The Sports Model

A recent commission to create a series of CGI stills depicting one of the most iconic shapes in UFO lore — the disc-shaped craft described by Bob Lazar in the late 1980s, often referred to as the "sport model."

Knowing the final deliverables were static images rather than animation gave me room to push the details further than usual. Frames averaged 15–30 minutes each, with most of that time going into the lighting and the disc's surface — getting the rim reflections to feel right, working the subtle anisotropy across the hull, and letting the god rays from the hangar skylights do the heavy atmospheric work. The wet concrete floor became a key part of the composition too, doubling the light and giving the craft something to sit against.

Built in Cinema 4D and rendered in Arnold. The hangar is fully CG — every truss, vent and skylight modelled out so the camera could move around the space without breaking the illusion. With render times like these I'd want to optimise the workflow before any animation, but the scene already has the bones of something cinematic. There's a short film in here somewhere.

UFOs and UAP sightings have moved from fringe interest to mainstream conversation over the past few years, with serious coverage from major outlets and government acknowledgements that would have seemed unthinkable a decade ago. It's a strange and interesting moment to be making work in this space.