HaZ Dullul – ‘Beyond the Pixels’
HaZ is one of those industry whirlwinds. His LinkedIn profile is unlike many you’ll see: VFX Artist > VFX Supervisor > VFX Producer > Writer > Director > Professor > Founder…he seems to have done it all, and is more than happy to share his knowledge in the process.
Recently announcing his step back from HaZimation, which developed and produced IP projects, HaZ is now focusing on his new venture: Beyond The Pixels. As part of our new series ‘VFX Circle’ we’ll be sharing unique stories and delving into what matters in our industry right now. Here are some highlights from our conversation, which you can watch, in full, below:
HaZ Highlights:
- “I always tell everyone: update your LinkedIn with every job you do because you’re going to forget and sometimes that tiny little job that you did for a few weeks, could be the thing that triggers your big gig in a year’s time.”
- Whilst working as a VFX Supervisor, HaZ was making short films in the very small amount of spare time he had. One of these “popped” and essentially began his directorial journey…
- Through these filmmaking ventures, HaZ was making a name for himself and started seeing interest from the big studios eg Fox, Netflix and Disney.
- Through using Unreal Engine for PreVis, HaZ started using Unreal to make movies which opened more doors.
- Having a VFX background as a director helped excel communication and overall production for projects. All directors should understand VFX!
- On AI: “If studio execs see there’s a way to save money then they are going to look into it, regardless. AI will keep getting better, but we need to push the ethics behind it and change legislation.”
- “I was very reactive when I was younger and everything was ‘go, go, go!’ but nowadays I spend more time listening to others and taking time to process what’s around me. I think [if I’d done this sooner] I would have been less stressed!”
- “People leaving Uni now are more tech savvy and entrepreneurial than ever. The possibilities are changing, you don’t need to be an assistant doing menial tasks for years, there are more options. (But I’m glad I got to do Rotoscoping).”
- “I’m excited about the future of YouTube. You can skip the usual gatekeepers and become a producer, essentially.”
- I’m not fearful of AI, I’m excited about it because of the technological empowerment it can give to artists. I’m also excited about those who are looking into ways to make it ethical.”
Watch Our Interview
More of a podcast person?
Listen to our talk via Spotify by clicking this link or watching below (more platforms coming soon):