With over four years of experience in the CG and VFX industry, Sam Denison has honed his skills in 3D modeling, animating, texturing, lighting, and rendering while engaging a rapidly growing community on his YouTube channel. Sam's dedication and creativity culminated in a notable achievement—earning a place in the top 100 of pwnisher’s Kinetic Rush Challenge, sponsored by Fox Renderfarm, a leading cloud rendering services provider and render farm in the industry.
In this interview, he shares insights into his artistic journey, the creative process behind his award-winning work, and the inspiration that drives him as he navigates the challenges of this project. Join us as we delve into Sam's experiences, from conceptualization to the final render, and discover the passion that fuels his innovative spirit.
Fox Renderfarm: Hi Sam! We are honored to have you here! Please introduce yourself first to our readers.
Sam: Hi there! My name is Sam, I go by Samster_VFX on social media, and I’m a VFX/CG artist with a strong passion for bringing digital worlds and characters to life. I’ve been working in VFX for a little over 4 years now, focusing on 3D modeling, texturing, animating, lighting, and rendering. In addition to my professional work, I run a YouTube channel that has grown to nearly 6,000 subscribers in just one year. On my channel, I create fully CG virtual production short films using motion capture technology and Unreal Engine 5. These short films are inspired by fan-favorite franchises as well as original stories. I also share
behind-the-scenes content, tutorials, and live streams where I interact with my audience, giving them an in-depth look at the work that goes into crafting high-quality VFX shots and short films. It’s been really fun to connect with fellow VFX lovers and show people just how much effort goes into every detail of the production process.
Fox Renderfarm: Congratulations on making it to the Top 100 of the Kinetic Rush Challenge! Can you tell us about your journey leading up to this achievement? What inspired you to participate in the challenge?
Sam: Thank you! I’m still pinching myself haha, I’ve been a big fan of Clint’s work for a long time. I first discovered him through his projects with Corridor Digital, and when he transitioned to running his own YouTube channel and launching these render challenges, I was immediately hooked. The idea of participating in competitions with such unique templates really fascinated me. I’ve taken part in several of these challenges, but up until now, I haven’t managed to break into the Top 100. Each time, though, I learned so much and grew as an artist, both through the challenges themselves and from working on my personal projects and freelance work in my own time. I’ve always been very honest with myself about how I can improve, and being self-critical in a constructive way has allowed me to focus on what I need to work on. That mindset helped me grow day by day, and by the time Clint announced this new challenge, I felt confident that I could really give it my best shot and hopefully make it into the Top 100. It’s amazing to see that all of that effort paid off, and it’s incredibly humbling to know that my work was considered good enough to make it into the Top 100 of the Kinetic Rush Challenge. It’s a surreal moment, and I’m grateful for the opportunity!
Shadow & Fire © Sam Denison
Fox Renderfarm: In the context of 'Kinetic Rush,' what particular elements or concepts motivated you to develop your piece? How did you link your idea to the overarching theme?
Sam: What really drew me into this particular render challenge was the parkour aspect. I loved the idea of a character navigating an environment with intense movement—vaulting, jumping, ducking, and sliding to overcome obstacles while either chasing something or escaping from a threat. For me, it was crucial to incorporate narrative elements, as I didn’t want the character to be running or jumping just for the sake of it. I wanted there to be a clear reason behind their actions. At first, I was planning to base my render on the mobile game "Temple Run", drawing from its fast-paced chase and obstacle-dodging elements.
Temple Run © Imangi Studios
However, as I started experimenting, I felt more inspired to take things in the original direction. I realized that by creating something unique from my imagination, the piece would stand out more, especially since recreating popular franchises can sometimes lead to others doing the same in these challenges. So, I shifted my focus toward developing my own idea. I really liked the concept of a character running from something and then leaping into a portal to escape, creating a big dramatic visual shift. I felt that this dynamic change in scenery would make the piece more engaging and visually interesting, while the urgency and desperation of the character’s escape matched the fast-paced, kinetic energy of the parkour theme. That sense of urgency and speed was something I wanted to emphasize, and I believe it tied in perfectly with the overarching theme of the challenge.
