An accomplished and highly-esteemed VFX Supervisor, Ara Khanikian balances his artistic and technical strengths to deliver unparalleled hyper-realistic visual effects. Clients appreciate and value Ara’s characteristic calm and positive attitude as much as his focus and organized workflow.

Ara joined Rodeo FX in 2008 as senior Digital Compositor and, with his extensive leadership skills, quickly rose through the ranks, taking on the responsibilities of Compositing Supervisor and Head of 2D before becoming VFX Supervisor.

With close to 70 feature films under his belt, Ara is a master at creating breathtaking visuals that help narrate his clients’ stories. His recent titles include Downsizing, and Kong: Skull Island, and he is currently working on Disney’s Jungle Cruise. Winner of the Best Supporting Visual Effects VES Award, Ara’s work as overall VFX Supervisor on Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman was instrumental to the acclaimed single-shot illusion, which he delivered by creating imperceptible visual effects.

Inspired by classics like Star Wars, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Indiana Jones and Back to the Future, Ara studied in 2D and 3D animation and held stints at Buzz Image and Hybride where he worked on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Brokeback Mountain, The Fountain, and 300, before joining Rodeo FX.