Biography

James Cooper has been in the business of film, television and music production for over 30 years. His primary occupation for the last 20 has been as a visual effects supervisor but his experience includes directing, writing, editing, cinematography, photography, acting, songwriting and music performance and production.

He is a creative partner and collaborator with filmmakers of all stripes, working with major studios, television and streaming content creators, independent artists, commercial advertising agencies and production houses and graphic design teams. Drawing from his extensive knowledge in all stages of production, James effectively produces script breakdowns and develops production methodologies, provides on-set supervision, team management and concept design as well as final deliveries of top tier VFX sequences. His artistic design and compositing sensibilities coupled with his comprehensive production background make him an invaluable part of any film team.

Cooper, an avid musician, producer, and electrical engineer, got his start in commercial visual arts as a programmer at an animation studio. There he wrote software for an early digital paint and compositing tool. He soon moved to the artist's chair where he began compositing effects for commercials and music videos. His abilities in managing both people and process, along with his problem-solving skills, gained the notice of TOPIX, a leading Commercial Animation Studio. Holding positions as a Designer, Director, and on-set Supervisor, Cooper rose through the ranks to the eventual roles of Partner and Creative Director.

1997 marked Cooper's first film working as the supervisor of the visual effects team that created the iconic bus crash in Atom Egoyan's classic, The Sweet Hereafter. A short time later as one of the TOPIX partners, Cooper would play an instrumental role in facilitating the launch of top Canadian VFX studio, Mr. X. Leaving Topix to pursue a passion for direction, he created many award-winning music videos and commercials before eventually settling into a career in VFX. He began freelancing at Mr. X using his design skills to create the title sequences on Hypercube and Blizzard and the iconic acid trip in Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock.

In his tenure at Mr. X, he acted as both Compositing Supervisor and VFX Supervisor, working on films such as: Resident Evil: Retribution, The Vow, Cosmopolis, Silent Hill: Revelation, The Thing, The Three Musketeers, Hanna, Tron: Legacy, Resident Evil: Afterlife, and Away We Go. In 2012, Cooper acted as the on-set Visual Effects Supervisor on Constantin Film/Sony Pictures' The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, where he was often called upon for second unit direction and creative consultation. Cooper also served as the post Digital Effects Supervisor on the project, winning a Canadian Screen Award for his work.

James was the Visual Effects Supervisor on all three seasons of Showtime's Penny Dreadful, providing second unit direction as well. He and his team were nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in 2016, and for VES Awards in the Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects category in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Cooper served as the Mr. X supervisor for the Netflix series American Gods and was again nominated for an Emmy award and multiple VES awards. He has since supervised for Barry Sonnenfeld's A Series of Unfortunate Events, Spike Lee's Da Five Bloods, also a VES nominee, and Joss Whedon's The Nevers among many others.

James' most recent work includes supervising the AMC+ drama Moonhaven in 2021 and the 20th Century film The First Omen.
- IMDb mini biography by: James Cooper