Meet the Butcher Birds — Kent Nabor

Kent Nabor–Motion Graphics Artist and Virtual Production Tech

Next up in our “Meet the Butcher Birds” series where we showcase our amazing crew, we’re sitting down with our dexterous Motion Graphics Artist and Virtual Production Tech, Kent Nabor, who discusses VR 360, virtual set design, and why you should never stifle your creativity.

Can you tell us a bit about your background prior to Butcher Bird Studios?

From a young age, I was involved in theatrical stagecraft. I stuck with it throughout high school and later would go on to teach after graduation. Being more reserved than your stereotypical “theater kid”, I decided to step away and think about what else I could be in life.

Like a good number of people, I initially had thought I wanted to be a cinematographer. That fire quickly faded when I realized that my daily routine was to watch and create VFX skits on the level of YouTube circa 2010. My love for making terrible VFX skits transitioned into stitching 360 VR videos. After spending some time in that world, I found my way to Butcher Bird Studios in need of rotoscoping and more!

Can you describe your role at Butcher Bird Studios?

I like to think of my role as a graphics generalist. The studio does a wide range of work, which has led me around to learning a bit of this and that. If there’s a need for general VFX (matte painting, rotoscoping, compositing, etc.), 3D modeling, live motion graphics or virtual set creation, then do I have answers for you (potentially).

What’s your most memorable project with the team and why?

There are a handful of amazing projects that stand out, but if I’m to limit myself to just one, I would say that Twitch Sells Out was an incredible experience. To say that it had a lot of moving parts is an understatement. Thinking back on it, I would attribute its success to the team’s professionalism and ability to stay collected under pressure.

Besides Twitch Sells Out, I see every single frame I’ve rotoscoped every time I close my eyes.

Is there anything you wish you knew before starting your career?

Well, when I’m fabricating ideas in my head, it’s often too fantastical to be physically feasible. It’s immediately followed by scrapping those fantasies and coming up with something incredibly limiting, albeit realistic. What I wish I knew early on was to “play around” with those ideas more. Don’t stifle your creativity!

What does the future look like for the industry? What’s the next big thing?

Virtual production! It’s already here, the future is now! I think the goal is to get to a point where the process is much more streamlined.

Finally – how do you spend your free time outside of work?

Successfully failing to balance learning between bouldering, stunt work, saxophone, streaming, and bo staff spinning!

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