Nielsen 3D Design
nielsen2021@outlook.com
US
https://www.nielsnielsen2.art
Niels Nielsen
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nielslnielsen/
www.nielsnielsen.com
Niels Nielsen
ILLUMINATION ENTERTAINMENT ORLANDO, FL Jan 2026 - Apr 2026. Concept Designer for themed surfaces and murals, UNIVERSAL KIDS RESORT. Development and delivery of sketches, illustrations and rendered graphic drawing packages for the Kids Park. Focused on themed Yellow VS Purple Minion attraction and water raft ride. Character story presentation of water fight between Yellow golfers and mischievous and troublesome Purple Minions. Approx 4,000 sq. ft. of park surfaces. Software: .psd, .ai and 3D. Remote conference meetings with Vice President - Creative Themed Design: JON CRAINE / ILLUMINATION.
QIDDIYA ENTERTAINMENT & FALCON’S BEYOND: AQUARABIA THEMED WATER PARK. Dec 2020 - June 2025 SCOPE: Creative Guardian and Creative Director for Falcon’s master plan design and delivery. On site responsibilities: very large animal icon character sculpture supervision, rockwork carving, show set scenic and props. 3D development, Aconex construction drawing packages for themed facility buildings, MEP, show lighting, waterfall flow effects, A/V, 4K media CGI animation design, display and projection mapping.
ACCOMPLISHMENT MOST BENEFICIAL TO THE CLIENT: Projection mapped image covers 3,000 square meters on the 80 meter tall mountain. Performed as the creative director for CGI animation and media design revealing the coming-of-age story of a Baby Camel. Supervised integration between Camel Rock exterior mountain surface sculpting, ride-show technology, A/V, show lighting, 4K media design, development and display. 15 minute program with 20 Barco projectors from a 7thSense server rack.
Career total of 15 international theme park projects as art director or project management include:
South Korea, Japan, South Africa, Germany, Thailand, Vietnam, Dubai, China, Saudi Arabia
Other career avenues in visual effects, special effects, miniatures for major motion pictures, television, indie features, commercials and documentaries.
EDUCATION:
American Film Institute: Center for Advanced Film Studies:
directed, produced three dramatic short films, 30 mins each.
Studied directing for feature film production, film theory, script writing.
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee: BFA, Inter-Arts, Film Studies and Fine Arts Painting
MEMBERSHIP:
VES (Visual Effects Society), TEA (Themed Entertainment Association)
Role with the VES
Member since 2008
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Qiddiya and Falcon's Creative Group, as Creative Guardian on AquArabia Theme Water Park.
Falcon's Beyond is the master planner and designers of 4 theme park projects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
From 2015 to 2021, I was with Universal Creative in Orlando and Universal Beijing Resort in Beijing as a senior art director.
Other career avenues in visual effects, special effects, miniatures for major motion pictures, television, indie features, commercials and documentaries.
Work Experience
NIELS L. NIELSEN as creative director brings deep design supervision experience from a wide variety of Hollywood motion picture and international theme park projects. He promotes a robust skillset aimed at highly stylized design in the photoreal sci-fi fantasy genre. Delivery for Qiddiya's AquArabia and Universal Creative on the Universal Beijing Resort has provided opportunities to develop and achieve creative packages at all levels. This includes storytelling, blue sky concept, key art, detail design drawings, colorboards, style guides, construction schematics, themed attractions, animatronics, special effects, on-site show set supervision, visual effects and finished 4K & 8K media.ILLUMINATION ENTERTAINMENT ORLANDO, FL Jan 2026 - Apr 2026
Concept Designer for themed surfaces and murals, UNIVERSAL KIDS RESORT. Development and delivery of sketches, illustrations and rendered graphic drawing packages for the Kids Park. Focused on themed Yellow VS Purple Minion attraction and water raft ride. Character story presentation of water fight between Yellow golfers and mischievous and troublesome Purple Minions. Approx 4,000 sq. ft. of park surfaces. Software: .psd, .ai and 3D. Remote conference meetings with Vice President - Creative Themed Design: JON CRAINE / ILLUMINATION.
QIDDIYA ENTERTAINMENT & FALCON’S BEYOND: AQUARABIA THEMED WATER PARK. Dec 2022 to June 2026
SCOPE: Creative Guardian and Creative Director for Falcon’s master plan design and delivery. On site responsibilities: very large animal icon character sculpture supervision, rockwork carving, show set scenic and props. 3D development, Aconex construction drawing packages for themed facility buildings, MEP, show lighting, waterfall flow effects, A/V, 4K media CGI animation design, display and projection mapping. ACCOMPLISHMENT MOST BENEFICIAL TO THE CLIENT: Projection mapped image covers 3,000 square meters on the 80 meter tall mountain. Performed as the creative director for CGI animation and media design revealing the coming-of-age story of a Baby Camel.
Supervised integration between Camel Rock exterior mountain surface sculpting, ride-show technology, A/V, show lighting, 4K media design, development and display. 15 minute program with 20 Barco projectors from a 7thSense server rack.
UNIVERSAL BEIJING RESORT
ORLANDO, FLA; BEIJING, CHINA 2015-21
Land Art Director: March 2015 to current: art director position focused on concept development, schematic, design development, media content, colorboards, construction drawing packages for themed facility buildings, area development and show scenic. Guidance of integration between ride systems, facility construction, MEP, special effects, show lighting, show action equipment, animatronics, and show media. Major attractions based on the Hasbro Transformers IP, world class dark ride, roller coaster, full scale robots, retail and F&B. Creative guidance and vision keeper for the land, IP and Universal brand. Daily meetings, ongoing discussions and travel with international stakeholders, senior management, vendors, general contractors and on-site installation teams.
