ZaneTV | Films | FX has evolved into an expandable network of creative professionals — the product of 20 years of the creative sojourn of R. Zane Rutledge — from high-end Hollywood to the low-budget indie film scene. (And a lot of distance in between.)

I wear a lot of hats. Some of my favorites: filmmaker, director, creative director, visual effects supervisor, writer, editor, animator, art director.

When I moved back to Austin, I thought I was done with the commercial world, but I’m having more fun pitching, designing, and shooting commercials (and creative industrials) than I have in years. The world of advertising is changing in exciting ways, and I’m loving where it’s headed. The landscape of the internet and the 30-second skip button makes it more interesting than ever.

Whether it’s simple moving type (or even not so simple), or full-blown CG, the art director and designer is always at work, driven to create eye-catching and evocative imagery.

I’m also involved in the development of a number of narrative film projects, both features and a potential series, so the storyteller in me is constantly creating. We plan to shoot our next feature later this year (or die trying).

I love most of the filmmaking process, but my bread-and-butter has been post-production. I’ve made a bit of a name producing visual effects for low-budget indies (and occasionally I slip some higher budget work in there as well). Everything from roto and wire-removal to digital 3D characters, but mostly things in between. I seem to specialize in hitting people with trucks or cars or buses, or dropping people off of skyscrapers, or making guns shoot pretty and blood spray nicely. Fire and snow, smoke and mirrors. That kind of thing.

I’ve supervised teams of more than a dozen people and also worked solo. I’m a generalist, not a specialist. I use a lot of different software. (Whatever is the right tool for the job.) I’ve been called a “swiss army knife,” as well as a “jackass of all trades.” (That one made me smile.) I now have a small army of talented folks I can tap when I need to be bigger than myself, which these days is pretty often. Animators, fx artists, designers, editors, shooters… Some of my favorite partners are linked to in the grey bar at the bottom, or elsewhere on my site.

I like the big picture; finding the right shot to tell the story. I enjoy problem-solving, even with limitations like little or no money. I’m a child of the DV era of guerrilla filmmaking, finding the right solution to meet even the meager budget. Most of my favorite digital techniques are low-cost, high-impact effects. Tricks like camera projection, matte painting, digital set-extensions… Things that give the illusion of big budgets, epic scale. Even if the technology behind them may only be prosumer.

I’m a fan of the new DSLRs — Canon 7Ds and 5Ds, as well as “big guns” like the Red. (I’m a co-owner of a Red Scarlet, and can’t wait to own a 4K laser projector in the looming future.)

This site is a desperate attempt to consolidate my work (which is nigh impossible) — as well as occasional thoughts and experiments — into one uber-bloggable portfolio. If I can ever catch up and keep up. Which is not likely. Too much going on.

But hey — drop me a line if you want to chat fx, or film, or whatever. I’ll try to take a breath and return the call / email.