Orbital FX founder Luke Daley leads workshop with BA (Hons) Model Making & Visual FX students!
Students on our BA (Hons) Model Making & Visual FX degree had the exciting opportunity to attend a workshop with creator of Orbital FX Luke Daley! Luke brings 15 years of engineering and manufacturing expertise to the world of Film & TV and his unique skill set has been used to create props and costumes for blockbuster TV shows like The Mandalorian and Disney projects around the world.
Recently his company Orbital FX, headed by Luke and his wife Karen, sealed a six-figure loan investment from Creative UK’s Culture and Creative Investment Programme (CCIP), which is delivered in partnership with the North East Combined Authority to provide investment and support for creative businesses and freelancers in the region.
During his talk with the students Luke gave insight into his work, speaking of the talk student Luke Brandrick said, “the whole day was super interesting and informative of the way smaller businesses can work within film and related industries. The day started with Luke introducing the model makers to an electronics taster.”
“The practical elements of this were easy to follow through Luke’s friendly instruction as he showed us how to solder components onto boards as well as how to utilise the advancements of Artificial Intelligence when writing code. I had the opportunity to do some wiring and coding in the demonstration of the Arduino microcontroller and because of Luke’s encouragement, I have now purchased an Arduino myself and plan to upgrade my skill set with it.”
“Most importantly, combined with his enthusiasm, I feel that having people like Luke in to talk to us is vital in telling students what we really need to be able to do to be the best at our discipline and how our course applies to the real world. His excitement around what he does as a creative engineer is incredibly motivating especially in terms of how combining technical expertise with artistry can yield incredible results.Luke also mentioned a book called “The Elements of Mechanical Design. I now have this through his recommendation, and it is incredibly helpful!”
“In terms of my current project, I am making a horror related special effect where tubes come out from a person’s back. I now plan to use Arduino for some of the lighting elements and the book Luke recommended in helping me work out the mechanical linkages.”
If you are interested in a career in prop and model making look no further! Our BA (Hons) Model Making & Visual FX degree has been developed directly with our industry partners, who include visual effects artists, miniature effects designers and model makers. Students on this programme develop practical workshop techniques with digital skills to help them secure employment in the screen industries and beyond. Find out more here.
