10 Questions with Chun Yao Chang

Chun Yao Chang, also known as Luke, was born in Taiwan. From a young age, he embarked on a journey with his beloved environmental design, armed with just a piece of paper and a pen.

With a solid foundation in art, Chang's career has spanned diverse roles, including graphic designer, stereoscopic artist, game environment artist, and now, senior VFX artist at Framestore New York. In addition to his professional work, he shares his expertise as an adjunct professor at Montclair State University.

Chang has spent years dedicated to visual effects, and his portfolio features an impressive array of projects, including acclaimed works such as "The Walking Dead" series, "The Perfect Couple" on Netflix, "Invasion" on Apple TV, "The Righteous Gemstones" on HBO, and "Only Murders in the Building" on Hulu. His creative talents also extend to commercials for major brands like Amazon Prime, Gucci, Target, Samsung, and much more. Through these projects, Chang brings imagination to life, elevating storytelling and captivating audiences with his mastery of visual effects.

www.cchunyao.com | @cycsdesign

ARTIST STATEMENT

Chun Yao Chang is a New York-based Visual Effects Artist. Specializing as a VFX Compositor, Matte Painter, and Environment Artist, Chang creates visual effects for films, TV episodes, and commercials. Thriving on the exhilarating challenge of transforming conceptual visions into visual marvels, Chang breathes life into the static through a delicate dance of light, color, and motion, inviting viewers to journey beyond the mundane and into the extraordinary.

To Chang, each project is an odyssey of discovery, a voyage into uncharted territories of creativity and innovation. With a relentless pursuit of excellence and an unwavering commitment to craft, Chang navigates the ever-evolving currents of technology and artistic expression, pushing boundaries and reshaping perceptions with the design of digital artworks.

INTERVIEW

First of all, tell us more about your artistic journey. When did you first get interested in art, and how did you develop into the artist you are today?

I liked art since I was a kid. I started from a curiosity toward the environment, wondering why things exist in a certainshape and color. I enjoyed observing nature, people, and creatures and studying the appearance transition between seasons, nations, and cultures both in real life and on TV. I drew down stuff that interested me with just a few colored pencils and a small sketchbook. My elementary teacher told my parents that I had talent in the arts. Then, my art journey began. With my family and art teachers' support, I went through traditional arts, 2D graphic design, and 3D animation, then transferred to visual development that can utilize art theories and tech software to visualize concepts for films, TV episodes, and commercial needs.

You have worked across different mediums and techniques, from graphic designer, stereoscopic artist, and game environment artist, to being a VFX artist at Framestore New York. What inspired you to transition from graphic design and game environment art to visual effects?

I am passionate about various art forms and enjoy learning new techniques. I began exploring digital arts in college, where I majored in visual design and learned to use Adobe software for 2D graphic design. I found it fascinating to play with composition and color. However, I wasn't satisfied with just 2D techniques, especially after seeing many impressive films and video game clips. So, I taught myself 3D software, self-tough 3D modeling, and applied for a 3D modeling artist role in a game company in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. I enjoyed creating 3D environment models for AAA games like "Horizon" and "Hitman." In the meanwhile, I realized it took several years and a big team to finish a big game project in 3D. So I decided to learn a compositing skill, which the movie industry use to bring the concept, raw footage, and 3D rendering together and visualize a script into high-quality moving pictures efficiently. So, I quit my job in Taiwan and went to the School of Visual Arts in New York and started my VFX journey in 2019 after I graduated. I still feel that it is one of the best decisions I have made, and it gave me the opportunity to do the visual effects and matte painting for films, TV shows, and commercials like a dream come true.

Speaking of your work, could you describe your creative process for a typical VFX project, from initial concept to final execution? How do you approach each stage of development?

I explore lots of art works and browse the production news every day. When I have a certain idea in my mind. I started to do lots of research and organized them according to its culture, style, atmosphere and started with my initial concept.
First, I will make a stretch in Photoshop to play around with composition, color tone, and silhouette. After the concept is settled, I will move into Maya, blender, and other 3D software to create a high-resolution CG render and do the compositing in Nuke to finalize the project.
Sometimes, when I come across intriguing clips, I imagine many possibilities of how the scene would look if a different civilization existed in this place. I brainstorm various ideas and then follow my production process to visualize them. 

Your artist statement mentions a "delicate dance of light, color, and motion." How do you achieve this balance in your work, and what does it mean to you personally?

To me, lighting is key to creating a compelling atmosphere. Even in a simple scene, good lighting can result in beautiful work. Cinemographs can tell stories through their lighting and camera angles. Different combinations of color tone, perspective, composition, and focal length can evoke various feelings in viewers.
I focus on a realistic style in my work, therefore making accurate color grading crucial. To integrate all elements seamlessly and make visual effects unnoticeable, I study how camera lenses work, including Focal Length, grain, lens distortion, motion blur, and bokeh, to create photorealistic moving images. I apply these lighting principles in my work, and adjusting different setups based on the same concept which is always enjoyable to me.

