Martin Lipmann
Twenty years telling stories on screen. Now I help the next generation tell their own.
Montréal, Québec · French / Canadian · Drama, History & French
Profile
I’ve been lucky to work in two fields I love, teaching theatre to young people, and making visual effects for film.
On the Stage
I teach drama and history, and I direct the school’s theatre productions. Most of the work is hands-on: writing and adapting texts with the students, directing the acting, and getting a show onto the stage together.
On the Screen
For about twenty years I worked in visual effects for film and television, as a supervisor and second-unit director. On the bigger shows that meant coordinating teams across several studios, from early planning to the shoot, always trying to serve the story.
A winding road
From a multimedia-obsessed student in Paris to film sets around the world, by way of classrooms in West Africa and a travelling circus. The path was never very straight.
Web pioneer
Designer at one of France’s first web startups, working on early digital projects for Taittinger and Lancôme.
Mosaïques du Monde
A year across West Africa with three university friends, bringing computers and the web into classrooms.
Cirque 360
A travelling-circus project mixing live performance with an early online platform.
A life in VFX
Two decades of visual effects, with stints in Paris, London, Melbourne, Adelaide and Montréal.
I grew up in an artistic family, my mother a film set designer turned sculptor, my father a writer and producer, my twin brother and my sister both in TV. Today I hold dual French–Canadian citizenship and live in Montréal with my wife and daughter.
Directing young actors
Since I started teaching, I’ve built a varied repertoire with my students, classics, contemporary plays and original creations. On each one I adapt the text with them, direct the acting, and help carry the whole production.
Mostly at Salle Lefebvre, Orford
A demanding text we staged at Christmas, adapted and directed with my Sec. 5 group.
A contemporary take on a founding story, staged last year.
A two-act black comedy written by the students themselves. I helped shape the writing, the characters and the production calendar.
An original cabaret piece weaving African and Québécois folklore, built around the group.
A murder mystery I wrote and adapted for the group, with the students.
An original show devised with the youngest group.
Lecturing & teaching
Twenty years in visual effects
I’ve worked as a VFX supervisor and second-unit director on a range of films and series, including Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget with Aardman Studios, for studios in the USA, France, the UK and Australia.
VFX houses
Studios & partners
Selected credits
58 credits · 2003 to present
From the set
Awards & nominations
Winner, for visual effects.
Winner, Hollywood Professional Association.
Nominee, outstanding visual effects.
Nominee, animation & visual effects.
Nominee, Québec film honours.
Education
