Sergio Mishchenko Talks About His New Project ‘Spare One’ And The Amazing Feedback It Has Received

We find out about what it takes to be a visual effects artist and the hard work that goes behind it, with Sergio Mishchenko:

Hi Sergio, I hear the audience loved ‘Spare One’! Congratulations on the screening!

Thank you! Seeing your work screened at the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood is quite a feeling! And of course getting a great audience reaction is priceless.

I overheard a few people talking about it just now!

You know, it’s interesting – you put months of work into everything, making sure all the tiny details look good, and at the end of the day a lot of people remember the story, not the visuals. One guy came up to me after the screening and said, “So you’re the one who created ‘Spare One’ right? Oh, I’ve been in that situation”. Of course there are some who ask about how I did it and what techniques were used.

How did you come up with it?

I don’t know, it just came to me one day. Sometimes it’s the concept that justifies doing something and brings it forward. Techniques are great, but they are tools to get your point across, while ideas are always valuable.

How long have you been doing visual effects?

I think I started around 2014 or 2015. Something clicked in late 2012, when I started doing visual things: fine art, entertainment design, then the following year photography and cinematography. Then I got excited about visual effects and 3D, adding those as well. Back then it was paramount to me to learn the ‘legit’ industry workflows.

Wow, you’ve been climbing up the ladder pretty quickly. How did you manage to achieve that?

I guess I’ve always put enormous amounts of time in what I do. But the key is enjoying what you do!

Do you ever feel tired of putting so much time into these productions?

Not really – all visual disciplines are interconnected one way or another, and knowing a few of them makes things fresh. I can take a couple of days off after I finish a project, but then something comes up, that’s just the way it is.

What are your near future plans?

I have a couple of shows I’m doing, but I can’t talk about them yet. A few projects are also on the horizon. Meanwhile I’m going to go and ask if someone filmed a bootleg of the screening, so I can show it to my mom, haha!