Mark Sawicki

Mark Sawicki began his career in entertainment as an actor and clay animator in Michigan. He attended the USC Film School and entered the film industry as a lab technician at Cinema Research Corp., where he worked on the first Superman film. He later began working as a cameraman for Roger Corman's New World Studios on low-budget sci-fi pictures. From there, he went on to shoot effects and create award-winning animation for commercials, rock videos, and 3D features including Jaws 3D and Friday the 13th Part III.

In 1986, Mark became the matte photographer for Illusion Arts, working under visual effects masters Albert Whitlock, Syd Dutton, and Bill Taylor. During this period, while working on mainstream films, Mark became an instructor for Kodak's Cineon system. After a 10-year stint compositing matte paintings at Illusion Arts, for projects including Cape Fear, The Birdcage, and Star Trek IV, Mark became a co-supervisor for Area 51 on Tom Hanks' From the Earth to the Moon. Mark was later the head effects camera supervisor and digital colorist for Custom Film Effects, contributing to films such as Gangs of New York, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Tropic Thunder.

Mark has authored three DVDs on the art of clay animation and a documentary, Twilight Cameraman, on the craft of optical printing, available from firstlightvideo.com. Mark’s extensive teaching experience includes online instruction for UCLA Extension, guest lecturing at the New York Film Academy, and he is currently on the faculty at Dodge College of Chapman University for virtual production.

Mark is also the author of the book Filming the Fantastic: A Guide to Visual Effects Cinematography, published by Focal Press. Mark frequently performs as an actor in independent films. While he no longer does clay animation, Mark continues to create whimsical clay cartoon characters for the fine art market.