Fadi was recently featured in The Focus Magazine for his team's work on the dramatic scene where Brad Pitt's character plummets 80,000 feet to Earth from an antenna that extends outside the planet's atmosphere.

We caught up with Fadi to find out more about what he does and how Humber helped him get there.

What is your current job title and what does that mean on a daily basis?

My current job title is "Tracking and Layout Department Lead" at Mr.X Inc in Toronto, Ontario. The tasks I perform in a day can vary, so here are some of the things that I do:

Lead - I oversee a team of 8 others on a daily basis as part of my duties as lead. I work with them to address any issues or concerns they have, as well as just general supervision, support, and direction.

New Show Setup – I work with the technical leads in the studio to set up new shows. I help ingest the data that’s been given to us by clients and set up the foundation required for each show so they’re ready for our artists to work with. This includes things like dictating render resolutions, color spaces, and software templates.

Interviews – I conduct interviews alongside my manager to scout for potential new hires in the Toronto tracking and layout department.

General Troubleshooting – I work alongside all the artists in my department to help them with any issues they may have. This can be related to the specific shot/show that they’re working on, or it could be one of our proprietary tools that needs bug fixes.

Pipeline Overseeing – I manage and oversee the pipeline for the Tracking and Layout department across all 3 locations. The "pipeline" is the technical term for the proprietary toolsets that allow for the transfer of data from one department to the other. I discuss, oversee and approve any development that affects the data coming into or going out of the tracking and layout team.

Training – Having worked with a team to pioneer the current training system in place for Tracking and Layout, I still oversee the training to this day. New hires for Toronto are seated next to me and get 1-on-1 time as they are introduced to the tools and workflow. Once they’re at a comfortable level, we put them into production. During this phase, they continue to sit next to me so I can oversee their work and troubleshoot any hiccups they may experience.

Shot Work – If there’s nothing from the above list on my plate for that day, I work on individual shots alongside my team.

What was your career path to get where you are now?

My career path after leaving Humber has been fairly single track. I was hired at Mr. X while still in my third year and have been here ever since. I was brought in as an "Entry Level Tracking Artist". Over the years, I was presented with more responsibility and higher-level tasks as my skillset, knowledge, and experience grew.

In the fall of 2017, I worked with my supervisors to restructure and establish an entirely updated training program for new hires in our department. This training has been widely successful. Over 10 artists have gone through it since and almost all are now at a senior level.

In the spring of 2018, I was given the opportunity to travel to India. We opened a branch in Bangalore and I was sent there to train the staff of the tracking and layout department in our proprietary toolsets and workflows. I held live demos, recorded hours of video training documentation, established personal connections and rapport with the individual artists, and continued communication with them afterwards, overseeing their work and progress.

In the fall of 2019, the position for department lead became available and I was presented with the promotion. I’ve been in that role since.

How did your time at Humber prepare you for what you’re doing now?

Humber did a fantastic job of preparation me for my career.

The education I received allowed me to build a portfolio that helped me acquire the position in the first place.

The outreach to former students and industry professionals prepared me by helping set up an in-depth network of resources and contacts. This helped me understand the importance of communication and references. It was a Humber grad I met through this networking that recommended me for the position at Mr. X, helping me secure the job.

Studio tours and guest speakers hosted by the professors gave me insider knowledge about the workings of the industry, and supported everything the instructors were telling us. Humber also helped prepare me with useful pointers on how to set up my demo reel, website, and resume to stand out more than other applicants.

Find out more about Fadi Sara on IMDB and read the articles where he and his team were featured: 

https://www.thefocus.com/news/ad-astra-fall-brad-pitt-mr-x-fall-from-space

https://www.thefocus.com/news/ad-astra-brad-pitt-fall-mr-x-visually-chaotic

What are you doing now and what was your career path to get here?

After gaining valuable experience in all facets of film work, I decided to specialize in Screenwriting and, a few years after graduating, found myself writing and directing my first feature film "Brewster McGee" which was shot on 16mm black and white film. Over the next several years, I continued my filmmaking journey here in Vancouver with my documentary short "Broken Palace" as well as my most recent feature film "A Legacy of Whining" (which I also acted in). I have just completed (along with my Producer/wife Maria) our new documentary "European Tour '73".

Tell us some of your favourite Humber memories.

The memories that I cherish most from my time at Humber are of the many great friendships that I made with my fellow Humber film students and the amazing (and sometimes nerve wracking) moments we spent getting our film projects across the finish line in time!

Also, upon arriving at Humber College, I immediately found the offices of the campus newspaper "The Humber Voice" and became the film critic for the paper for the next three years. This allowed me to received a press pass to cover the Toronto International Film Festival which was enormously exciting ("Hey! Is that Roger Ebert getting on the elevator...!).

How did Humber help you get where you are now?

I think the best thing about studying film at Humber College was how well it prepared me for real life in the film world. Just like in the film business, we had to learn how to exist and get along within a group of fellow crew members and be able to respect and listen to each other's creative ideas and to balance and be productive amongst all the different personalities and viewpoints involved. Also, the course's expectation of having us learn all the different functions and duties in the film world gave us a very well-rounded and valuable opportunity for some incredible hands-on learning.

Share a tip for upcoming filmmakers.

I think it's important for potential filmmakers to get a solid understanding of their craft - whether it's going to film school or learning online or especially going to as many movies as possible - that's key. When I went to Humber, I used to jump on a bus downtown almost everyday after class and see as many movies as I could (they used to have a collection of very cool repertory movie houses that featured amazing film titles from North America and around the world!).

Also, I think it shouldn't be overlooked just how important it is for filmmakers to get out and meet as many like-minded individuals as possible (yes, that dreaded word "networking"!). Making a film is a social experiment at all times and you will need as many people pulling in the same direction as you as possible. Get out of your comfort zone and start being part of your chosen community! Help other filmmakers on their sets, support other filmmakers and creatives - the love will make its way back to you!

Watch the trailers for Ross's films "A Legacy of Whining" and "European Tour '73".

Back in his third year at Humber, Steve made a case for a business which, he happily reports, has been his full time job for nearly 5 years. He told us a bit about the business and how Humber helped him make it a reality.

What are you currently working on and what was your career path to get there?

In 2014, I started a YouTube channel called the Samurai Guitarist. Since then I have built a following of 500k followers with over 54 million views. I've branched out to doing sponsored deals, merchandising, an online guitar course and a number of other things that have built a comfortable and fulfilling life in music. I've traveled the world because of this and can't go into a guitar store without being recognized (this is still weird for me).

What other projects have you worked on since leaving Humber?

A failed country band.

How did your time at Humber prepare you for what you’re doing now?

It was very beneficial, many of the skills I learned at school I still use on a regular basis. From working in the studio to my music business class with Andy Scott, there is very little I learned that I don’t use regularly. 

Photo credit: Jenny Marrin