Mark Sawicki, a talented individual with a multifaceted career, started out as an actor and clay animator in Michigan, eventually making his way to Los Angeles in 1976.
He became involved in visual effects during the iconic "Star Wars" era, landing a position at Roger Corman's New World Studios, where he worked as a cameraman on low-budget sci-fi films.
From there, Mark transitioned to shooting effects and creating stop-motion animation for commercials and numerous rock videos.
In 1986, he joined Illusion Arts as a matte photographer, working under the guidance of renowned visual effects masters Albert Whitlock, Syd Dutton, and Bill Taylor.
During this period, Mark began working on mainstream films and also became an instructor for Kodak's Cineon system, a pioneering digital film compositing system.
After a decade-long tenure at Illusion Arts, Mark moved on to become a co-supervisor for Area 51 on Tom Hanks' From the Earth to the Moon (1998).
Mark then went on to serve as the head effects camera supervisor and digital colorist for Custom Film Effects.
In addition to his work in the film industry, Mark has authored three DVDs on the art of clay animation and a documentary titled "Twilight Cameraman," which showcases the craft of optical printing.
He has also written two books, "Filming the Fantastic: Guide to Visual Effects Cinematography" and "Animating with Stop Motion Pro," both published by Focal Press.
Currently, Mark is a full-time faculty member at the New York Film Academy Los Angeles campus and also contributes to the Stan Winston School of Character Arts and GCI as a faculty member.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Mark frequently appears as an actor in independent films.
