Summary
Overview
Work history
Education
Skills
References
Timeline
Generic

Niel Swart

Dorking,United Kingdom

Summary

I have 20 years of experience in IT and Post-Production Engineering. I began my career as a Computer Technician and have since progressed to becoming a Lead Engineer, responsible for providing production support across a wide range of hardware and software solutions within the EMEA region.

Over the course of my career, I have worked as an engineer in both primary production and post-production environments, giving me a comprehensive understanding of the entire production workflow from start to finish. Production is my passion, and I am always seeking opportunities to improve or evolve existing systems to enhance the production process.

I am particularly focused on exploring innovative ways to optimise workflows, including leveraging cloud platforms and implementing systems that drive efficiency and improve production capabilities. I believe there is significant potential to achieve more by adopting modern technologies and refining current practices.

I am a loyal and hardworking professional with a diverse skill set that spans post-production engineering, IT support, and collaborating with management to meet financial budgets. I take pride in delivering tasks on time, at the highest possible quality, and ensuring they are completed correctly the first time.

Overview

23
23
years of professional experience

Work history

Lead Production Support Engineer

Hogarth Worldwide
London
05.2021 - Current
  • Leadership and Collaboration
  • Leading a team of engineers to deliver technical solutions and support across various projects.
  • Collaborating closely with the engineering team in London to plan and coordinate the technical rollout of facilities across the EMEA region.
  • Workflow Transition and Optimisation
  • Planning and managing the transition of existing workflows to align with Hogarth's practices and operational standards.
  • Continuously refining workflows to enhance efficiency and ensure alignment with industry best practices.
  • Facility Design and Setup
  • Designing facilities, including video systems and 10Gb network infrastructure, to meet project requirements.
  • Setting up remote grading solutions such as DaVinci Resolve, Evercast, and T-VIPS to optimise production workflows.
  • Installing and cabling offline/online editing and grading suites to ensure optimal performance.
  • Technical Support and Maintenance
  • Providing installation and technical support for video and print operators using industry-standard tools, including Adobe Creative Cloud, Avid Pro Tools, Cinema 4D, 3ds Max, Maya, Houdini, DaVinci Resolve, Autodesk Flame, and Baselight.
  • Installing and maintaining render farms powered by Deadline to optimise rendering processes.
  • Overseeing machine room maintenance, including video router integration and system upgrades.
  • Implementing remote working technologies such as Teradici and HP ZBoost to support flexible working environments.
  • Budgeting and Troubleshooting
  • Forecasting technology budgets and managing Capital Expenditure (CapEx) to ensure cost-effective solutions.
  • Addressing day-to-day technical challenges and providing effective troubleshooting to minimise downtime.
  • Current Projects
  • Leading the technological advancements for the VFX department, focusing on flexible working solutions, deployment strategies, and workflow refinement.

Production Support Engineer

Hogarth Worldwide
City of London
04.2019 - 05.2021
  • Working closely with the engineering team in London to plan and co-ordinate the technical rollout of facilities in the EMEA Region.
  • Planning and executing the transition of existing workflows to be in line with Hogarth practices.
  • Video Routing Design.
  • Remote Grading Setup ie Davinci Resolve, Evercast and T-VIPS.
  • Installation and cabling of offline/online edit and grading suites.
  • Installation and technical support for video and print operators across the Adobe CC suite, Avid ProTools, Cinema 4D, 3dsMax,Maya, Houdini, Davinci Resolve, Autodesk Flame and Baselight.
  • Installation and maintenance of render farm using Deadline.
  • Machine room maintenance including Video Router integration.
  • Implement remote working Technologies such as Teradici and HP Zboost.
  • Machine room installations of video equipment.
  • Data Archiving.
  • Budget Technology Forecast and Capex.
  • Day to day firefighting.
  • WIP - Projects
  • I am currently involved with implementing a flexible working solution along side the Production Technology Manager using 12G SDI Video Routing KVM/Thin Client design to achieve 4K HDR in a new facility.
  • I am also working on Centralizing our UK Renderfarm to increase productivity.
  • Implementing new Remote Working Technology HP Zboost for our Autodesk Flames.

Production Support Engineer

Hogarth Worldwide
, South Africa
12.2014 - 03.2019
  • Working closely with the engineering team in London to plan and co-ordinate the technical rollout of facilities in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
  • Planning and executing the transition of existing workflows to be in line with Hogarth practices.
  • Installation and cabling of offline/online edit and grading suites.
  • Installation and technical support for video and print operators across the Adobe CC suite, Cinema 4D, 3dsMax,Maya, Davinci Resolve, Autodesk Flame Assist/Smoke, Avid ProTools
  • Installation and maintenance of render farms.
  • 1st line desktop support (both MacOS and Windows systems, Linux).
  • Management of machine room and infrastructure.
  • Management of security systems in Cape Town facility.
  • Machine room installations of video equipment.
  • SAN installation.
  • Data Backup and archiving.
  • Budget Technology Forecast and Capex.
  • Day to day firefighting.

