DEFINITION March 2020

WOMEN I N VFX | FEATURE

LEFT The underwater sequence in Mary Poppins Returns was

brought to life by Patricia Llaguno

RUXANDRA CRISTOIU Job title: compositor

were totally seamless. But what made it so memorable was the team I was working with – they made me realise that it is the people who make project.” “My advice to women wanting to get into VFX is to not be intimidated by the industry. At times, it can feel like a boy’s club, but if you take this on as a challenge and stay true to your passion, you will thrive. Importantly, if you feel that you are being limited from doing the work you love, you can move on. The great thing about this industry is that there are so many opportunities now, you never have to stay somewhere that doesn’t make you feel welcome.”

The three years I spent as Framestore were so crucial, because I learned how the VFX industry works and what I wanted from the world. I decided I wanted more responsibility, so I moved into a junior compositor role at One of Us, and have worked as a compositor there ever since.” Cristoiu has worked on a number of high-profile projects, including Adrift , Aladdin , Avengers: Endgame , The Crown and The Witcher . “I really enjoyed working on Adrift . We had to create the ocean and match it with the live-action plates, and it was so satisfying to do invisible effects, because they ended up working exceedingly well and to building a beautiful CG Bentley and a gigantic, red-horned, 270ft Satan. In the series finale, the huge Satan bursts up through the ground of an airfield. He needed to look immediately recognisable [as he only appears once] and impressive from far away, with a very up-close shot of his face – and texture was key to this. It was tricky creatively and technically, because we used Cronobo, a new software, to achieve the realistic finer-looking details on his skin, but we worked closely with the modelling, look development and pipeline teams to get a result that the client loved. “My advice to women wanting to get into VFX is simple: Work hard, practise and go for it! It’s not that hard to get into VFX if you have the talent and drive, but it’s harder to prove what you’re capable of. I’m quite

Ruxandra Cristoiu studied graphic design at university, but left unsure about her career. She enjoyed a module she took on green screen work, so completed a compositing course at Escape Studios. This landed her an internship at The Foundry, where she gained ample experience to progress to the role as a runner at Framestore. “I joined just before the release of Gravity , which felt like such a special time, because the wider media and film industry had suddenly just started taking a strong interest in VFX. Between running shifts on weekends, I trained in roto and prep, before eventually moving to work in compositing. Natasia Bois studied at a generalist CG school in Montpellier, France, but wasn’t sure about which discipline she wanted to specialise in after graduating. She started looking for roles in VFX, advertising and animation, and found a job as texture/ shading artist in a French animation studio. “I loved it, and that’s how I started my career as a texture artist!” Bois has worked on many prestigious film and television projects, including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , Doctor Who , Altered Carbon and Good Omens . “ Fantastic Beasts was most memorable, because it was always my dream to work in London on a big movie! But Good Omens was most challenging. I worked on it for over a year, with an incredible range of assets, from recreating a busy Soho street NATASIA BOIS Job title: texture artist

optimistic; VFX is still a male-dominated discipline, but it’s becoming more equal. CG schools are filled with girls now, and the increasing numbers of women in VFX is visible in the composition, animation and texture disciplines. But women are still working in more artistic departments, as opposed to technical, which is a shame. So please, join us!”

Work hard and go for it! It’s not that hard to get into VFX if you have the talent and drive, but it’s harder to prove what you’re capable of

MARCH 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 45

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