Comp Primer

Student Testimonials 

David Koss - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-koss/

Ganz is an incredibly dedicated and knowledgeable teacher who I am very glad to have had during my time at Lost Boys. His passion for visual effects was made clear through his lectures where he would always find creative and memorable ways to explain concepts to us. I feel like he really enjoyed teaching us new tricks, and it ended up making you enjoy his lectures as well. I remember several times where he stayed late so he could answer a question, give feedback on our shots, or to simply play a board game with us. When you have a teacher with Ganz' enthusiasm, it really makes you want to push yourself to learn and achieve more with your own work.

One of the things that I believe makes Ganz such a great teacher is that it's not just knowledge he imparts on you, but his wisdom and experience as well. In addition to the numerous technical skills, he also teaches you how to observe and think. I remember him telling us, "We're not teaching you to be button pushers, we're teaching you to be problem solvers". When I was having trouble getting my ethereal effects shot to look the way I wanted, he would challenge my assumptions of how I thought it should be done, making me ask the important question, "why". I really learned to think outside of the box because of this, and it has helped me solve all sorts of other problems since.

His knowledge of Nuke and visual effects seems virtually limitless. He is deeply passionate about his students success, and is in general a really great person to be around. I learned so much from him through the year that it would be ridiculous trying to list it all out here. If you are looking to learn visual effects compositing, I would highly recommend Ganz as your teacher!


Cordell Briggs - https://www.linkedin.com/in/cordellbriggs/

This review has been a long time coming, but I’ve been so caught up in work for the past two years following graduation that I have barely had time to catch my breath. I have Ganz, and the Lost Boys | School of Visual Effects Instruction to thank for that.

Ganz is nothing short of amazing. I know I speak for all of my alumni when I say thank you. Thank you for preparing us and giving us the running start to excel in the industry. I’m convinced there isn’t a person around with such a breadth and scope of knowledge in vfx as Ganz, who also has such a capacity to communicate that knowledge in a unique and enjoyable way. Coupled with a tremendously large working knowledge of the standard vfx pipeline and a can do attitude, Ganz never shys away from a problem. He is always willing to put his students first and figure out whatever the problem is while taking the opportunity to teach them the concepts, so they never fall into the same pit fall again.

Ganz is deeply passionate about his students learning outcome, I choose these words carefully because it is different than just lecturing and making sure to cover all the material. Ganz takes the time to cement the concepts inside each of his students with great care and deliberation. This makes problem solving the right way habitual. Everyday with Ganz was another day I knew I was going to grow, technically and as an artist. I was confident that my skills and my artistic eye would get better under his tutelage.

I value my time spent at Lost Boys learning from Ganz highly, and I would not willingly trade it as it has proven to be incredibly valuable, time and time again. I highly recommend Ganz for his tremendous teaching ability. He is truly one of a kind. He is a driven, organized teacher who develops inspiring relationships and excels at fostering growth and understanding with his students.

Thank you Ganz!

Timothy Hsu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyvfx/

Ganz is the best instructor I have ever had. My experiences with Ganz as a teacher were overwhelmingly positive; he was consistently available for help at school and was even courteous enough to respond to the odd question outside of school hours.

The best thing about him is not his knowledge that he shares with us. he has experience in VFX field and he is very good at sharing his knowledge with you. In the past year Ganz was a guide who helped me when I needed assistance with technical and artistic issues.

If you are looking for a jump start in the vfx world, he is the instructor you are looking for. His lectures not only focused on the technical point and also teaching how to gain your sense of art.
I could never have asked for a better teacher to teach me the art of compositing.

Thanks Ganz!

Kosuke Iwasaki - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kosuke-iwasaki/

I have never had such a reliable instructor in my life. If you are in school, the most important thing people care about is whether if you can land a job or not. I can assure you if you start taking his lessons, that sorts of feelings vanish in a very short time. He is an extremely logical, and thoughtful man.

He is always reverse-engineering the industry’s needs and structuring the lectures up-to-date in order to nourish the students to be ready to work professionally right after school. He always knows the clear answer to the questions. No matter how tough and crazy questions you ask, he shows you the right path to take from start to finish.

Not only is he a wise man but also he cares about each individual student even after graduation. He still remembers all the students from 8 years ago and where they are working. When you are lost, he listens to you carefully, and calm you down, then push your back to move forward.

I strongly encourage you to trust his words and work towards the dream by learning from him.