What inspires and motivates you in your work, and how do you keep your creativity flowing?

My inspiration comes from multiple ways. A dream I had, a film I watched, an incident that I encountered. In my free time, I love watching movies and TV episodes, playing video games and taking photos while traveling. I carry my Sony camera everywhere to capture beautiful moments like colorful clouds, children playing in the park, architecture, and mountains. These photos become valuable resources when I start a new project.
Some films that have significantly influenced me include The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Terminator, and Dune. These high-budget films feature stunning art concepts that inspire me greatly. I like experimenting to see if I can replicate the shot in a similar feeling with a much smaller team and a shorter production time. I find the process of creating something new enjoyable, and it's always fun to interact with other artists who share my interests.

As an adjunct professor at Montclair State University, how do you balance your professional work with teaching, and what do you enjoy most about mentoring the next generation of artists?

Even though managing both production and teaching can sometimes be challenging, especially with tight project schedules, I love to share my workflow and experience with young talents. I also talk about the latest news in the industrywith my students hoping that it makes their career hunting path easier.  The process of teaching and interaction is always joyful and motivates me to learn something new as well.
Each semester, we have midterm and final projects. It's always exciting to review my students' assignments and have a discussion with them. After they learned the technical skills from the course, I had a chance to appreciate their art style and ideas, which made me feel younger by engaging with young students.

How do you stay current with the rapidly evolving technology in the VFX industry, and how does this impact your work?

To me, the visual effects (VFX) industry is a fast-paced working environment where artists are required to find efficient ways to complete projects quickly. One of the challenging parts is to keep sharpening my eyes and staying up-to-date with new technologies, including new features of the software, new plug-ins, and add-ons that come out frequently. Therefore, continuously learning new skills and methods is crucial.
In addition, the well-developed AI in images and video creation is exciting but also terrifying. Even though it hasn't metthe quality level of the film industry nowadays, its ability to create artwork rapidly might eventually replace many human-held positions. Conversely, the good side of AI is that it is speedy and smart. Many companies are changing their pipeline because of AI. I believe AI tech will eventually change the whole VFX industry. Personally, AI helps me launch my ideas, write a script, and achieve better results in a shorter time, which triggers me to experience more.  

You've worked on well-known series like "The Walking Dead" and "Only Murders in the Building." Which project has been the most challenging or rewarding for you?

There are many fun and challenging projects in my mind. One recent project I'd like to share is a show on Apple TV called "Sugar." It's a story about a skillful private investigator rescuing a beloved granddaughter, featuring Academy Award nominee Colin Farrell.
I served as a main VFX compositor and a matte painter in this show. My task is to develop an outer planet environment for the last episode. This is quite challenging since Sebastien, Benjamin, and I started everything from sketches. We startwith building scenes with different shapes of rocks, bushes, and hills, importing stars and planets in the sky, and changing the plate to a cyan-purple tone to stylize the cinematic frames. Our FX team created tiny birds using CG tech and animated them into flowing particles that switch their color in the sky to make the environment feel alive and unique. To achieve the best result, we explored different compositions, textures, and color grading to meet our clients' satisfaction.I am grateful to have had this chance to work on such a project that I had room to be more creative in visual development. 

What are your future goals or dream projects regarding your professional work and your personal artistic development? 

I would like to continue with my journey in VFX and environmental arts and delve deeper into this field. Regarding my dream project, some fantasy stories that happened in the medieval period are the ones that interest me the most. Some of the well-known IPs that I look forward to a chance to work in are like The Lord of the Rings series or a knight of the seven kingdoms. To prepare for such opportunities, I will keep honing my skills by working on company projects and personal artwork.

And lastly, how do you envision your career evolving over the next few years?

I'm not able to predict the exact path to my future, but I really enjoy what I'm doing now. I feel like I will keep working in the VFX industry and teaching young talents as I see Visual Effect as a lifelong career, regardless of how fast things can be changed in this field. In the meanwhile, I plan to work on more personal stuff in order to consistently fuel my passion and enjoy the process of creating art.
By working more on personal projects, I will not only be able to put my own ideas into the real thing without being influenced too much by others, but it is also a journey to discover something new I love while having such freedom of creation. 

Artist’s Talk

Al-Tiba9 Interviews is a promotional platform for artists to articulate their vision and engage them with our diverse readership through a published art dialogue. The artists are interviewed by Mohamed Benhadj, the founder & curator of Al-Tiba9, to highlight their artistic careers and introduce them to the international contemporary art scene across our vast network of museums, galleries, art professionals, art dealers, collectors, and art lovers across the globe.