MY FACE IS ITCHY (Oranguerillatan)

Currently working as a CG Supervisor, I have two decades of experience in the 3D/VFX/Post-Production industry. Over that time I’ve led a lot of talented project teams, learnt a lot and delved into various facets of visual media creation, including Episodic TV and Film as well as commercials and music videos. Established in 2022, Oranguerillatan serves as my platform for exploring AI animation and video. Fuelled by a fascination with the exponential advancements in generative AI tools, particularly for image and video creation, my recent explorations into the intersection of AI with traditional CG and VFX underscores my commitment to staying at the forefront of this evolving field I’ve been involved in numerous collaborative innovative creative projects, such as AI music videos with Dead Man's Couch and Kodiak Arcade. Recent accolades include winning 3rd place in the #diffusetogether competition run by Stability.ai, my work was recognized by esteemed judges from the community and even the legendary Peter Gabriel himself. As I continue to immerse myself in this AI-centric visual world, my goal remains to learn and adapt to the ever-changing landscape. I’m obsessed with the collaborative nature of generative AI and have recently spent more time going down that avenue, consulting with LLM’s in order to devise themes, aesthetics and even AI written lyrics to be incorporated into AI-generated music. My visual style is characterised by a deep connection with audio and music, I strive to intertwine auditory and visual elements seamlessly. I always spend time ensuring the visual and the soundtrack feel 'connected to each other', either by using audio-reactive AI tools to influence the AI visuals, or by using manual editing processes to tie the two together. Ideally the moving pictures should feel as much influenced by the soundtrack as they are by the creator (me) and by my collaborator (AI). Drawing visual and tactile inspiration from old-school animators like Ray Harryhausen, Jan Švankmajer and The Brothers Quay, as well as artists such as The Chapman Brothers and Bill Plympton, my work often delves into the realms of bizarre, leftfield, and darkly humorous, leaving viewers with a sense of bewilderment and intrigue. "What did I just watch? Play it again..." is my ideal reaction. Central to my artistic vision are distinct colour palettes. Each video should have it's own 'look' but also feel like an Oranguerillatan piece, there are running themes of colours, currently in the spectrums of greens, yellows, oranges and browns, as captured by faded, scratched and grainy film. I aim to evoke a fusion of old-world charm and modern aesthetics, tying together traditional film styles with contemporary technology. I tend to hark back to a time of simpler analogue technology and hand-crafted (and damaged) models, with my subject matter being influenced by the tactile damaged history of unusual antique marionette puppets and abandoned theatre stages. I embrace the quirks and imperfections that AI brings, leaning into the "happy accidents" and "mistakes" created as a result of 'using the tools wrong' or 'breaking the settings' - I am not striving for perfect beautiful flawless imagery, I thrive on the bizarreness that AI brings to the table. Bring on the melting faces, distorted figures, disturbing extra limbs and unexpected additional facial features.