Visual Effects
Wasted Love
(Lance Drake)
(2014) 3:56 min.
VFX Supervisor and sole VFX artist: Chris Friend
As VFX Supervisor, Chris worked closely with the director to storyboard all the VFX shots and was highly active on set, making that all the footage would be successful. Chris was also the sole VFX artist pulling off some fantastic and highly cinematic shots, building a slick Tron-inspired universe.
Go Big Or Go Home
(American Authors)
(2010) 2:53 min.
Chris Friend: VFX Supervisor, VFX Aritst
Director Ethan Tobman challenged Chris to create an entire video in a stop-motion world. Supplied with only footage of the band and a folder of inspiration images, Chris created a rich 2.5D world in After Effects.
Cerre FW13
(Clayton Webster)
(2013) 2:30 min.
Co-directed and VFX by Chris Friend
Cerre, a high-fashion luxury brand, sought to make a gorgeous alternate reality, a stark, clean science fiction-inspired living fashion spread. Chris, as VFX Supervisor and co-director, delivered.
Strike Three
(Black Deer)
(2013) 3:20 min.
Written, Directed, Edited, and VFX by Chris Friend
As the director and VFX Supervisor, Chris had total control over the vision and cyberpunk world in Strike Three. Chris delivered an over-powering, psychedelic dystopian adventure.
WEATHER with Keegan-Michael Key
(Joss Wheadon)
(2016) 1:36 min.
3D animation by Chris Friend
Director Joss Wheadon tasked Chris with creating this whimsical weather board showing the spread of political chaos across America. Chris animated this in C4D using the Turbulence FD fluid simulation plugin.
I'm In Love With My Life
(Phases)
(2015) 3:28 min.
VFX Supervision and VFX by Chris Friend
Chris Friend was the on-set VFX supervisor for this shoot. Ethan Tobman was the director and planned for the whole video to appear as a single shot. Chris was responsible for all the visual effects to pull off this effect of seamlessness.
Endless Knight
(Dirty Robber)
(2013) 1:55 min.
VFX Supervision and VFX by Chris Friend
This was Chris’s first big VFX supervision job. Chris worked closely with director Oliver Riley-Smith in pre-production to storyboard, problem-solved this VFX-heavy spot, was deeply involved on set, and was the sole VFX artist.
Breathe
(Jennifer Sindon)
(2010) 1:04 min.
Chris Friend: Director
Fashion visionary Jennifer Sindon envisioned a stop-motion-inspired, living sculptural transformation. As VFX Supervisor, sole VFX artist, and stop-motion animator, Chris Friend helped realize her dream through careful planning and storyboarding.
Demonologist Book trailer
(Simon And Schuester)
(2013) 1:16 min.
Written, Directed, Edited, and VFX by Chris Friend
As the director and VFX supervisor, Chris was also the sole VFX artist. He created moody, 70’s horror film-inspired titles, 3d-tracked with a 3D particle field dissolve.
Ninja Gaiden Yiaba
(Dirty Robber)
(2012) 1:31 min.
co-VFX by Chris Friend (1/3 of shots)
Chris was part of a three-person team on this project to transform Keron Grant’s inspired artwork into 3D Sumi-e-inspired scenes. Chris was responsible for 1/3 of the shots.
Clockwork
(Lance Drake)
(2014) 3:44 min.
co-VFX by Chris Friend (1/2 of shots)
Director Lance Drake tasked Chris with developing a “Predator”-style invisibility/holographic suit.
Lost in Paradise
(Jennifer Sindon)
(2011) 0:18 min.
Co-directed and VFX by Chris Friend
Jennifer Sindon, a fashion designer and director, recruited Chris to bring an occult, LSD-inspired vision to life. Chris was the VFX Supervisor and sole VFX artist.
Chris Friend
When Chris was eight years old, his parents gave him a copy of the thick tome Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Special Effects; from then on, he was hooked on “movie magic.”
In 2010 he joined the Oscar-winning production house Dirty Robber as part of the three-man graphics department. He began as an expert rotoscope artist utilizing the articulated roto technique. From there, he became a compositing expert, moving on to become a VFX supervisor training VFX juniors and overseeing productions on set.
Soon he was working with clients such as Grammy award winner Lady Gaga, the Golden Globe-winning television series Mr. Robot, director Lance Drake, and darling of the Los Angeles art scene, Geneva Jacuzzi, on his own as VisionFriend.
Geneva Jacuzzi's Casket
(Password: Casket2021FF)
(2013) 5:26 min.
Written, Directed, Edited, VFX, and additional photography by Chris Friend
“Rose Tattoo” is the Dropkick Murphys MOST viewed video at 177 MILLION views as of 2023. Eight times more than their second most popular video at 22M.
