Directory Profile

Michael has earned degrees from California State University Northridge, San Francisco Art Institute, and California Institute of the Arts, in an attempt to leave behind a checkered past that included stints as an Army officer, a money manager, and a studio artist and photographer.

Michael started his film career on “The China Syndrome”, followed shortly by films such as “Star Trek – The Motion Picture”, and “Blade Runner”.  Michael received his first Visual Effects Supervisor credit on "War Games” in 1982.  During the very early years of digital animation and visual effects, on films such as “Buckaroo Banzai” and “Project X”, Michael innovated novel ways to integrate computer graphics with live action and traditional visual effects.

In 1988, Michael saw Kirk Gibson hit the game winning home run in the first game of the World Series between the Dodgers and the Oakland A's.

Michael produced and directed for Sony a real-time composited live action and animation short which was the first demonstration of real-time integration of computer graphics with high definition video in 1989 (Symbolics and Sony HDTV).

Michael received an Academy Award nomination and BAFTA Award nomination for “Batman Returns” in 1993.  In that film he supervised the creation of the first photo-real computer graphic creatures in a feature film that faithfully replicated existing, living, beings (penguins and bats).

In 1993, Michael directed the first Coca-Cola "Polar Bear" spot, which may be the first public showing of a computer graphic creature with three-dimensional fur.

Michael was honored in October 2001 at the Premio Immagine in Milan, Italy for his contribution to the art and science of digital filmmaking.

In 2008, Michael received an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, and a BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects for the film “The Golden Compass”.  The film combined live action, animation, and visual effects in nearly every cut.

Michael was happy to contribute to the Academy Award winning film “Life of Pi” in 2012, working with BUF Compagnie on a 1½ minute sequence known as Tiger Vision, which was often cited in reviews of the film as a seminal moment in the story, establishing the strong bond between Pi and Richard Parker, the tiger.

Michael is a Professor at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where he holds the George Méliès Endowed Chair in Visual Effects.  Michael continues to do 2^nd unit directing, visual effects supervision, and consulting on visual effects, animation, and 3D projects.  He is a founding member, Board member, and a Fellow of the Visual Effects Society.  Michael and his wife Melissa Bachrach live in Los Angeles.