MARTIN X. BELL

writer · director · producer · animator · visualisation supervisor · vfx art director

Origin Story

Martin was given the “X” initial by Marvel Studios while working on DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE (as VFX Art Director), because Marvel ‘head honcho’ Mitch Bell already had the mbell@ email address, so Martin needed a different one. As he had no middle initial, they gave him mxbell@. So he kept it.

His short animated film PRAZINBURK RIDGE, created in Unreal Engine, has won multiple awards on the film festival circuit in 2022-23. He now has several original feature films in pre-production and development with a growing international production team behind him.

Film Credits (imdb)

  • Dead Man's Hill (2027) | Director, writer

  • Giblets (2026) | Director, writer

  • Salient (aka ‘Trenchfoot’) (2025) | Director, writer

  • Deadpool & Wolverine | VFX Art Director

  • Prazinburk Ridge (Short) | Director, writer, animator

  • Batgirl | Previs & postvis supervisor

  • Something in the Water | Previs supervisor

  • Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom | Lead previs artist

  • The Little Mermaid | Previs co-supervisor

  • The Princess | Previs supervisor

  • Blackseam (Short) | Director, writer, animator

  • The Wheel of Time (TV Series) | Previs supervisor

  • The Blacklist (TV Series) | Previs sequence lead

  • No Time To Die | Previs sequence lead, postvis artist

  • Cinderella | Previs supervisor

  • Dolittle | Previs sequence lead

  • 1917 | Postvis supervisor

  • Dora and The Lost City of Gold | Postvis supervisor

  • Battle at Big Rock (Short) | Previs animator

  • Fast & Furious: Hobbs and Shaw | Lead previs artist

  • Aladdin | Postvis supervisor

  • Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle | Postvis supervisor

  • Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | Previs/postvis sequence lead

  • Inaction (Short) | Director, animator

  • Sex Tape | Postvis artist

As a former animator and film visualisation supervisor, Martin’s unique skillset — a proven visual storyteller and prolific writer with a nose for great ideas, combined with deep VFX experience and a hands-on, tech-savvy approach  — is his superpower.

Skills

  • screenwriting and narrative structure

  • artistic and creative direction

  • visual and sequential storytelling

  • camera, character and creature animation

  • virtual production and cinematography

  • shot creation and composition

  • film and sequence editing

Awards

  • Prazinburk Ridge ( Short Film) - more info

    • Best Animation - Wigan & Leigh Film Festival 2022

    • Best Animated Film - Dispatches of War 2022

    • Best Patriotic Educational Film - Dispatches of War 2022

    • Best Animated Film - Barnes Film Festival 2023

    • Best Animated Film - Wimbledon Short Film Fest 2023

  • Dead Man’s Hill (TV Pilot script)

    • Reader Recommended, The Black List (2x 8/10 scores)

    • Semi-Finalist, Shore Scripts TV Pilot Contest 2021

    • Semi-Finalist, Filmarket Hub TV Pilot Contest 2022

  • Like Gold Dust (Feature Film script)

    • Top 4% of projects on Coverfly

    • Finalist, SoCal Screenplay Competition 2019

    • Semi-Finalist, ScreenCraft Drama Competition 2019