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James has enjoyed a long and successful career in animation, directing and supervising 14 short films driven by Visual Effects or Animation. He began as an animator and director, crafting the imaginative worlds of DELF and BLINDER while completing his Master's degree at Elam School of Fine Arts. His next film, INFECTION, was featured at Cannes 2000, Sundance 2001, and numerous other international film festivals, launching two significant career paths: one as a Director, where he honed his storytelling and dramatic skills, and the other as a Visual Effects Artist and Supervisor.
In 2000-2001, James worked as a Lighting Technical Director on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring at Weta Digital, learning the highest standards of quality as a 'shots' TD. He then served as Head of 3D and VFX Supervisor at Digipost in Auckland for six years, leading a team of artists to deliver top-tier visual effects for TV commercials and films. During this period, he also pursued his directing ambitions and developed his own 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 about a man seeking salvation amid chaos. After spending considerable time on commercials, he embraced a new creative opportunity teaching at New Zealand's leading animation and visual effects institution, Media Design School. There, he oversees productions for the Bachelor of Art and Design program.
Over eight years in this role, James has directed, produced, supervised, and edited 11 additional short films. These works have earned VES Award nominations, qualified for Oscar consideration, won numerous international festival prizes, and been viewed by over two million people online. Beyond training future animators and VFX artists, these films have provided a valuable space for James to experiment and refine his craft with few limitations.
His latest film, ACCIDENTS, BLUNDERS AND CALAMITIES, has screened at more than 60 film festivals and won seven awards, including Best Animation at ComicCon and the Jury Prize at Siggraph Asia.
