music

Hobbies: motorcycles, music, running, film and music.