Thomas Schelesny is an Emmy Award-winning visual effects supervisor with a career spanning over three decades. At Image Engine, he has contributed to Avatar: The Last Airbender, which received a 2024 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects, 3 Body Problem, Moon Knight, Swan Song, Project Power, and Game of Thrones seasons 7 & 8, winning Emmy and HPA Awards for the episode, “The Bells.”
His extensive career includes work on over 20 feature films, 15 television projects, and numerous commercials. Thomas has served as a visual effects supervisor at Warner Bros. Pictures and Scanline VFX, where he worked on Pan and received an HPA Award, VES Award, and Emmy Award for his work on Game of Thrones season four. He has also freelanced on various projects, including Super 8 and Mirror Mirror, as well as co-written several screenplays and directed the short film Last Exit.
Known for applying his animation expertise on-set, Thomas has choreographed complex performances that blend actors, practical effects, and CG elements, such as the Beverly Hills Chihuahua trailer for Disney, which featured a song-and-dance number with dozens of live and CG animals.
After studying animation at Vancouver Film School, Thomas was inspired by Star Wars visual effects luminary Phil Tippett and joined Tippett Studio. Starting as an animator, he spent 14 years learning the secrets of animation and film production, eventually becoming a visual effects supervisor.
Thomas’s diverse skill set, which includes writing, directing, and character animation, has earned him numerous awards and ensures high-quality visual effects for every project. He has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2014.