Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The Importance of the Human Connection in the Digital Workflow

06/03/2013

Wayne Brinton, VFX Supervisor at Modus FX

The Importance of the Human Connection in the Digital Workflow

For visual effects supervisor Wayne Brinton, the secret to doing great work is great relationships. That means that the first task in every job is to put a face to the name. Not only does work move more smoothly that way, but for Brinton, even a short period of time together on set can save days of work back at the studio.

Everything starts and ends with people, said Brinton. Sure, you can talk about a project over the phone, but clients only really get to know you, and the skills you bring to their film, when they meet you and see you in action. The dynamic changes from a business relationship into a working partnership. That's why it's important for me to interact directly with our clients in Hollywood.

The most recent example of this came with Brinton's work on the set of Parker, starring Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez. Until Brinton was able to visit the director, producers and editor in Los Angeles, he was just a voice on the other end of the line and Modus FX was a facility in a faraway place.

Click here for the making of Parker

I went down to LA and met with the director, Taylor Hackford, the postproduction supervisor, Lisa Dennis and their team. I introduced myself, told them about Modus, and explained how we'd approach the work. Once you've met, and are comfortable with each other, you can do anything.

Wayne's style of dealing with people captures the way Modus approaches work with our clients, said Yanick Wilisky, co-founder and VP production at Modus FX. They have to have faith, not only in the quality of work coming out of the studio, but in the people who work here. With Wayne, they quickly gain confidence that he will support them to do their job on set and that Modus will deliver the work the way they want it.

Being On Set Means Saving Time

On set, Brinton can see live what's being shot and what the CG artists will be working with. Since he knows the visual effects tasks exactly, he can anticipate challenges before they happen. Sometimes it might take five extra minutes to reshoot something, but it can save days of CG work. This happened with their work on Parker, where Modus worked with the second unit.

A few of the shots were bigger than they had anticipated, Brinton explained. I went to LA to set up shots with the director. We helped Taylor with camera set ups, angles and framing for the shots. I was only there for one day, but it made all the difference when we got to post.

One gruesome scene in Parker shows a hand being stabbed. The original plan called for doing the whole shot with a prosthetic hand, but Brinton could see it wasn't going to end up looking realistic enough without a real hand.

I explained that they could shoot the actor's hand instead and then use the prosthesis only to show the knife being pulled out, Brinton said. Then we could take the blade, the wound and blood spurting out, and comp it onto the real hand. I could only do this by being on set. I'm guessing we saved three days of compositing on this shot alone.

The Path to VFX Supervisor

Brinton started out as a junior compositor in Toronto in 1997, before beginning an eight year stint at Hybride in 1999. There he worked on such high-profile projects as Art of War, the Spy Kids franchise and 300. His supervising career began when he moved to the Montreal office of Mr. X where he provided on-set supervision for Beastly and was VFX supervisor for the facility's work on Source Code, which was nominated for a VES award. Then, in 2011, he joined Modus FX, where his first job was as VFX supervisor on Mirror Mirror.

Modus was called in to help out on Mirror Mirror and we had only eight weeks to do almost 200 shots, Brinton said. The most rewarding part of that job was turning out such a large number of shots in such a short time. We accomplished it all without any stress on the company. Everyone worked extra hours, but we came out of it smiling.

In addition to Parker and Mirror Mirror, Brinton served as VFX supervisor for Modus FX on The Avengers and several other Hollywood projects. When on set, Brinton is directly available to the director, watching the video feeds and ensuring that the visual effects shots are optimized for postproduction.

Generally, we let directors go where they need to go with the story. They're more comfortable and the process is more organic that way. It's my responsibility to make sure we get shots that we can work with and I use my judgment about when to step in. This is where the trust and the personal relationship come in. We're there to support the creative process.

If we present a new idea to a client, it's my job as VFX supervisor to show them how we can do it and why it will work, Brinton said.

We brought Wayne on board, not only for his technical gifts as a compositor, but for the way he deals with people, said Marc Bourbonnais, co-founder and president of Modus FX. He's able to bring his team with him to produce high-quality work and is supportive of our clients throughout the project.

