Laura Livingstone

Honestly, a combination of persistence, timing and loving San Francisco. I knew I wanted to live there, I thought there was more of an independent film making scene than there turned out to be. Anyone I spoke to advised me to check out animation at Pixar or VFX at ILM. I applied for jobs at both and got hired at ILM first. 

But of course there is more to it than that, it wasn’t that straight forward. The job I applied for was as an Executive Assistant and they told me there was no pathway into the filmmaking side of things via that role, so if that’s what I really wanted to do then I had to go away and learn more about Visual Effects. Even though I knew the EA job wasn’t for me, it got me in the door and on their radar. 

But there weren’t any courses in VFX so I had to cobble together an understanding of 3D modeling, CG animation, lighting and compositing. That summer I taught Producing - scheduling and budgeting - at a film school in Berkeley & in return one of the tutors taught me what he knew about doing effects in Post. I kept the recruiter updated and they just happened to be looking for PAs for Iron Man and Transformers and gave me a chance.

I had absolutely no idea what Visual Effects was or what it entailed, much less the creative value and opportunities it brings. Growing up I used to watch’ the making of’ segments on Saturday morning TV shows, like the making of  Star Wars and Indiana Jones for example. The behind-the-scenes only ever showed the practical side of filmmaking, the actors, the camera, lights, etc. I never really gleaned any knowledge of Post Production or what happens afterwards from those snippets. That was a big learning curve for me, the editorial process, colour grading, sound mix and adding in music compositions, there is so much more to making film and TV shows. 

So I suppose it was a natural progression for me, after learning some of the roles at college, I got a job as a PA in Dublin and experienced much bigger crews, at that professional level there is so much more equipment, tech and I stayed on productions through the end and experienced that there is lots more to the post process than the edit. I became interested in everything around that and when I got to San Francisco I was definitely curious about Animation and Visual Effects, entirely different but parallel industries. 

I probably gravitated towards VFX since it stemmed from practical filmmaking, as opposed to CG Animation, that is created ‘on the box’ with no on set production component. 

I was drawn to all things Media & Arts from very early in primary and high school. This course was broad enough to let me continue that and I liked this course because it stewed heavily on the practical side, as well as some theory and philosophy.  I loved the idea of taking and making pictures and telling stories, even though I didn't necessarily know which particular job I wanted at the end of it.

Looking back, that was a good thing. The course gave me a foundation in all aspects of the creative process, the fact that I kept gravitating towards Producing and enjoyed the logistical and practical side of things should have been a hint that I’d one day be budgeting and scheduling - daily!

At the time I enjoyed the practical projects more, the hustle of making short films with no budget, begging and borrowing. Being out and about with a camera. I loved being the clapper loader and loading 16mm film into the magazines - not being able to see what I was doing was pretty daunting. Not the biggest role on the callsheet, but a really important one nonetheless. That was a good lesson, everyone on the crew contributes and plays a part. It’s inherently collaborative, you need everyone to come together and bring their area of expertise, experience and knowledge. The ability to communicate across creative, technical and production teams is just as important as knowing the tech and the craft itself.

I think the fact that we learned the ropes on film before the digital revolution also stood me in good stead, certainly for learning VFX. But most importantly it was the others in my class and in the school, seeing how everyone branched out into their own thing, the proof that the course  was foundational, broad and a launch pad for many different career choices. 

A VFX Executive is essentially helping translate the creative ambition of a production into something that can actually be planned, produced and delivered. There are artists, supervisors, vendors, producers, directors, cinematographers and many other departments involved, and my job has often been to help connect all of those pieces.

That can mean figuring out how a sequence should be approached, understanding the technology and creative requirements, managing budgets and schedules, selecting and working with global VFX  vendors, and making sure the work ultimately supports the story and the type of show we’re putting together.

The part I enjoy most is problem-solving, rolling up my sleeves and figuring things out, especially if it hasn’t been done before and needs a fresh approach. No shows are ever the same, every time it's something new and different. I connect the dots and bring the right people together to solve it and make it happen. 

No, I’ve always been too busy to stop and think :)

Joking aside, I have never taken for granted that I wound up working as a studio executive in an office on Sunset Boulevard, in Hollywood, working for one of the biggest studios and had a view that looked out onto the Hollywood sign. 

Absolutely, like I said I don’t take it for granted. I worked really, really hard and the grit, determination and work ethic I attribute to my Irish roots. As you can imagine I have seen plenty of power plays and I didn’t get into any of that. I think the qualities I left the island with have shaped the way I work, for sure.

I believe there is a very strong Irish instinct towards storytelling, humour and conversation, that served me well, and being from N.Ireland I also know how to figure things out and get on with people. 

Irish ways of life I held on to: Entertaining, Sunday dinners, live music and finding good Guinness. 

Happily embraced about life in LA: In-N-Out Burgers, Traffic, LA Beach Sunsets. 

Cinema or sofa? Cinema, especially shows that are made for IMAX!

Dublin or LA? Dublin.

A film you never tire of watching? All the classics, Goonies, Stand by Me…

Dream Director to work with? Robert Zemeckis.

One thing you miss about Ireland? That there is so much to miss about Ireland- the people, the craic, humbleness, creativeness…