About me

ChemaDelFresnoParkLondon

Hi there!

My name is Jose del Fresno (aka Chema), and I am a Senior Houdini FX Artist and Technical Director (TD) from Barcelona, with over 20 years of professional experience in live-action and 3D animation movies, TV advertising, TV series, and 3D stereoscopy.

What I do

My main area of expertise is creating high-quality, innovative and non-usual FX,  focusing on:

  • Particle and Fluid Simulations: Oceans, rivers, rain, storms, foam, dust, smoke, clouds, and other natural or magical phenomena.
  • Dynamic Effects: Hair, fur, cloth simulations, and crowd dynamics.
  • Unique and Out-of-the-Box Solutions: Tackling creative challenges and developing bespoke effects that stand out.
  • Python Scripting and Tool Development: Developing tools to enhance workflows and production processes and pipelines. My passion lies in tackling unique, out-of-the-box challenges that push creative and technical boundaries.

Tools and experience

  • My primary tool is Houdini, though I have previously worked extensively with Softimage XSI ICE.
  • I also have experience in Character TD/Rigging, adding versatility to my skill set.
  • My experience includes working a few years with Maya.

Passions and interests

When I am not creating FX, you can find me exploring robotics, or immersing myself in video games and music, playing synthesizer, whether solo or in jam sessions.

Career highlights

I have had the privilege of working at leading studios, contributing to high-profile projects:

  • El Ranchito (Madrid, Spain):
    • Society of the Snow (J.A. Bayona) (Goya Award Winner for Best VFX, European Film Awards (EFA) Winner for Best VFX, VES Award Nominée for VFX).
    • Shadow and Bone (Seasons 1 & 2): Created the iconic creature Nichevo’ya (VES Award Nominée for VFX).
    • See (Season 2) (VES Award Nominée for VFX).
  • Framestore (London, UK):
    • Wonder Woman 1984.
    • Dolittle.
    • Fast and Furious: Hobbs & Shaw.
  • Double Negative (London, UK):
    • Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
    • Avengers: Infinity War.
    • Mission Impossible: Fallout.
    • Justice League.
    • Pacific Rim: Uprising.
  • MPC (London, UK):
    • The Lion King (Academy Award and VES Award Winner for VFX)
    • The Jungle Book (Academy Award and BAFTA Award Winner for VFX).
    • Spectre.
    • The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.
    • Passengers.
    • X -Men: Apocalypse
  • Passion Pictures (London, UK):
    • Nike World Cup Ad: The Last Game.
    • Compare the Meerkat and Les Furets
  • Red Knuckles (London, UK)

Early career

Before moving to London, I honed my skills in Spain, working for:

  • Entropy Studio (Zaragoza, Spain):
    • The award-winning sci-fi film Eva directed by Kike Maillo (Goya Award, Gaudi Award, Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival Award, 2012)
    • National tv advertisements as the Christmas National Lottery La fábrica de los sueños 2012, TV series as El barco and Galerias Velvet, and . Other movies: Todo es silencio, De tu ventana a la mía, Silencio en la nieve.
    • Entropy studio logo fx neuron introduction website, Rodar y rodar logo header, Gas natural, Telefónica Bravo…
  • Enne Entertainment (Salamanca, Spain): The Old Chair short film, where I contributed to character rigging for quadrupeds and tool programming with Mel in Maya.
  • Bren Entertainment (Santiago de Compostela, Spain): Donkey Xote (3D animation feature) Real Flow.

Lectures & contributions

  • Speaker at Mundos Digitales (2023) and b’Ars Barcelona (2023):
    “Nichevo, a particular creature” – Insights from “Shadow and Bone.”
  • Masterclass lecturer: 9zeros ECIB Barcelona (2017).
  • Speaker on RealFlow Simulations at II Tecsmedia Conferences, Walqa Technologic Park, Huesca, Spain (2013).
  • Book: EVA The Making of the movie (2012).

Personal journey

A self-taught enthusiast since discovering the Spectrum and Commodore computers, my love for technology led me to explore 3D with 3D Studio (MS-DOS) and programming with Pascal. I have also studied 3D at animation schools like Fak d’Art and 9zeros in Barcelona. I have experience as a multimedia teacher before advancing into VFX.

Why I love FX

Visual effects allow me to combine my passions for technology, and the study of natural phenomena. I thrive on technical challenges, finding creative solutions and I take pride in crafting stunning simulations that captivate audiences.

Thank you for visiting my page! I hope you enjoy exploring my work as much as I enjoy creating it.

Chema

Senior Houdini FX Artist & TD / Character Rigger