Draft:Matt Kutcher

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.

Early life and career
Matt Kutcher was born June 19, 1967, in the San Fernando Valley, California.

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.” ][ ][ 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
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, 10 Cloverfield Lane , 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.

Role in Hollywood South
Kutcher founded Spectrum FX in 1993 in Santa Clarita, CA .The company primarily worked on Hollywood films in the Los Angeles area, but occasionally traveled to New Orleans. Then, a 2002 Louisiana tax credit 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.. He then decided to move the company to Harahan, Louisiana, followed by Slidell

Kutcher has advocated for Louisiana’s growing film industry and specifically hires local talent for Spectrum FX’s projects ][. 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. Spectrum FX has become known for working with Louisiana-based crews and creating jobs in the state's film industry ][

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, 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

Awards and accolades
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 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