Francisco in Australia for a top secret TTF show.

Francisco joined TTF as a previs artist in November 2014. He’s worked on titles such as Doctor Strange, Allegiant and Independence Day: Resurgence.

What exactly do you do as a previs artist?

My job is to show the director’s vision, creating very detailed blueprints of complex sequences using rough 3D animation.

What got you interested in entertainment?

The desire to hyphen the ordinary.

As long as I can remember, I have been daydreaming – either by making up stories of strangers or admiring an image and creating a story of what happens in it. Unfortunately, it’s hard to make a living out of that, so filmmaking seemed like an appropriate choice.

In college (University of Technologico de Monterrey), I was very interested in the area of layout and animation but I couldn’t decide what to focus on so I practiced both. Just before graduating I stumbled upon previs and fell in life with the concept. Fast forward a few years of hard work, online collaborations, odd side jobs and I finally reached the level necessary for my first job in the industry. I’m inspired and intimidated by everyone around me. So I continue to push myself to be a better artist (except on Saturdays when whisky calls).

What influences you as an artist?

I tend to look at every art medium for inspiration. Anything that makes me wonder tends to go into a list for reference. (songs, youtube/vimeo videos, articles, graphic novels, videogames, etc)

What was one of your favorite experiences on a show?

Every time I realize that we are having a ridiculous conversation about the logic behind the protagonist doing the impossible. Something like fighting a monster 20 times its size while driving a unicycle. This is made up, of course, but not too far from the truth. I think these are the best kind of problems to have to solve at work.

That being said, working on Doctor Strange final sequence was a huge dream come true.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.