Among the newest additions to Rising Sun Pictures’ Brisbane Studio is lighting artist Matt Dorey. A 2018 recipient of the studio’s Graduate Certificate in Dynamic Effects and Lighting, Dorey began his career at Pixel Zoo, Brisbane, and earned his first screen credit at Mill Film Adelaide (now MPC) on the post-apocalyptic drama Love and Monsters (a 2021 Oscar nominee for Best Visual Effects). He also spent two years in Toronto at the studios Mr. X and MPC, contributing to projects including Cowboy Bebop, Nightmare Alley, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.
Dorey found his time abroad rewarding, but he’s happy to be back in Australia in his new role as a mid-level artist. “I’m looking forward to diving into the film projects we have going,” he says. “This opportunity arose at the perfect time. I’m excited to be at the company where I enjoyed studying.”
In fact, Dorey credits his rapid advancement to the time he spent training at RSP, calling it the ideal bridge between the University of South Australia, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, and the VFX industry.
“That’s when everything gelled,” he recalls. “The coursework at UniSA gave me a good grounding in the basics, while at RSP I learned what it means to be a junior artist. As a Graduate Certificate candidate, you are supported by working artists and mentors who teach you not only the skills you need, but how to work with others and where you fit in the pipeline.”
Dorey originally planned on a career in IT, but, as a student at UniSA, he found himself drawn to the artistic aspects of visual effects. Through introductory visual effects courses, he discovered he had a special affinity for lighting.
“To be successful in lighting, you need a highly creative mind, but also one that’s quite technical,” he says. “Your job is to tell a computer how to ‘write’ images. You don’t need to know all the technical nuts and bolts if you don’t have that inclination, but it helps to understand the steps in rendering an image. On the creative side, you need an eye for composition, good lighting and how to make things look beautiful.”