“Other than getting nominated for a VES award, building DNEG India’s Creature department and scaling my team to 135+ well seasoned artists is a feat I am immensely proud of.”
As Head of Creature at DNEG in Mumbai, Sachin Tyagi oversees a team of around 135 artists across India. Since joining DNEG, Sachin has been part of marquee shows like Uncharted, Slumberland, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Stranger Things – Season 4, and Entergalactic to name a few. Read on to find out how his creative inclination got transformed into a full-fledged passion which eventually developed into a booming career opportunity!
Hello Sachin! What brought you into the world of VFX and Animation?
Growing up I was really good at arts and wanted to do something in the creative field. When I did my bachelors in computer application, there was a subject called ‘animation and multimedia’: that’s when I first got exposed to the world of creativity and CGI. It piqued my interest and I went on to get a diploma in 3D animation. From there on, there was no turning back! I joined a firm as a 3D artist and delivered animation for a myriad of projects. That’s when I found my true passion; animating and simulating elements on screen is so cool!
Initially my father wanted me to be an engineer since I was good at studying and learning computer languages. Instead of compromising on my knowledge and passion, I decided to combine my coding skills and my passion for arts and joined the VFX & animation industry. Both my parents were really supportive and to this day they are very happy and proud of what I am doing.
How did your journey start? Any career highlight(s) so far?
I started my career working as a 3D artist. I got the opportunity to work on a lot of projects, understand the process thoroughly, and I became good at it. I went on to experiment with simulations for costumes, hair, particles, and rigid body dynamics. All this enabled me to get a job at Dreamworks in Bangalore, where I worked on many award-winning projects like Madagascar 3, How To Train Your Dragon, Boss Baby, and Trolls, to name a few. I moved on to Framestore Montreal where I worked on projects like Captain Marvel, Welcome to Marwen, Lady and the Tramp, and Flora & Ulysses – for which I was nominated for a VES Award in the ‘Outstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature’ category. That nomination has been a real career highlight for me! Eventually, all this led me to DNEG India which I joined as the Head of Creature in April 2021.
What is a day in your life like as the Head of Creature, here at DNEG?
Ah! It’s a lot of responsibility – from attending meetings to planning for projects and the work to be delivered, time sure does fly when you’re in a job like this. Planning is the main aspect of my job, and one that I enjoy the most as I am directly responsible for my team’s performance. Planning the project well enables things to be delivered smoothly without any last-minute angst which would affect the entire team. Working with teams in India and globally, ensuring any disparity is taken care of, and efficiency in all that my department does is one of my key focus areas.
Another aspect I keenly look into is continuously scaling up my department to be prepared for the next challenge that comes our way, because there’s truckloads of work always coming in! Speaking of my department, we started as a team of just 17 artists and there’s around 135 of us now – and we’re still growing! Their brainpower and knowledge combined with top quality training delivered in house helps in turning new hires into seasoned artists. It’s not an easy feat to achieve but it is crucial to ensure that not only do I have a strong team but that through supporting our crew’s development we also support the growth of the studio.
Giving life to creatures and making them look real is something that motivates me, especially through rigging and CFX. I am so proud of my crew and our achievements. We have some of the brightest and best technical artists at DNEG!
What advice would you give to someone wanting to pursue a career in the industry?
Believe in your passion, and go after it. Give it all you got, even the sky won’t be the limit then! The beginning most probably will be a rocky road but in going through that and grasping as much learning as possible, you will be prepared for greater things.
Time for some rapid fire questions – What’s your ‘special power’ at work?
To be honest and transparent with my team and with the people in the company.
What do you look forward to every day?
Learning something new from the challenges I face, planning work better for my team so that their lives at work are sorted.
How did you feel on your first day at DNEG?
I was quite nervous however the management and my colleagues were very supportive and welcoming – it felt like family.
What is your proudest moment to date?
Other than getting nominated for a VES award, building DNEG India’s Creature department and scaling my team to 135+ well seasoned artists is a feat I am immensely proud of.
Finish this sentence: DNEG is…
Family to me!
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To find out about VFX at DNEG, click here. And if you are interested in joining DNEG’s Oscar-winning team, stay tuned for our next ‘FOCUS’ and click here to find out more about our open positions across our studios in North America, Europe and India.