Our Skype call with VFX Flame artist Katrina Salicrup came shortly after I had viewed Life After Pi (2014), a documentary on the downfall of VFX house Rhythm and Hues after winning an Oscar for their work on Life of Pi (2013). This paradoxical situation was no anomaly in the VFX industry. The 30-minute film had highlighted the similar underpayment, under-recognition of many VFX houses, which lead to bankruptcy and unemployment of VFX artists, who work in almost nomadic conditions.
If we were to shift our focus to women in VFX industry, this takes the already disadvantaged circumstances of VFX artists it to the next level, as it is the intersection of a disadvantaged group (namingly, being a woman) within a profession that is disadvantaged in another sense. Even though I’m not looking to go in the direction of VFX in my future, the general animation (and even film) industry is littered with gender rooted issues. Therefore, I was particularly interested to hear what Katrina had to say about being a woman in the industry. I remember being surprised when Katrina said that there wasn’t actually an overwhelming amount of discrimination against her identity as female when on the job. Although it did occur at times—a client or worker may request for a male supervisor—it was not as common as I may have assumed. Rather, Katrina emphasized that what was most important in order to succeed in the field is a sense of persistence and diligence to practicing our respective craft.
This leads me to ponder about the frequently mentioned glass ceiling that female professionals face. Granted, this is not to discredit or deny the existence of it. But sometimes our over wariness of something may cause more harm than good. If we were to enter a room with a negative expectation, the likelihood of something negative actually happening is heightened. What I feel Katrina is pointing us in the direction of, is suggesting that if we work hard on our craft instead of worrying about what may or may not happen, there will be those who are willing to overlook initial stereotypes or views based on our phenotype.
To close off, our segment on the VFX industry has allowed me a newfound appreciation for VFX and CGI artists. As much as people want to downplay the use of computers in animation, we often fail to remember that people still operate these programs and machines using their time and diligence to create something magical. The phrase ‘we’ve been replaced by robots’ I feel, can often dismiss the hard work of animation artists who work with these ‘robots’. This respect for one another in the field (especially between 2D and 3D artists) is something that certainly cannot be lost in the sea of prevalent cynicism.