"The Next Sofyank" — Malaysian Content Creator Aina Mariah Rises To Social Media Fame
She started gaining popularity after making a video that involved hanging like 'Spider-Man'.
Digital special effects (VFX) is increasingly gaining popularity among Malaysians because of its captivating visuals and magical elements
Just mention VFX and many will associate it with the famous local figure, Sofyank.
The young man from Kelantan is a highly recognised VFX artist in Malaysia. His name has become even more prominent after being crowned champion in the Ultimate VFX Challenge in Los Angeles last April.
Recently, Aina Mariah, a content creator who also features VFX in her videos, has become the talk of the town
In one of her TikTok videos, Aina is seen hanging on the side of a building as if she were Spider-Man.
Many were impressed by her video editing skills, while some were left curious about the techniques she used to achieve them.
Watch the video below:
The video has since garnered over three million views, with even Indonesian media outlets writing about it
In an interview with Aina Mariah, who works as a video editor at REV Media Group, she shared that she learned to create VFX by watching YouTube tutorials during the COVID-19 lockdown.
During the lockdown (PKP), I had to work from home. As a video editor, I spent a lot of time in front of the computer screen, and that's when I started learning VFX through YouTube.
Throughout nearly five years of working as a video editor, Aina has consistently picked up new skills to advance her craft.
To fuel her creative journey, she takes the initiative to self-learn and draws inspiration from various VFX artists.
Her interest began when she frequently watched VFX-related videos on TikTok. Shortly after, she tried to create her first VFX video and didn't expect to receive such a great response from the public.
Watch one of her videos below:
After creating several VFX videos on her own platform, Aina made the decision to launch a series titled 'Aina Tricks' on the SAYS SEISMIK platform.
In this series, she focuses on three themes: transitions, illusions, and special effects. Each of her videos successfully captures the attention of social media users, especially on Instagram and TikTok.
I often refer to VFX artists from both within and outside the country. One of my idols is Sofyank!
Ever since Aina started her journey in VFX, she had a dream of collaborating with Sofyank.
Recently, that dream turned into reality.
Aina, who has Kelantanese roots, shared that she had long desired to collaborate with her idol, and never expected to successfully create a video alongside Sofyank.
What's even more exciting is that she not only had the chance to share the frame with Sofyank, but also received personal guidance from the renowned VFX artist throughout the shoot.
"I'm thrilled to learn from him, even though I felt a bit nervous at the same time. Alhamdulillah, everything went smoothly. I won't forget that moment," said Aina.
Aside from Sofyank, Aina has also produced numerous engaging videos with famous local celebrities. She shared that she never imagined that most of her videos would garner millions of views from various countries.
Watch Aina and Sofyank's collab below: