By Randy Espares Jr.

Far Eastern University Institute of Technology (FEU Tech) second-year Multimedia Arts student Michael Chris Almasco showcased his visual effects (VFX) skills in the evening gown video posted by Miss Universe Philippines (MUPH) 2023 Michelle Dee. 

Michelle Dee wore an Apo Whang-Od inspired evening gown designed by Mark Bumgarner, featuring traditional tattoo patterns from the Kalinga tribe. 

Dee’s video of Almasco’s work on instagram has reached over 500,000 likes as of writing. 

In an interview with FEU Advocate, the FEU Tech student shared how glad he is to work on a big project. 

“It was amazing and truly a dream come true, although I have a lot of project experiences through TVC, digital ads, and music videos, it's still a great honor to create a video that represents our country, and join Michelle on her fight,” he said. 

The VFX for Dee’s gown drew inspiration from Venom, Black Panther, and Encantadia. 

Almasco enjoyed working on the project, despite the difficulty of handling another two shoots at that time. 

“Kaso ang nangyari ‘yung shoot ni MMD and ‘yung current shoot ko nung time na ‘yun ay nagsabay, so I had to VFX supervise both of the project since its very crucial na ma-shoot ng tama ‘yung mga VFX (The case is that MMD's shoot and my current shoot happened at the same time, so I had to VFX supervise both of the project since it is very crucial to shoot the VFX correctly),” Almasco explained.

He also considers this as one of the most difficult projects that he worked on this year. 

“It was one of the hardest VFX shots I did this year out of all of my projects. Since on this project talaga napa-question ako kung paano ko siya e-execute ng maayos creatively and technically (It was one of the hardest VFX shots I did this year out of all of my projects. Since on this project I've been questioning how to execute it properly creatively and technically),” he added.  

Nonetheless, Almasco finished the video by planar tracking the body of the MUPH and working on VFX post-production for at least two weeks. 

The multimedia arts student believes that his video edit demonstrates the global talent that Tamaraws have. 

“It [his work] signifies not just only me but for all the Tamaraws ability to showcase talent globally, fosters cultural pride, inspires fellow students, and paves the way for potential networking opportunities within the media and entertainment industry,” he said.

Almasco is a self-taught freelance VFX artist who has worked on various projects such as commercials, films, and music videos since he was 16 years old. He began to edit when he was only 11. 

Photo courtesy of Michael Chris Almasco)