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Draft:Matt Kutcher

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Matt Kutcher is an American special effects director, producer, and second-unit director who lives in the New Orleans metropolitan area. He is the founder of special effects and production company Spectrum FX and has helped create over 1800 hours of television and 120 feature films.[1]

Early life and career

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Matt Kutcher was born June 19, 1967, in the San Fernando Valley, California.[1]

Kutcher gained expertise in explosives while working with previous generations of special effects supervisors. He now applies this knowledge to both his production work and as a consultant, such as in his role on the Science Channel’s “Strange Evidence.”[2]][[3]][[4] He has also taught Special Effects for Film courses at Loyola University New Orleans.

Kutcher’s reality television career started with NBC’s 2002 show Dog Eat Dog, in which he designed and produced all stunt and game play with the Spectrum FX team. He then co-created and co-executive produced the reality stunt show Winner Take All.

Film and Television Projects

Kutcher has worked as the director, producer, or special effects supervisor  of commercials, music videos, documentaries, episodic television, reality television, cable, independent features, and large studio films. He also frequently works as a second unit director or water unit director.

Special effects work

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Drawing up his engineering expertise and pyrotechnics skills, Kutcher develops practical means of creating visual effects. He partners with cinematographers and digital f/x artists to design and execute these effects.

Working with the team at Spectrum FX, Kutcher oversees custom rigs to accommodate picture vehicles, cameras, and motion-capture devices. He also choreographs and executes pyrotechnics, water features, and action sequences for film productions.  This blend of practical special effects and specialized cinematography is especially notable in Kutcher’s work on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes[5], 10 Cloverfield Lane[6] , and Emancipation.

Kutcher reviews all scripts and strategies with prospective producers and directors, and then oversees their production and execution. He has stated that he focuses on bringing the script’s imagery to life[7].

Role in Hollywood South

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Kutcher founded Spectrum FX in 1993 in Santa Clarita, CA[1].The company primarily worked on Hollywood films in the Los Angeles area, but occasionally traveled to New Orleans. Then, a 2002 Louisiana tax credit[8] made filmmaking more accessible in the state, contributing to the emerging “Hollywood South.”

When working 2012’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter in Louisiana, Kutcher was able been able to hire entirely local talent for the film..[9] He then decided to move the company to Harahan, Louisiana, followed by Slidell[1]

Kutcher has advocated for Louisiana’s growing film industry and specifically hires local talent for Spectrum FX’s projects[10]][[11]. While he acknowledges the tax credit as a boon to the industry, he cites Louisiana’s infrastructure as a key factor in Hollywood South’s sustainability.[11] Spectrum FX has become known for working with Louisiana-based crews and creating jobs in the state's film industry[9]][[11]

Community Outreach and Training

Kutcher developed an explosives training program that he personally directs and instructs for the ATF.

Personal Life

Kutcher is married to Lisa Kutcher. They have three children, all of whom participate in the family business: Matthew, Taylor, and Zack Kutcher. Matthew and Zack are both Special Effects Coordinators at Spectrum FX, while Lisa and Taylor both support operations and logistics in the office.

Memberships

Kutcher is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences[12], the Director's Guild of America, the Visual Effects Society, the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, and the International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators.

