Very sad to hear of the passing of visual effects artist Alex Frisch.
Alex was very kind to me when I first met him while I was writing for VFXPro about the Red Hot Chili Peppers video "Around the World" – I was impressed by the way Alex had captured the energy of the music in Francis Bacon-style light compositions. We hit it off, and Alex even offered to bring me to Method, the visual effects boutique he had co-founded in Santa Monica, where he offered to teach me Inferno!
I never took Alex up on that offer, but I continued to watch out for Alex’s work and covered more of his commercials and music videos, which were always so creative. I remember an amazing Super Bowl spot he did for Mountain Dew with a man wrestling a cheetah, and I believe there were other commercials for Zack Snyder, a music video where Chris Cornell was on fire, and a fantastic sci-fi spot for PS2. We became friends.
But the greatest act of kindness Alex showed me I will never forget. I was making The Glitch – my first short film in years, and my first foray into the digital arena. I was planning to do the VFX myself in Final Cut, so I called Alex for advice. While we were shooting in our downtown loft location, there was a knock on the door. My heart stopped because we were filming without a permit and I thought one of the neighbors had called the cops. But, it was Alex! He had turned up on a Sunday morning and hung out with us for hours. He went over my storyboards, looked at my camera setups, and gave me some advice, but most of all I remember him encouraging me to be free with the VFX. 'Have fun with it,' he said.
A couple of months later, I took my rough cut to Method to show Alex how it was going. To my great shock, Alex offered to take the VFX off my hands and put the work through Method. Alex and his producer, Sabrina, liked the short and they thought it would be good training for some of their junior artists in training. I nervously took Alex aside and explained I was short of money and couldn't afford him, but Alex (bless him) let me know, that as long as my deadline was open, the price was zero. At the time, I wasn’t allowed to advertise that fact, but I’m guessing he wouldn’t mind now.
I last saw Alex a few years ago while I was writing a little story for Cinefex about a Jim Jarmusch zombie film for which a friend of his had provided the visual effects. We had a couple of beers and promised to keep in touch. They were planning to set up a new company, and I was looking forward to seeing what they got up to.
Safe travels, Alex. Thank you again for your warmth, your generosity of spirit, and for encouraging me to have fun and take the creative leap. Essential for a great artist.
