REBIRTH of gaea

personal project, 2006 - 2022...

Composed of several interwoven vignettes, this massive digital painting synthesizes modern conceptions of our place in the universe with those of the Ancient Greeks. Begun in 2006 as a project for my daughter, it depicts her and her siblings as gods and goddesses. 

The project I’m most proud of.

DEMO REEL

A MONTAGE OF MY VFX WORK, 1996 - 2021

I’ve been working in visual effects for 25 years, remotely since 2010. I started off at Computer Cafe (Cafe FX) and then was at SPIN in Atlanta for a few years. Freelanced in NYC for about 10 years and have been virtual since 2010.

SUPER BOWL LV

Creative director - augmented reality graphics (SILVERSPOON ANIMATION), 2020

The creative direction for Super Bowl LV was built off the NFL’s theme of SEA, SAND, SIEGE. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at part of the creative process behind the Open. 

It was great to work with SilverSpoon Animation and CBS Sports, both super receptive to the concepts and eager to push technological boundaries.

REALITY VIA perception

PERSONAL PROJECT, 2020

This computer-generated particle simulation is a reflection on how [fascinating it is to realize that] perspective affects our reality. Thoughts intersperse as frenetic type -- shifting in fractions of a second, the amount of time it takes one to decide to change their perspective.

Choose to stay positive.

TENCENT

DESIGN + EXECUTION (ntropic), 2021

The projects I enjoy most tend to require distilling mutli-layered or complex concepts into visuals. Projects that benefit from having the art direction, design, compositing, motion, particles and 3D all handled by one mind so that nothing is lost in translation.

A perfect example of this would be my contribution to a project for TENCENT with the entire extremely-talented team at Ntropic. I was tasked with two things: visualizing the trajectory for the Apollo; and bringing life to the Golden Record accompanying the space flight.

SAND WATER FIRE

PERSONAL PROJECT, 1997 - 2020...

SAND WATER FIRE explores the journey of the human soul from birth until death, with a focus on the relationship between ego and spirit.

It is the first of six short films in the SOULSCAPES series where my wife and I share some thoughts on spirituality with our kids.

LANDSCAPE PAINTING

PERSONAL PROJECT, 2018

Rock gardens with hidden meanings for the kids, created by my wife and me.

EASY SKANKING

PERSONAL PROJECT, 2015

My mind was blown when listening to this remix of Bob Marley's classic. To convey that, I used After Effects and Element 3D to create tentacles of energy exploding out of my skull. The tentacles were created by duplicating a sphere a bazillion times and moving the sliders around until this emerged.

MOTHER + CHILD

PERSONAL PROJECT, 2007

On the connection in utero between mother and child. A one-minute behind-the-scenes breakdown.

A more complete body of work.... 

+01 201 707 9630
jessenewman@mac.com
@RebirthofGaea

© Jesse Michael Newman, 2021