BIO
Michael Makara is one of the leading pre-visualization artists in Hollywood today. Mike has collaborated with a long list of A-list directors in creating stunning sequences for an array of blockbusters, including PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III, AEON FLUX and CITY OF EMBER.
The sequences Michael is asked to work on often call upon his directorial eye long before cameras have started to roll, his technical expertise and innovative visual instincts having earned him an esteemed reputation for handling the adrenalin-fueled, effects-driven portions of movies in the action, fantasy, sci-fi and 3D animation genres.
Michael has directed short films, music videos and car commercials, as well as directing second unit on the racing thriller BORN TO RACE, where he learned how to shoot automotive stunts, including jumping a car over 160 feet. He won an award at the LA Film Festival for his first music video, “Can’t Say No,” by Rebel House Radio, which was partly shot underwater, a skill he acquired while filming great white sharks off the coast of Guadalupe Island.
Michael was a regular at Paul Curry’s Acting Workshop, where he learned the fundamentals of acting and how to better communicate his vision to performers, eventually going on to teach his own class there. He is also an accomplished still photographer, going back to his prodigious pre-teen work, some of which the Washington Post described as "touching and evocative," to his Optic Challenge Prize win in 2020.
