SAO PAULO, BRAZIL // Alceu is partner, one of the founders and VFX/CGI director at Vetor Zero, the leading Digital Animation and Post-Production house in Brazil.

Vetor Zero’s long list of award-winning spots includes, more recently, “Everything in Black and White” for Leica (Wood Pencil at the 2017 D&AD Awards; Silver at Ciclope Latino), Getty Images’ “Endless Possibilities” campaign (which won several awards in 2016 at Cannes Lions, Clio Awards, El Ojo de Iberoamerica and Ciclope, among others), and “Emotions Factory” for Caixa Cultural (Bronze at the 2016 London International Awards; Silver from El Ojo de Iberoamerica; the 2017 iF Design Award).

Alceu’s interest in the then-novel technology of Computer Graphics manifested itself in the early ‘80s, after he graduated in Fine Arts. While pursuing a career in commercial and editorial illustration, Alceu began to dabble in 3D animation and special effects for TV, until he and a partner launched a small digital animation studio, Vetor Zero, based around a single Amiga 1000 computer.

It didn’t take long for Vetor Zero to become a major player in the field of animation and post-production for advertising, due to a unique cinematographic approach that set them apart from most production houses in Brazil.

Alceu worked as director of visual effects in many landmark Brazilian commercials, such as “Ants” for Philco and “Crabs” and “Turtle” for Brahma Brewery.

In 2001 he developed a study for a hyperrealistic digital female character, nicknamed Kaya, that was widely acclaimed by the worldwide CGI community, receiving the award for best virtual character at the Animago festival in Germany and contributing to Alceu’s appointment as Maya Master in 2002.

Today, Alceu can still be found every day in Vetor Zero’s bullpen, supervising or directing many of the CGI and VFX work and keeping a hands-on involvement in the lighting, rendering and dynamics simulation aspects of many projects.