Artaya Boonsoong's name has rolled in the credits of Into the Blue, Underworld and Charlie’s Angels for designing their computer generated imagery. He's now back in Thailand working on Massive, software which controls virtual actors in crowd scenes.

My first job was not really a job at all. After I graduated, I become a monk for three years. I always liked to meditate, so I wanted to try the life of a monk to see if I could fit in. But I found out that I like freedom more than serenity.

I don’t think I’ll go back to monkhood again. I’ve tried it and realized I’m still a sinner.

I’m pretty much open to all kinds of ideas. I don’t project my beliefs on other people and I accept people as they are. My friends drink and have fun, while I enjoy hanging out with them and just drinking Coke.

Computer graphics tickle my imagination; I can create anything inside a computer. I don’t have to rely on a crew, camera, lighting or anything like that.

I learned CG by myself. There weren’t many books back then, so you had to read the manual and try to mix the tools together to make it work.

There’s good and bad in being a self-learner. It takes a lot of time, unlike somebody sitting with you and walking you through the steps. But when you learn by doing it, you know how to solve the problems.

I put my work up on my website, just for fun. A producer in Hollywood who was looking for an animator did a web search, saw my website and liked it. So he flew me over to LA.

It was a good career move. I lived there seven years. I got to do what I wanted to do and got my name in the credits of Hollywood blockbusters, working with big studios like Paramount and Universal.

My friend and I set up a company called Luma Pictures. I've sold my shares in it now, but they're still going strong. They just did some effects in Pirates of the Caribbean III and The Holiday—Cameron Diaz’s face needed some work; she had acne problems.

For most people, doing computer graphics for films is glamorous. But the real money actually comes from TV commercials. It’s just good to be able to say you have worked on a film.

The software is the same everywhere, the techniques are well known now and pretty much anybody with a PC can jump in and try to do it. So you need a lot of expertise to stay on top of the competition. Also, connections still play a big part in this kind of work.

My masterpiece would be Underworld Evolution. It was a challenging work, very complex technically because each character transforms into a creature. My company grew from 25-30 people to 50 people to handle it. Now there are about 80. That was also my last project before I sold my shares in the company.

The problem here is budgets. They cannot compare to Hollywood. Even though the cost of labor here is cheaper, the quality of the work is lower, as well.

In the US, you have to be excellent to set up a company. You have to try really hard to be up to standards. Standards here won’t reach Hollywood's anytime soon.

We have the potential to become the visual effect center of Asia. We have an even better chance than Hong Kong, Singapore or even Japan. But we need to be really organized and receive support from the government by showing them that it is not just kid’s play.

I just watched Lullabye Before I Wake. I think it came out really well. They don’t use any fancy CG stuff; the filming and the screenplay are simple but it just works.

Body #19 is quite good—computer effect-wise. That’s one of the best I’ve seen in Thailand so far.

 I’m trying to set up a CG school with my friend Stephen Regelous, an Academy Award winner for his Massive software. I want to pass on what I’ve learned in the US to people here.

I’d like to see computer graphics used to tell the story better. Amelie is a good example of CG being used to help characterization by showing what goes on in the character's head.

I don’t like CG films when the story sucks. But, yes, I’ve worked on some of them.