Mathieu Raynault
Encyclopedia
Mathieu Raynault, is a Canadian digital matte painter, concept artist, and VFX art director. He has been producing matte paintings and illustrations for over 15 years. He is well-known for his contributions on film productions like The Lord of the Rings
, The Matrix series
, Terminator Salvation
, The Golden Compass, King Kong
, Gangs of New York
, and Star Wars saga
; as well as many video games and print advertising projects.
In 2011, after five years at RODEO FX, the internationally-known VFX studio he co-founded in 2006, Mathieu launched his own creative studio in Montreal, Canada.
(1996), as well as the National Animation and Design Center (NAD) in Montreal (1997). Once his studies were completed, he honed his craft on the high-definition TV series The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
, as well as with Montreal-based FX houses Icestorm Digital and Tube Studios, creating 2D and 3D digital environments, and 3D animations for HDTV series, commercials and 3D rides.
A portfolio of his work on Jules Verne scored him an interview with Lucasfilm in San Francisco in 1999. That led to a staff position with the fabled Industrial Light + Magic studio, where he created matte paintings for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, among other feature films.
Credited as Digital Matte Painter.
Credited as Digital Matte Painter.
Credited as Digital Matte Painter.
Raynault was part of the nominated team at ILM, credited as Digital Matte Painter.
ISBN 0618331301
ISBN 0618430296
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
, The Matrix series
The Matrix series
The Matrix is a science fiction action franchise created by Andy and Larry Wachowski and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The series began with the 1999 film The Matrix and later spawned two sequels; The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions, both released in 2003, thus forming a trilogy...
, Terminator Salvation
Terminator Salvation
Terminator Salvation is a 2009 American science fiction action film directed by McG and starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. The fourth installment in the Terminator series, the film is set in 2018 and focuses on the war between Skynet and humanity, with the human Resistance fighting...
, The Golden Compass, King Kong
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional character, a giant movie monster resembling a gorilla, that has appeared in several movies since 1933. These include the groundbreaking 1933 movie, the film remakes of 1976 and 2005, as well as various sequels of the first two films...
, Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York
Gangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New...
, and Star Wars saga
Star Wars Saga
Star Wars Saga may refer to:* The Star Wars media franchise created by George Lucas, including films, novels, television series, video games, and comic books....
; as well as many video games and print advertising projects.
In 2011, after five years at RODEO FX, the internationally-known VFX studio he co-founded in 2006, Mathieu launched his own creative studio in Montreal, Canada.
Early life and education
Mathieu graduated from the four-year professional program in Architecture Design at the Laval University Art & Architecture SchoolUniversité Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
(1996), as well as the National Animation and Design Center (NAD) in Montreal (1997). Once his studies were completed, he honed his craft on the high-definition TV series The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne is a 22-episode science fiction television series in the steampunk genre that first aired in June 2000 on CBC Television in Canada and in syndication in the United States....
, as well as with Montreal-based FX houses Icestorm Digital and Tube Studios, creating 2D and 3D digital environments, and 3D animations for HDTV series, commercials and 3D rides.
A portfolio of his work on Jules Verne scored him an interview with Lucasfilm in San Francisco in 1999. That led to a staff position with the fabled Industrial Light + Magic studio, where he created matte paintings for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, among other feature films.
Partial filmography
- Immortals (2011 film) - Visual Effects Supervisor (Rodeo FX)
- IncendiesIncendiesIncendies is a 2010 Quebec film written and directed by Denis Villeneuve. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's play, Scorched, Incendies follows the journey of twin brother and sister as they attempt to unravel the mystery of their mother's life. The film premiered at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals...
- VFX Art Director (Rodeo FX) - Resident Evil: AfterlifeResident Evil: AfterlifeResident Evil: Afterlife is a 2010 Canadian-German 3D science-fiction horror action film written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. It stars Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts, Spencer Locke, Boris Kodjoe, and Wentworth Miller. The film marks Anderson's second time to direct in...
- Visual Effects Art Director (Rodeo FX) - The Last AirbenderThe Last AirbenderThe Last Airbender is a 2010 American fantasy adventure film written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. It is a live-action film adaptation of the first season to the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender....
