Visual effects artist, Animal Logic

CV Waitress > photographer > web designer > software tester > visual effects artist

What are some of the movies you've worked on?

The Matrix Reloaded, The Quiet American, Charlotte Gray. They're the three films I've worked on at Animal, and I've also worked on commercials.

Did it bother you when The Matrix Reloaded was panned by critics?

No. It would bother me more if I'd worked on a film that I thought was politically dodgy, like really right-wing or racist or something like that. But if it's just a bad film, badly put together, that's OK just as long as my effects look good. The comments about the effects I'd done were positive so that's what matters. I'm not responsible for the direction or the producing.

Did you do any effects on Keanu Reeves?

I worked along with others on the evil twins. They had an ability to go into this ethereal space and I worked on creating the ethereal look. Working on Reloaded was really interesting for me because there was a lot of 3-D character integrated with live action.

What did you think of The Matrix Revolutions?

It's better than Reloaded but that's not saying much. The effects were amazing, though. There are always a few little things you pick up that could have been better but overall they were amazing. If you took out the dialogue and the acting, it would have been a great film.

Which movies do you think have the best and worst special effects?

I really like films that use the visual effects to help and enhance the narrative, like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That's one of my favourite films in terms of effects and narrative. It's just beautiful the way they've incorporated the effects into the film. It flows really well. They're not just gratuitous effects. As for films with bad effects, there are so many. Something like Independence Day was appalling. Some of the effects were OK but the film was so bad and the effects weren't so good overall. As a package, it was really bad.

Have you met any of the actors in films you've worked on?

Generally, I don't get to meet them but when I was working on The Matrix Reloaded we had the twins come in and they had a look at what I was doing. It was fun and they were really excited by it, too, so it gave me a lift. It was like being in this black cloud for ages and they see what you've done and get really excited and you think, "Oh, maybe it is OK."

How did you get into visual effects?

I did an exchange program in the United States in 1994 in the third year of my visual arts degree. When I was there I learnt web design, which I continued with when I got back to Australia. Because it was so new and they were desperate for people that knew anything about it, I managed to get into a production post house to do web design. I said I'd do it if they'd teach me how to do visual effects.

What's the industry like to work in?

The money's very good, so that's a bonus. Before getting the job at Animal, I moved around a bit because that's the nature of the industry; people tend to go from project to project. But I really like my job here. It's challenging and I'm learning things all the time. At the end of a film, you're working long hours, six or seven days a week, and that can be really hard but often they'll give you time off to recuperate.