At work you are surrounded by people using Maya and Softimage. Are you made to feel in any way inferior to them because you are "only" using LightWave?

No, because when I am using LightWave, it is my choice. I have Maya and Softimage available when necessary. When I started at Framestore-CFC to work on Dinotopia I was modelling using Softimage but I requested a copy of LightWave because I knew that I could achieve results much faster. It turned out that it got used for more than just modelling. You come across the odd person from time to time that acts superior because I'm "only" using LightWave but most people are professional and judge me only by results and not the name or price of the package. Framestore-CFC have been very supportive of my use of LightWave.

Does LightWave fit in well with the general pipeline at Framestore-CFC?

For modelling and UV'ing it fits in fairly transparently - models are easily swapped between any of the packages we use. Other uses may include rendering additional elements or passes which are passed on to compositors. So as long as elements from all packages line up, everybody is happy. With a few custom Lscripts, importing camera data, etc. from other packages is not too difficult.

Do you use any particular plug-ins that you wouldn't be without?

At Framestore-CFC I use LightWave out of the box with a few extra free plug-ins. The ones that I would miss the most if I didn't have them are Edge Tools (by D-storm), FI's Jigsaw and StitchUV and SelectUV.

All of FI's plug-ins can be downloaded here: http://www.infoseek.livedoor.com/~f_ichikawa/

D-storm are here:
http://www.dstorm.co.jp/LightWave/

Dinotopia is well-known for having received a visual effects Emmy. How long did your work on Dinotopia take in total?

20 months - I came in quite near the start of the production.

You wrapped up work on the second Harry Potter movie not long ago, so what are you working on now?

I'm currently Lead Modeller on the "Thunderbirds" movie.

What would be your dream job, or are you already doing it?

My dream job was to be working in visual effects - so I already doing that. Each project has its own merits, so I take them as they come. My current project is a lot of fun, I grew up with the original Thunderbirds so it is a bit special. In fact thinking back to my childhood, watching Dr Who, Blake's 7 and Space 1999, I wanted to work in TV special effects back then. Until recently I had completely forgotten that.

What inspires you in your work?

Initially I was inspired to get into visual effects by science fiction TV and movies, particularly Babylon 5. Inspiration today comes from many places - the work of my peers, (there are many great galleries on the internet), movies, books or a stroll round an ancient castle.

Do you go to the LightWave gallery at www.lightwave3d.com?

Yes I do - there is some amazing work there.

Thanks for taking the time out from your work on Thunderbirds to talk to us!