Paul DeNigris

is an award-winning filmmaker and visual effects artist with two decades of experience in making moving images for screens both big and small and is the founder of the visual effects company Foxtrot X-Ray. Paul's body of work combines a passion for storytelling with a mastery of digital filmmaking technologies, and ranges from epic computer-generated adventures to intimate character portraits, from short comedies to feature-length film noir, and from commissioned video art installations to surreal rock and roll fantasies.

For nearly 20 years Paul has also been an undergraduate educator, and many of Paul’s former students can be found in Hollywood having worked on some of the biggest entertainment properties of the last decade, such as Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, Avatar, Frozen, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, and many, many more. Paul is currently a Lecturer in Visual Effects and Post-Production at the Sidney Poitier New American Film School at Arizona State University.

Selected films and awards:

• "Bohemian Rhapsody: Star Wars Edition" - co-writer and director of this parody music video that went viral in December 2013.

• "Parallax" - writer, producer, director of this Iraq War drama which won Best Arizona Short (2012 Phoenix Film Festival), Best Drama (2013 Love Your Shorts Film Festival), Best Narrative Short (2013 Peace on Earth Film Festival)

• "Red Sand: a Mass Effect Fan Film" - producer and faculty advisor for a student-produced fan film based on the Mass Effect series of videogames, starring the lead voice actor from the games, Mark Meer.

• "Fallout" - writer, director, and faculty advisor for a student-produced science fiction thriller shot entirely on greenscreen, which spent a year on the film festival circuit and won 9 awards, including Best Arizona Short (2011 Phoenix Film Festival)

• 2007 Arizona Filmmaker of the Year - awarded by the Phoenix Film Festival

• "Kottak Attack" - designed a series of surreal effects-driven visuals to accompany drummer James Kottak's amazing 10-minute drum solo as part of the "Humanity" tour of international rock icons The Scorpions; the tour lasted over a year and spanned the globe, meaning millions of Scorpions fans saw this work!

• "Cowboy Dreams" - short comedy Western starring Blue Collar comedian Bill Engvall and Hollywood icon Danny Trejo

• "Extraordinary Colleagues" - director of this 48-hour film challenge entry, which garnered 5 awards from IFP/Phoenix, including Best Director

• The Falls - writer-producer-director-editor of this indie feature, which played multiple film festivals and got picked up for worldwide DVD distribution in spite of having no name actors

• Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings - director of the opening cinematic to one of the best-selling real-time strategy games in computer gaming history

• Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles - motion-capture director for three episodes of the animated Heinlein spin-off, and CGI director for a fourth

• Screen Wars - executive producer and segment director for this short film competition series, nominated for 13 Emmy Awards (including Best Arts & Entertainment Program)

• NetherBeast Incorporated - visual effects artist and title designer for this offbeat indie vampire comedy starring Dave Foley and Judd Nelson