V. Gouri Shankar Rao is a VFX Supervisor in BOT VFX’s Creative Management team, where he balances artistic vision with production realities to guide show direction, mentor artists, and collaborate closely with clients. With nearly two decades of industry experience, he previously worked at Frameflow (Sony Imageworks) and Prana Studios before spending 15 defining years at Futureworks, where he grew the Chennai division from a 20-member roto team into a 200-artist full-service VFX facility and introduced innovations like a custom 360-degree car-composite rig. His portfolio includes Trial by Fire, The Peripheral, Westworld (Season 3), and Kohrra, with features in Animation World Network, Motionographer, and FX Guide.
Today, as a VFX Supervisor in BOT VFX’s Creative Management team, Gouri is less a titleholder and more a master juggler. He balances artistic vision with practical problem-solving, guiding the creative direction of projects while managing high-stakes productions. From leading reviews and mentoring teams to collaborating with production and clients, he consistently delivers outcomes that blend storytelling goals with technical precision, always under the highest creative standards.
Guided by his belief that “everyone around us is faculty,” Gouri fosters an open-learning culture, where knowledge flows seamlessly between veterans and newcomers. His curiosity extends beyond the studio: a cinephile, a lover of instrumental music, and an Arduino tinkerer, he often finds fresh sparks of inspiration on road trips.
Looking ahead, he is optimistic about AI and machine learning in VFX, seeing them not as replacements but as partners that enable artists to create more, faster. Yet, with characteristic humility, he acknowledges that his own creative journey is “still a long way to go”.