Filmography

Year Notable Work
1992 Encino Man
1992 Body of Evidence
1993 Fire in the Sky
1993 Cliffhanger
1993 Tombstone
1994 Color of Night
1994 Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult
1994 Interview with the Vampire
1995 Under Siege 2: Dark Territory
1995 Baywatch Nights
1995 Dead Giveaway
1995 Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom
1996 House Arrest
1997 Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves
1997 Soldier of Fortune, Inc.
1996 - 1998 Baywatch
1999 In Dreams
1999 The Sky's on Fire
1999 The Thirteenth Year
1999 Dream Team
1999 Anna and the King
2000 "Quantum Project"
2000 Ground Zero
2000 The Thundering 8th
2001 The Mexican
2000 - 2001 The Fugitive
2001 Joy Ride
2001 Imposter
2001 In Search of the U.S.S Indianapolis
2002 The Chamber
2002 Contagion
2002 Local Boys
2002 Fangs
2002 High Crimes
2002 Dog Eat Dog
2002 Fastlane
2002 Live From Baghdad
2002 The Chamber
2003 Just Married
2003 Inhabited
2003 All American Girl
2003 Black Cadillac
2003 Threat Matrix
2003 Cold Case
2004 Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!
2004 Three Way
2004 Combustion
2004 Suspect Zero
2004 Dynamite
2004 - 2005 CSI: Miami
2004 Next Action Star
2005 Monster-in-Law
2003 - 2005 Skin
2005 Into the Blue
2005 Single White Female 2: The Psycho
2005 The Producers
2006 The Darwin Awards
2006 The Celestine Prophecy
2006 Keeping Up with the Steins
2006 Southland Tales
2006 Blades of Glory
2006 Snakes on a Plane
2006 Accepted
2006 Crank
2006 The Marine
2006 The Dead Girl
2006 Home of the Brave
2006 Moochers
2006 The Worst Week of My Life
2007 In Case of Emergency
2007 Because I Said So
2007 Bullrun
2007 Bobby Z
2007 Take
2007 The Nine
2007 Superbad
2007 Pushing Daisies
2007 Enchanted
2008 The Hottie & the Nottie
2008 21
2008 Wipeout
2008 From a Place of Darkness
2008 The Midnight Meat Train
2008 100 Feet
2008 Righteous Kill
2008 An American Carol
2008 Soul Men
2009 Bullrun II
2009 Extract
2009 Numb3rs
2010 Kites
2010 The Lost Tribe
2010 Legally Mad
2009 - 2010 Deadliest Warrior
2006 - 2010 Shark Week
2010 Bullrun III
2010 Piranha 3D
2010 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
2010 Funny in Farsi
2010 MegaDrive
2011 Shark Night
2012 Bonnie & Clyde
2012 Piranha 3DD
2012 Maniac
2012 Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
2012 Freelancers
2012 Fire With Fire
2012 So Undercover
2013 Grudge Match
2013 Beautiful Creatures
2013 Identity Thief
2013 Captain Phillips
2013 Homefront
2013 Bonnie & Clyde
2014 Star-Crossed
2014 22 Jump Street
2014 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
2014 When the Game Stands Tall
2014 The Loft
2013 - 2015 American Horror Story
2015 Focus
2015 Hot Tub Time Machine 2
2015 San Andreas
2015 American Ultra
2015 Point Break
2015 The Magicians
2016 10 Cloverfield Lane
2016 Keanu
2016 The Book of Love
2016 Underground
2016 The Conjuring 2
2016 Abattoir
2016 Deepwater Horizon
2015 - 2016 Scream: The TV Series
2016 Quarry
2016 Patriots Day
2017 Camera Obscura
2017 Girls Trip
2017 Armed Response
2017 Preacher
2017 SEAL Team
2017 Shock and Awe
2017 Sniper: Ultimate Kill
2017 The Long Road Home
2017 The Haunted
2018 When We First Met
2018 Mile 22
2018 The First
2019 The Dirt
2017 - 2019 NCIS: New Orleans
2019 Tall Girl
2019 On Becoming a God in Central Florida
2019 Looking for Alaska
2020 Spenser Confidential
2020 The Hunt
2020 Body Cam
2020 Paradise Lost
2020 The Quarry
2020 #Freerayshawn
2020 The Lovebirds
2020 Unhinged
2020 Bill & Ted Face the Music
2020 Filthy Rich
2021 Palmer
2020 - 2021 Your Honor
2021 Tell Me Your Secrets
2021 Blue Bayou
2021 Leverage: Redemption
2021 Night Teeth
2021 Strange Evidence
2021 Sacrifice
2018 - 2022 Claws
2022 Deep Water
2022 Pete Yorn: Never Go
2022 Ultra Violet
2022 Where the Crawdads Sing
2022 Drive Hard: The Maloof Way
2022 Causeway
2022 Mike
2022 The Estate
2022 Interview with the Vampire
2022 The Walking Dead
2022 Emancipation
2022 Twisted Metal
2022 - 2023 Tulsa King
2023 Mayfair Witches
2023 Secrets of Sulphur Springs
2023 Parish
2023 The Killer
2023 Big George Foreman: The Miraculous Story of the Once and Future Heavyweight Champion of the World
2023 Renfield
2023 The Crossover
2023 We Have a Ghost
Arthur the King
Rumble Through the Dark
Rebel Ridge
The Girl from Hollywood
Oracle
No One Will Save You
Caddo
Reagan
Organ Trail
American Primeval

Awards and accolades

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At the 2014 VES Awards, Kutcher and the Spectrum FX team won Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects-Driven Photoreal/Live Action Feature Motion Picture[13] for their work on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and American Horror Story: Freak Show. Kutcher also won in the Visual Effects category for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes at the Satellite Awards[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Romero, Photos by Romero & (2021-04-30). "Booming Business". louisianalife.com. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  2. ^ Firework Fiasco | Strange Evidence | In Ontario, California on March 16, 2021, cameras captured an intense explosion in a quiet neighborhood 🧨 Was this fiasco caused by fireworks? Hollywood... | By Science ChannelFacebook. Retrieved 2024-06-13 – via www.facebook.com.
  3. ^ #StrangeEvidence | Runaway Fireball | Tonight on #StrangeEvidence, researchers are investigating the mystery behind a runaway fireball. 🔥 Where is it headed, and who is behind this bizarre... | By Science Channel | Facebook. Retrieved 2024-06-13 – via www.facebook.com.
  4. ^ Lethal Wave of Heat | Strange Evidence | What sparked this tsunami of flames? 🔥 On January 23rd, 2020, citizens of Lima, Peru find themselves escaping a sudden wave of heat. To investigate... | By Science Channel | Facebook. Retrieved 2024-06-13 – via www.facebook.com.
  5. ^ www.bloomberg.com https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-04-11/forget-hollywood-filmmakers-are-flocking-to-new-orleans. Retrieved 2024-06-13. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ^ Media Graveyard (2020-11-01). 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) - Spin Off Featurette. Retrieved 2024-06-13 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ "Interview / Shark Night 3D VFX Supervisor Gregor Laker & SFX Supervisor Matt Kutcher / Matt's Movie Reviews". mattsmoviereviews.net. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  8. ^ "Louisiana Laws - Louisiana State Legislature". www.legis.la.gov. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  9. ^ a b Kushner, Adam B.; Journal, National (2013-04-11). "The Hollywood Jobs Program". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  10. ^ www.bloomberg.com https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-04-11/forget-hollywood-filmmakers-are-flocking-to-new-orleans. Retrieved 2024-06-13. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. ^ a b c Lopez, Adriana. "Growing Louisiana-Based Businesses Sustains Hollywood South". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  12. ^ "Academy Invites 322 to Membership". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  13. ^ admin. "13th Annual VES Awards". Visual Effects Society. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  14. ^ "2014 | Categories | International Press Academy". Retrieved 2024-06-13.