Women’s Day Special VFX Interview – Fariba Shafiee, Previz/Concept Artist, Pixomondo

Women’s Day Special VFX Interview – Fariba Shafiee, Previz/Concept Artist, Pixomondo

March 7, 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

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

// From Fariba Shafiee, Previz/Concept Artist, Pixomondo

How do you describe yourself professionally?

I define myself as a digital artist with a background in architecture.

What sparked your interest in visual effects?

For me, the compelling aspect of visual effects and cinema is visual storytelling. Studying architecture for a long time had me creating and producing. I discovered that I could communicate any subject or idea through visual effects. I consider it an open platform, given the fact that cinema is accessible to everyone, which means you can be heard on a big scale.

How did you enter in this industry?

After graduation I applied to a bunch of companies and I landed my first VFX job at Pixomondo.

What does the idea of empowerment mean to you?

Such a good question. To me Empowerment means distributing all sources including higher education, knowledge, information, job opportunities and any kind of infrastructure to any individual. Everyone should to be able to access all these things equally. Power shouldn’t be concentrated in the hands of a few people. It should be non-hierarchical.

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

While I am new to the industry, I am continuing to optimize my workflow. Plus, getting to meet artists/producers from a completely different field is refreshing.

What is the current state for women in the industry?

It is slowly getting better, but we are still far from being present and equal. It is still difficult for women to get promoted to higher positions. There is a considerable lack of female directors or producers. However, older, male directors have the opportunity to make a 100 films, and repeat themselves over and over. What is the point of watching the same stories repeatedly for decades?The world needs fresh eyes and new ideas.

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

It is empowering and makes me feel highly independent and motivated. As a professional woman, it is vital to have a strong network.

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

Honestly, it’s difficult to pick. I would say Mad Max: Fury Road is unreal, the visuals are spectacular with a simple yet powerful story. The other one is Under the Shadow which tells a story of a haunted house in Tehran, during Iran-Iraq war through mythology.

And my favorite animation is Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Miyazaki. It is about a toxic jungle which is caused by an apocalyptic disaster in post civilization era.(Plus, the main protagonist is a girl.

What was your Best VFX/Animation project worked for?

Star Trek: Discovery was my favorite project to work on so far at Pixomondo.

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

My dream project is making an interactive storyboard/game for kids. The characters will comprise women of color, the LGBTQIA community and other minorities. This will happen. I am a woman of my word.

Which influential woman do you admire the most?

I have a long list that includes Rosa Parks, Bjork, Zaha Hadid, Jodi Foster, Nasrin Sotoudeh, Benazir Bhutto, Rashida Tlaib, Hannah Beachler, Shoshana Zuboff and my grandma.

How helpful or effective are the various Women in VFX/Animation Organizations in terms of support women in this industry?

It definitely can be more effective. I believe we have to start from small organizations to big ones. But we need to be active and confident. We can’t be stagnant and expect change. For example, we can have a round table discussion every month to get other employees ideas and opinions in the workplace. For example, what if we create a department for women to develop female-centric projects, work with female clients, and engage in activism? Small moves can be drastically effective, as we’ve seen with the #MeToo movement.

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

This year the Academy Awards were embarrassing in terms of diversity. None of the nominations for best director went to a woman. Women received only about 30% of non-acting nominations.

Bong Joon-ho, the South Korean creator of “Parasite,” was the only non-white person nominated for best director.I was at least glad for that film’s success on Oscar night.

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

The ideal plan is to keep working in VFX to gain more experience and to keep making my own personal projects on the side.

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

Please join the club to make different, more varied projects. Support other women. I believe we have a lot to say in any forms from directing, to creating, to producing. We should be bold, and loud. The industry needs us. The future needs us. We are the only ones who can put the concept of change into practice.

What is your International Women’s Day Greetings Message?

There are no limitations for women, only obsolete social contracts. As long as we have each other’s backs we can break down the predominantly patriarchal system. I believe there is no other way.

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