Daniel Mermelstein.
Invisible Realism.
Senior Visual Effects Compositor & Compositing Supervisor with 15+ years of craft across Hollywood blockbusters (Godzilla, The Avengers, Avatar, Titanic 3D) and high-concept episodic television.
Daniel Mermelstein — Compositing & VFX Master Reel
Showcase of feature film compositing, monster & creature integration (Godzilla), compositing supervision (The Catcher Was a Spy), episodic TV (Beauty and the Beast), and stereoscopic 3D (The Avengers, Avatar).
Blockbuster Features & Episodic Series
Credits spanning MPC, Mavericks VFX, Stereo D, Rocket Science VFX, and Prime Focus World across multi-billion-dollar theatrical franchises.
Godzilla
The Avengers
Avatar
Titanic 3D
The Catcher Was a Spy
Into the Woods
White House Down
Flatliners
The Monster
Shut In
Regression
Seventh Son
Beauty and the Beast
Copper
Escape from Planet Earth
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
Poltergeist
Priest
Gulliver's Travels
Anatomy of a Feature Film Composite
Explore the step-by-step layer composition of Sky Station 9, from raw Arri Log-C footage, 3D tracking solves, and Arnold multi-pass CG to lens distortion correction and optical grain synthesis.
Godzilla (MPC)
Massive Scale Volumetric Dust, Ocean Interactions & Titan Integration
Selected Work & Breakdowns
From photoreal environment extensions and creature integration to invisible rig removal and custom AI/Python pipelines.
Godzilla (MPC)
Massive Scale Volumetric Dust, Ocean Interactions & Titan Integration
The Catcher Was a Spy
Period Environment Extensions, Invisible Set Reconstruction & Comp Supervision
Beauty and the Beast (Series)
Lead Compositor across 12 High-Concept Episodic Installments
Mavericks VFX Features (Flatliners, The Monster, Shut In)
High-Tension Creature, Invisible FX & Atmosphere
Stereo D Blockbusters (Avatar, The Avengers, Titanic 3D)
High-End Stereoscopic Depth & Blockbuster Multi-Plane Compositing
Neural Comp Pipeline & AI Rotomatte Lab
Custom ComfyUI & Python Bridges for Automated VFX Matte Extraction
Sub-Harmonic Resonances: Synth & Foley
Hardware Modular Synthesizers, Audio-Reactive Visuals & Cinematic Foley
Multi-Pass Compositing Pipeline
Bridging the gap between raw cinematography and photoreal computer graphics with scientific precision and artistic intuition.
Plate Ingest & Lens Calibration
Linearizing raw camera footage into ACEScg/OCIO. Computing camera sensor noise profiles, grid-based anamorphic lens distortion models, and sub-pixel 3D track solves.
Deep Matte & Extraction
Clean green/blue screen chroma extraction, despill mathematical algorithms, edge luminance correction, and planar/rotomatte isolation of fine motion-blurred hair and foliage.
Multi-Pass CG Reconstruction
Rebuilding physical lighting from raw AOVs (Diffuse, Specular, Subsurface, Transmission, Emission). Cryptomatte balance, depth-sliced atmosphere, and optical depth of field.
Optical Physics & Finishing
Physically accurate light wrap, atmospheric volumetric scattering, lens chromatic aberrations, optical gate weave, and sensor grain matching for invisible cinematic realism.
Diverse Creative Interests
Where technical exploration meets artistic expression across emerging AI tools, hardware modular sound, and procedural simulation.
Generative AI & Neural Workflows
Developing custom local ComfyUI pipelines and Python bridges for automated temporal depth estimation, AI-assisted rotoscoping, and texture synthesis tailored for VFX production.
Modular Synthesis & Sound Design
Exploring patch-programmable analog synthesizers, granular soundscapes, and real-time audio-reactive visual generation with TouchDesigner for cinematic scoring.
Procedural 3D & FX Sim
Authoring custom VDB smoke volumes, fire, debris, and fluid splash elements in Houdini to support and enhance compositing tasks with custom AOVs.
Anamorphic Optics & Cinematography
Analyzing physical lens flare aberrations, optical barrel distortion profiles, and sensor noise characteristics from vintage anamorphic lenses to replicate in digital comp.
15+ Years of Visual Effects, Compositing & Technical Innovation
I am a Senior VFX Compositor and Compositing Supervisor based in Toronto, Canada with over 15 years of high-end feature film and episodic television experience across MPC, Mavericks VFX, Stereo D, Rocket Science VFX, and Prime Focus World.
My credits span billion-dollar global theatrical franchises (The Avengers, Avatar, Titanic 3D, Godzilla, Into the Woods) to critically acclaimed series and thrillers (The Catcher Was a Spy, Beauty and the Beast, Copper, Regression, Flatliners).
In addition to high-end Nuke multi-pass compositing and stereoscopic depth grading, I build custom Python/AI tools and ComfyUI pipelines to streamline production bottlenecks, automated rotomattes, and depth extraction.
Software & Technical Toolchain
Production-tested tools and pipeline standards
Facility History & Key Leadership Roles
Mavericks VFX
- Compositing supervision and shot delivery on 'The Catcher Was a Spy'
- Lead look-dev and final comp for 'Flatliners', 'The Monster', 'Shut In', 'Regression'
Stereo D
- Multi-plane stereoscopic depth compositing on 'Avatar', 'The Avengers', 'Titanic 3D'
- Key stereo comp on 'Hansel & Gretel', 'Priest', 'Gulliver's Travels', 'Poltergeist'
MPC (Moving Picture Company)
- Massive-scale creature and volumetric destruction integration on 'Godzilla'
- Multi-pass CG lighting and environment compositing on 'Seventh Son'
Rocket Science VFX
- Lead compositor across 12 episodes of 'Beauty and the Beast'
- Action sequences and plate prep for 'The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones'
Prime Focus World
- Fantasy environment and creature depth on Disney's 'Into the Woods'
- Action comp and set extensions on Sony's 'White House Down'
Let's Build Extraordinary Images Together
Available for select lead compositing roles, shot sequence look-dev, invisible plate prep, and creative technology consulting worldwide.