Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Onur Erdurak. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Onur, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

At a young age, I knew I wanted to be a storyteller. I was in awe of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, and I remember watching it almost every Friday. Back then, I wanted to be Spider-Man of course, but as I grew older, I realized what truly captivated me was the storytelling and the ability to create imagery that awakened a sense of wonder, just as I had experienced.

I believe that when learning any craft, the most essential element is genuine interest. I was incredibly fascinated by filmmaking. It was like a magic trick, and I wanted to see behind the curtain. I immersed myself in learning, consuming countless tutorials and watching anything and everything that looked interesting. I learned a great deal from creators like Ryan Connolly of Film Riot and Andrew Kramer from Video Copilot.

Eventually, this path led me to study Cinema and Digital Media at the Izmir University of Economics. My time there was invaluable, as I had the guidance of excellent mentors. I wrote and directed my first short film, STRANDED, during my studies. Despite having no budget and only one actor, I was fortunate that my uncle, Kemal Erdurak, was a professional actor and agreed to collaborate. The film later premiered at the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner in 2018.

Currently available on YouTube:

I also had the opportunity to study in Slovenia through the Erasmus+ exchange program. During this time, I worked on my film The Tale of the Great Warrior (2019) and collaborated with Boštjan Vrhovec and Branko Završan, who had worked on the Academy Award-winning No Man’s Land. The lessons I learned from them in just a few days continue to shape my approach today.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, I found myself away from film sets, cameras, lights, and most importantly, my collaborators.
It was then that I came across Ian Hubert’s World Building video from Bcon 2019.

(7:49)

In it, he shared how he created a shot of a driving car scene from nothing but behind-the-scenes images.
I wanted to keep telling stories and make images. I was inspired, I knew I had to learn this program called “blender”.

Blender is a free, open-source 3D creation suite. I watched countless tutorials, anything and everything that looked interesting. Created hundreds of projects, and failed countless times, but soon realized how much my knowledge of filmmaking translated into 3D. Lighting, camera settings and movement, composition…

After gaining confidence in my 3D creations, I began sharing my work on Instagram through my account, @blendreams, https://www.instagram.com/blendreams/ which now has over 140,000 followers. Currently, I’m pursuing an MFA in Film at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles as a Fulbright grantee.

Looking back, I realize that learning any craft is a never-ending journey. There’s always something new to explore, and I see myself as a forever student. My mentors and collaborators taught me a lot and nurtured my curiosity and love for filmmaking. I believe that genuine passion is the most crucial factor in mastering any craft—it drives you to learn, persevere through challenges, and constantly strive for improvement.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a storyteller with a deep passion for visual storytelling, specializing in merging real-world elements with 3D CGI and VFX. My journey into the world of 3D and visual effects began out of necessity—I wanted to enhance the production quality of my films and tell stories that would otherwise be impossible to create.

As I explored CGI further, I realized that I could build entire worlds and narratives using purely digital tools. While that was thrilling, I’ve always been fascinated by blending the boundaries between the digital and physical worlds. My goal is to create stories and images that make the audience forget about their real-world problems whether it’s through a live-action scene enhanced with VFX or a completely 3D-rendered narrative.

In my 3D work, I aim to evoke the same sense of wonder and escapism. I love exploring otherworldly and fantastical scenarios, but I always strive to include elements from real life in my digital creations. Whether it’s scanning a physical object or incorporating hand-drawn impact frames, I believe these tangible details bring depth and authenticity to the digital world.

I believe the inclusion of real-world things into the digital work adds something special to its essence.

Currently, I am working on my latest live-action short film, “MAKINA”
MAKINA takes place in an underground dystopia where it is believed “Imagination leads to Delusion” so nobody dreams or imagines anything anymore.

The story follows Tim, a loyal worker who believes in the system, and Page, a young imaginative girl…

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

in most part this question is answered below :)

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspects are two things.

First, it’s the sense of accomplishment when I achieve what I set out to do. Seeing the final work come together is deeply satisfying. There’s something incredibly fulfilling about bringing an idea to life.

Second, it’s the ability to evoke the same sense of wonder that I felt as a kid watching Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. That feeling of awe, like anything is possible, is something I want to pass on to my audience. I want the viewer to feel that same magic and excitement and know that the same possibilities exist for them too. I also hope to one day inspire someone the same way I was inspired.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://blendreams.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blendreams/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/onurerdurak/
• Twitter: https://x.com/blendreams
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@onurerdurak

Image Credits

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