Roger Kupelian

Roger Kupelian (born 1967) is an American digital visual artist, filmmaker, director, producer, writer, and educator of Armenian descent.

He is known for his contributions to visual effects in films such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Chronicles of Riddick, and Space Jam, as well as his award-winning documentary Dark Forest in the Mountains (2002), graphic novels, fine art exhibitions, and independent creative projects, including the web series Warrior Saints.

Early life Roger Kupelian is an Armenian-American born in 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon and raised in Sierra Leone, West Africa, from early childhood until age 12. In 1979, he immigrated to the United States, settling in Glendale, California, a hub for the Armenian-American community. His documentary Dark Forest in the Mountains (2002), shot in 1994 at Artsakh on the front lines of the Nagorno-Karabakh war, won the Arpa Film Festival Jury Prize in 2002. Combining documentary footage with animation, the film chronicles the history of the region and people’s experiences leading up to the war.

Kupelian produced the documentary film East of Byzantium: War Gods and Warrior Saints, reflecting his interest in Armenian heritage and epic storytelling.

Teaching career Before fully transitioning to film, Kupelian taught art at Holy Martyrs Ferrahian Armenian High School in Encino, California, an accredited Armenian-American private school.

Visual effects and movie career Kupelian launched his Hollywood career as a digital film artist at Cinesite Hollywood, contributing to the visual effects for Space Jam, a live-action/animated hybrid film featuring Michael Jordan and Looney Tunes characters. The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003). His artwork for the films was featured in the films’ official art collections, along with a New Zealand stamp collection. It was the team of Kupelian, [Max [Dennison, Yannick Dusseault and Mathieu Raynault who were nominated for the 2003 VES award for "Best Matte Painting in a Motion Picture" (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers). Kupelian also contributed to Cloverfield, a found-footage sci-fi thriller, and The Chronicles of Riddick,

Graphic Novels and Web Series In 2012, Kupelian released the graphic novel East of Byzantium: War Gods.

In 2011, he did the illustrations for the Serj Tankian book Glaring Through Oblivion. In 2015, Kupelian released the Warrior Saints, a graphic novel exploring Armenian warrior traditions and Christian martyrdom narratives. In 2019, he made it into a web series that combines graphic storytelling with digital media.

Music Videos Kupelian has directed and produced music videos for Serj Tankian of System of a Down, including songs “Reconstructive Demonstrations,” which was released in 2010, “Honking Antelope,”which was released in 2017, and “How Many Times,” which was released in 2021.

Personal life Kupelian maintains strong ties to the Armenian-American community in Glendale, California. He has two daughters with designer Alina Khanjian. 2011, Glaring Through Oblivion (as illustrator, with Serj Tankian), It Books. 2010 FlashForward Outstanding Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program Nominated