Biography

Matthew E. Butler is a distinguished senior visual effects supervisor with multiple industry accolades, including VES, BAFTA, and Academy Award nominations. With a master's degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Matthew uses his unique perspective to craft believable, photoreal visual effects based on real-world physics.

For almost 30 years, Matthew has contributed his technical and artistic expertise to the visual effects of over 20 full-length feature films at Digital Domain. He is currently the production-side VFX supervisor for an upcoming Netflix film. Prior to this, Matthew served as the production-side visual effects supervisor on the Sony Pictures Entertainment film "Morbius,” directed by Daniel Espinosa. In 2014, Matthew was tapped by Director Steven Spielberg to create the gritty reality of 2045 Ohio in the film “Ready Player One,” for which he received OSCAR, BAFTA, and VES nominations.

During his long career at the award-winning studio, Matthew has worked on some of the most iconic films of our age with esteemed filmmakers like James Cameron on “Titanic,” Ron Howard on “Apollo 13,” and David Fincher on “Fight Club.” His work on "The Day After Tomorrow" won him a VES award due to the film's cutting-edge water work that employed volumetric and particulate solutions to complex simulations that had never been done before. His work on “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” also earned him an Academy Award nomination. In addition to Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Ron Howard, and David Fincher, Matthew has also worked with such talented directors as Michael Bay, Clint Eastwood, and Chris Columbus. In addition to his many accolades, Matthew is known for being a well-rounded VFX supervisor who possesses extensive post-production and on-set experience.

Throughout his career as a visual effects supervisor, Matthew has relied uniquely on his photographic and scientific backgrounds as part of his creative process. In addition to the M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Matthew holds a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Manchester, UK. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences as well as a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Matthew is meticulous and relentless in his pursuit of crafting visually compelling storytelling. One of the anchors of the Digital Domain artistic team, he consistently fosters a level of quality and creativity that makes everyone around him strive for perfection and innovation.