Unreal For VFX by Josh Toonen

Are you a filmmaker looking to elevate your movies and ideas to the next level? Perhaps you’re a VFX artist, eager to enhance your skills, but scattered YouTube tutorials aren’t solving your problems. Or maybe you’re an industry pro, comfortable with Maya, Cinema4D, or Blender, but find the transition to Unreal steep and intimidating.

HEY FILMMAKERS AND VFX ARTISTS! I’M JOSH TOONEN.

You might not recognize me, but you’ve probably seen my work! For the last 8 years, I’ve been working as an Artist and Supervisor on Hollywood VFX for movies like Star Wars IX, Dungeons & Dragons, and Across the Spiderverse.

BUT THAT’S NOT WHERE I STARTED!

Ever felt like the odds of “making it” were stacked against you? Me too. In fact, I grew up in a small town with zero industry connections and dropped out my first semester in college. But I had a burning passion for filmmaking and a love of cinema. I would stop at nothing until I learned how to make the films I loved watching at the movie theater.

But it wasn’t until I learned Unreal Engine 5 that I got to live my dream: working on-set for the Virtual Production of Avatar the Last Airbender. There I was, controlling the World’s Largest LED Stage. Surrounded by studio lights, cinema-grade cameras, actors, and extras. It was everything I’d dreamed of. The massive sets. The buzz of the crew. Building sci-fi and fantasy worlds and bringing them to life! It was like the movies I loved, but I was in them.