- Visual Effects Supervisor (Rodeo FX) - Twilight Eclipse (film) - Visual Effects Art Director (Rodeo FX)
- Jonah Hex (film)Jonah Hex (film)Jonah Hex is a 2010 post-Civil War antihero Western film loosely based on the DC Comics character of the same name. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film is directed by Jimmy Hayward and stars Josh Brolin as the title character, Jonah Hex, and also stars John Malkovich, Michael Fassbender,...
- Matte Painting Supervisor - (Roedo FX) - Twilight Eclipse (film) (pre-production) - Concept Artist
- Immortals (2011 film) (pre-production) - Concept Artist
- Repo Men - VFX Supervisor (Rodeo FX)
- Mr. Nobody (film)Mr. Nobody (film)Mr. Nobody is a 2009 Belgian science fiction drama film directed by Jaco Van Dormael, starring Jared Leto, Diane Kruger, Linh Dan Pham, Sarah Polley, Natasha Little, Rhys Ifans and Daniel Mays. This movie tells the life story of Nemo Nobody, the last mortal on Earth. Nemo is 118 years old and lives...
- VFX Art Director (Rodeo FX) - Terminator SalvationTerminator SalvationTerminator Salvation is a 2009 American science fiction action film directed by McG and starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. The fourth installment in the Terminator series, the film is set in 2018 and focuses on the war between Skynet and humanity, with the human Resistance fighting...
- Matte Painter (Rodeo FX) - Journey to Mecca - Visual Effects Supervisor (Rodeo FX)
- The Day the Earth Stood StillThe Day the Earth Stood StillThe Day the Earth Stood Still is a 1951 American science fiction film directed by Robert Wise and written by Edmund H. North based on the short story "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates. The film stars Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Sam Jaffe, and Hugh Marlowe...
- Matte Painer (Rodeo FX) - Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008 film)Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008 film)Journey to the Center of the Earth is an American 2008 3D adventure film starring Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, and Anita Briem...
- VFX Art Director (Rodeo FX) - The Golden Compass (film) - Lead Matte Painer (Rodeo FX)
- Silk (2007 film) - Lead Matte Painer (Rodeo FX)
- 300 (film)300 (film)300 is a 2007 American fantasy action film based on the 1998 comic series of the same name by Frank Miller. It is a fictionalized retelling of the Battle of Thermopylae. The film was directed by Zack Snyder, while Miller served as executive producer and consultant...
- Senior Matte Painter (Meteor Studio) - Silent Hill (film)Silent Hill (film)Silent Hill is a 2006 horror film directed by Christophe Gans and written by Roger Avary. The story is an adaptation of the Silent Hill series of survival horror video games created by Konami. The film, particularly its emotional, religious and aesthetic content as well as its creature design,...
- Concept Artist/Matte Painter (Rodeo FX) - The FountainThe FountainThe Fountain is a 2006 American romantic drama film, which blends elements of fantasy, history, religion, and science fiction. It was directed by Darren Aronofsky, and starred Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz...
- VFX Art Director (Mokko Studio) - King Kong (2005 film)King Kong (2005 film)King Kong is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson. It is a remake of the 1933 film of the same name and stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black and Adrien Brody. Andy Serkis, through performance capture, portrays Kong....
- Senior Matte Painter (Weta Digital) - The Day After TomorrowThe Day After TomorrowThe Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American science-fiction disaster film that depicts the catastrophic effects of global warming in a series of extreme weather events that usher in global cooling which leads to a new ice age. The film did well at the box office, grossing $542,771,772 internationally...
- Senior Matte Painter (The Orphanage) - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy-drama film directed by Peter Jackson that is based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings...
- Senior Matte Painter (Weta Digital) - The Matrix RevolutionsThe Matrix RevolutionsThe Matrix Revolutions is a 2003 American science fiction film and the third installment of The Matrix trilogy. The film was released six months following The Matrix Reloaded. The film was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and released simultaneously in sixty countries on November 5,...
- Senior Matte Painter (ESC) - The Matrix ReloadedThe Matrix ReloadedThe Matrix Reloaded is a 2003 American science fiction film and the second installment in The Matrix trilogy, written and directed by the Wachowskis. It premiered on May 7, 2003, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, and went on general release by Warner Bros. in North American theaters on May 15,...
