FEATURE | WOMEN I N VFX
OLLY NASH Job title: VFX creative director
never got that master’s qualification, but I learned on my own, which has been the most valuable skill to acquire in this tech- advancing industry, and I’ve been teaching myself the latest 3D techniques ever since.” Nash has worked on many significant projects for feature films and TV, including Catherine the Great , Johnny English Strikes Again , Star Wars: The Last Jedi , Guardians of the Galaxy and 28 Days Later . She says the most challenging thing to create recently was the missile trail in Johnny English , because it was hard to get “a good level of detail, without it taking forever to simulate”.
Olly Nash was among the first batch of students to graduate from a new multimedia degree at the University of Bradford in 1994. “I stayed on to do a research master’s degree; I knew I would never be able to write a unique research thesis, but paid the fees and played along because I knew 3D was going to be big and they had new Silicon Graphics workstations running Softimage 3D and a disk-to-tape machine, so I would be at the front of the wave! I taught myself 3D from the manuals, made my first showreel and got my first job at Vector TV studios in Manchester doing chrome spinning logos for TV adverts. I
“My biggest piece of advice to any woman is to speak confidently and with volume. You will get overlooked, but that’s just an unfortunate side effect of the patriarchy, so be calm and be ready. Be self-sufficient and ensure you find as many solutions as you can on your own with trial and error and by checking facts. Know your topic so you can be confident in your response when you are patronised. Also, remember that men are also patronising to each other, it’s not just unique to you!”
I taught myself 3D from the manuals, made my first showreel and got my first job at Vector TV studios in Manchester
ABOVE A still from Robin Hood, a recent film Toppler worked on
TAMARA TOPPLER Job title: head of digital matte painting Tamara Toppler was always interested in learning how films are created, but it wasn’t until watching Lord of the Rings back in the early noughties that her curiosity piqued and she realised she wanted to be part of the creation process. She studied Computer Animation Arts at Bournemouth University and later got a master’s in Digital Effects. “It was during my master’s that I discovered my love for creating digital environments and the art of matte painting. I landed my first job at Realise Studio in Soho. I was more of a 3D generalist and compositor to begin with, but gradually got to focus more on matte paintings.” Toppler joined BlueBolt in 2016 and, as a history buff, was delighted, because
Toppler has also worked on The Last Kingdom , Peaky Blinders , Cobra , Catherine the Great and Johnny English . She says: “The trickiest shot I ever did was for the latest Robin Hood film. It was a top-down shot looking at part of the set rotating 180° up to reveal the whole city. It was technically challenging to get that done, combining a 2.5D matte painting and 3D approach. It was painful, but I learned a lot (mainly to never do it this way again!) “My advice is to start at a smaller company, as they have fewer rigid structures in place and you can move up quicker if you mention you want to get into matte painting. In my experience, good employers will try to accommodate you if they see you’re passionate about it.”
the company is known for its work on period dramas. “I was also excited that the company is run by two women – a rarity in this industry. I became the head of digital matte painting a year and a half ago and, although it came with new responsibilities, I absolutely love it!” However, she adds: “Being a young female lead can sometimes be tricky to earn the respect of older and/or male team members, but I just try to be myself and do a good job. In my experience, matte painters are rare – and female ones even more so. The problem with matte painting is that there is no direct route into it like there is with 3D generalist or compositing roles, which are the main promoted routes in most companies.”
50 DEF I N I T ION | MARCH 2020
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