Both went to the same high school in Johannesburg –Redhill — but met after Blomkamp graduated when he was 16. Copley was 22 at the time.
Copley encouraged Blomkamp’s interest in 3D animation by allowing him to use the computers at his production company. Blomkamp would in turn help Copley with the visuals for the projects he was working on.
When he was 18, Blomkamp moved with his family to Vancouver, Canada.
Blomkamp attended the Vancouver Film School, graduating in 1998. He later found work at The Embassy Visual Effects and Rainmaker Digital Effects.
Blomkamp was the early pick to direct the “Halo” film, based on the hit Microsoft game franchise. He had directed three short films to promote the release of Halo 3. Even though negotiations broke down, he has continued to express an interest in the project. Current rumors are that he will be directing the TV version.
Blomkamp is married to Terri Tatchell, his production partner, who co-wrote the film “District 9”.
He has worked as a 3D animator or Visual Effects director on a number of American TV shows including “Smallville” and “Stargate SG-1”.
He earned a spot in Time magazine’s The 100 Most Influential People in the World in the Artists category, in 2009. The magazine also featured an homage paid to Blomkamp by director Ridley Scott.
Blomkamp is good friends with Michael Bay, an American film director and producer known for the “Transformers” franchise. Bay directs high-budget action films with fast edits, stylistic visuals and special effects. When Blomkamp was 19, he traveled to Los Angeles in the hopes of meeting Bay, whose directing style he admired.
Blomkamp is usually reluctant to work on films based on someone else’s ideas. In fact, he turned down the opportunity to work on the “Star Wars” franchise when approached by Simon Kinberg, a screenwriter and film producer known for his work in “X-Men.”
