Women’s Day Special VFX Interview – Claudia Marvisi, Texture Lead, Pixomondo Stuttgart

Women’s Day Special VFX Interview – Claudia Marvisi, Texture Lead, Pixomondo Stuttgart

March 5, 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

Claudia Marvisi, After starting as 2D artist for videogames, Claudiacame to the VFX world as a 3D generalist/texture artist, and then incorporated matte painting and motion graphics in to her repertoire. Texturing is her main focus, but she still keeps a hand in the rest of the pipeline, which has proven beneficial for both her lead role and for problem solving.

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

// From Claudia Marvisi, Texture Lead, Pixomondo Stuttgart

How do you describe yourself professionally?

I love my job and all the roads that led me to it. Every day, I try to do better than the day before and I don’t mind challenges. I put my heart and soul in to what I do and, as a Lead, I try my best to keep my team happy and motivated.

What sparked your interest in visual effects?

I always had a very imaginative mind and was sadden by the fact that most of the things I was imagining could not actually exist in our real world. VFX is capable of making the impossible, possible. It can affect people’s emotions and inspire them to dream. As a VFX artist, you are giving people – and yourself – new, unexplored worlds and unimaginable adventures.

How did you enter in this industry?

Before getting into VFX, I worked as 2D artist in video games. At a certain point, I got curious to see what VFX had to offer in terms of new artistic and technical challenges. That’s when I decided to go back to studying so I could to take the next steps in to VFX.

What does the idea of empowerment mean to you?

The base of empowerment to me is having the consciousness that a person is the author of his or her own life. That self-awareness makes you stronger and more confident.

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

I’ve had a lot of rewarding moments in my career, but the biggest achievements are with myself, people valuing my work, and having come this far.

What is the current state for women in the industry?

Women, especially on the artist side, are still the minority, although the number is fortunately increasing. When I started here at the company there was just a couple of us… now you can count the girls in the office with more than 10 fingers!

What is it like to be a professional, working woman in your line of work?

The workplace should not be about being a man or a woman. As long as the same rights and duties are granted, is only about what kind of person you are, and how much love and passion you put in what you do.

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

Life of Pi. Apart from the beauty and the layered depth of the story, the VFX are amazing. Not only are they really well done and elegant, but also – and this is maybe even more important- they serve the function of gracefully supporting the plot and the emotions that the film wants to convey. Most movies these days feature heavy VFX, and still, it is hard for me to find many productions that use the VFX and their narrative/emotional power, as they did in Life of Pi.

What was your Best VFX/Animation project worked for?

Every project is different, with different perks and unique challenges, so is it very difficult to come up with just one name. On one side, I enjoy projects where the artistic freedom is predominant, even if they are smaller, but on the other hand, it is also nice and rewarding to know that you gave your contribution to make great projects even greater!

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

Is not really about a specific project, but rather an idea. For, me the recipe of the dream project would be:

-very high production values
-great VFX that supports an equally great story
-space for artist creativity
-the same hype and excitement for the project between all team members

Other than these, I have a soft spot for fantasy/medieval themes, so working on a big-scale project of this genre would be great!

Which influential woman do you admire the most?

One name would be very restrictive! In general, I like to look at the past. In many difficult historical times, there have been women who made a big impact on world history, in fields that were definitely male-dominated. Each of them has an inspiring story to tell.

How has your experience been working at Pixomondo?

Pixomondo is a company that has changed and grown dramatically for the better in the last few years. Doing my part in this process feels great!

One of the best thing the company did for me was to give me the chance to grow and presenting me with challenges that were always new to me. I never liked feeling confined to the same tasks. I always felt I had a world to explore and so many new things to learn! Pixomondo gave me the possibility to do this and it really paid off when I started focusing more and more on texturing. That’s when the various puzzle pieces I collected throughout the years proved very helpful.

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?

For sure they needed to be more recognized…and taken more seriously.The biggest problem is not how many awards women win, but how and why they win them. A woman shouldn’t win or progress in her career because of quotas for women. The real goal would be to not need to address this topic (about women and their career and award) because society itself has evolved, and everyone is recognized by their value, not by the category or subgroup they belong to.

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

I like to think out of the box and be part of the creative process, bringing forward my ideas and the ones of my team. Since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to be an Art Director and this idea is still in my mind.

Together with this, teaching and mentoring is also something that has lately got me thinking a lot. I love the idea of sharing knowledge and supporting younger artists during their growth.

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

Overall, I’d give them the same advice I’d give to men: if you really want something, do your best to achieve it. You have the power to make this happen. No one and nothing else can take this from you if you work hard and with passion.

And especially to girls I’d say: if you have the ambition and desire to get into this industry do your battle with pride and don’t let anyone – not your family, friends or partner – talk you out of it and bring you down.

What is your International Women’s Day Greetings Message?

Until the time comes when Women’s Day won’t be needed anymore because all women will have the same rights and opportunities as men, we should try to make Women’s Day, every day!

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