Interview with Sangha Lee

The overall concept of the portfolio is based on a scene where the middle section of a bridge is destroyed, causing a bus to fall below. I selected a bridge that fit the storyboard and filmed it myself, then modeled it to closely resemble the real location. I created the background using Nuke and Photoshop, separated the sections that would be destroyed, and applied simulations using DMM and PDI. The sparks, smoke, dust, and other effects created by the explosion were made using Fume. I also created an additional simulation using RealFlow.

Above all, I think the most important thing is to decide in advance which field you want to pursue and create a storyboard that showcases the key strengths of that field as clearly as possible. If you get this first step wrong, you may gradually lose motivation halfway through the project and eventually give up.

You will encounter countless problems while working, but I think it is important to try solving them yourself, even if it takes some time. If you manage to solve a problem after going through trial and error, you will naturally develop your own understanding of what works and what doesn't.

However, if you've tried everything and absolutely cannot solve the problem, you should grab your instructor—even if they're on their way to lunch—and ask for help. Otherwise, you'll never feel at ease..

If you are considering pursuing dynamics, I recommend having YouTube and AlToolbar installed from the beginning. Keep searching for real-world footage that resembles the effects you have in mind, and whenever you find something useful, save it immediately. Those references can become valuable resources later.

Also, even after completing a simulation and thinking it looks good enough, don't stop there. If you maintain the curiosity to ask yourself, "What if I try this one more time?" and develop the patience to wait through the endless simulation and loading process, thinking of it as part of bringing your work to life, I believe you can become a great FX artist.

Of course, this assumes that your computer is powerful enough to handle the workload... There is a limit to everyone's patience, after all..

A single ray of light showing the way out of a cave where you cannot see even an inch ahead.

While working in the workshop, I sometimes saw what other people were creating and felt intimidated, thinking that they were on a completely different level from me. But that actually motivated me to work even harder. If I had only looked at my own work and worked alone, I think I might have become like a frog in a well, unaware of the wider world.

And if there hadn't been instructors who could show me how to solve problems whenever I got stuck and felt like I was about to have a meltdown, I can say with certainty that I would not have been able to finish the project and probably would have given up.

Thank you.