Karachi: This summer, when the audiences see the The Hulk and the Hulkbuster going head-to-head in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, they would be well advised to remember that a Pakistani visual effects artist played an integral part in making that scene a reality.
Originally from Lahore, Wajid Raza has now settled in the United States and is working at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), a motion pictures visual effects company and a division of the Lucasfilm, something which would be a source of envy for countless fanboys.
Despite holding a Master of Fine Arts from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), digital arts and visual effect was not something straightforward for Raza. The ‘sub-continental culture’ of choosing between engineering and medicine did come into play and he acquired a degree in computer sciences from the Government college of Lahore.
Raza’s career seems to be coinciding with the revival of the Pakistani film industry but he believes that the industry is still in its infancy from a VFX standpoint.
Filmography:
2015 – AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (currently in production) – Lighting Technical Director
2014 – TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES – Production Engineer (Technology)
2013 – NOW YOU SEE ME – Production Support (Technology)
2013 – STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS – Digital Artist (Technology)
2012 – BATTLESHIP – Pipeline TD
2011 – PIRATES OF CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES – Pipeline TD
2011 – RANGO – Layout Artist