Writer · Director · Producer

Stories built
to become worlds.

Neil Karunatilaka is a California-based filmmaker creating mythic, character-driven cinema at the intersection of practical filmmaking and visual effects.

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Director-Driven CinemaCinematic World-BuildingCharacter Before SpectaclePractical + Visual EffectsGenre Without BoundariesA Singular Point of View
Neil Karunatilaka, American film director and founder of Studio VIINeil Karunatilaka · Los Angeles, 2026

01 / THE FILMMAKER

A singular
creative vision.

Neil Karunatilaka is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and visual effects filmmaker based in California. He is the founder of Studio VII, A Motion Picture Company.

With more than twenty years of experience across writing, directing, producing, cinematography, and visual effects, he has created narrative films, commercials, music videos, fashion films, travel films, and visual campaigns for clients and talent worldwide. His work is defined by bold composition, atmospheric world-building, high-concept imagery, and an approach that treats technical innovation as a tool for emotion.

Through Studio VII, Neil develops original mythology, fantasy, horror, and science-fiction projects under a unified creative vision. In 2026, he presented The Prologue: The Dead Do Not Return, a 16-minute proof-of-concept director’s treatment that combines live-action filmmaking, concept imagery, and visual-effects-driven storytelling across the Studio VII slate.

CreatorWriterDirectorProducerCinematographyVisual Effects

02 / DIRECTOR’S VISION

Make the impossible
feel human.

I believe spectacle matters most when it reveals something human.

I’m drawn to stories that feel larger than life: ancient myths, impossible worlds, monsters, gods, and the unknown. But every image must begin with character. Beneath the scale, there has to be a choice, a wound, a fear, or a consequence that the audience can recognize as their own.

My process brings writing, directing, cinematography, practical production, and visual effects into one continuous creative language. I don’t see VFX as something added after the film is made; I use it as part of the earliest storytelling decisions, designing worlds around performance, atmosphere, composition, and emotion.

After more than twenty years behind a camera, I’m still driven by the same instinct: find an image that feels impossible, then discover the most honest human moment inside it. The goal is not simply to create something visually striking. It is to create an experience that stays with the audience after the final frame.

03 / SELECTED NARRATIVE WORK

Worlds in
motion.

The Prologue cinematic still01

Proof of concept · 2026

The Prologue

A 16-minute cinematic director’s treatment introducing three original mythic worlds through live action, visual effects, and atmospheric storytelling.

The Last Breath cinematic still02

Feature · In development

The Last Breath

An Arthurian dark fantasy about death, resurrection, and the terrible cost of becoming legend.

The Serpent’s Snare cinematic still03

Short + feature · In development

The Serpent’s Snare

A ruined temple. An ancient curse. A character-first reimagining of Medusa and the mortals drawn into her world.

The Obelisk cinematic still04

Ancient Egyptian fantasy · In development

The Obelisk

Gods, forbidden power, and a human struggle set against the monumental scale of ancient Egypt.

Original Science-Fiction Horror · In Development

They Came
from Above.

When unexplained lights appear over a quiet suburb, one sleepless night becomes a terrifying close encounter inside the home.

BEYOND THE STUDIO VII SLATE
A rain-soaked suburban street at night in They Came from Above
The night changes
An isolated house beneath strange lights in They Came from Above
Something has arrived
An alien figure appearing in a dark doorway in They Came from Above
Inside the house
A close silhouette of an alien in They Came from Above
They came from above

VFX Proof of Concept

A visual-effects proof of concept was developed to explore creature design, compositing, color palette, atmosphere, and the film’s contained visual language while development continues.

WATCH THE PROOF OF CONCEPTOPEN ON VIMEO ↗

04 / FOUNDER + CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Studio VII

Neil founded Studio VII, A Motion Picture Company, to develop ambitious original films under a singular creative vision. Its flagship slate, The Last Breath, The Serpent’s Snare, and The Obelisk, unites mythology, horror, and fantasy across interconnected cinematic worlds.

Enter Studio VII ↗

05 / BEHIND THE WORK

The work between
the frames.

From the edit bay and performance capture to proof-of-concept shoots and premieres. A selective record of the process, people, and decisions behind the finished images.

IN POST · ON SET · IN THE ROOM
DaVinci Resolve edit bay displaying an unreleased scene from The Prologue
Building The PrologueEdit · Color · Visual development
The Prologue title card reading The Dead Do Not Return
From edit bay to finished filmThe Prologue · The Dead Do Not Return
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Development, performance, location, and early visual-effects work.

