Bill Lae is an award-winning visual effects artist, image creator, graphic designer, cinematographer, and writer/director. Bill's extensive production experience comes from his days as one of Hollywood's busiest digital effects experts, having worked as a graphic designer and visual effects specialist for all the major networks and nearly all of the Los Angeles special effects houses. Some of the top shows in television including, The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Showtime's The Outer Limits have all received Bill's magic touch in effects. He has also created and executed visual effects for music videos, including Michael Jackson and Madonna, and has designed on-air promotion graphics and network I.D.s. Bill was the designer and digital artist for on-air graphic design for NBC, ABC, Fox Family, ABC Family, and has also worked closely with other designers creating packages for CBS, MTV, FOX and TNT. He has worked with Pittard Sullivan Design, LimeLite Video, Editel, Varitel, View Studio, Digital Magic, 4MC, Pacific Ocean Post, Colorado Effects, Hollywood Digital, Action Video, GRFX Novocom, The Magic Room at NBC, and various other post and graphics facilities.
Past clients include Tony Kaye Films, British Airways, David Copperfield, Michael Jackson, Beyonce and many others. Projects include: in feature film (Frequency), music videos (Sound Garden, Rod Stewart); television (“Home Improvement,” “The Chris Rock Show,” “Nova,” "The Academy Awards", "Miss America," the "Grammys" and the opening of the Super Bowl XXXIII); theme parks (Universal Studios in Japan, Caesar Shops in Las Vegas, and Wonderland in Dubai); and playback at top artist’s concerts (‘N SYNC, Beyonce, and Britney Spears).
Highly sought after as a Director of Photography in image creation, Bill has shot and created images used throughout the entire entertainment industry. His footage is represented by Corbis Motion in New York and appears around the world on broadcast television in commercials, music videos, sitcoms, news programs, documentaries, awards shows, concerts, and most recently in the movie "The Secret."
Bill produced, directed and wrote the critically acclaimed, award-winning feature film SuperGuy: Behind the Cape, a 70-minute mockumentary about the not-so-perfect, behind-the-scenes-life of a real super hero. It has received outstanding reviews—including Daily Variety—and went into development for a TV series at Paramount. Bill and his partner wrote the pilot episode for UPN. It went back in TV development through Maxim magazine's Moving Pictures DPI and William Morris. This film required the creation of an entire 'reality' (props, sets, news, media, toys, magazines, newspapers) that a 'real' super hero was a part of.
Bill has gone on to create virtual realities: more specifically, virtual sets wherein a cast taped on green screen is placed into a phot-realistic environment created inside a computer. A one-time critic of the “fake” look of these “sets,” Bill began heavily integrating photography of real images into the sets to steer them away from inauthentic “shiny looking CGI” models.
Bill produced, wrote and directed the Couch Critics, a pilot for a television series that analyzes and criticizes films in a comedic, hip environment. The show is like At the Movies meets Saturday Night Live. Five episodes aired in the Los Angeles area. Outside the realm of production, Bill is a stand-up comedian and has performed at the World Famous Improv in Hollywood.
Bill earned both a Masters Degree and Bachelors Degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University in Indiana. He specialized his education in computer graphics and robotics, concentrating on motion control, animation and photography. He also studied film and video while focusing on his technical studies. While at Purdue, he owned and directed a commercial production company shooting and posting commercials for the Indianapolis and the central Indiana region. He also wrote, cartooned and published a comic strip titled Jocular Science, which preceded the popular cartoon Dilbert. (Visit JocularScience.com)
Virtual sets are integral to making the FanBoy Games look ultra amazing for ultra low costs. Bill Lae has been “shooting” virtual sets for over five years now.
Design graphics, promo, and visual effects reel. Yes, it’s far too long. But who has time to cut it down? ‘just use your off-button.
SuperGuy: Behind the Cape Trailer for the Indie film by Bill Lae and Mark Teague.
Bill’s “Bio Reel”
Todd McNulty
VP Marketing,
TV GUIDE NETWORK
"My secret weapon is Bill Lae. He is a wizard when it comes to making anything look like a major Hollywood production. When I first brought in Bill to help us at TV Guide Network, we had little programming to make sales presentations, but he saw this as an opportunity to impress our clients with his magic. He brought a brand new quality to the Network. I started receiving calls like: "How did you do that?" "Wow!" Every year after that, he continued to raise the bar. Accolades and awards are just some of the benefits from working with Bill. The real rewards are his ideas, attitude and energy. He brings it to every project."
Gary W. Goldstein
Producer: Pretty Woman, Under Siege
Bill's talent, artistry, gift is second to none. His work is unfailingly at the highest level. The opening and promo videos that Bill and his company have done for me are the best I've ever had. He knocks it out of the park every time. And he’s a marketer that understands positioning. He will take you where you need to go!