As a child in South London, Neil Huxley said that he constantly had his face in a comic book. He loved the way still moments were put together to create the illusion of a moving narrative.
Huxley would grow up surrounded by art, both his father and brother are painters, and film was a key interest as well.
“I always wanted to be a film director and thought by getting into (visual effects) design and title design that I could find a way into film production itself,” he said.
After earning a degree in design and communication at the University of Hertfordshire, Huxley moved in 2002 at the age of 26 to Melbourne, Australia, where he worked at Digital Pictures Iloura, a prominent visual effects shop. However, after several projects, he thirsted for something more.
That thirst turned into a drive to work in Hollywood, where he would hit the ground running.
“My first day in the country, I started to work,” he said. “I definitely made the right move.”
Huxley recently joined Frantic Films VFX as art director and motion graphics supervisor, overseeing various tasks such as leading a team of animators on a 3-D feature film.
When asked about his favorite projects, he singles out working at Hollywood firm Yu+co. on the title sequence for the film adaptation of “Watchmen,” a celebrated comic book series by Alan Moore that had a huge impact on Huxley as a teenager.
“I read the graphic novel when I was 14 and it really changed me and the way I thought about storytelling,” he said, “so getting to work on the film itself was a bit like a schoolboy dream come true.”
Huxley’s satisfaction from his work comes from seeing the end product and knowing he had a hand in it. “I love seeing the work on screen and being a part of that storytelling process. It’s corny, but that’s the magic of cinema for me,” he said.
Huxley is single and lives in North Hollywood. In his spare time, he works on a documentary about East London boxer-turned-actor Jimmy Flint as well as writing and film projects with his brother Philip S. Huxley.
Sharareh Drury
