FEATURE | WOMEN I N VFX
ABOVE Dolores McGinley used brushes and pencils, as well as lipstick on thick paper, to create visuals for the BBC series, Giri/Haji
DOLORES MCGINLEY Job title: VFX creative director
idea of replacing the tested ‘previously on’ segment with more of a storytelling process instead. Strong, symbolic images were chosen to recap the story so far. Each of these stills was then further worked on using paint, ink and fine brush strokes. Sketches were overlaid and ink spill and finished in Photoshop. I often like to use lipstick on textured paper to get thick, coarse, detailed and controlled strokes. These were finished as complete & individual ‘separate artworks’ before being recut back into the edit. Over the entire series, there were approximately 110 stills completed, all handworked (alongside the talented Aurelien Ronceray). It was a rare yet exciting opportunity to get out brushes and pencils in this advancing technological era!”
big VFX houses in London. I was also one of the only females chasing VFX at this level in Dublin, which, years ago, added to the complexity and demand of the role faced by so many female artists across the spectrum, where proving yourself is never easy. This is something I am delighted to see has since changed, with increasing numbers of fabulous women in key roles.” When McGinley moved to London in 2002, she worked in many well-known post-production facilities before settling at Technicolour. In 2016, she joined Molinare as its VFX creative director, and recent projects include Giri/Haji , The Crown , Good Omens , Strike Back and Blinded by the Light . “To make the Giri/Haji series as artistic as possible, the clients played with the journey with Elizabeth I for Channel 4. She says: “After 15 years, I am now at Milk VFX and I’m still in awe of the impact and power visual effects can have. I hope that never ends.” Powell has also worked on projects like Good Omens , Electric Dreams , Doctor Who and Skellig , she says the most challenging was the Satan sequence in Good Omens . “He is a key character, but he only appears once. So, he needed to be instantly recognisable and have maximum dramatic impact. His scene, in which he bursts out of the ground, represents the crescendo of a complex story about his relationship with his son, who is destined to bring on Armageddon by teatime! As a producer, myself and my team always relish the creative challenge of these sequences.”
Dolores McGinley has worked on many prestigious projects for advertising campaigns, TV and feature film clients over the past 23 years. With a degree in graphic design, McGinley started out working on live TV graphics for TG4/RTÉ in Ireland, which equipped her with the basic skills that would introduce her to this industry, especially learning to work under pressure and deal with constant demands. “The hours were long, weekends were often written off – but motivation, sheer excitement and constant visual wizardry were enough to know that this was the area I wanted to pursue. I was very fortunate to be the first person to work on Discreet Logic’s Inferno/Flame in Ireland, when it was fast becoming the industry tool of the Jenna Powell was fortunate to get a week’s work experience at a production company, which led to a job as a production runner on Gerry Anderson’s new Captain Scarlet at Pinewood Studios. “I felt like I had won the lottery! I wasn’t particularly aware of visual effects as a career path at the time, but this production was a full CG remake of the sixties series – and my first experience working in CG. I was on the project for two years and worked my way up to be an episode coordinator. It was a baptism of fire and I had to learn quickly, but I gained a huge amount of experience of the process from script to screen.” When production wrapped for Captain Scarlet , Powell moved to The Mill in central London and began her visual effects JENNA POWELL Job title: VFX producer
Powell concludes by saying: “My advice is: be determined! The industry is tough, but very rewarding. I am a great believer that starting as a runner and working your way up will give you a strong base from which to build your career.”
After 15 years, I am now at Milk VFX and I’m still in awe of the impact and power visual effects can have. I hope that never ends
48 DEF I N I T ION | MARCH 2020
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