FALCON’S TREEHOUSE
ORLANDO, FLA; ZHUHAI, CHINA; DUBAI, UAE, 2013-15
March 2014 to Feb 2015 on assignment to: IMG WORLDS OF ADVENTURE, Dubai: As project manager and field art director assisted in design development and integration towards show installation and attraction programming. Managed integration between ride systems, facility construction, MEP, special effects, show lighting (Kraftwerk), show action equipment, animatronics, show media, hi-def multiple channel video and audio. Field Art Direction focused on the scenic fabrication with Atech Group Intl./KHS&S, Bangkok, Thailand. Total of 5 attractions designed by Falcon’s Treehouse: Marvel’s Avengers 4-D Dark Ride, Hulk Circumotion 5-D Cinema, Spiderman Spinning Coaster, Lost Valley Dark Ride, and Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time Overhead Monorail Ride.
2013 Project Manager / Field Art Director: on assignment to: CHIMELONG HENGQUIN OCEAN KINGDOM, China: As project manager assisted in final show installation and attraction programming through grand opening. Managed integration between ride systems (Mack omni-mover train), facility construction, MEP, scenic cave and elements, special effects, show lighting (Kraftwerk), show action equipment, animatronics, show media hi-def video, multiple channel audio for subterranean with aquarium pass thru dark ride: “Deep Sea Odyssey.”
BA NA HILLS- MOUNTAIN RESORT
THAILAND and VIETNAM, 2010-12
Art Director: 700 page design package, 15 designers, 3dsMax, CAD, Illustrator, 3 months in Bangkok. 18 months in Vietnam: On-site creative control of 270,000 sq ft, 3 floors, interior Family Entertainment Center. Fantasy theme: Steampunk Gothic meets Jules Verne in a castle on a mountaintop. Supervised crews of 30 Thai scenic artists & 100 Vietnamese sculptors/fabricators/ painters. Client: SUN GROUP. Contract: KHS&S INTERNATIONAL CONTRACTORS.
Film Credits
SURROGATES ‘08, Data Wrangler: Visual Effects Dept., $120 mil, Bruce Willis sci-fi thriller motion picture. On set activities include data collection for multiple camera set-ups, green screen elements, set extensions and 3-D animation sequences. VFX Super: MARK STETSON, Disney/Touchstone“ATLANTIS” HYUNDAI SUV, ‘01 EFX Art Director: crew chief and on set art director for live action water sets and blue screen. GRANT McCUNE / ARIES MEDIA, Korean commercial.
A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ‘00-01, Animatronic Robots: design, fabricate and on-set technician for full scale robot character, THE GARDNER, in Steven Spielberg’s 2001 feature. Designed and executed torture /destruction sequence for same. Creature Effects Supervisor: STAN WINSTON
BICENTENNIAL MAN ‘99 Designer / Crew Chief: “World Legislature Building” architectural miniature for motion control blue screen shot, DREAMQUEST / DISNEY motion pix.
FANTASIA 2000, ‘98 Set Construction Supervisor: feature film. Supervised set carpenters, special effects electricians, and stage support for live action orchestra blue screen interstitials. With Director: DON HAHN at DISNEY FEATURE ANIMATION and Visual Effects Supervisor: RICHARD HOLLANDER / VIFX.
FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON ‘97 Crew Chief: miniature “Apollo Mission“ spacecraft for blue screen and motion control shots. HUNTER-GRATZNER, television m.o.w. series.
THE FIFTH ELEMENT, ‘96 Miniature Effects Supervisor: Design, construction, scenic and stage support of all miniatures for motion control photography and CGI comp elements. Crew of 60 modelmakers, artists, sculptors, coordinators, riggers and miniature lighting technicians. 9 months, DIGITAL DOMAIN / Visual Effects Supervisor: MARK STETSON (2001 Oscar, VFX)
TERMINATOR 2 3-D, ‘95 Crew Chief: “Skynet Pyramid”, special venue 3-D motion picture DIGITAL DOMAIN /UNIVERSAL, Supervisor: LESLIE EKKER
Skills & Titles
SKILLS:Software: ADOBE CREATIVE SUITE: AFTER EFFECTS, PHOTOSHOP, ILLUSTRATOR, PREMIERE, SKETCHUP, 3DSMAX, BIM, AVID, FCP
Design skills: 3D look development, color grading, color boards, sketching, style boards, visual effects, media, theme park facades and attractions, environments, show sets, props, creatures, characters, robots, graphics, signage, architectural facades, decorative elements , construction techniques, scenic fabrication, scenic paint, textures.
Creative skills: concept, brainstorming, story development, script writing, master planning, media development, script breakdown, media editing, animation, visual effects element breakout, 3D layering, camera movement, lighting, color theory, talent and resource guidance.
Production skills: leadership, strategy, pitch, presentation, communication, organization, package development and delivery, global travel, partnership, mentoring, vendor supervision, project management, budget & schedule, due-diligence, contracts, compliance, building codes
TITLES:
land art director, art director, project manager, producer, director, creative director, scriptwriter, screenplay, non-linear editor, motion graphics, 3D design, data wrangler, visual effects, cinematographer, camera operator, miniature effects supervisor, model-maker, set decorator, special effects, set construction supervisor