We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Charles H. Joslain a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Charles H., thanks for joining us today. The more we talk about good leadership the more we think good leadership practices will spread and so we’d love for you to tell us a story about the best boss you’ve had and what they were like or what they did that was so great?
When I was 23 and fresh out of college, pretty clueless but totally believing I was fully ready for the big wild world out there, I got my first job as an intern at DedoWeigertFilm in Munich, Germany (I moved and lived there almost 2 years for family reasons).
Long story short, I met a Russian producer there who was curious and kind enough to listen to my little story/background. After I spoke, he politely yet brutally schooled me about the realities of the world, the industry, what to expect, what to not expect, etc… I learned more in 20 minutes listening to him than 5 years of university.
After watching my student short films, he would proceed with giving me my first ‘break’ in directing a few commercials, and we ended up working together for a few years after that until I moved to London and stepped away from the advert world to focus more on post-production & VFX work.
He truly was the greatest boss possible: always fiercely honest and with limited patience for my mistakes but with a heart of gold and truly willing to dispense the best advice a young man could benefit from. He true mentor.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
VFX-LA was started by my close friend and now business partner Izzy Traub. He came to me in late 2019 with a project for Epson that was giving him trouble, which I helped finalize and wrap up on a happy note.
We proceeded with developing VFX-LA by using a not-so-subtle mixture of cold emails, old relationships, social media posts and monthly updates with our pre-existing list of clients.
In 2021 we decided to invest heavily in the development of deepfake technology t0 turn them from the goofy fun videos you can see on YouTube, to actually being able to use deepfakes as proper filmmaking tools for the future.
We are now to 2 years later and besides doing the more classic VFX work everyone knows about (green screens, 3d animation, particle simulations, etc…), I can confidently say that we are now the world’s leading company for deepfake technology and its cinematic applications. Our reel speaks for itself.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
In 2012 after going to the Cannes Lions Festival in France where I was nominated for a UNICEF campaign I wrote and directed, I thought I had hit the jackpot and would swim like a fish the cream of the crop of the advertising world. But much to my dismay, I discovered that that industry featured lots of people who cared more about the social & industry status conveyed by titles and brand names, more than the actual quality of the work done. That did not sit well with me and I hated it. It felt fake, slimy and I didn’t see myself operating in that field another 30 years.
On the other hand, the film world was crowded with true lovers of good story-telling. Is every one nice and lovely in that field? Of course not; and you will run into an unpleasant individual here and there. But overall, I met many more people who cared deeply about their craft and took pride in giving their best for the sake of telling a good valuable story, than in the advert world. By far.
So after that painful ‘eureka moment’, I decided to aim towards the world of narrative filmmaking much more; no matter which form (feature films, TV series, documentaries). I never looked back and probably never will again.
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
That one is simple: being truthful. In every aspect of the process, all the time, with everyone.
I love what I do. I’m eager to start my day when I wake up. I love having calls with clients, hearing about their projects, what problems they may need our help with, what stories they want to tell, etc…
If you truly love what you do, it’ll never film like ‘work’; it might be stressful, it might be difficult, but it won’t be a chore that you’d rather avoid like the plague and procrastinate endlessly instead of just doing it.
Be honest, confront people politely with your ideas when you see you can positively contribute to the overall vision, take responsibility when you F something up (which you will), and do what you promise you’re going to do: Send that email before midnight; call back like you said you would; don’t shy away from problems and misunderstandings. Tackle them with honesty and without fear.
If your heart is in the right place nothing will stop you; and the results will speak volumes about your character. People will notice and respect you for it. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vfxlosangeles.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vfx_la/
Image Credits
Charles H. Joslain