Women’s Day Special VFX Interview – Amy Davis, Digital Compositor, Pixomondo Vancouver

Women’s Day Special VFX Interview – Amy Davis, Digital Compositor, Pixomondo Vancouver

February 19, 2020 – March 8 marks International Women’s Day (IWD). This day has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911. The day is not country, group or organization specific – and belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. It encourages everyone around the world to make International Women’s Day their day and do what they can to truly make a positive difference for women.

International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. For more info visit at www.internationalwomensday.com

British-born Amy Davis is a Digital Compositor at Pixomondo in Vancouver, Canada, whereshe most recently worked on Roland Emmerich’s World War II feature film“Midway,” the Star Trek spin-off series, “Picard,” and the Universal/Blumhouse thriller, “The Hunt.”

Amy began her career as a runner at Framestore in London, and worked her way up through Prep Station (a part of the Paint and Roto team) and into Compositing. During her time at the company she worked on such projects as “Guardians of the Galaxy,”the “Harry Potter”and “Sherlock Holmes”franchises, and “Gravity,” the latter which won the Oscar, BAFTA and multiple VES awardsforBest VFX. She moved to Canada in 2015 and worked for companies such as MPC, DNEG, Image Engine, Hydraulx, Sony Imageworks, ILM and more. While at Sony, she had the privilege of working on “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” which won the best feature animation Oscar and BAFTA award.

Today, Amy Davis talks to VFX Online about her experience as a woman working in the VFX and Animation industry.

// From Amy Davis, Digital Compositor, Pixomondo Vancouver

How do you describe yourself professionally?

I’m a compositor from the UK. After working in London for many years, I wanted a change and moved to Vancouver originally for a short-term project. I ended up staying here!

What sparked your interest in visual effects?

Going to see The Lion King at age eight. I walked out of the cinema and said: ‘I want to work for Disney and make movies.’ I’ve wanted to be an animator since. I went to the Arts Institute at Bournemouth (now the Arts University Bournemouth) to study traditional animation and graduated with a degree in hand drawn animation, so naturally I gravitated towards the 2D side of the industry.

How did you enter in this industry?

I started as a runner in Framestore’s film department, working my way up to head runner before being seconded into the comp team as a prep station artist. That role bridged the gap between comp and lighting, mainly creating HDRIs and grading them along with more traditional paint and roto tasks. This gave me a wider range of the relationship between the two departments and a chance to get to work with supervisors and producers directly. I even got to go on set and was lucky to start my comp journey in a unique way rather than the traditional paint & roto route.

What does the idea of empowerment mean to you?

To me, empowerment means the chance to break through in what was once a very male dominated field and strive to be the best artist I can be.

What’s your greatest achievements in VFX/Animation Industry?

Being a part of two Oscar and BAFTA award winning teams for different disciplines: Best VFX for Gravity and Best Animated Movie for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

What is the current state for women in the industry?

Over the last 12 years, the VFX industry has become much more equal in terms of male to female ratio. When I started there was a lot more of a ‘boys club’ feel. Now it is refreshing to see an almost equal split when you join a new VFX team.

Which is your favorite film in VFX and Animation and why?

The above mentioned The Lion King of course. In terms of the VFX that inspired me as a child, I am a massive fan of Ghostbusters. I was always blown away by all the optical compositing they did for the original film, and also the VFX that ILM created for Ghostbusters 2 in 1989 – particularly the Scolari Brothers in the courtroom scene. When I worked at ILM, I got to see the original suits/puppets for the Scolaris and Slimer in the ILM archives, and had the chance to nerd out in person!

What is a memorable VFX/Animation project that you worked on?

I have multiple, but most recently I have to say Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. As a movie, it is groundbreaking, and creatively, it was dream to work on. As a comper we got to art direct what we wanted each shot or character to look like and it really broadened my skillset and challenged me. It also gave me the chance to work in feature animation for the first time and I loved it!

What would be your ‘dream project’ to work on?

Working in feature animation again. I’ve checked off a few project goals over the years already including a Star Wars film (Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi), a childhood favorite in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT: Out of the Shadows), and multiple Marvel projects. Nowadays my dream projects are based on the team I get to work with, and something that’s fun to work on, not necessarily the big hyped shows.

Which influential woman do you admire the most?

Michelle Obama is a wonderful example of a strong woman giving hope to the next generation of girls. The more people like her out there the better!

How has your experience been working at Pixomondo?

Pixomondo Vancouver has been very welcoming, and a fun studio to work at. I like that it is a smaller studio so you really get to know the team you are working with. The projects have been fun and interesting and are all very different across TV and film. It’s a nice mix of work.

What do you think about the number of women nominated for Oscar/VES/BAFTA or other award shows this year? Is it reflective of the work that’s out there? Did more women need to be recognized?

Better representation is needed. There are plenty of amazing female VFX Supervisors out there that should be recognized and put up to the plate. As more women take on senior roles in studios, hopefully we will see a more equal split at award shows in the future.

Which direction would you like to take your career in the near future?

I’d love to keep working on exciting projects and moving into more mentoring roles to help the next generation of artists out there.

What advice would you give to women who wish to get into this industry?

My advice would be the same for anyone: start at the bottom, and work your way up. If you truly want it, you can succeed. I’d also say don’t burn yourself out (as those in VFX can sometimes do). At the end of the day we make movies, so take care of your health first. I put in a lot of hours back in London at the start of my career and one of the reasons I moved to Vancouver was for a better work/life balance. Go into the industry aware of this and you will be better for it.

What is your International Women’s Day Greetings Message?

Happy International Women’s Day to my fellow VFX artists!

We would like to thank Amy Davis for the great interview, and if you like to know more about her, check out her .