As a facility Modus is moving quickly toward being in control of the visual effects for entire projects, which is the way I like to work, Brinton said. As we take on more and more of the visual effects supervision on projects, the studios and production companies are seeing how well it works, and how much more efficiently we can deliver their shots. We enjoy this level of interaction with the client, and the projects benefit greatly from having a better pipeline. Ultimately everyone wins that way.

Directed by Taylor Hackford, Parker stars Jason Statham, Jennifer Lopez and Nick Nolte. The film saw theatrical release on Jan. 25, 2013.
LINK: http://modusfx.com/news-press/the-importance-of-the-human-connection-i...
See more stories from modus

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

16/04/2026

AJA to Acquire Video Encoding Software Company Comprimato

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/04/2026

NAB Show 2026: Sony Announces New Cameras, Virtual Production Tools

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/04/2026

Synamedia launches GO Shorts

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/04/2026

Clear-Com Introduces Arcadia and Eclipse HX Updates

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/04/2026

AJA Enters into Agreement to Acquire Video Encoding Software Company Comprimato

AJA Enters into Agreement to Acquire Video Encoding Software Company Comprimato Brie Clayton April 15, 2026 0 Comments Deal will expand AJA's video ...

16/04/2026

Deity Announces PR-4 Compact Field Recorder with Pre-Orders Launching April 14

Deity Announces PR-4 Compact Field Recorder with Pre-Orders Launching April 14 Brie Clayton April 15, 2026 0 Comments Deity Microphones today announce...

16/04/2026

Berklee's First Homecoming Brings Global Alumni to Boston for a Block Party Celebration

Berklee's First Homecoming Brings Global Alumni to Boston for a Block Party ...

15/04/2026

BBC World Service TV Selects Open Broadcast Systems IP Decoders for Global Distribution

Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BBC World Service has selected its IP ...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: LiveU Expands Collaboration with Sony to Include File-Based Workflow Integration

LiveU has announced an expansion of its collaboration with Sony Corporation, add...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Ateme and NVIDIA Announce Immersive Video Workflow for Apple Vision Pro

Ateme has announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to support live Apple Immersive ...

15/04/2026

Professional Fighters League Renews Multi-Year Partnership with DAZN DACH

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has announced a multi-year partnership renewal with DAZN DACH, covering Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, and...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Canon Sets New Benchmark with CINE-SERVO 40-1200m Lens; New Remote Camera Controller Supports Up to 200 Cameras

Canon U.S.A. (NAB Booth C3825) today took the lid off of the CINE-SERVO 40-1200m...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Panasonic and NEP Group to Demonstrate KAIROS and NEP Platform Integration

Panasonic Video and Audio Systems North America and NEP Group will demonstrate a...

15/04/2026

Exclusive Wasabi Report: AI Spending Is Surging, But ROI Tells a Different Story

For the fourth year running, independent analysts found businesses across all industries and verticals pay roughly the same amount in fees as they spend on stor...

15/04/2026

NBC Sports to Broadcast The Soccer Tournament Live on NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN, May 30-June 1

The Soccer Tournament (TST) has announced a media rights deal with NBC Sports to...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: JB&A Announces Exhibitors for Pre-NAB 2026 Technology Event

JB&A will host the Pre-NAB 2026 Technology Event on April 17-18 at Flamingo Las Vegas, ahead of NAB Show. The event features hands-on demonstrations and technic...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Sennheiser Group to Exhibit with Spectera and AMBEO Updates

The Sennheiser Group will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth 4931, Central Hall), with demonstrations from Sennheiser, Neumann, and Merging across three areas: Rel...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: NAB Show 2026 to Feature Expanded AI, Sports, and Creator Economy Programming

NAB Show 2026 will take place April 18-22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, wi...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: AI-Media Launches LEXI Text Encoder and LEXI Voice Encoder

AI-Media has announced the LEXI Text Encoder and LEXI Voice Encoder at NAB Show 2026, the company's first new encoder hardware release in more than a decade...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Cartoni Debuts New Camera Support Products

Italian camera support manufacturer Cartoni will introduce several new products at NAB Show 2026 (Booth C6540, Central Hall), including the Master 30 OB fluid h...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Lawo and swXtch.io Sign MOU to Explore groundSwXtch Integration

Lawo and swXtch.io have announced a memorandum of understanding at NAB Show 2026, under which Lawo will explore incorporating swXtch.io's groundSwXtch softw...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: CacheFly to Demonstrate New CDN Features

CacheFly will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (Booth W3129, April 19-22, Las Vegas Convention Center), showcasing three new additions to its content delivery platform:...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026: Synamedia Launches GO Shorts for Mobile-First Short-Form Video

Synamedia has announced GO Shorts, a new module within its Synamedia Go OTT platform that uses AI to convert an operator's existing content library into a s...