Adrian recording for The Prologue while Kayla Swift connects remotely
Adrian in booth · Kayla remote
Neil Karunatilaka during a remote voice and Gaussian-splat capture session for The Prologue
The Prologue · capture session
Savannah proof-of-concept cast and crew with a production slate
Savannah · cast + crew
Neil Karunatilaka reviewing a Savannah proof-of-concept frame on set
Reviewing the frame
Savannah proof-of-concept collaborators preparing an exterior desert location
Desert location
Neil Karunatilaka directing a Savannah proof-of-concept scene
Blocking the scene
Kayla Swift during an early green-screen costume and visual-effects test
Kayla Swift · costume test
Behind the scenes lighting setup for a Kayla Swift green-screen costume test
Green-screen lighting test
Neil Karunatilaka and his wife representing Studio VII at Cine Gear
Studio VII · Cine Gear
THE PROLOGUE PREMIERE

The finished film, its collaborators, and the moment it met an audience.

Neil Karunatilaka with collaborators at The Prologue red carpet premiere
The Prologue premiereGetty Images · Maury Phillips
Neil Karunatilaka and director of photography Andrew Johnston at The Prologue premiere
Neil Karunatilaka + Andrew JohnstonDirector · Director of Photography
Neil Karunatilaka with Studio VII collaborators at The Prologue premiere
Studio VII premiere collaboratorsGetty Images · Maury Phillips
Neil Karunatilaka with a collaborator at The Prologue premiere
Premiere portraitGetty Images · Maury Phillips
Neil Karunatilaka with a Studio VII collaborator at The Prologue premiere
Neil + collaboratorGetty Images · Maury Phillips
A photographer capturing Neil Karunatilaka and Kayla Swift on The Prologue premiere red carpet
Premiere portrait in progressNeil + Kayla · Behind the lens
FILMMAKERS + INFLUENCES

Encounters in cinema.

Selected moments from public premieres and film-community events with filmmaker Zack Snyder.

Neil Karunatilaka and Daniela Karunatilaka with Zack Snyder at the Rebel Moon Director’s Cuts premiere
Rebel Moon Director’s CutsNetflix Egyptian Theatre
Neil Karunatilaka with Zack Snyder at the Twilight of the Gods premiere
Twilight of the GodsNetflix Studios
Neil Karunatilaka with Zack Snyder at the Full Circle charity event at ArtCenter Pasadena
Full Circle charity eventArtCenter Pasadena
Neil Karunatilaka with Zack Snyder at the Full Circle charity event inside ArtCenter Pasadena
Full Circle charity eventArtCenter Pasadena

06 / FASHION + EDITORIAL FILMS

Frame by
frame.

Selected fashion and editorial films exploring movement, composition, natural light, location, and cinematic portraiture.

DIRECTED + CINEMATOGRAPHY BY NEIL KARUNATILAKA
Janna Breslin in a cinematic frame from a coastal fashion film in San Diego
Coastal FilmNatural light · Location portraiture
PROJECT FILM / FITNESS LIFESTYLE

California Form

A San Diego fitness-lifestyle film built around natural light, environmental portraiture, color, and a relaxed sense of movement.

Janna Breslin in a frame from a fitness-lifestyle film set in a sunlit San Diego interior
California Form IEnvironment · Character · Natural light
Janna Breslin in a colorful frame from a fitness-lifestyle film in San Diego
California Form IIColor · Graphic composition · Portraiture
PROJECT FILM / FASHION SHORT

Solace

A warm, intimate fashion film created to explore the character and rendering of XEEN cinema lenses.

Kayla Swift in a close cinematic frame from Solace
Solace IPortraiture · Lens flare · Eye line
Kayla Swift in a warm wide cinematic frame from Solace
Solace IIAtmosphere · Composition · Warm light
PROJECT FILM / MODERN PINUP

Farmhouse

A cinematic modern pinup film with Whitney Cordray, pairing retro-inspired interiors with warm light, bold styling, and a provocative contemporary glamour aesthetic.

Whitney Cordray in a cinematic frame from the modern pinup film Farmhouse
Farmhouse IRetro setting · Warm light · Modern pinup
Whitney Cordray in a red modern pinup look from the cinematic film Farmhouse
Farmhouse IIBold color · Composition · Contemporary glamour

Before building mythic feature worlds, Neil directed and filmed narrative shorts, commercials, music videos, fashion films, travel films, and visual campaigns with established talent worldwide.

This film archive reflects the same instincts that continue through his narrative work: shape the light, direct the performance, use the environment, and make every frame feel intentional.

07 / START A CONVERSATION

Let’s make something
unforgettable.

For directing, writing, producing, representation, and creative collaboration inquiries.