My name is Matthew Hornbostel. I am a freelance artist. I am a Christian, an Eagle scout, and a college senior at the University of Houston.

I am honest and hardworking and if you have an independent project that requires visual effects, animation, previsualization, or graphic design, you should seriously consider contacting me as I am talented and resourceful, and charge less than nearly anyone else on the market.

Download my 2007 Demo Reel here.

Also, check out the splash page I have used to promote my two current projects. It pretty much shows all that needs to be shown to prove my point - a spectacular trailer for a $550 action flick "Duel 2030" and a clip of my $600 PC game "Traveler's Enigma".

I spend hours a day absorbed in making art, my mental illness (Asperger's Syndrome) has turned this from "hobby" into a major obsession. I am good at what I do and getting better over time.

For a more complete explanation of my business practices and who I am, check out the ABOUT PAGE .

Why hire me?

I work for less - typically $8 - $15 / hour, making me a cheaper hire than even the VFX houses in China, Russia, and India.

I've done some 1800 VFX shots and the quality of my work is continually improving.

I have 8 years' experience, $7400+ worth of hardware and software resources, and a personal collection of 1000+ stock footage elements.

I have a clear track record of diverse skills and completed productions done efficiently and cheaply. For instance:

"Point of No Return" was shot and completed within a 72-hour span, including over a dozen effects shots.

"Send in the Clones 4", a movie with 200 VFX shots, 22 cast members, over a dozen locations, and a 35-minute running time, was made for $600 - 3 years ago. I can do much better now.

The visually striking PC game production "Traveler's Enigma" is budgeted at $550.

One independent filmmaker said he'd had a $30,000 budget and that "there are of course some things you can't do with those kinds of resources, like blowing up a car." Well, maybe YOU can't, Mr. filmmaker, but I could pull in that shot - pretty convincingly - for under $150, with miniatures, pyro, and CG/stock enhancement. You can see that I've already done this for "Duel 2030". And I could probably stage a whole string of fast-paced effects sequences beyond that - space battles, aircraft dogfights, car chases, shootouts, explosions, whatever it is you want done - for under a tenth of that $30,000 budget.

I'm pretty resourceful and know a lot of the key tricks to artificially construct imagery efficiently and make it look good. And I'm getting better at it all the time.

AN EXAMPLE OF A PAST CLIENT:

Pastor Jackson, New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church.

TASK: Develop an explorable, 3d mockup of a proposed additional church building.

STATISTICS: 62 rooms, 3 million polygons. Some objects in scene were free models from the internet, there was no other way to build the model on-budget.

I WAS PAID: $248. That's right, $248, at about $4 per hour, for a type of project that would normally cost at least $6000 for the client. I will not, in the future, work on this low a salary again unless the project is REALLY worthy. But this was, if nothing else, a good way to build some early credibility as a previz artist.

Here are some pics of the project. You can also access it from the software page.

This gives you a partial idea of what I can do on a minimal budget.

To download the program I constructed for Pastor Jackson, click here

The engine used for this demo is the same one used for Traveler's Enigma, though "Traveler's Enigma" has much more creative visual design, more interactivity, music and sound effects, integrated video, text and story content, puzzles, etc...

But this gives you some idea of what the panoramic engine is like.

Here's another example, the KAC foods project I've got going on. It's a WIP. This is yet another example of my tendency to accept low payment and offer superior value to clients, because I'm in this field because I love it, not because I want to make a lot of money! Any cash I earn will either be given to charity, or used directly and efficiently in funding future media projects.

Anyway, this is the page where I present updates to Curtis Jones. He hired me to do graphic design for his companies. Unfortunately he did not respond to my last attempts to contact him and I presume he is no longer interested in the project. He still owes me money but it's OK if he doesn't pay me.

For $7.50/hr, and a total cost under $300, I have created multiple CG artworks (dozens!), various permutations and alternatives and detailed 3d scenes, a massive number of 2d mockups, lots of stuff. It's part of my portfolio and I suspect Mr. Jones doesn't mind that his business is referenced on this website. (An extra perk of hiring me - your production is referenced on a website that gets an average of 15 visitors per day!)

Here's the KAC foods project page.

Also, just look at my work, think about what I sometimes do in those projects with literally no budget. Look at "I Sought the Lord" - three weeks' work, budget of $0.00.

"Sehv T'devokan" - also a three-week project, done for $0.00.

"Super Soda" was done for under $120, in four weeks.

I am used to doing projects without pay, just for fun, that's how it usually has been and I might still do that on rare occasions for you if your project seems fun or morally positive, and I just have a lot of free time.

Otherwise, expect to pay $8-$15 per hour. At the quality of effects work you see in "Full Circle", that's anywhere from $12 to $55 per shot. Cost will vary based on the complexity of the effect you want me to pull off. Something truly spectacular may cost upwards of $150, and something simple like a muzzle flash or color grading, more like $4.

The bottom line is, if you've been stuck with some "impossible" shots in a video project with a very low budget, and you're thinking, "I want these effects done, but how can I afford them?" - Seriously, contact me right now.

THE CONTACT FORM

You can use the form below to contact me about a job, or just if you'd like to comment on the games, movies, website, etc, or ask questions, or ask for help if something on my website is not working for you.

You can choose to sign up for my newsletter, also. I plan to send newsletters once every two months, give or take. Newsletters will:

-Inform when cool new stuff (like "Traveler's Enigma" or a new movie) is released.

-Offer links to worthwhile websites or media production resources.

-Offer short articles and updates regarding upcoming projects. (So you know what's coming next)

-Offer special bonuses, like extra stock clips, or art, once in a while. Stuff that non-subscribers DON'T GET.

So, yes, definitely consider signing up for the newsletter through this form.

CONTACT ME USING THIS FORM:

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Comments, questions, suggestions, broken links, anything!! :

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Now (As of June 2008) anyone who signs up for the Hornbostel Media newsletter will be given access to the members section as a free bonus! That's right, it's that easy.

If you can't get the form above to work, just email me at matthornb@aol.com, and use subject line "Hornbostel Media" so I can tell immediately that it came from a visitor to this website, and in the text of the email write whatever you want to, for instance, "I'd like to sign up for the newsletter" or "I have a question/comment about ________"

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