Production Support Engineer

The WORx Digital Media
, South Africa
10.2012 - 12.2014
  • Engineering, Workflow Design, Systems Design, Installation, Integration from render farm design, video suites to on set workflows for Production Houses and Long Form Productions.
  • Machine room installations of video equipment.
  • Installation and maintenance of render farms.
  • Installation and cabling of offline edit/online edit and grading suites.
  • Installation and technical support for video and print operators across the Adobe CC, Avid Media Composer.
  • Digital Imaging Technician – work flow, systematization, signal integrity and image workflows for Film manipulation to achieve the highest image quality.
  • Data Wrangling – Copy, backup, and verify the checksum of your footage.
  • Ingest/Transcode – Create offline files with look- up tables applied for the editorial department.
  • Data Archiving – Secure storage of data onto LTO tape for safekeeping.
  • Workflow design for Film (Digital) from camera to post.

Senior Post Production Engineer

Waterfront Film Studios/Condor Cape
Cape Town, South Africa
03.2009 - 09.2012
  • Responsible for all technical areas of Post facility ‐ Grading/Editing/Online/Telecine Suites, CAR (machine room), Computer Graphics and Media Transfer.
  • Managed a small team of engineers along side the Chief Engineer.
  • Analyze and manage the technical capabilities, ensuring they are in prime condition and continuously updated and maintained.
  • Install and support computer operating systems (Linux, Mac OS, Windows), 2D/3D video and graphic manipulation packages and desktop productivity applications as well as databases and in house proprietary software Data management and origination.
  • Technologies including Avid Media Composer, Maya,Autodesk Smoke,Autodesk Flame, Quantel Pablo, FCP,Adobe Suite, Da Vinci Resolve, 3D Digital Graphics and rendering and Avid ProTools.
  • VFX suite maintenance, machine room maintenance, storage and server maintenance.
  • Enterprise storage environments moving large volumes of data and deep archiving.

Support Engineer

Light EdgeAdvanced Developments
Cape Town, South Africa
02.2003 - 02.2009
  • Diagnose and repair Desktop PC's, Servers and Notebook computers (Windows and Mac).
  • Install and maintain Windows and Linux servers in a web hosting environment.
  • MySQL,ASP.net, MS SQL, IIS Server setup integration and management.
  • Assist inbound calling clients with support for our web applications and E‐mail problems (Windows and Mac).
  • Install hardware and software on standalone personal computers.
  • Ensure maintenance of end user workstations and peripheral devices.
  • Assist in providing desktop application solutions.
  • Respond to requests for technical assistance.
  • Manage testing procedures for newly installed hardware and software applications.
  • Ensure timely repair of equipment.
  • Assist with network troubleshooting procedures.
  • Provide backup to the network administrator.
  • Install and update antivirus programs on a constant basis.

ICT Customer Support

Light Edge Technology
Cape Town, South Africa
12.2002 - 02.2003
  • Built IT and computer systems from component level up.
  • Install hardware and software on standalone personal computers.
  • Ensure maintenance of end user workstations and peripheral devices.
  • Assist in providing desktop application solutions.
  • Respond to requests for technical assistance.
  • Manage testing procedures for newly installed hardware and software applications.
  • Ensure timely repair of equipment.
  • Assist with network troubleshooting procedures.
  • Provide backup to the network administrator.
  • Install and update antivirus programs on a constant basis.

Education

Senior Certificate -

JG Meiring High School
11.2002

Skills

  • Leadership
  • Infrastructure testing
  • Creative problem solving
  • Maintenance and repair
  • Customer-service oriented
  • Customer-focused
  • Communication skills
  • Problem-solving

References

Hogarth Worldwide

Nick Wood - Production Technology Manager

Mobile: +44 7824 865146

The Worx Digital Media

Reg Nance-Kivell

Mobile: +27 83 351 4315

Waterfront Film Studios/Condor Cape

Reg Nance-Kivell

Mobile: +27 83 351 4315

Timeline

Lead Production Support Engineer

Hogarth Worldwide
05.2021 - Current

Production Support Engineer

Hogarth Worldwide
04.2019 - 05.2021

Production Support Engineer

Hogarth Worldwide
12.2014 - 03.2019

Production Support Engineer

The WORx Digital Media
10.2012 - 12.2014

Senior Post Production Engineer

Waterfront Film Studios/Condor Cape
03.2009 - 09.2012

Support Engineer

Light EdgeAdvanced Developments
02.2003 - 02.2009

ICT Customer Support

Light Edge Technology
12.2002 - 02.2003

Senior Certificate -

JG Meiring High School

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