Rich Schreck

For VFX artist Rich Schreck, one of the partners at Nice Shoes, it’s all about the details. With a list of clients that includes Calvin Klein, Movado, and Estee Lauder — not to mention American Express, IBM and Coca-Cola — retouching and beauty work play to his strengths. StudioDaily tracked him down (in Montauk!) to answer our boilerplate Five Questions about work and play.


Q: What are you working on today?

A: I’m working on catching a fish in Montauk. If I was at Nice Shoes, I’d be working on a “top secret” promo for a film coming out soon that features tremendous creative and technical work.

Q: What’s the best tool or innovation that you’ve found in the last year?

A: The latest camera tracking software (specifically PFTrack) keeps getting better and better. It’s so smart and fast at tracking camera moves and objects that it is another bridge from 2D to 3D work. The same goes for the newest releases of Nuke and Flame. It really is all 3D compositing now.

Q: What’s the film, TV program, commercial or music video that most impressed you in the last year, and why?

A: I loved the look and techniques in District 9. I’m not a big sci-fi guy, but the technology and skill of the artists and the documentary format let you forget you’re watching animation, which allows you to focus on the fears, injustices and brutality of the issues of immigration without the usual ethnic identities and associations the audience typically has. It was technology in service to the story, not the main attraction, and it was done brilliantly.

Q: What’s your favorite of the projects that you worked on in the past year? And why?

A: I have been privileged to work with the director Fabien Baron and the editor Frank Snider on several projects, including a couple of Calvin Klein spots over the last year. It’s just absolutely beautiful stuff that I’m lucky to be able to retouch, composite and finish.

Q: Who are the top four artists on your iPod?

A: Well, I’m on a major Black Keys jag right now. I listen to all the albums plus the side projects – the BlackRoc collaboration with some great hip-hop artists and Dan Auerbach’s solo album. I’m also hooked on the Ciao My Shining Star compilation of the songs of Mark Mulcahy. He fronted the band Miracle Legion back in my college days, and he has a tremendous body of songs that have been covered here by artists such as Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, Frank Black, etc., to raise money for Mark’s kids in the wake of his wife’s tragic death. It is beautiful stuff!