Morris May

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Morris May
Morris May.JPG
Born (1968-09-03) September 3, 1968 (age 55)
Michigan
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States
OccupationCEO Specular Theory
Height6 ft (183 cm)
Websitespeculartheory.com

Morris May is an American entrepreneur, TEDX speaker, award-winning Augmented reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR) expert, and keynote speaker. May has over two decades of experience working in Hollywood and has also played an integral role in over 30 films. Additionally he created CGI digital effects for the films The Mummy Returns, Star Wars: Episode II, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Godzilla, and Fast & Furious. He has worked with several prolific companies including Industrial Light & Magic, Sony Imageworks, and Animal Logic.[1][2][3]

May after acquiring substantial experience working on Digital Film effects in the film industry, he established Specular Theory.[4] He serves as the CEO of this technology company based in Venice Beach that is known for its groundbreaking innovation in a variety of Immersive technologies.[5][6][7][8]

May is regarded as a pioneer in the virtual reality world, and his VR film “Perspective; Chapter 1: The Party,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, garnered national notice. Throughout his career, he has won many awards and accolades for his expertise in the VR/AR/MR including Streamy Award, VR Fest Award, two Mobius Awards, and an MTV Video Music Award, to name a few. He has also played an integral part in the Academy Award Winning films - Happy Feet best-animated feature film and Spiderman II won for best visual effects.[9]

Early life and education

May was born on September 3, 1968, in Michigan. He later acquired a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of Arizona with a specialization in Theatrical Lighting, Photography, and Computers.

Career

May started his career in 1999 as a technical director at Industrial Light and Magic. After working for three years at this firm, May joined (N)tropic as a Head of CG, where he worked for over a year.[10]

In 2003, May started working at Sony ImageWorks as a senior effects artist. He served for over a year at this multi-national company and then joined Animal Logic as an FX Lead. In 2004, May established ProjectileFX, a firm that was active for nine years and offered a vast range of services in Hollywood.[11]

In 2007, May became an FX Lead at Tweak Films, where he worked for approximately a year and then joined Rainmaker Entertainment as an FX Supervisor.[12]

In 2010, May started working at Hydralux, as CGI supervisor where he offered his services for a year. For the next two years, May worked at Prologue and Method Studios in FX along with working for Google and Microsoft as an independent contractor.[13]

In 2013, May founded Specular Theory, a leading technology firm known for offering VR/AR/MR services for defense and enterprises and entertainment. It is an award-winning SBIR Phase II and Phase III company that has gained recognition for its software applications. Under the leadership of May, Specular Theory became the first-ever VR Streamy Award winner in 2016. The company also garnered much attention for the Perspective VR trailblazing original series that was featured in the Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival.[14][15][16]

As of 2021, May’s Perspective; Chapter 2: Misdemeanor is set to be featured in the Sundance, as well as the Tribeca Film Festival.[17]

Filmography

S.No Title Year Role
1 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie 1995 Digital Artist
2 From Dusk Till Dawn 1996 3D Team: VIFX
3 Broken Arrow 1996 3D Digital Artist
4 Down Periscope 1996 3D Digital Artist
5 Jingle All The Way 1996 Digital Animator
6 Money Talks 1997 Visual Effects Supervisor
7 Godzilla 1998 Effects Animator (CFX)
8 Wild Wild West 1999 Digital Compositor
9 The Mummy Returns 2001 Digital Effects Artist
10 Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones 2002 Digital Effects Artist (ILM)
11 Underworld 2003 3D Artist: Ntropic
12 Spider-Man 2 2004 Effects Animator
13 The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D 2004 Compositor: Hydraulx
14 Robots of Mars 3D Adventure 2005 Visual Effects
15 Bewitched 2005 Digital Effects Animator: SPI
16 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 2005 Effects Animation Technical Director: SPI, Senior Effects Artist
17 Happy Feet 2006 Effects Lead
18 Spider-Man 3 2007 Visual Effects: Tweak Films
19 Lions for Lambs 2007 Lead Visual Effects Technical Director: Tweak Films
20 Australia 2008 CG Supervisor: Hydralux
21 Bedtime Stories 2008 CG Supervisor: Hydralux
22 Fast & Furious 2009 CG Supervisor
23 X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2009 CG Supervisor

Immersive (Virtual Reality) Awards

  • 2018 Best Branded/Commercial VR experience, VR Fest Awards
  • 2017 Innov8: V-Commerce Finalist presented by Store No.8
  • 2017 Lumiere Award Nominee: Best Live-Action VR
  • 2016 Streamy Award Winner: Best VR/360 Experience
  • 2016 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection
  • 2016 Tribeca Film Festival Official Selection
  • 2016 VR Fest Award Winner: Best Sports VR Experience
  • 2015 Best Live-Action Music Video VR Fest Awards Nominee
  • 2015 Best Branded/Commercial VR Fest Awards Nominee
  • 2015 Ranked #1 Best 360 Music Video
  • 2015 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection

In the media

                    

References

  1. "E51: Ryan Pulliam, Co-Founder and CMO of Specular Theory – Interview | Flyover Labs". www.flyoverlabs.io. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  2. "Playing along with Hotel Transylvania Popstic VR". VIVE Blog. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  3. Gaudiosi, John (14 June 2016). "Specular Theory Exec Explains Opportunities In VR Storytelling". AList. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  4. "Morris May - Founder & CEO @ Specular Theory, Inc. - Crunchbase Person Profile". Crunchbase. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  5. "Company Specular Theory News, Employees and Funding Information, Venice, CA". www.topionetworks.com. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  6. "VR Company Specular Theory Lands $4.5 Million Air Force Contract | Los Angeles Business Journal". labusinessjournal.com. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  7. "Specular Theory Company Profile: Valuation & Investors | PitchBook". pitchbook.com. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  8. "Virtual Reality at Sundance Offers a Glimpse Into the Future". pastemagazine.com. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  9. Roettgers, Janko; Roettgers, Janko (23 June 2015). "YouTube Uses Virtual Reality to Let You Be the Terminator". Variety. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  10. Sprigg, Sam (3 June 2021). "Specular Theory awarded $4.5 million SBIR Phase III contract to deliver Virtual Reality training to US Air Force". Auganix.org. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  11. "#242: Building Empathy with a 360-degree Video about a Sexual Assault from Two Perspectives | Voices of VR Podcast". voicesofvr.com. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  12. "How Virtual Reality Worlds Inspire People With Disabilities". KQED. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  13. Groves, Don. "'The L Word's' Rose Troche Plans LGBTQIA Series- In Virtual Reality". Forbes. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  14. "Specular Theory CEO Morris May on 360-Degree Filmmaking". Studio Daily. 16 June 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  15. "Inside the Headset with Specular Theory". Medium. 25 July 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  16. "Specular Theory Create Vcommerce Fashion Shoot Experience Behind The Style". VRFocus. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  17. "perspective-chapter-2-the-misdemeanor". www.sundance.org. Retrieved 17 August 2021.

External links