- Senior Matte Painter (ESC) - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Senior Matte Painter (Weta Digital)
- Gangs of New YorkGangs of New YorkGangs of New York is a 2002 historical film set in the mid-19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan. The film was inspired by Herbert Asbury's 1928 nonfiction book, The Gangs of New...
- Matte Painter (ILM) - Stuart Little 2Stuart Little 2Stuart Little 2 is a 2002 American live action and CGI animated film, directed by Rob Minkoff and starring Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and Jonathan Lipnicki and the voices of Michael J. Fox, Nathan Lane, Melanie Griffith, James Woods and Steve Zahn. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film and includes...
- Matte Painter (Sony) - Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones - Matte Painter (ILM)
- The Mummy ReturnsThe Mummy ReturnsThe Mummy Returns is a 2001 American adventure film written and directed by Stephen Sommers, starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Patricia Velásquez and Freddie Boath. The film is a sequel to the 1999 film The Mummy...
- Matte Painter (ILM)
Video Games
- Prince Of Persia IIIPrince of Persia: The Two ThronesPrince of Persia: The Two Thrones is an action-adventure computer and video game developed and published by Ubisoft Montreal. It was released in December, 2005 in North America for the Xbox, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and the Nintendo GameCube...
- Cinematic - Matte Painter - Prince Of Persia IIIPrince of Persia: The Two ThronesPrince of Persia: The Two Thrones is an action-adventure computer and video game developed and published by Ubisoft Montreal. It was released in December, 2005 in North America for the Xbox, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and the Nintendo GameCube...
- Trailer - Matte Painter - The Act of War - Cinematic - Matte Painter
- Men of ValorMen of ValorMen of Valor is a first-person shooter video game for the PC and Microsoft Xbox. It was developed by 2015, Inc., published by Vivendi Universal and first released on October 19, 2004...
- Cinematic - Matte Painter
TV
- Apocalypse - Season 2 - Matte Painter
- The Secret Adventures of Jules VerneThe Secret Adventures of Jules VerneThe Secret Adventures of Jules Verne is a 22-episode science fiction television series in the steampunk genre that first aired in June 2000 on CBC Television in Canada and in syndication in the United States....
- 3D Artist - Matte Painter - Discovery Channel - Super Volcano -Concept Artist - Matte Painter
- Discovery Channel - Inside The Space Station -3D Artist - Matte Painter
Recognition, Awards and Nominations
- March 2006: Academy Award. Raynault was part of the Oscar-winning team at Weta digital, in the visual effects category for King Kong.
Credited as Digital Matte Painter.
- June 2005: “Into the Pixel” award winner - E3 2005. The “Babylon on Fire” matte painting created for the videogame Prince of Persia III was selected by The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences for its videogame art exhibition at the E3 videogame convention.
- March 2004: Academy Award. Raynault was part of the Oscar-winning team at Weta digital, in the visual effects category for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King..
Credited as Digital Matte Painter.
- March 2003: Academy Award Raynault was part of the Oscar-winning team at Weta digital, in the visual effects category for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Credited as Digital Matte Painter.
- March 2003: Academy Award. In the visual effects category for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones.
Raynault was part of the nominated team at ILM, credited as Digital Matte Painter.
- February 2003: Art work and matte painting selected and presented in the book The Art of The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings) by Gary Russell (Houghton Mifflin, 2003).
- January 2003: VES Awards winner for Best Matte Painting in a Motion Picture for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. Visual Effects Society Awards.
- January 2003: VES Awards nominee for Best Matte Painting in a Motion Picture for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Visual Effects Society Awards.
- January 2003: VES Awards nominee for Best Matte Painting in a Motion Picture for Gangs of New York. Visual Effects Society Awards.
- March 2002: Nominee for Best Special Effects at the Saturn Awards. Nominated for digital matte work on the movie The Mummy Returns.
- June 2000: Nominee for Best Visual Effects at the Monitor Awards for digital matte artwork created for the HD television series The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne.
- July 2000: CG artwork selected and presented on the CG Channel “Top CG Elite Gallery”
- April 1996: Third prize for excellence in architecture design, class of 1996 at Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada.
- In the year 2003, he was nominated for VES Award (Visual Effects Society Awards) for Gangs of New York (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002).
External links
Books featuring Raynault’s work
ISBN 0618331301
ISBN 0618430296