James' remarkable career in animation has spanned over two decades, during which he has directed and supervised an impressive 14 Visual Effects or Animation driven short films. His journey began as an animator/director, where he created the fantastical worlds of DELF and BLINDER while completing his Master's degree at Elam School of Fine Arts.
James' next film, INFECTION, gained international recognition by competing at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 2000 and the Sundance Film Festival in 2001, among dozens of other notable film festivals. This milestone marked the beginning of two distinct paths in his career: Director and Visual Effects Artist and Supervisor.
As a Director, James has continued to hone his skills in storytelling and drama, developing a range of feature film projects. His experience as a Visual Effects Artist and Supervisor has been shaped by his work as a Lighting Technical Director on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring at Weta Digital in 2000/1, where he learned the importance of producing high-quality visual effects.
James' subsequent role as Head of 3D and VFX Supervisor at Digipost in Auckland lasted for six years, during which he led a team of artists in delivering high-level visual effects for TV commercials and films. This period also saw him nurturing his directing skills and developing feature film projects.
In 2009, James took a break to create his second NZFC-funded short film, POPPY, a ten-minute CGI motion-captured WWI drama that explores a man's quest for salvation amidst chaos. Following this, he focused on commercials before recognizing a new creative opportunity in teaching at New Zealand's top animation and visual effects educator, Media Design School.
As a professor, James has been responsible for the productions created as part of the Bachelor of Art and Design program. In just eight years, he has directed, produced, supervised, and edited 11 more short films, which have been nominated for VES Awards, qualified for Oscar nomination, won numerous prizes at international festivals, and been viewed by over 2 million people online.
These films have not only served as an excellent training ground for animators and VFX artists but have also provided James with a platform to experiment and develop his skills with minimal creative constraints. His most recent film, ACCIDENTS, BLUNDERS AND CALAMITIES, has competed at over 60 film festivals and won seven prizes, including Best Animation at ComicCon and Jury Prize at Siggraph Asia.
