Vincent Frei 
Roman Kaelin is an Emmy-nominated director and visual effects artist based in Zurich, Switzerland. As a co-founder of the creative studio PULK, a collective of artists and animators dedicated to crafting distinctive visual stories through cutting-edge VFX and animation.
What initially attracted you to visual effects when you started your career in 2009?
I was always attracted to film, animation, and visual effects. I studied architecture at ETH Zurich from 2005 to 2007, when I decided I needed to refocus and pursue my ambition of filmmaking, visual effects, and animation. I had no contacts in the industry, and finding a way in wasn’t straightforward. I had very limited information and didn’t know anyone who could help me out or had any intel. I eventually stumbled upon Filmakademie BW. I knew right away that this was where I wanted to study, and I was lucky to have been accepted.
Before joining Elefant Studios, did you have a clear idea of the direction you wanted to take in the VFX industry, or was it a path that unfolded over time?
I had a clear vision of what I wanted to be able to create and what films I liked. I was very interested in the full scope of film, visual effects and animation production. Filmakademie was the perfect playground to get through all the hoops of filmmaking and get a chance to create your films and touch on the various aspects of filmmaking. My focus shifted to different fields of production, but at heart, I always embraced the creative aspect of telling my story with the limitless possibilities of visual effects and animation.
I only had a quick stint at Elefant Studios during my studies. This was a great introduction to VFX and animation in Switzerland. I still work with some of the people to this day that I met back then.
What were the biggest challenges or lessons you faced in your early years in visual effects, and how did that shape your artistic approach?
The biggest challenge was to get my studio off the ground and running while doing the work I aspired to do. I was never really planning on becoming an independent studio in the beginning. After my studies at Filmakademie in Germany, I was trying to find out what my next step would be. Having worked in New York (Psyop) and London (Glassworks) before, the idea of moving to the US or UK for work was always on the table, and there was plenty of opportunity and overall just more work. By chance, I started working remotely out of Zurich for some studios while trying to figure everything out. I got started with a minimal setup, and it sort of grew organically. Before I knew it, I had a solid influx of jobs to sustain myself. In the end, the main reason to move would have been about work, and at that point, I thought to myself, let’s try and see if I’ll be able to do this work out of Switzerland. I was quite impatient and longing to do more exciting work. It eventually paid off, but it definitely was a bit of a grind to get to a point where I was really able to do work and projects I really loved.
Can you talk about the process of conceptualizing The Goldau Landslide Experience? How did the initial idea evolve into a concrete project?
I was approached early by the director of the Goldau Landslide Foundation. She saw my graduation film, Wrapped, and reached out to see if I would be interested in creating a short film that shows the historic natural disaster. I was hyped from the very beginning, we had a lot of chats on how a project like this would be possible under the special circumstances. I was given complete creative freedom while staying true to the actual event. There was a lot of documentation surrounding the event. The historic records were a really good start to flesh out the story and flow of the film. Karl Zay, who is known as a chronicler of the landslide, covered the events of this day in the “Schuttbuch” book in great detail. This was the main inspiration and hook for the retelling. On the technical side, we had to discuss what would be possible and would have the biggest impact for the viewer.
As both a director and VFX supervisor, how did you approach integrating visual effects into this short film to serve the story and immersive experience?
I think this is one of the aspects that made this project possible in the end. Having a creative vision and knowing how to serve the story with visual effects was important. With a large undertaking like this, it was very essential to know what’s feasible in terms of our technical challenges while still staying true to the story and telling it in a convincing way.
The project was nominated for a VES Award in the category of Outstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project. What aspects of the visual effects in The Goldau Landslide Experience do you think caught the judges’ attention?
That’s a good question, and I don’t feel like I have a proper answer. One thing that might have stood out is that for a special venue project, there were a lot of effects-heavy shots. We poured a lot of love into the recreation of historic Goldau and the visual effects of the landslide. The work must have been somewhat convincing, and that’s very reassuring. To be nominated as an independent studio next to the behemoths of the industry is quite unreal.
The film was selected for the Annecy Animation Film Festival. What impact did that recognition have on you, and how has it influenced your future projects?
To have our film recognized further and screened at Annecy is amazing. I’m really looking forward to the festival. It’s been a while since I’ve worked on a short film, and diving back into this kind of storytelling has been a refreshing and inspiring change from my usual work. I’d love to keep doing more work in this field.
In your opinion, what is the current state of visual effects in Switzerland, and how does the Swiss industry stand out from other European markets?
I feel like there’s a lot of untapped opportunity and potential in Switzerland. The industry feels small, but there’s a lot of talent in and from Switzerland. I hope we’ll see it pick up steam and that there will be more work out of Switzerland in the future.
Are there unique opportunities or challenges for VFX talent in Switzerland? How do you see the evolution of this industry in the coming years?
There aren’t many employment opportunities or big VFX shops in Switzerland. I hope the industry will grow further in the future and eventually make a dent on the map.
If you could choose any project to work on, whether it’s a film, series, or something else, what would it be and why?
The most interesting projects are always the ones with a lot of creative freedom and technical challenges. It’s been inspiring to work on independent short-form content, and it’s something that I would love to pursue further.
How do you hope to see the VFX industry in Switzerland evolve in the coming years, and what role would you like to play in that evolution?
I feel like this conversation isn’t happening at the moment, or at least I’m not aware of it. I think it would be an important one. It would be great to bring people together to address it. I’m always striving to push the work we can do in visual effects in Switzerland, and I’m keen to talk with industry peers.
Thanks for your time.