Fox Renderfarm: Can you share with us the creation process of your work? How did you manage the workflow from the initial concept to the final render?
Sam: From the start, I was really interested in creating a dramatic contrast between two environments, which I felt would make the piece visually compelling. I had already been playing around with the idea of a hell-like environment for a short film I’m working on for my YouTube channel, so I thought it would be great to contrast that with a beautiful, lush, overgrown world. Inspired by Avatar with its floating mountains and waterfalls, I envisioned the character escaping through a portal from a dark, sinister place into this awe-inspiring, majestic environment. I thought that the sudden switch in atmosphere would really give the piece a strong impact.
Avatar © 20th Century Fox
Pre-Production: I started by blocking out the basic ideas in Unreal Engine, using reference photos of hell-like depictions for the first environment and Avatar-inspired images for the second. I focused on creating a really sinister, creepy, dark atmosphere for the first environment, contrasted by the beauty and majesty of the second.
Base Scene © Sam Denison
Character Design: The character design was a key focus for me since these render challenges often place a lot of emphasis on the character. I used a custom Metahuman to ensure the character was detailed and fit the environment, so I could be confident that everything would work together seamlessly as I built the environments. I wanted to get the character right from the start, which helped me envision how the piece would come together.
Character Design © Sam Denison
Workflow and Iteration: Once the environment and character were blocked out, I began the process of rendering different versions of the animation over and over again. Throughout the process, I used Clint’s Discord server for feedback and also talked to friends and family about my progress. Sometimes I’d take a break, step away from the work, and come back with fresh eyes, noticing things I hadn’t seen before. That really helped the piece evolve. One key piece of advice that really helped was something Clint always says: "Spend 20% of your time doing 80% of the work and use the remaining 80% of your time to refine the last 20%." I took this to heart, using it to push through the initial stages quickly and then spending the bulk of my time adding finer details, both to the storytelling and to the environments and characters, which really brought the whole project to life.
Underworld Environment Process © Sam Denison
Overworld Environment Process © Sam Denison
Feedback from Clint: At one point in the process, I even hopped on a livestream with Clint, where he gave me some direct feedback on my render. It was incredibly useful and really motivated me to dive back in and make improvements.
Post-Production: Once everything was in place, I rendered out the final piece and moved into post-production in DaVinci Resolve. This involved color grading, applying post-processing effects, and making sure all the technical requirements, like resolution and frame rate, were met. After that, it was just a matter of finalizing everything and submitting the work.
Fox Renderfarm: Can you explain the significance of the environmental transition in the scene? What does it represent in the story?
Sam: Narratively, the environmental transition is significant because it shows the character’s attempt to escape to a safe haven where her allies are waiting. As she jumps through the portal, you can see a druid/wizard close it behind her to ensure nothing follows, while a knight by a fortress waves her over, urging her to come quickly to ensure her safety. Once she crosses into this new realm, there’s a visible shift in her demeanor—she starts to straighten up and relax her shoulders, showing a sense of relief after the intense escape. Beyond the story, I also wanted to explore the visual contrast between destruction and creation. Playing with themes like life and death, and light and dark, is something I’ve always enjoyed in my work. The idea of two realms existing side by side, with the portal serving as the bridge between them, was a concept I really wanted to emphasize, as it makes the transition even more dynamic and impactful.
Fox Renderfarm: How did you ensure that the animation and movement felt dynamic and engaging for the audience?