15/04/2026

NAB 2026 Preview, Central Hall: Everything You Need To Know Heading Into the Show

The NAB Show kicks off on Saturday, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams a...

15/04/2026

AJA Video Systems to Acquire Video Encoding Software Company Comprimato

AJA Video Systems has announced an agreement to acquire Comprimato, a live video encoding and processing software company. The deal will unite the two companies...

15/04/2026

NBA Playoffs 2026: Prime Vision, Prime Insights Offer New Data-Driven Experiences for NBA Fans

Prime Video Sports' NBA Playoffs coverage, which includes the entire SoFi NB...

15/04/2026

Top Live-Sound-System Manufacturers Team Up To Better Manage Stadium Noise

Just announced, the SDE standard provides a unified method and file format to ensure consistent and reliably comparable noise predictions Sports and entertainm...

15/04/2026

Spotify Podcast Awards Return to Celebrate Latin America's Most Influential Voices

From immersive storytelling to laugh-out-loud comedies, podcasts are booming in ...

15/04/2026

Spotify Expands Audiobook Features, and Printed Book Sales Go Live in the US and UK

Books have always moved with us, whether tucked in our bags or humming in our he...

15/04/2026

Spotify and NIVA Partner to Support Independent Venues Across the US

For many artists, independent venues are where music careers begin and fan communities take shape. Independent venue operators work hard every day to keep local...

15/04/2026

Spotify Editors Reveal Their Picks for Best Book of the Century (So Far)

From gripping thrillers to poignant memoirs, the 21st century has had no shortage of unforgettable books. To celebrate the standout storytelling of our modern e...

15/04/2026

SonicWorld introduce Telsie T

Vintage broadcast experts release second plug-in Telsie T is the second plug-in to be released by SonicWorld, a German audio company who specialise in servi...

15/04/2026

UAD Explore Free from Universal Audio

Includes eight free UAD plug-ins Universal Audio's latest bundle brings together a selection of their renowned plug-ins and virtual instruments, and is ...

15/04/2026

Maximum uptime for broadcasters: Rohde & Schwarz launches R&SBroadcastShield at NAB 2026

Maximum uptime for broadcasters: Rohde & Schwarz launches R&S BroadcastShield at...

15/04/2026

WIDOW: The Mission Software Defining Rotary Strike

Image courtesy of MD Helicopters...

15/04/2026

L3Harris Announces Billion Dollar Expansion to Boost Solid Rocket Motor Production in Orange County, Virginia

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, L3Harris VP Mark Farley, and state and local l...

15/04/2026

Advancing America's Space Defense: L3Harris Completes Critical Milestone on Way to Delivering GBOSS Capability to the Warfighter

U.S. Space Forces Ground-Based Optical Sensor System upgrade at the Maui Space S...

15/04/2026

Winter Olympics, Super Bowl Power NBCU-Versant to Gold Medal Performance in Nielsen's February Gauge Reports

NBCU-Versant notches 13.1% of TV viewing in February, its best since August 2024...

15/04/2026

Nielsen CMI shows New Zealand's over-65s are a growing, cashed-up and still-working audience brands can't ignore

New data reveals older Kiwis are financially resilient, loyal to local products,...

15/04/2026

aconnic launches ACCEED 4430 10 Gigabit system for high volume enterprise and business service aggregation

aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, announces the market launch of the ACCE...

15/04/2026

Autocue to Mark 2026 NAB Show Debut of its New PTZ Prompter

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/04/2026

Locality Deploys Nielsen's Media Data Engine

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/04/2026

Viant Announces Agreement to Acquire TVision

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

15/04/2026

Evergent introduces Agentic Revenue Orchestration Platfor...

Evergent introduces its Agentic Revenue Orchestration Platform, transforming how subscription businesses across direct-to-consumer streaming, pay-TV, telecommun...