Rodrigo Sapag Novoa - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodrigo-sapag-novoa-34425616a/

Ganz is definitely one of the best teachers I have ever had in my life, and a great inspiration for me.

Besides being a great instructor in VFX and having an extremely broad knowledge in all subjects, he is a great person who always seeks the best for his students, Ganz helped me personally to solve many problems, related to my VFX shots and also gave me a lot of advices about the industry and work, something that I really appreciate.

This year being a student of Ganz I could notice that he really enjoys and likes what he does and is something that can really be seen reflected in the success and work of his students.


Hillary Huong Vu - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hillaryhuongvu/

Ganz is one of my favorite and the best instructors I have ever had. In one year under his guide, I have learned not only a lot about VFX to be an artist, but also how to have a balanced life as an artist.

I find it very interesting of the way he converts the most complicated VFX knowledge into a very practical and easy-to-understand for students. He proves learning is fun the more you get deeper. This only shows he is indeed a passionate instructor and a dedicated mentor.

Ganz truly cares about every single student he has taught. To me, he was the one made my time at Lost Boys more wholesome.

Becoming a VFX artist could be a long and hard journey, but if you are fortunate to have Ganz as your instructor, that journey will be a fun one!


Danielle Murray - https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsdaniellemurray/

Sometimes I forget that Ganz is an actual person and not a robot with almost as much knowledge as Google, when it comes to the VFX industry.

Then he proceeds to tell a bad joke and I remember that he is in fact human. Once Ganz becomes your instructor he doesn’t just teach you about compositing. He teaches you about the VFX industry, photography, lighting, modeling, and life in general.

Prodding his brain and asking him questions was one of my most enjoyable experiences at Lost Boys because his detailed answers always made me feel as though I had learned so much.


Kate Lin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katelinvfx/

I've know Ganz for only one short year, and he already has changed myself tremendously. His way of teaching students Compositing is beyond any learning intuitions I have ever experienced. He can turn a complicated concept into a simple math equation, and guide students through difficult Comp by using easily-understood methods.

He never stops improving and learning even with his already strong knowledge on both 3D and compositing. Furthermore, he cares greatly for all of his students. Ganz will always give you life lectures on how to be a strong artist and be happy in life.

I am grateful to have Ganz as my instructor, and I 100% recommend Ganz without a doubt.


Andri Valdez - https://www.linkedin.com/in/valdezvfx/

Ganz is hands down the best instructor I have ever had. The best thing about him is not his knowledge that he shares with us, even though I'm starting to believe we only got to see the tip of the iceberg, but his passion to teach and get his students ready for the real life in the vfx industry.

If you are looking for a jump start in the vfx world, he is the instructor you are looking for. His lectures don't only focused on the technical point of compositing, He teaches proper work ethics and over all great life advises that will be useful through out your career.

He truly is Ganz the great!


Gabriel Escobar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/gescobarvfx/

It's curious to look back and realize how much I learned with Ganz about Nuke and the visual effects industry in such a short amount of time.

Ganz manages to take the concept of teaching to a whole new level. He makes complex subjects more appealing and keep finding ways to innovate his lectures for every new class, so the projects always feel authentic and challenging. He is a happy, disciplined and great guy to be around and he's pretty much like a VFX encyclopedia.

Sometimes he shares his knowledge into the form of a phrase or joke, so make sure to note them down! It might help you out, during your journey in the industry.


Hanna Hallgrímsdóttir - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannadisvfx/

Ganz is and I think will always be the greatest teacher I have ever had. I have never seen one person so dedicated to his teachings. I learned so much in those 10 months I was at Lost Boys, more than I could ever imagine.

I came in with no experience and was close to giving up a million times but Ganz really gave his time to help me it was not like yeah just do this and that and then he left, he actually stayed and explaned in the best way to do things.

Nuke is a complicated software and can really push your nerves but Ganz managed to make the lectures fun and understandable. It's not just about Nuke it's about everything connected to the industry and he offers his help both during school and after you graduate.

People who consider to study at Lost Boys should not hesitate for one minute if they have the opportunity to go there!


Katrin Inga Frantz - https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrin-inga-frantz-07013b145/

Ganz is hands down the most hard working instuctors I've had. He goes out of his way to help his students and seems to always have the answers to your problems, wether it's VFX related or general life advice. He's there for his students day and night, even after they graduate.