I don't just light scenes. I design the emotional experience of every frame

Professional Experience

Lecturer, CGI & 3D Animation — Jeddah International College

05/2024 – Present · Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

• Teaching CGI 3D animation — modeling, texturing, animation, lighting, and compositing.

• Designed a practical, project-based curriculum to build creative and technical skills.

• Applied teaching methods to simplify complex CGI concepts for students.

Freelance Lighting & Grooming Artist — "Skars: Rise of the Last Keeper"

Contract · Unreal Engine 5.3

• Defined the entire lighting vision for a dark-medieval fantasy title.

• Created cinematic atmospheres using Lumen GI, VSM, and Nanite workflows.

• Groomed hero-character hair assets for gameplay and cutscenes.

• Documented the lighting pipeline and coordinated milestones with US-based directors.

• Tools: UE5, Groom, Niagara, Photoshop, DaVinci Resolve.

Lighting Artist — Games & Animation

Full-time · 4+ years

• Led lighting design and visual composition for real-time and offline renders.

• Integrated Unreal Engine and Unity into production pipelines.

• Achieved cinematic realism using Arnold and V-Ray rendering workflows.

CGI Director

Full-time

• Directed end-to-end CGI production pipelines across real-time and offline workflows.

• Managed teams of lighting, VFX, and 3D artists, ensuring unified visual direction.

• Implemented advanced rendering and compositing for high-end productions.

• Used Unreal Engine, Nuke, Maya, and Substance Painter to push visual boundaries.

Monster Emporium Animation School

03/2020 – 01/2024 · London, UK

• Crafted real-time lighting rigs and optimized rendering pipelines.

• Collaborated with teams on Unreal Engine virtual production workflows.

• Achieved 30% faster renders and 25% higher audience engagement.

Freelance Director & Producer — "The Journey" (2018), "Musnad" (2023)

Selangor, Malaysia

• Directed award-winning CGI short films with emotional storytelling and historical accuracy.

• Oversaw lighting, compositing, and visual direction from concept to post-production.

• Led multi-disciplinary teams and collaborated with composers, VFX, and voice actors.

Lighting & Compositing Artist — MPC Motion Picture

01/2020 – 12/2020 · Singapore

• Delivered photorealistic lighting setups for major films and TV productions.

• Collaborated with multi-department teams on VFX integration and storytelling.

• Tools: Maya, Substance Painter, Nuke.

Director & Producer — "Was in 2020" (2020), "Reflection & Refraction" (2019)

Selangor, Malaysia

• Produced socially impactful short films exploring global crises and creativity.

• Directed CGI production, rigging, lighting, and sound design workflows.

• Tools: Maya, Nuke, Substance, V-Ray, Adobe Suite.

Junior Lighting & Compositing Artist — KRU Studios

08/2018 – 12/2019 · Selangor, Malaysia

• Contributed to "Zan Orangutan – Going Bananas" (IMDb-listed animation).

• Applied Arnold and PBR lighting techniques for cinematic visuals.

• Collaborated closely with directors to ensure consistent scene lighting.

Graphic Designer — Freelance & Masarat Al Afkar Marketing

2008 – 2017 · Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

• Designed logos, posters, and branding for corporate and charity clients.

• Created 10+ client websites, improving engagement by 20%.

• Increased client satisfaction and brand visibility through creative strategy.

Education

MA Visual Communication & Media Studies

Sunway University, Malaysia · 2023 · CGPA 3.75/4.00, Distinction

BA (Hons) in Motion Graphics and Visual Effects
Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Malaysia · 2019 · CGPA 3.68/4.00

BSc (Hons) in Information Technology - Computer Programming

University of Science & Technology, Yemen · 2017

Research

PhD Proposal · In Development

Cinematic Lighting's Impact on Viewer Attention & Emotional Engagement in Real-Time CGI/VR

Using Unreal Engine 5 and eye-tracking.

MA Thesis · Sunway University · 2023

Directing Viewer Attention: The Adaptation of Lighting, Colour Management, Colour Psychology, and Sound in VR CGI Animated Films

Practice-based research using the short film Musnad.

Advanced Compositing Techniques with Nuke — Hugo's Desk, 2024

Certified Unreal Engine Artist — Unreal Engine, 2020

Lighting and Compositing — Academy of Animated Art, 2019–2020

Cinematic Lighting Training & Masterclass — The Illumination Group, 2018

Recognition

MUSNAD FILM (2024)

Awards
🏆 Golden Palm Award – Best Debut Animation — Saudi Film Festival, Saudi Arabia (May 2024)
🏆 Best CGI Short Film – Winner — Al Ain Film Festival, United Arab Emirates (February 2025)

Official Selections
🎬 Lunatico! Short Film Contest — Italy (May 2025)
🎬 Universal Film Festival — United States (July 2024)

REFLECTION AND REFRACTION FILM (2019)

Awards
🏆 Award Winner – Animated Expressions Expo — United States (August 2023)
🏆 Award Winner – Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions (Hosted by @LiftOffGlobalNetwork) — United Kingdom (January 2021)
🏆 Award Winner – Cinevoyage International Film Festival — India (February 2021)
🏆 Award Winner – First-Time Filmmaker Sessions (Volume 13) — United Kingdom (January 2021)
🏆 Award Winner – Al Thaqalayn Film Festival — Iran (December 2020)

Official Selections
🎬 Filmmaker Sessions Volume 12 — United Kingdom (January 2021)
🎬 International iSHORTZ Platform Festival — India (Quarter-Finalist, July 2021)

WAS IN 2020 FILM (2020)

Awards
🏆 Award Winner – Lift-Off Filmmaker Sessions (Hosted by @LiftOffGlobalNetwork) — United Kingdom (June 2023)

Official Selections
🎬 Filmmaker Sessions Volume 12 — United Kingdom (June 2023)

Real-time expertise: Unreal Engine 5, Lumen, Nanite. I build production-ready pipelines that deliver cinematic quality without the render-farm timeline.

Lighting that tells stories, not just illuminates scenes. Every setup is designed around emotional intent.

End-to-end direction, from concept and pre-production through compositing and delivery. I’ve run every stage of a production.

Cultural depth: my research and films bridge Gulf heritage and global cinematic language. Unique perspective. Distinctive output.

Pipeline leadership: I’ve built workflows adopted across studio and academic environments. I make teams faster.

Software

Unreal Engine 5

Maya

Arnold

Nuke

ZBrush

Substance Painter

DaVinci Resolve

After Effects

Premiere Pro

Photoshop

ShotGrid

HDR Light Studio

Let's work together

ibnmuqbil@gmail.com

00966563400858

Saudi Arabia · Working Globally · © 2026 Abdulrahman Moqbel

Available for freelance projects, studio collaborations, and speaking engagements. Whether you're building a VFX pipeline, directing a CGI short, or need a lighting artist who understands both the technical and the cinematic, let's talk.