My brother Paul McWilliams, who has died aged 43 of a brain tumour, was a visual effects specialist who worked on films including Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Sherlock Holmes (2009) and two of the Harry Potter movies (2007 and 2011). He was also part of the team that won an Oscar for best visual effects for Inception (2010).
For a period, however, Paul had another career working with children as a PE teacher at inner London primary schools. More recently he volunteered for Sports for Hope and Independence in Bangladesh, and his work with that charity led him to set up his own, Sports for Joy, earlier this year, focusing on using sport to work with disadvantaged communities in rural Bangladesh.
Paul was born in Reading to Victor, an army captain in the Educational Corps, and Clare (nee Rogerson), a teacher. Because his father was in the forces, he spent much of his secondary schooling as a boarder at Douai Abbey school in Berkshire.
After studying computer science at the University of Kent, Paul entered the world of visual effects, which allowed him to combine his artistic and computer skills. He first worked for Moving Picture Company as a lighting technical director before moving to Double Negative as a digital lighting artist and then as a visual effects trainer.
Away from his film work, Paul was passionate about sport and the benefits it brings to young people – and by 2013 had decided to engineer a move into teaching. After completing his teacher training at the University of London in 2014 he spent the next five years as a PE teacher at various inner London primary schools.
His teaching led to voluntary youth work with children, including young migrants and refugees, in the Southwark area of south London, and then to his involvement with Sports for Hope and Independence. From 2019 onwards he was able to undertake his voluntary work by returning on a freelance and occasionally full-time basis to visual effects work, as a trainer.
Paul had a loud, joyous laugh, and an open, kind face. When we were children he needed no prompting at the suggestion of a card game, a bike ride or an adventure.
He is survived by his parents, his siblings, Christian, Joe and me, 10 nieces and a nephew.
Source: theguardian.com
