Meet Shaman Marya | Virtual Production and Visual Effects Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shaman Marya and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shaman, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I grew up in what I consider one of the golden ages of Hollywood and global cinema. I still count my formative years by the films and television shows that I watched in the 1990’s and 2000’s. To top it all, my three years in middle school were the years of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and at that point I knew, working in cinema is where I wanted to be. The overwhelming sense of awe, emotion and sheer exhilaration I felt at the movies, I felt nowhere else. The theatrical experience of watching a movie is nothing short of magic, and from a young age I knew that I wanted to learn the art of creating magic. My path to becoming a filmmaker and eventually a real -time lighting artist for cinema and virtual production hasn’t been the most straightforward. Along the way I did a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, completed Law School and even worked as a writer and first AD for close to 5 years. In 2018 I decided I needed to be in Los Angeles because I wanted to work on the kind of films that I love so much. I was extremely fortunate to be accepted to USC where I completed my MFA in Film and TV Production in 2022. I now work as a Lighting Technical Director at MPC that has decades of storytelling experience across the feature film and episodic industries, with titles such as The Lion King, Spider-Man: No Way Home, 1917, Blade Runner 2049, The Jungle Book, Godzilla, The Mandalorian, Wandavision, and more.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have always been excited by the prospects of technology and employing technological tools in the creation of art. I feel extremely lucky that I have been able to mold this passion into a career as a Virtual Production artist. The big revolution in my arc as a film professional came when I adopted real-time game engines to be able to create cinematic or filmmaking experiences sitting at home, even though I love and adore working on set. Getting here was not easy and many curve balls were thrown my way at various points. I think the biggest challenge was facing a global pandemic just months into having moved to Los Angeles. It became exponentially more difficult to meet, network or even create collaborative films. But that experience of professional isolation was overcome with amazing collaborators and friends, and an idea to test the limits of our learning of cinema by learning and utilizing real-time techniques to create a film for the big screen. In 2021 I received a grant from Epic Games as a part of the Epic Megagrants program to Direct my thesis film at USC. Our team was focused on using Virtual Production techniques to create a 3D animated film, we are preparing the film for distribution later this year! Entitled Catch, the film tells the story of a young girl Maira and her father Mahesh who must tap into the magic of nature to protect baby sea turtles born on their island from an evil fisherman. My passion for real-time virtual production and especially lighting, have seen me convert this into a full time career path. I hope to work on and create beautiful cinema for people and audiences everywhere to enjoy.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ooh this is tough one, there is SO much to see and do and eat in LA, and over time I have come to love so much about this city. My favorite beach in the city is Hermosa beach, I just love the vibe so I would definitely take my friend to hang out there. In terms of food, I love Guelaguetza, a traditional Oaxacan restaurant on Olympic Blvd, the music, the mezcal and the mole are definitely amongst the best. I love the outdoors so the Santa Monica mountains and Palisades Park are top of the list as well. For a good Sunday brunch I love Republique on La Brea. In terms of entertainment, a show at Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl or a stadium concert and a stage play or musical at the Hollywood Pantages. One film at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood for sure. If it is their first time in LA, then of course Disneyland and Universal Studios are a must. One Indian meal at Mayura restaurant in Culver City and if they are up for it, some whale watching trips in the Santa Barbara Channel or down in San Diego. My wife and I love going whale watching and have seen a total of nine humpbacks, four blue whales and one minke whale. If there is something I would love to be able to actively help with in life, it is the conservation and protection of whales.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family. A huge shoutout to my wife, grandparents, parents, brother and sis-in law and my nephew and niece. Between all of them, they provide me inspiration, drive, some necessary resistance and my first audience for my personal film and artistic endeavors.

Instagram: @shaman_artint, @shamanm90

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/shaman-marya-a68438181

Other: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm10560319