Sam: To ensure the animation movement felt dynamic and engaging for the audience, it was crucial to maintain high momentum throughout the scene. When reanimating the character’s movements, I focused on making it realistic, particularly with props like the sword and shield. I had to ensure that none of the props clipped through the armor, so I used a lot of reference material, such as videos showing how someone runs while carrying a sword and shield. This helped me adjust the character’s posture and movement to reflect the added weight and balance of those items. For larger characters, it was all about capturing the right sense of scale. Larger creatures or beings naturally move more slowly due to the physics of their mass—larger objects have more inertia, which means they take longer to speed up or slow down, giving the illusion of slower movement. I studied references from films featuring giants and similar creatures to make sure their movements felt appropriately scaled and realistic. I also used motion capture technology such as Rokoko video to mocap, Mixamo, and Rokoko mocap suits, and cleaned up the data to ensure the character movements were smooth and natural. The goal was to give the movements a realistic weight and momentum, avoiding any jittery or unnatural motion that might break immersion. Another key element was the use of camera shake. I wanted the camera to feel like it was sprinting alongside the character, which added to the intensity of the moment. Without that added shake, the scene would have lost a lot of its urgency and energy, so getting that balance right was a big focus in the final rendering.
Guardian Renders © Sam Denison
Witch Queen Renders © Sam Denison
Fox Renderfarm: What challenges did you face while working with the kinetic elements in your project, and how did you overcome them?
Sam: Surprisingly, I didn’t face too many challenges with the kinetic elements of the project. The real obstacles came from technical issues—things like constant crashes, shader compilation errors, and various other errors along the way. These setbacks were really frustrating, and I was definitely tempted to punch my monitor a few times, but it really came down to being stubborn and persistent which allowed me to overcome these setbacks. I had to push through by consistently troubleshooting and finding creative ways to overcome the problems. In many cases, it was just about keeping at it, testing solutions, and adapting my workflow to get around these issues while still maintaining the quality of the final piece.
Fox Renderfarm: What has been the most rewarding part of participating in the Kinetic Rush Challenge so far?
Sam: The most rewarding part of participating in the Kinetic Rush Challenge has honestly been every single stage of the process. From the initial concept and blocking out, to the animation, modelling, texturing, sculpting, and lighting. Each element was such a blast to work on. On top of that, being part of the awesome community that Clint has built made it even more special. Hearing feedback and receiving encouragement from the community really pushed me to improve and reach new levels with my work constantly. But the real cherry on top was seeing Sam, Niko, and Clint—all VFX artists I’ve admired for a very long time—react to my render in the Top 100. It was a surreal and incredibly rewarding experience to have their feedback on something I created.
Fox Renderfarm: Have you tried or heard about Fox Renderfarm’s services before? What is your impression of our cloud rendering services?
Sam: Yes, I’ve heard of Fox Renderfarm, and I’ve heard great things about your render farm services! In my opinion, cloud rendering is a handy tool, especially for indie creators like myself. Unlike the big studios, we often only have one computer to handle all our rendering, and that can result in huge wait times, especially for large projects. It can become tedious, frustrating, and even a bit demoralizing when so much time is spent just waiting for renders to finish. Using a render farm, like Fox Renderfarm’s services, allows us to drastically cut down on those wait times, which means we can focus more on the quality of our work. It’s a game-changer for indie creators, as it lets us concentrate on the creative process rather than getting stuck waiting around for renders to complete. I’m also really excited to use the rent-a-farm allowance I won to make it into the top 100 of the Kinetic Rush Challenge!
Fox Renderfarm: Looking ahead, what are your goals moving forward in this field or future challenges?
Sam: Looking ahead, one of my main goals is to continue growing my YouTube channel. I have several exciting short films in the works, including a Real Steel short film, a Lord of the Rings short film, and a short film inspired by The Last of Us video games. On top of that, I’m also working on a much larger project called DARK WORLD, which is something I’m incredibly passionate about. With each of these projects, I’m learning more and more about the creative process, and I’m excited to take what I’ve learned and apply it to future challenges like the next Render challenge that Clint will announce next year! My goals are all about continuing to push myself, grow as an artist, and bring these stories to life in new and exciting ways for people to enjoy.
Video Interview:
Sam’s Social Media:
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@samster_vfx
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samster_vfx/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@samster_vfx
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-denison-a5440a241/
- Twitter: https://x.com/Samster_VFX
