VFX Superhero Einar worked on 'Batman v Superman'

Meet Einar Martinsen, the 26-year-old VFX superhero who works for Weta Digital.

Last winter, Einar Martinsen got the answer he was hoping for:

– The dream job at Weta Digital is yours!

Then it was off to New Zealand, where he recently contributed as a matte painter on 2016's most anticipated movie 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'.

The 26-year-old studied 3D Design and Animation at Noroff Oslo in 2008, and 3D Film Production the following year.

– How did you get the job at Weta Digital?

– To me, working at Weta was a far-fetched dream for many years. One day I took a chance and applied for a job online. They replied, and shortly after I was on my way to New Zealand, Einar says.

Wellington, New Zealand: Einar Martinsen currently works for Weta Digital. Photo: Shutterstock

Photorealistic environments

– Ever since I saw the Lord of the Rings, I knew I wanted to work for Weta. My desire to work for them grew even bigger when Avatar came out. I was a student at Noroff at the time, and I was so impressed and motivated by the work they accomplished in that movie.

Weta Digital is one of the world’s premier visual effects companies. Co-founded by Peter Jackson, their work includes blockbusters like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Avatar, the Hobbit trilogy. The company was behind groundbreaking performance-driven digital characters like Smaug, Gollum, and Neytiri.

Weta Digital has won five Academy Awards®.

– What does a matte painter do?

– A matte painter creates photorealistic environments and backgrounds. You can often see matte painting work featured when the movie needs to establish a new place or environment in the story.

Incredible nature: Einar enjoys exploring New Zealand. Private photo.

– Creativity and enjoyment

– What is life like in New Zealand?

– Life in New Zealand is great! The culture is cool, the people are very friendly and there's a great sense of creativity and enjoyment of life here in Wellington.

– The nature is also incredible. You got everything here, palm trees and white beaches, volcanic looking landscapes, jungle, glaciers and snowy mountains!

– What do you do in your spare time?

– I hang out with friends, go out on the town, explore nature around New Zealand and sometimes go surfing.

– How long are you planning on staying?

– I'm taking it year by year at the moment. I really enjoy staying here, but I like the idea of traveling so we'll see what happens!

Trolls: Einar and the three trolls from The Hobbit. Private photo.

– Collaboration is important

– What other projects have you worked on at Weta Digital?

– I've worked on so many more projects then I anticipated before coming here. It's awesome! So far I've been fortunate to work on Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, Pete's Dragon, Krampus, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Steven Spielberg's The BFG.

 – What did you learn at Noroff that has been useful for your career?

– Collaboration is one of the most useful things I've taken with me. Having a large group of people collaborating well together is so important. Just look at Weta Digital as a good example!

– What do you miss from your time at Noroff?

– I miss my classmates the most. It was a great place to be, with like-minded and inspiring people. We had a lot of fun and learned a lot of useful skills towards working in the creative industry!

'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' premieres March 25.

Read more about Einar and see some of his work on his website.

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