Roger Kupelian

Roger Kupelian is an illustrator and digital effects specialist, experienced in numerous forms of visual media.

He is known for his work on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001 - 2003), as part of the Weta Digital team. With Yanick Dusseault, Gus Hunter, Paul Lasaine, Jeremy Bennett, Dylan Cole, and others, Kupelian was responsible for matte paintings.^[1]^[2] He especially provided many composite pieces, for scenes in which real, photographed elements are joined with a matte painting background or CGI into a unified shot. This was crucial in scenes such as those at Amon Hen, Nen Hithoel, and the Tower of Cirith Ungol.

"Regardless of the wonderful vistas that New Zealand provides, and the photographic reference sometimes offered or thrust into the development of the image, the matte painting is a painting in a very real sense: it has to convey a story. This story begins with a sketch by Alan Lee or quick paint sketch by Jeremy Bennett. Sometimes Gus Hunter will give us a bit more [with a] Photoshop layout. One we get the green light, we begin painting, first roughly, to lay the image out accurately and match it to the live plate, then more definitely."

—Kupelian describing the matte painters' role^[3]

After The Lord of the Rings films, Kupelian was a matte artist in the productions of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007), Cloverfield (2008), Terminator Salvation (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011), Hugo (2011), Cloud Atlas (2012), Oblivion (2013), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), and others.